Naoki was grinning from ear to ear. The fear in his eyes slowly subsided, replaced by an amusement with a hint of snicker. His gaze lifted to meet the two mysterious people behind Sasuke, and as his head bowed slightly, he knew the hunter was an acquaintance with whoever was behind his back. Grunting as the sword nicked the skin on his neck, Sasuke tried to appear harmless and slow down his beating heart.

So when his knees were kicked and his body was forced to the kneeling position, he bit his lips hard to control his retort. He could feel the wary anger radiating from the aksara whenever he made unnecessary movements.

It was an aksara, indeed. Sasuke could tell. He could smell.

For a few seconds, fear gripped his heart as he finally realized they were very closed to his body, almost brushing the back of his clothes. Their scents lingered in the air - a mix of forest, earthy, and both the aksara unique scents but also something which made something stirred in his stomach. He took a deep breath, inhaling again the subtle scent, trying to recall where had he ever smelled the mixture of citrus, leather, and woods - a combination that forced his desire to go wild. His inner omega rumbled in appreciation and delight at the smell but Sasuke swiftly tampered it down, scowling himself for being attracted to the aksara's scent. He shouldn't be thinking about the mysterious smell but instead finding a way to escape.

Still, his body couldn't help but cower under the overpowering scent, his back hunched slightly and his head bowed, instinctively showing obedience to the aksara behind him. Oh, how Sasuke hates his body and his gender. It was his weakness and a shameful condition that always made him ponder the reason Kaguya made him. He is neither a human nor an aksara. No human has the secondary gender for it only belongs to the rogue species but Sasuke couldn't change into any animal form. Sasuke doesn't remember when he first presented. His memories were all jumbled since his master took him but every twice a year, his body will experience changes that scared him to death.

It hurt, more than the training he had endured with the others. A pain that sometimes forced him to hide himself during the period far away from everyone else. When he first experienced the heat (that's what the book said), he was beyond fear.

Slick gushing out from his private part, cramp all over his body, headache, and nausea. But the worst of all, the waves of sudden lust that clawing out to be released. To be satiated. Sasuke didn't know what the beast want inside of him at that time except it was trashing, screeching, and howling like a cat in heat. At the parable, it dawned on him the thing he needs to alleviate the pain and hurt - something hard and long shoved into his wet hole.

The circumstances always led him to excruciating pain where his neck - the place with a visible mark of teeth, almost faded but it was there against his porcelain skin, throbbed like hundreds of needles pierced through it. It wanted something. That much Sasuke knew, but he couldn't remember what. His memory is also slightly foggy, hazed, and blurred, and yet, there is only one feature that remains solid.

Blonde hair, shone despite the lack of moon's rays in the night, and cerulean eyes, staring at him straight to his soul.

He doesn't remember who and where he had seen the boy. For all, he knew the boy was somehow important to him. Hence, Sasuke had dedicated 16 years of his life searching for a glimpse of blonde hair among the humans in all the continents and kingdoms. He walked, stalked, and run through the mountains and lands, villages to cities among the shadow of its citizens but came back with despair and emptiness.

Until he saw the hint of fear in the hunter's eyes.

Hope blooms like a flower in the desert. His omega squealed in delight. Sasuke finally found him.

But it never occurred to him the boy he was looking for is an aksara.

Sasuke's body coiled as one of the aksara moved behind him, brushing against his lower back. The urge to close his fingers on the junction between the neck and shoulder blade was so strong that he had to force his body to bend, earning a satisfying sound from the two brutes that hovered like a tower around him.

Suddenly Sasuke felt so little and small despite how much he had trained and fought to gain the muscles and strength all over the years. Everything he had sacrificed - the sweat, blood, and tears went dumped under the heavy scent of the most hated species in the land of Ishkar. Begrudgingly, he lowered himself as low as possible to avoid unnecessary scenting that may expose his weird nature.

His only hope the suppressant he wore might cover enough the omega scent.

