The instant the heavy doors slammed shut with finality, Marvin and Alvin erupted simultaneously, bombarding him with a relentless barrage of questions that demanded immediate answers. Drake remained utterly silent, his focus locked solely on navigating the vehicle out of the parking lot, granting them a few precious moments to simmer down before he deigned to respond.
"Seriously, man, what the hell is wrong with you?" Alvin snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. "Ever since we arrived at this camp, you've been an even bigger tyrant than usual."
"Yeah, man, you transformed into a completely different monster these past few months," Marvin piled on from the rear. "Furious, dark, and terrifying as hell. Did you not see how the other Alphas looked at you? They looked like they were terrified to even breathe in your direction."
"Good," Drake snarled, his voice dripping with lethal menace. "They should tremble in my presence." Especially now, knowing his own parents were plotting to hand Belle over to one of those spineless curs.
"The entire purpose of this training was to forge alliances," Alvin snarled sternly. "Marvin and I spent the whole summer cleaning up the wreckage your attitude created. Towards the end, you finally started acting civilized again, but today? You're acting like a rabid beast. What happened?"
"My parents intend to use my eighteenth birthday celebration to parade Belle in front of visiting Alphas and high-ranking wolves," Drake revealed through gritted teeth. He knew they would never let it rest if he kept secrets, though he kept Stand's maddening obsession buried deep within. "My mother spilled this plan during our call today."
Alvin fell into a heavy silence, merely studying Drake's profile with intense scrutiny as they pulled away from the city.
"Why would any powerful Alpha waste his time on an Omega?" Marvin scoffed, bursting into mocking laughter at the absurdity.
"I don't know," Alvin muttered, his gaze shifting between his friend in the back and Drake's rigid face. "But my mother mentioned she has… blossomed significantly over the summer."
Alvin's eyes never wavered, catching every micro-expression. He saw exactly how Drake's jaw locked tight and how his knuckles turned white as his grip on the wheel crushed the leather.
"Dude, I don't care what anyone says," Marvin dismissed arrogantly. "There is no way that bookworm magically transformed into a beauty in three months. But seriously, Drake, why are you so enraged about it? I thought you despised that orphan?"
Despite his lack of logic, Marvin possessed sharp instincts.
"I am furious that they are using my special day to find a mate for her, when the focus should be on me claiming mine!" Drake roared, hating how childish the excuse sounded, but having no other choice. He could never tell them the truth—that the mere thought of another male touching her or marking her sent Stand into a homicidal frenzy they would never comprehend.
He could still feel Alvin's piercing gaze burning into him, knowing his Beta didn't buy a single word. But instead of pressing further, Alvin said something far more dangerous.
"I guess you should be thrilled," Alvin stated coldly. "If they find her a mate or a chosen, you can finally be rid of her. Isn't that what you've craved since the day she arrived five years ago?"
"Hell No!"
The word exploded from his throat, not as Drake, but as Stand. Drake's eyes flashed instantly into pitch-black voids, radiating pure dominance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alvin flinch and immediately snap his mouth shut. If he was smart, he would mindlink the fool in the back to keep his lips sealed tight.
Thankfully, instinct prevailed, and the rest of the journey was shrouded in absolute silence. Only one hour remained until they crossed the pack borders, where Drake could finally inhale that sweet, addictive scent of cinnamon that haunted his every dream and waking moment.
—---
Precisely one hour later, after depositing Alvin and Marvin at their respective residences, Drake finally guided his vehicle up the sweeping driveway of the Pack Residence. Killing the engine, he snatched his phone and bolted toward the entrance, driven by an invisible force that urged him forward with desperate urgency.
The moment the heavy doors swung open, that intoxicating aroma—warm, sweet, and undeniably hers—slammed into him like a physical wave. The scent of swirls flooded his senses, and for the first time in months, the raging beast within him, Stand, finally subsided, his tension melting away instantly.
Driven purely by instinct, he allowed his nose to guide his steps. Before his conscious mind could register his destination, his feet had carried him down the corridor and planted him firmly outside Belle's door. He stood there, chest heaving, drinking in the air that she had touched.
Unable to tear himself away, he sank to the floor, his back resting against the wood. He closed his eyes, letting her fragrance saturate his very soul. His muscles uncoiled, his entire body relaxing into a state of peace it hadn't known in weeks, and the rest of the world simply ceased to exist.
"DRAKE! Rouse yourself, boy!"
The deep, commanding voice of his father jolted him violently back to reality. His eyes flew open, wide and disoriented, struggling to piece together his surroundings. The last thing he recalled was the scent… the scent of her. He couldn't possibly still be here, could he?
"Father! What in the—?" he croaked, his voice thick and gravelly with sleep. He scrubbed his hands violently across his face, the humiliating truth crashing down on him—he had actually passed out right in front of her door.
"I discovered you here," Alpha Conrad stated, his tone calm but laced with piercing curiosity. His eyes bored into Drake, seeming to strip away every layer of defense and peer directly into his hidden soul. "Explain yourself. Why are you camped outside Belle's chamber like a stray?"
"I… I have no explanation," Drake stammered, hating how weak he sounded. "I must have… wandered here in my sleep. Fatigue has addled my mind." He knew instantly by the raised eyebrow and skeptical expression that his father saw straight through the pathetic lie.