Harin awoke to a heavy, lethargic sensation weighing her body down. Her limbs felt drained, her mind foggy, and an unfamiliar warmth enveloped her like a cocoon.
Blinking slowly, her gaze wandered, taking in the breathtaking view of the cityscape through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The glittering lights painted the room in a soft, ambient glow, and for a moment, she marveled at the serenity it exuded.
But then reality crept in.
This wasn't her house.
Her breath hitched, and panic shot through her veins like a jolt of electricity. She pushed herself up, heart hammering against her ribs, her wide eyes darting across the room.
"You're awake," a deep, gravelly voice murmured, rich with a teasing edge. "How's your sleep?"
Her gaze snapped to the source, and her breath hitched again. "Jeno?"
The sound of her own voice surprised her—hoarse, dry, and strained. She instinctively cleared her throat, wincing at the discomfort.
Jeno, seated nearby, was quick to act. He reached for a glass of water on his bedside table and approached her with uncharacteristic gentleness. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he extended the glass toward her.
"Drink."
Harin hesitated briefly before accepting, the coolness of the water soothing her parched throat as she downed it in grateful gulps.
"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice softer now.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at him, bewildered. "Why would I be feeling sick?" Then, glancing around the luxurious room, she added, "Wait... this is your house. What—how did I even get here?"
Jeno's lips curved into a sly smile as he took the empty glass from her hands and stood. "My bed's scented with me, kitten. Helps you sleep better."
"Your scent?" she echoed, incredulous, though her cheeks betrayed her with a faint blush. "That's absurd."
He shrugged, his nonchalance almost irritating.
"And what about your livestream? You canceled?"
"I did."
"Why?"
He didn't answer right away, instead returning to his desk. But Harin already knew. The fragments of her memories pieced themselves together—the overwhelming exhaustion, the heat in her body, his presence.
He canceled for her.
Was he... taking care of her?
Her chest tightened with an unfamiliar emotion she didn't want to name. Behind their clandestine intimacy—those stolen kisses, those feverish nights—neither of them had ever defined what this was.
She laughed to herself, a soft, bitter sound.
If someone had told Kwon Harin, the girl who had argued with this hotheaded pureblood on her first day, that they'd end up entangled like this, she would've laughed them out of the room. One moment, they were at each other's throats; the next, they were in each other's arms.
YOU ARE READING
ALPHA UNIVERSE #5: DESIROUS
Fanfiction❝I want you, what you gonna do about it?❞ They said alphas can't date each other. If they do, it'll just be a wreck. Lee Jeno especially believes that. But one day in that raging heat when he came across a female alpha, he only wanted to shut her up...