"Well, well, look at here. Saotome Naoki." A voice sneered, deep and husky near his ears, sending goosebumps all over his body. "What the hell are you doing here? Did you already forget about the pact?"

Sasuke's brows rose at the information. A hunter made a pact with the aksara? He never heard that kind of thing before. Both species were known to be volatile against each other, enjoying killings like they were meant to tear each other limbs. Like it was their purpose of living. Sasuke doesn't know how the history started between those two - either they were created by Goddess Kaguya to hate each other or there were unforeseen circumstances that lead to the thousand years of the feud. They couldn't stand each other and won't sit in a room without trying to unsheathed their swords or bared their claws and fangs. So, when a particular hunter made a pact with an aksara, Sasuke grew curious.

What kind of aksara accepted a compromise with a human?

"I apologize but I come with a warn," he said with cautious, eyes steadily locking on the ground.

"Hm? What is it?" The one on the left asked, his sword slowly leaving Sasuke's neck but the other still holding him down. Sasuke saw his feet covered with boots move forward, passing him until he stands behind him. He doesn't know which one of the two was the alpha but he guessed the left one since the air he breathed was suddenly breathable.

"The human already has an image of you," Naoki warned. He was expecting the aksara to scream or even throw a tantrum but he merely shrugged. The hunter furrowed his brow at the unexpected reaction.

"You're not worried?"

There's a bark of laughter, loud enough to cause a shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. "Why would I? They are just mongus. If we cross paths in the future, I just annihilate them. Besides, the only image they have of me is my animal form, correct?"

"Ah- yes, but -"

"Then leave it." He cut sternly.

Naoki swallowed hard. It was not going to be the way he wanted it to be. He thought the aksara will be furious, and then he will throw the dark-haired hunter's name as the one responsible. Usually, the aksara will kill any hunter or human who had seen them - ruthless and fast - without hearing their excuse or pathetic pleas. And yet now, the aksara somehow totally ignored his warning but continued staring dagger at him as if he's the one who posed threat.

'This can't be. If this continues, both of us will lose our lives,' he thought gravely. He needs to find a way.

"It's okay for you to come to us with a warn," the tall, bulky aksara suddenly spoke, he twirled around Naoki and Sasuke, playing with his sword as he moved. A short relief of breath stuck in his throat when suddenly the tip of the sword touched his neck, painfully closed to his Adam apple.

Naoki swallowed hard.

"But I specifically warn you not to expose our territory," the iciness in the voice told Sasuke he had promised an unforgettable way of death if anyone broke the truce between them, and the hunter had done precisely one. Sasuke repressed the shudder, inwardly bowing his head lower.

Suddenly a gasp could be heard.

Battling against the force of the alpha dominant scent and the desire to look into what had happened, Sasuke gritted his teeth and dug his nails hard into the palm of his hands until he could smell blood trickles into the air.

Fuck.

The movement was too fast. One second he saw the aksara's feet beside the hunter, and now the said one was kneeling beside him, staring at him keenly through the hole of the dog mask. It was a white, oval porcelain mask with a dog's feature drawn with black paint. On the cheeks, there are two red inverted triangles.

"You," he started, tilting his head slightly to observe the exposed part of his face. his breath fanned against Sasuke's pale skin - hot and uncomfortable. It made inside of him slimy with unwanted feelings like a snake slithering on his body. He averted his eyes, focused on the ground instead.

"You smell weird," he said with a long sniff.

They were too close. Shit. Sasuke could feel he had been sweating ever since the aksara appeared. And now, his black shirt was drenched which made him itchy and squirmy. The mysterious scent also didn't help to ease the foreign sensation on the lower part of the body, begging for something he surely doesn't want.

"He's a hunter!" Naoki abruptly interrupted, pulling the aksara's intention away from him. But he was still too closed and the other one still holding his weapon near his neck.

"You brought a hunter to our territory?" The venom in his voice couldn't be mistaken. And there's also a chilling feeling, forcing Sasuke to lift his face to meet a view of the aksara choking Naoki with only one hand, lifting his body from the ground.

