The world stopped. The mysterious woman froze mid turn, then completed her rotation with a slow, deliberate grace that was both intimidating and mesmerizing. In the dim light, she was breathtaking a vision of sharp, cool beauty with eyes that held a storm of pain and exhaustion, all locked behind a wall of impenetrable control.
She was noticeably tall, her stature instantly commanding, and her skin possessed a fine, white hair that made her features starkly defined. She wore thin rimmed glasses that framed her sharp eyes and somehow only served to emphasize her devastating intelligence and cool authority, making her impossibly hot. She looked at Althea's fearful, desperate face, the face of the Omega she desperately guarded and no longer knew. A flicker of something raw profound regret, a deep, unsettling possessiveness, and a terrifying sense of ownership crossed her features before it was ruthlessly suppressed.
She took a breath, and the air in the room shifted. The faint, expensive Alpha scent Althea had only vaguely registered before now bloomed into a distinct, intoxicating profile: the rich, complex aroma of grape old wine, deep and tannic, with an undertone of something sorrowful and aged. It was a scent that should have been overwhelming, but instead of fear, it sparked a strange, dormant ache in Althea's chest. The compulsive urge to draw the scent deeper into her lungs was so intense it felt like a physical addiction.
"I am Haven B. Hartwell," the woman said, her voice a low, steady alto that held the measured cadence of a corporate professional finalizing a billion dollar deal. It was not the voice of a lover. "And I'm your wife."
The silence that followed was deeper and more terrifying than the oppressive quiet of the hospital room. Althea's fingers were still tightly clenched around the fine wool of Haven's sleeve. She was half out of the bed, her left leg screaming in protest, but the physical pain was a distant echo compared to the seismic shock ripping through the blank slate of her mind.
"My… my what?" Althea's voice was a hollow gasp, stripped of all strength by sheer disbelief. She squinted, trying to force the word 'wife' to fit the image of this silent, perfect statue in a bespoke suit. A strange, dizzying admiration warred with her terror. This woman is objectively the most stunning person I've ever seen. The kind of flawless, intimidating beauty that belongs on a magazine cover, not sitting on my sickbed. Okay, well, if I had to marry someone, at least I had excellent taste. Even if she is currently terrifying me.
Haven stood utterly still, a column of impeccable tailoring and controlled Alpha energy. She was tall, her presence dominating the space even as she remained motionless.
"Your wife," Haven repeated, the words devoid of any emotional color, yet ringing with an authority that felt absolute. "And, currently, your acting CEO at Vale Hotels and Resorts, as well as the Director of the entertainment division responsible for your public life, Althea Su." It was a statement of fact, a list of titles, not a confession of intimacy.
"No," Althea whispered, her grip finally loosening. She sank back onto the pillows, pulling the sterile white sheets up to her chest like a shield. "No, that can't be right. You… you come here every night. You just stand there, watching me sleep. You never talk. You never touch me. A wife wouldn't do that." The words tumbled out, laced with the pent up fear of three long weeks.
Haven finally moved, a slow, deliberate motion that seemed to cost her a great effort. She pulled the visitor's chair closer to the bed and sat, maintaining a strict, professional distance. Her face, illuminated by the pale security light from the hall, was a study in controlled devastation: sharp cheekbones, a strong jawline, and those stormy eyes that held a thousand sleepless nights. The scent of grape old wine seemed to deepen, wrapping around Althea like a ghost of a shared history she could no longer remember.
"I was performing a duty of care, Althea," Haven said, the use of her first name feeling intensely formal and distant. "The doctors were adamant that you needed total peace, zero stress. My presence, the shock of my identity… I did not want to risk impeding your physical recovery by presenting myself when you have no memory of me. My presence, it seems, is inherently disruptive." There was a bitter, unspoken nuance to that last sentence.
"Disturb me?" Althea let out a short, ragged laugh. "You were terrifying me! I thought you were here to… to hurt me. To finish the job." She gestured wildly toward her bandaged leg.
Haven's expression tightened, the first visible crack in her composure a flash of sharp annoyance that quickly morphed into weary resignation. "I would never hurt you, Althea. The police report is entirely conclusive. You were driving alone on slick roads. It was a tragic accident."
