The car hummed smoothly along the dark highway. Silence had settled over the interior, broken only by the occasional rustle of movement from the backseat.
Enzo turned slightly, concern in his voice. "Uh… is he okay?"
Theo glanced back too. "He hasn't moved for five minutes. Maybe he fainted?"
Alessio looked down at the boy curled beside him, then ran a knuckle gently along Noah's cheek. "He's just asleep."
"He fell asleep?" Enzo repeated. "In your car?"
"On you?" Theo added, eyebrows raised.
Alessio gave a quiet "tch." Noah's body was limp, head slumped awkwardly to the side, his thin robe twisted around his legs, smudged with grime from the auction floor. His small hands were still balled into defensive fists, but his breathing was soft and even.
"His posture's wrong," Alessio muttered.
Before either Enzo or Theo could respond, Alessio moved. With one arm, he slid Noah closer and lifted him effortlessly into his lap. The boy's legs curled around his waist instinctively, and his cheek pressed against Alessio's chest like he belonged there.
"Bro—!" Theo gasped.
"Are you out of your mind?" Enzo whispered. "You're a clean freak! That robe is literally filthy!"
Alessio ignored them, adjusting Noah like he was a fragile doll. He draped his coat more securely over the boy, then rested a hand possessively on Noah's hip to steady him. The other hand curled around his waist protectively.
Noah shifted in his sleep, the tiniest whimper escaping his lips. And then—he nuzzled his nose against Alessio's throat, unconsciously chasing warmth.
And that's when Alessio froze.
A sweet, heady scent drifted up into his nose—soft, floral, tinged with something honeyed and sharp.
His omega scent.
Alessio inhaled, startled. It was intoxicating. Not just pleasant—addictive. His instincts, long buried and ruthlessly controlled, stirred awake like a beast sniffing prey. His grip on Noah's waist tightened, and before he realized it, he had buried his face into the boy's neck, greedily inhaling.
"You've got to be kidding me," Enzo whispered from the front.
Theo's jaw dropped. "Alessio. Alessio—are you sniffing him?"
"Shut up," Alessio growled.
He pressed his nose deeper, nuzzling against Noah's pulse. The boy's scent clung to his skin like perfume, pulling at something raw inside Alessio. He wasn't even supposed to be into men—let alone omegas.
But this one…
This one was different. Bold. Fiery. Beautiful. And now—soft and warm in his lap like he belonged there.
"I swear," Alessio murmured, voice like gravel, "if any of you so much as glance into the backseat, I'll put your eyes out."
The car went dead silent.
Alessio didn't care. He wanted Noah to himself. Wanted to feel that scent again. That heat. His hand rubbed lazy circles into the small of Noah's back, not sexual—but far too intimate.
He knew if Noah were awake, he'd shove him away. Snarl. Spit curses. That scent would turn bitter with rage.
But right now, he was asleep. Unaware. Vulnerable.
And Alessio… didn't have to pretend to be unaffected.
His heart thumped louder than he liked.
He was a ruler. A king in a kingdom of blood and power. Straight as a blade. Feared by all.
And yet… this tiny, soft, defiant omega curled in his lap with dirt on his knees and bruises on his wrists—had reduced him to a man craving scent and skin.
He buried his face one last time into the crook of Noah's neck and whispered, low and dark, "Mine."