"No! I - ack - there's a... a reason!"

Naoki's face had turned blue from the lack of oxygen and he pitifully hit the strong hand but to no avail. Even without the power of his clan animal, the aksara was strong on his own.

Sasuke stared with wide eyes. For the first time, he saw the menacing aura of an alpha. He read it before. In a book compiled by humans who are interested in the species. Among them, they talked about the aura of an alpha. It's the epitome of strength and power. Just like their color eyes were used to differentiate their second gender, the aura was seen as their level of strength. What Sasuke understand is it had to do with the color when they were emitting.

A bright white, faintly blue, yellow gold, and dark orange.

In other words, the darker color the aura is, the stronger the alpha.

The aksara in front of him has a faint yellow aura - a Level A. Now he knew the unknown aksara's level, he surely will get a handsome reward if he can defeat him. This is not the first time he had encountered a high-level aksara. However, they were easily defeated because they were not in human form and were caught off guard.

This aksara... is different.

Through his scent only, Sasuke could tell he was a strong and dangerous one.

"Oh, pray to Kaguya your reason will be the ticket for you to escape your death," the aksara sneered, tightening his grip on the neck. "We have given you chances, Saotome. He had pardoned you when you took a step on our territory and he accepted your deal. By doing that, he had betrayed our kind. But now, you brought an outsider, a hunter on top of that, and exposed our secret. You had broken the truce!"

Naoki was struggling. His face turned into bluish-purple, his eyes almost popped out from the socket but his mouth still opened like a fish out of the air, trying to make a word he's desperate to say.

"He - Kuh! He knows - him!"

The aksara arched his brow, unimpressed. "Hm? What are you talking about?"

"F- Fox!"

The air went stilled. The hand on the neck froze on the spot.

"What did you say?" The aksara asked through gritted teeth, abruptly opening his palm causing the hunter to drop to the ground. He was coughing badly, tears leaking through the corner of his eyes but the aksara couldn't wait for the hunter to regain his breathing. He growled, his eyes shining bright gold. "I ask you what is this all about?!"

"He - the hunter," Naoki threw an accusation finger at Sasuke, the body still trembling from the after effect of the strangling. "He knew about Fox."

Fox.

Once again, the body went rigid. If just now the aura was seen as a blanket, covering the bulky body in the soft, warm gold, now - now it was fierce, hot as a blazing fire. He was clad in an orange-yellow aura as he turned away from Naoki, slowly, predatory walking toward Sasuke. His omega beast screamed inside of him to surrender but he did none of that. Even the other aksara moved away from him.

"How do you know him?" The voice came out scratchy and rough, eyes slanted as it pierced through his own, holding him down.

Sasuke couldn't help but swallow. He was confused. Are they talking about the same man? He knew the man he was looking for is an aksara but the memory was vague in his head. What he remembered was a blonde turf that glows under the ray of moonlight, eyes shining like sparkle diamonds in the sea, and that blinding smile...

"He asked my uncle about a blonde man with blue eyes," Naoki interjects again, already on his feet.

"Then he's talking about Fox."

The hunter furiously nodded. "That's what I thought at first. I heard rumors that someone had been asking about it and went looking for the mysterious man. Guess he finally came to our town and asked the same question. I know it was him so I followed but then he was near Mahol Forest, so I-"

"I get it," the aksara cut him ruthlessly, didn't bother to look at him. His eyes fixed on Sasuke, feral with sharp canines between white, aligned teeth.

"So," he murmured, he pushed his sword into the ground as he bent his body, his face a hair breath from Sasuke. "How do you know about him?"

If they were talking about the same aksara, Sasuke need to meet him. However, to accomplish that, he had to be alive.

"Take me to him, then I'll tell you."

A snort came out and then a trail of laughter that feels like mocking. "Do you hear that, Bear? He even dared to negotiate with us! This, silly -" the back of the aksara's hand hit him hard across the face. "Mongus," he spat.