"That's what the news said," Althea countered immediately, the fragments of information from the nurse and Dana clicking into a desperate, paranoid narrative. "But the news also said I was driving. If you're my wife, why aren't you emotional? Why aren't you demanding answers? Or… or holding my hand? You're acting like I'm a high value piece of corporate property in a safe deposit box that's been temporarily damaged."
Althea paused, the thought solidifying into a cold, logical theory. It was the only thing that made sense. "Wait. The doctor said my bills were paid by my 'guardian.' Are you my guardian? Is that what this is? You're managing my affairs while I'm incapacitated, and 'wife' is just a convenient legal title you're using to do it?"
Haven sat back, her gaze unwavering, entirely focused on the facts as if they were clauses in a contract. "I am your legal guardian, yes, as your spouse and the acting CEO of your estate. And yes, I am paying for this suite and your care. The 'guardian' title is a technicality mandated by the Vale trust, necessary to keep the corporate and personal assets consolidated and protected during your incapacity."
This was the key. Heir. CEO. Guardian. The words didn't spell love; they spelled cold, hard necessity.
"So, it's a marriage of convenience," Althea concluded flatly, the disappointment a cold, sharp burn in her chest that she didn't understand. She is so beautiful, why would I settle for convenience? Or worse… did I force her into this?
Haven finally looked up, her Alpha eyes meeting Althea's, the look sharp, analytical, assessing her like a business acquisition. "It is an arrangement that was necessary to protect the Vale assets from being dismantled by the board of trustees. You despised the business side of your inheritance. You were… persuaded to accept the marriage structure to maintain control. I stepped in to stabilize the situation. After the accident, my role simply expanded."
"And our marriage?" Althea pressed, needing to hear the confirmation, no matter how much it hurt.
"Our marriage has existed for almost two years," Haven said, her voice dry and factual. "It is an arrangement defined by those specific corporate and legacy needs. Nothing more, nothing less."
Two years. Two years of a shared life, a shared home, a shared name, all wiped from her brain. The implications were chilling. She looked at Haven, trying to force some memory, any residual feeling of connection love, hate, anything but found only the cold fear and the strange, undeniable, haunting pull of her grape old wine pheromones.
"I'm a dominant Omega," Althea stated, almost testing the phrase. "And you're a dominant Alpha. How did that… work? Was it a constant power struggle?"
A flicker of something that might have been old, weathered pain or just pure distaste crossed Haven's perfectly composed features. "It was defined by necessity and clear boundaries. You were used to getting your own way, Althea. In all things. I provided the Alpha stability and business acumen the Vale Trust required. You provided the Omega heir status, the public face, and the artistic revenue stream. We coexisted."
Althea absorbed that. Used to getting my own way. The words painted a picture of a tyrant, a spoiled diva. The thought made her stomach clench with self loathing. I was probably awful. A monster. I probably made this stunning, composed woman miserable just to get control of my money.
"Tell me about us," Althea pressed, leaning forward, ignoring the throb in her leg. She was pleading now, desperate for one human connection in this sterile nightmare. "Just one true thing. Not about the business. Something from our history, from before all of this."
Haven stiffened almost imperceptibly, her shoulders squaring as she pulled back into formality. "We were childhood… acquaintances. Our families moved in the same circles. I was a frequent visitor to the Vale estate. I respected your talent, your drive. When the need arose for an Alpha spouse with my specific background to appease the trustees, I was the most suitable candidate. I fulfilled the obligation."
The confession hung in the air, framed entirely in terms of duty, history, and 'suitable candidacy.' There was no mention of love, of shared laughter, of quiet moments. Only obligation.
Haven stood up, the movement fluid and final, pulling the edge of her suit jacket back into place, re erecting the emotional barrier between them. "Your commitment was to your career and your freedom, Althea. The marriage was a necessary inconvenience for both of us. A contract we both signed."
"No, wait!" Althea cried out, the desperation cracking her voice wide open. "Don't leave! If you're my wife, stay here! I decided that you're my wife, and you shall sleep here with me. Please. I don't wanna be alone. You're still my wife, even if it's just on paper."
