In a world where Alphas held the supreme power while Betas remained second-in-line in command, Riven was born an Omega.
Ever since his birth, he had heard people whispering about how Omegas were treated by Alphas once they came of age. That was when he decided to hide his identity and live as a Beta. Thanks to his weak pheromones, he was never caught.
But even living as a Beta didn't make his life better. He was still a slave in the house of Alphas.
"Hey, fucker!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" his master's voice echoed in the corridor as he kicked Riven from behind, causing him to fall flat on the ground.
"Didn't I tell you to prepare dinner already, Riven?"
"Master, the lady earlier said to clean this floor. Once this finishes, I'll prepare the dinner," Riven replied humbly.
"Do it quickly then!" the master yelled again.
Riven swiftly finished cleaning and stood up, grabbing the washcloth in his hand.
'I'm going to kill this bastard!' he thought and ran to the kitchen, ignoring the pain in his knees from the fall.
As he washed his hands in the washbasin, he told himself, "Just a few hours, and then I'll be free of this slavery."
This was the day he had been waiting for all his life since he became a slave in that household.
He remembered being eleven when his father lost everything in a scam, leaving the family in heavy debt. That was when Frederick, his current master, stepped up to help. Who knew the bastard had tricked his father into signing a slavery bond in case they failed to pay?
While other kids his age headed to training centers and academies, the Moon Goddess brought yet another misfortune upon him.
Both his parents passed away in a deadly accident, leaving the entire debt on his shoulders. He was forced to serve this Alpha family as a slave.
But today, it was going to end. Fourteen years had finally come to an end. And with the clock striking midnight, he believed he would gain his freedom.
As Riven made his way outside, he murmured while smiling, "After getting freed tonight, I'll go to the shop first."
"What did you say? Why would you be freed?" A Beta warrior chuckled, catching him off guard.
He didn't know how to respond to the sudden intrusion when the warrior burst into laughter.
"Seriously?" the man clutched his stomach, still laughing. "Did… Did you not know that… you can't be free ever? You are the lifetime slave of our master!"
"What!!?" Riven exclaimed.
His world started spinning. He clutched the warrior's collar, his eyes turning red with fury and disbelief.
Everything he had planned crumbled instantly. The freedom he longed for was nothing but an illusion.
"Did you not hear? Should I repeat myself?" the warrior said without a care.
"Hey, you fucker! What the hell are you doing!?" Frederick's voice thundered from the dining area, making Riven flinch.
"Master, I—I would like to know if tonight my bond to serve you and your family will be over?" Riven gathered his courage to ask. He didn't want to believe what the warrior had just said. He remembered the bond was for fourteen years.
"What? Who told you that?" Frederick snarled. "You'll serve me and my family till your last breath! Now, don't ask any more questions and set the dinner table. Hurry!" he barked.
In that moment, Riven's dream of freedom shattered. Frederick had lied. The bond wasn't for fourteen years. It was for life. The man had deceived him and his family.
Riven watched Frederick laugh with his wife and children. The man who stole his freedom lived a joyous life, while Riven, after fourteen years of toil, was still nothing more than a beaten slave.
'I will run away from here. I can't live here anymore,' he decided and rushed to his room. He grabbed a small flask from inside the cupboard and looked at it.
It was a powerful anesthetic drug he had bought from the black market years ago, something he thought he might need someday to escape the Alphas.
Quietly, he moved to the kitchen and mixed the drug into the dishes he had prepared. He then used the rest to lace the water and served it to the warriors guarding the house.
If they wouldn't give him freedom, he'd snatch it.
It didn't take long for everyone to be served, and once they were eating, Riven quietly returned to his room, took his emergency bag, and ran.
But he had only covered a few miles when he noticed a sudden commotion nearby.
'What's going on? Why are there so many Beta warriors around?'
His heart pounded as he hid in a nearby store. On the screen inside, breaking news was flashing.
"A Beta slave poisoned the whole family of Alphas, killing them. The warriors were summoned and are looking for the murderer!"
"What the fucking hell?" Riven almost shouted, barely holding back. "When did I ever kill someone? I just drugged them to sleep for a week!"
Panic surged as he bolted out of the store. But to his dismay, the store manager had already seen him.
"Hey! The Beta slave! The murderer is here!" the man shouted loudly.
"Fuck!" Riven cursed under his breath. He didn't want to die in the hands of those warriors.
How could they all have died? He used a drug, not poison! His thoughts spiraled in anxiety and terror.
That's when his eyes landed on a bar a few meters away. It might be a good place to hide.
However, just as he stepped toward it, an enigmatic man with red pupils suddenly dragged him inside. The man's strength and overpowering pheromones revealed what he was, an Alpha.
"Agh!" Riven groaned when the man slammed him against the wall. Around him, people were making out, indifferent to what was happening.
Was the man going to do something to him?
"Hey! I'm a Beta! And I'm not an escort here," Riven said, trying to stay calm. But the Alpha wouldn't let him budge, his grip tightening on Riven's arms.
"Just stay quiet. It will be over soon," the stranger said in his cold and deep voice.
"Hey! What did you say!?" Riven shouted as he grabbed the Alpha's hands in protest. Suddenly, the man pulled down his worn-out coat from his shoulders.
"I told you to stay quiet. Do you want to die?" the Alpha growled. Something inside Riven stirred at the dominating power in his tone. The Alpha yanked Riven's arms free of the coat and covered them both with it.
"I'll kill you if you—"
Riven's eyes widened the moment the man's lips crashed onto his.