Sasuke could taste the metallic copper in his mouth. Through his mask, he licked his chapped lips, cleaning them lazily. His cheek was throbbing but he ignored it. Instead, he leveled their gaze so the aksara could see he was being serious.

He needs to see the blonde aksara.

"I could chop off your head right now, slice your skin to feed to my dog. They'll surely love to eat something new once in a while," the aksara threatened.

Sasuke scoffed. If not because they knew about the blonde aksara, he won't waste his time talking to an imbecile and already fighting his way for escape.

The aksara arched his brow in annoyance. "What's with this attitude? You think I won't kill you?"

A smirk lazily curled upon his lips. The aksara was trying to get information from him. If he truly wanted to kill him, Sasuke was already long gone by now. He had his chance when his companion was holding him down.

"You won't kill me," Sasuke stated simply.

The eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You want to know how I know the blonde aksara. Based on your reaction, he's quite important, is he not? So important that you had hidden him very well but me knowing his face threw you off guard," Sasuke calmly said, ignoring the menacing aura directed at him. The human couldn't see and feel it, but he can. That's why it affected him the most. He continued, averting his gaze. "If you kill me right now, you won't know how I knew about him, how many knew this particular information."

"What?" The golden eyes widen, tinted with fear. "There's another? You're lying!"

The dark-haired hunter shrugged. "Why should I? You heard what the hunter said. He heard rumors about someone asking from town to town. Do you think I'm the only one who asked? It might be my friend, my family..."

"You damn fool!" This time it was not the alpha but the beta behind him. His back shirt was pulled, twirling his lean body roughly until he came eyes to eyes to the blazing blues. This one has a large body, is slightly shorter, and has brown spiky hair behind the mask. He wore a brown mask, carved with a bear's ears and nose. "Tell us you're lying! You don't know what you've done!"

Sasuke does not know and he didn't care. He stared impassively with a bored expression, unperturbed by the growling of the aksara which became increasingly agitated at his words. Is the blonde important?

"We should kill him," the alpha gritted his teeth, pacing back and forth. The hunter was long forgotten but still there, watching them.

"We can't. What if he told the truth?"

"Then we kill them all," he snapped, throwing Sasuke an angry look. "This is messed up! How could someone see him? We've been careful all these years, never ventured outside our territory - You." He grabbed Sasuke by the collar, baring his teeth. "How did you find out about him?"

"If you want to know, let me see him," Sasuke answered simply, which only spurred the rage of the alpha.

"You think you're damn smart? Whose you are working for?"

"Maybe it's not Fox he was talking about? I mean outside the continent probably there are others with blonde hair and blue eyes," the beta tried to reason.

"Fuck! This shouldn't be happening!" The alpha almost screamed for his lungs. "Everything we worked for, we sacrificed -shit! This all because he's too softie!"

"You can't blame him. You are the one who's been exposed. Maybe-"

"What are you trying to say?" He seethed; eyes slanted dangerously at his partner. Sasuke's toes curled involuntarily, heart rate increased more than before.

"Just saying," the one called Bear shrugging as if the alpha's fury meant nothing. "Your image is the one they have, not me and certainly not him. You can't blame Fox for his forgiving nature. Because of that, he -"

"I know, I know!" The alpha snapped. "No need to reminisce the past, Bear."

Bear sighed, taking a calculated gaze at Sasuke and the hunter. "We should just take him to our camp. He'll deal with him."

"What if he decided to let this bastard go?"

"Then we trust his judgment. I bet you are also curious how this mongus could know about him."

"Yeah," the alpha snarled. "Curious indeed. Fine," he growled, clearly displeased by his tone. The beta probably won the argument. He shook Sasuke away from him and wrinkled his nose as he narrowed his gaze at a particular part of his body - specifically the side of his neck.

"You!" He barked, pointing his clawed finger to the hunter. Naoki looked pitiful as he stands at the command, not daring to blink or move. "Get away from here. Tell no one about this."