Haven stopped with her hand inches from the doorknob, her back to Althea. Her breath hitched a near silent, involuntary movement that was the most emotion Althea had seen yet. To be ordered by the fragile Omega she was guarding, invoking the very contract she had just dismissed, seemed to throw her perfect control into a momentary spiral.
After a long pause, Haven slowly pulled her hand away from the door. She did not turn around, but her voice, when it came, was flat and devoid of warmth, though she complied. "We haven't shared a bed for over a year, Althea. I will not break that boundary. But I will stay."
She moved across the suite, toward the large, leather, infinitely adjustable medical recliner placed subtly in the corner near the window. It was a recycling chair, opulent and capable of folding into a comfortable, though impersonal, bed.
Haven retrieved a throw blanket from the adjoining suite, quickly covered the recliner, and sat down. She did not look back at Althea. "Don't worry. I'll be here."
Althea relaxed, the tension bleeding out of her muscles. The presence of the Alpha, the low, steady rhythm of her breathing from the corner, was an overwhelming comfort, a strange balm to her fractured psyche. She closed her eyes, and for the first time since waking, she slept without terror.
The Second Week: Surveillance and Stoicism
When Althea woke the next morning, the recliner was empty.
The sunlight was streaming through the shutters, but the corner where Haven had been felt cold. Nurse Reynolds, the day nurse, came in shortly, cheerful and professional.
"Good morning, Althea! Feeling rested?" she asked, checking her vitals.
"Where is… my wife?" Althea asked, the word feeling heavy and foreign on her tongue.
"Your guardian has gone to work, dear," Nurse Reynolds said smoothly, pointing to the meticulously arranged tray on the bedside table. "But she prepared this for you herself this morning, and left instructions regarding your therapy schedule. She is very thorough."
The rest of the morning, the room felt smaller, the air thick with the lingering ghost of Haven's scent and unspoken words. Althea stared at the closed door of the adjoining suite, knowing the woman who held all the answers to her past was just a few feet away, yet was as inaccessible as a figure in a painting. How can I be married to someone so incredibly stoic? And why does her scent make my chest ache if we were just a 'contract'?
Over the course of the next seven days (Week Four since the accident, Week Two since Althea's awakening), the pattern became an unbreakable, unsettling ritual:
By Day: Althea received rigorous physical therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and visits from Dana, who continued to push the narrative of the Dominant Omega icon.
By Night: Haven returned. Every night, without fail, she would arrive just before the last shift change, exchange a brief, formal word with the night nurse, and silently occupy the recliner.
Althea grew accustomed to the grape old wine scent, realizing it was the most grounding, the most familiar sensory input she had. It was the scent of safety and control, even if the woman who wore it was icy.
One night, after days of observing Haven sitting ramrod straight in the chair, a thick book in her lap, Althea couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"Haven," Althea whispered, her voice barely carrying across the vast, empty space of the room.
Haven's head lifted immediately. She closed her book with a soft, decisive click. "Yes, Althea?"
"The recliner," Althea said, gesturing weakly. "Are you… comfortable? That can't be good for your back."
Haven stared across the dim room, her eyes inscrutable shadows. Her voice was flat, containing not a single ounce of complaint or concern.
"I am adequate, Althea. It is sufficient. Now, please rest."
The cold dismissal stung, but it also confirmed the nature of their contract. Haven was dedicated to her duty. She was an Alpha fulfilling an obligation to protect the Vale name and the vulnerable Omega heir, even at the cost of her own comfort.
Althea knew then that she would never find comfort from Haven, only security. And yet, she was beginning to prefer the cold, hard security of the Alpha's presence to the terrifying void of being truly alone.
Later that afternoon, Dana arrived, bustling in with a forced cheer that felt more brittle than ever. She carried a stack of legal documents and a pile of glossy magazines, all featuring Althea's past, dominant self. Dana herself looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, her movements jittery.
"Althea! You're looking so much better," Dana exclaimed, setting her burdens down on the bedside table with a thud. "I brought some light reading. Just a gentle reminder of the icon you are."
"Dana, sit down," Althea instructed. She didn't mean for it to happen, but a tone emerged from her a tone of unquestionable Omega dominance that must have been a muscle memory from her old life. It was firm, expectant, and brooked no argument.
Dana instantly obeyed, her professional facade cracking to reveal a layer of nervous respect. "Yes, of course."