"Y- yes," he stammered, nodding his head. A second passed by he still standing there, watching the three of them with trembling eyes.

Noticing his presence, the alpha growled with annoyance. "What is it?!"

"Uh - um, t- the reward..."

"You think I damn care about your reward!" He barked, eyes blazing with irritation.

The hunter winced at the tone. Without waiting, he quickly disappeared before leaving a disappointed look towards the aksara.

They watched the hunter disappear, leaving the trail of drying leaves flying on the ground as he ran as fast as he could. Sasuke snorted but now understands the relationship between the aksara and Naoki. The only question he had in his mind is why and what Naoki could offer for the aksara to accept the deal.

"Blindfold him and tie his hand."

Before he could react, a dark piece of cloth was tied around his eyes. Maybe they hold a grudge, it was tied too tight Sasuke fear his eyes might pop out from the socket. Still, he doesn't say anything. But when the rope used to bound his hand together sliced his skin from the manhandling, Sasuke couldn't help but swear under his breath.

"You shit little-"

"Shut your mouth, mongus." The hot breath fan against his skin and Sasuke shivered in disgust. "Move."

His body was pushed forward, a little bit rough as if he was a disobedient kid. Biting his lips, Sasuke walked blindly, following the pull of the rope in front of him. Taking a whiff of the scent, he could smell the alpha not far behind him. There was a lack of foot sound as they walked, hiding perfectly like a predator they are.

Sasuke knew they were still in the forest, the smell of leaves and ground calmed him slightly. The air was cool against his skin. He wondered how far is their village. It feels like hours since they separated from the hunter. None of them were talking, the ambiance was awkward and quiet except for the animals moving around the trees and bushes.

"Have you told Tiger about our 'guest'?" It's the alpha who finally breaks the silence. Sasuke's ears perked at the new name.

"Already."

"How is he?"

The Bear grunted, shaking his head. "It's no good. We can't shove him female betas anymore, Dog. It will only worsen his condition."

Sasuke quietly followed the conversations. Are they talking about Fox? Is he sick? At the prospect, his stomach suddenly churned with discomfort and anxiousness.

"What should we do? We can't let him— wanking by himself anymore or lend a hand!"

"You know that's not what I meant," the beta hissed.

"Oh, don't tell me you suggest to gives the female mongus the liberty to have his seed! Bear, you know that's outrageous!"

Sasuke is a virgin, but not that virgin to not understand the underlying meaning of the conversations. He almost coughed in embarrassment as they talked more about the aksara's dire situation.

"He needs cunt, Dog. Our betas are not enough to satisfy him. Nothing can satisfy his knot except — well, you know what."

A soft chuckled escaped from the alpha. "I'm an alpha too but our needs are different from each other. I know whether it's a curse or a blessing."

And then there's a pregnant silence as they quietly walked. Sasuke assumed their talk had ended when the aksara behind him whispered in a long, suffering sigh.

"It's hard to find omega anymore in this world."

Blinking through the dark cloth, Sasuke's heart almost stopped.

Omega.

That's what he is.

They were looking for his kind? Why?

Before he could stop himself, the question blurted itself from his mouth.

"Why?"

"Why what?" The Bear asked.

"Why were you looking for omegas?"

"Because— "

"Why are you indulging him?" The alpha snapped, shoving Sasuke hard to show his displeasure.

"Well, I — he seems interested in our culture," the beta slowly said.

The aksara growled loudly. "It's their fault our omegas had extinct! Ungrateful creature. Our ancestors gave them lands and mercy. They should be thankful to be allowed in Ishkar, instead, they attacked us and killed our only hope to breed! How could you talk to him as if he understands our pain?"

The beta's words were probably stuck in his mouth, Sasuke thought since there was no reply after the outburst.

'He thinks I couldn't understand their pain?' Sasuke clenched his teeth, reigning his emotion tied under his leash of control. 'He thinks I don't feel anything after hearing there's no other like me breathing in this world?'

He's an omega, whether Sasuke liked it or not. His condition, his body, and the weird urge that always came to him every year, only the other omega could understand. He tried looking for any of them but was fruitless. The only one he could find was an old omega, a female before she succumbs to illness in her worn-out shack. She's the one who had taught Sasuke the recipes for suppressing his scents and alleviating the ache and pain during the heats. He only managed to me her twice before he buried her beside her mate.

And now, the hope to learn more about his biological body was closed to vanish.

Grunted, Sasuke focused more on his hearing instead of dwelling on the minor problem. He heard a distant sound of water streaming on his right side as they went farther to the deepest of the forest. The ground also became wet and mucky as his shoes made a squishy sound. The chilly air causes the hair at the back of his nape to stand involuntarily and suddenly his instinct grew alarmed.

Blindfolded with knowing anything about the enemy and their whereabouts is a recipe for disaster, that much Sasuke was aware. Suddenly he regretted allowing himself to be manhandled by the aksara whom he shouldn't be trusted.

"Don't you dare to escape," a warning came behind him. It seems the aksara had read his intention.

"I want to pee," came his ridiculous remark.

"Don't think I'm a fool to fall for that," the alpha snorted. "You will be peeing in the cell as much as you like."

"You have a cell?"

"Of course, we have one, you buffoon! Where do you think we keep that filthy mongus? In our room?" The aksara sounded infuriated.

"You said a camp," Sasuke pressed. He remembered they mention the place once. He imagined camps lying around and a cage in the middle of it for their catch like a display. Sasuke never raided a group of aksara before, it was usually the wanted and intended prey but he had heard somewhere that aksara is a pack species. They prefer to live, move and hunt together.

"Mongus," he sniffed. "They think they knew everything about us. We are not barbarian, human. We have a house, a place calls home. We have families. We don't deserve the slaughter and hate from your mankind when we ever do is giving you the same privilege in the first place."

Sasuke was surprised to hear the words spoken with sadness despite the anger. "I wonder, too," he said softly.

To be honest, his feeling toward those species were on the fence. It was unlikely he was one of them - he had tried, Goddess he had tried and learned through all the books he could find but nothing describes or even mention how a human could have the aksara's gender, thus couldn't explain his biological body. However, it also gave him mixed feelings - like he's not aksara but there's part of him that belongs to them.

"You're a hunter. Your job is to hunt us."

Sasuke hummed. "Yours is to kill us."

"It's fair," the alpha shrugged.

"The hunter? Why don't you kill him?" Sasuke was intrigued. What could the hunter possibly have that the aksara willing to make a pact?

"Naoki? He was nothing except a shameless fool. He has no loyalty, that's why."

Realization dawned on him. "He gave you information."

"And we rewarded him coins. Gold sometimes depends on how valuable the information is," the alpha was surprisingly eager to talk to him, which earned him a snort from his companion.

"How do you know he doesn't rat you out?"

At that, the alpha snickered. "Oh, we have our ways," he said meaningfully.

"Suddenly you're a blabbermouth," Bear snorted.

There was an indignant sound as the alpha grunted. "Shut up!" He snapped. "I'm done talking."

Hence, the atmosphere returned to the eerie silence which was only accompanied by the sound of crickets and twigs snapping. It feels like hours since he had aimlessly walked with eyes closed, heart trouncing at the thought of being unable to fight if the aksara decided to kill him and dump his body in the stream. Or feed to the dogs, just like the alpha had promised. Logically, he should be deserting his tugging need to meet the blonde boy. The beta probably was right. He may be mistaken. The land was enormous and vast - he hasn't ventured outside the country yet.

Or maybe he's already dead.

Yet, the soft thrummed on his neck speaks differently.

He's here! It said. He's near, he's alive! It screamed excitedly.

He's our salvation!