"Tell me about Haven Hartwell," Althea demanded, her voice lower. "The truth. Not the society page version."
Dana's eyes darted instinctively towards the adjoining door, as if afraid the Alpha herself might materialize. "Ms. Hartwell? She's… your wife. And now, since the accident, she's the acting CEO of everything. She's very… hands on with the Vale businesses, which is good. Necessary. You never had the patience for that stuff. She keeps the family trustees and the shareholders happy, which is frankly a brutal, full time job." She was choosing her words with extreme care, a diplomatic tightrope walk that was telling in its own right.
Althea only managed a heavy, weary sigh. The unspoken questions about her own character hung heavily in the air between them. She couldn't bring herself to ask, 'Was I a monster to her?' If the answer was yes, she didn't know if the fragile, new version of herself could bear the weight of that truth.
Dana, sensing the deep, uneasy silence, coughed nervously. "Althea, let's focus on your rehab schedule, okay? We need to get you back on your feet, literally. The public is waiting."
But Althea ignored her. Her gaze was drawn to the magazine covers, to the face of the woman who was supposedly her untouchable, dominant, and cruel according to her own song lyrics. A new, desperate idea formed.
"I need to hear my music," Althea declared, pulling the magazines closer. "My songs. My own words. Maybe they can tell me who I was when I didn't think anyone was listening."
Dana, eager for a distraction, quickly navigated to Althea's artist profile on a streaming service and queued the hit album released just before the accident. She connected her phone to a small Bluetooth speaker, and within moments, the room was filled with a powerful, crystalline voice her voice.
It was a song about triumphant independence, sharp wit, and a scathing, almost mocking dismissal of romantic commitment. The lyrics were a brutal counterpoint to the concept of marriage.
"You think this collar means I'm owned? Darling, this is just expensive jewelry for a prize I won."
The words landed like physical blows, each one echoing Haven's cold description of their union as a 'necessary inconvenience.' The persona was untouchable, glorifying selfishness and the solitary pursuit of success.
The song ended, and the silence it left behind was deafening. Althea felt the blood drain from her face.
"Is that what I was like?" Althea asked, her voice barely a whisper, laced with horrified self doubt. "Was I really that… callous? That selfish?"
Dana looked genuinely pained, caught between loyalty to the old Althea and pity for the new one. "You were… untouchable, Althea. You had the world in the palm of your hand. Everyone either wanted to be you or be with you. And Haven…" She hesitated, then plunged on. "Haven protected you. From the trustees, from the gold digging Alphas, from the press hounds who wanted to tear you down. She built the walls so you could be the queen on the stage. She handled the chaos so you could shine."
The confirmation was a final, chilling verdict. Althea felt a profound, unbridgeable distance from the woman she was supposed to be. The adored celebrity, the dominant Omega… had she been a monster who used everyone, including her stunning, stoic wife, as stepping stones? She was entirely alone, trapped in a life she now despised, married to an Alpha who clearly viewed her as a duty, a burden, a contract.
Althea lay back against the pillows, the confusion and self loathing overwhelming her. I don't remember being that person. But if my own music, my manager, and my wife all say I was, then who is this weak, frightened person I am now? I'm a failure. A fraud pretending to be a dominant Omega. I'm a ghost haunting the life of a cruel celebrity.
That night, and for the entire second week of her waking recovery, Althea did not pretend to sleep.
She lay perfectly still in the enveloping darkness, waiting, every sense heightened. The familiar scents of antiseptic and the constant, grounding presence of grape old wine filled her lungs. Haven would always arrive, change into her silk pajamas in the adjoining suite, and settle into the recliner.
One evening, Althea watched as Haven sat, not reading, but simply staring out the window at the distant city lights a posture of immense, burdened loneliness.
"Haven," Althea whispered again, compelled by the intoxicating Alpha scent and the silence. "Tell me one good thing. One memory that wasn't about business. From those two years."
Haven didn't move. Her profile remained unyielding, a statue carved from granite and power.
After a long minute, she spoke, her voice a low, rough murmur that carried across the room. "You once spent three hours arguing with me about the exact shade of teal to use for the logo of a subsidiary hotel in Bali. You were meticulous. And you were right. It was a perfect teal."
It was not the memory Althea craved. It was not a confession of intimacy. It was a detached, almost scientific observation of her competence. Yet, it was a memory.
"Thank you," Althea replied, the small, cold fact offering the slightest bit of anchor.
Haven nodded once, a barely perceptible motion in the shadows, and finally leaned her head back against the leather. The silence returned, filled only with the rhythmic whir of the monitors and the profound, strange intimacy of their shared air.
Althea knew she was asking for love, but all she was receiving was a contract fulfilled perfectly. Yet, this cold, powerful woman remained her only tether to the world she had forgotten.
The desperation for genuine change finally outweighed her fear. She needed space away from the antiseptic walls, away from the constant, sterile reminders of her trauma. She needed her life, even if she didn't remember it.
"Haven," Althea said, her voice stronger now, laced with the fledgling authority of her former self.
The Alpha immediately shifted, tilting her head slightly, signaling attention. "Yes?"
"I want to go home, Haven. I think I can go home now. Please."
The word 'please' felt strange on her tongue, an uncharacteristic submission from the Dominant Omega. Althea pushed herself higher against the pillows, trying to project conviction despite the throbbing in her leg.
Haven's rigidity intensified. She sat bolt upright, the expensive leather creaking slightly under her sudden tension. "Absolutely not. The doctors are clear. You require constant professional monitoring. This suite is equipped to handle your physical therapy, and your vitals are still… volatile."
"But I'm improving," Althea countered, her voice now firm, replacing pleading with a confident statement of fact. "I've already completed the walking and balancing phase of my training. I am stable on crutches and can handle short distances. We can transition the rest of my motorskills recovery running, agility, stamina training to the estate gym. I will heal faster at home." She sounded like she was delivering a proposal, not a plea.
"I'm not stable here," Althea continued, the Alpha's sharp refusal making her feel caged. "This hospital is just a reminder of the crash and the nothingness."
She leaned in, dropping her voice to a raw, honest whisper, appealing to the professional Alpha who valued control and efficiency. "I want to continue my therapy at home. At the house, Haven. I want to know if I could start anew at my own home, not here, in this sterile environment that has no memories for me. I need to see the walls I chose, the things I owned. I need context."
Haven was still. The grape old wine scent seemed to pull taut, a sharp, potent expression of her internal conflict. Her eyes finally met Althea's in the gloom, and Althea saw a flash of genuine, calculating hesitation. Althea's competence, even in her fragility, was an undeniable point.
"The estate is not a hospital, Althea," Haven stated, her voice returning to its low, controlled register. "It's massive, public facing, and entirely unsupervised. It is an enormous risk to your recovery and to the discretion we need to maintain."
"It's also where my life was," Althea pressed, her voice gaining emotional depth. "The doctors said I need positive triggers, something familiar to spark the amnesia. Maybe seeing my actual life will help. Here, I'm just a patient. There, I might remember how to be… Althea Vale."
She let the statement hang, resting the immense weight of her identity crisis squarely on Haven's shoulders.
Haven drew a deep, slow breath, a movement Althea had learned signaled immense internal processing. The Alpha was weighing the medical risks against the psychological needs and, crucially, the structural stability of the Vale name. Removing the Omega from a public hospital would certainly reduce media attention, especially if her physical progress was already advanced.
"I will not jeopardize your health," Haven finally conceded, the admission slow and grudging. "But I acknowledge your physical progress is ahead of schedule, and I see your point regarding context. If you are to rebuild the public persona, you must first have access to the physical reality of your life. I will discuss the full transfer with Dr. Liu tomorrow. If he agrees, the transition will be complex. We will need full home medical staff, Alpha security details, and a legal non disclosure agreement for everyone involved."
She paused, her eyes locking onto Althea's with piercing intensity. "If you go home, you will have to accept a completely controlled environment. You will be trading the hospital's walls for the estate's boundaries. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Althea whispered, relief washing over her. "I understand. Thank you, Haven."
Haven did not acknowledge the gratitude. She simply returned her head to the recliner, her position remaining perfectly rigid even as the immense responsibility of moving the fragile Omega heir settled upon her. The silence returned, filled now with the faint, persistent promise of home.