He's our ma-

"Urgh, shut up!" Sasuke muttered under his breath, blocking out the voice from his hearing. He bite his lips and tried to ignore the throbbing pain on his neck - hot and aflame like someone had branded his skin with a hot iron. His fingers were itching to clamp the particular part where an old wound was hidden beneath his shirt but he tampered down the urge to avoid suspicion.

"Why are you trembling?" asked a voice behind him.

"It's cold," Sasuke answered in a clipped tone.

"Such a weak creature."

Sasuke rolled his eyes through the blindfold. If it's not because of the blonde boy, he won't be in this condition and he could just kill the alpha for the reward. He just hoped his instinct was right all along, that the blonde was the answer to everything and perhaps he could help him regarding his weird body.

In exchange, he might consider making a pact as well because for him too, loyalty is nothing but an empty word.

"We're here."

Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief. His mind was a shambling mess and he fear the beast inside him will take over and unconsciously spread himself on the ground, baring to the predators before him. Just imagining it enough to make his omega purred in delight, exasperated and eager.

However, as soon as he took a step forward, his nose was hit with the strongest scent of an alpha - strong and powerful that caused his lungs to stop functioning, air stuck in the throat. Spit dribbling down to his chin, drenching his mask and for the first time ever, Sasuke was thankful to the infuriate piece.

He was drooling. The scent was the tastiest he had ever smelled - pure forest and earth, a hint of musk and smoke, fierce and feral. It was intoxicating, drowning him as he swallowed more of the scent that tapped the hidden desire within him.

Fear coiled his heart at the prospect. It's not something he wanted but Sasuke couldn't help himself when slick unashamedly trickled down from his hot core, body yearning to be touched, lips begging to be kissed. His body had betrayed him and all he wanted right now was to flee. If he really desires, he can turn back and run, forget about the blonde boy and continue with his sad life.

Curiosity, however, clouded his hazy mind as his interest piqued at the owner of the scent. It somehow smells familiar.

"What the hell happened?"

The alpha was yelling at someone. There was ruckus around him and yet his feet were still moving forward, albeit slowly, following his sharp nose.

"His rut - it was supposed to be next week. I don't understand it myself." A woman, slightly younger was replying, her voice anxious and laced with worry.

"Fuck! I - Bear, pick up the betas now! I'll deal with him until he could fuck something. How long has he been in his rut? I just left the camp this morning and he was okay!"

"He was kinda antsy all day but hasn't shown up any weird sign so I thought he was probably nervous or anything. And then-"

A growl suddenly echoed, loud and booming like a lion roaring for its victory over a fight to the death. It vibrated through his soul, beckoning the beast residing in him to reciprocate as well, softly howling. Sasuke halted, feet stuck in the ground at the intense sound as his heart thundering against the ribcage, wild with excitement.

'He's here!'

'Come to him!'

The scent was getting stronger, almost blanketing the whole area. The smell, the noise, the blindness, his body - it was overwhelming him until he couldn't feel anything but the throbbed on his neck. He couldn't see, but his senses are sharper than a normal human and right now, the said alpha was getting nearer.

Towards him.

"Na- Fox, what are you doing?"

Some struggling happened, that much Sasuke could tell by the harsh sound and low growling. There was yelping and shrieking, cursing and soft chattering that meant to their hearing only but still, the footsteps sound doesn't diminish instead getting louder. Until a warning growl snapped, it silence the others, drowning their retorts until what could only be heard is a ragged breath, fanning against his skin.

"You."

Sasuke's head tilted up, mouth parting behind the mask. A frown marred his handsome face as he never heard the voice before - a deep, manly, slightly harsher, and breathier as if the word was a struggle to pronounce.

Sasuke swallowed hard. Anticipated.

'Does he know me?'

"Who are you?"

It took me half a year to finish this chapter! I kept going back, writing a few words and then staring at it until I lose interest to finish it. Tq to readers who willingly commented on this story! Without you, I might take a longer time to finish it.

Next chapter will be from Naruto's pov. And of course smutty content

23th May 2022