In the north, there was a name that was never spoken without lowering one's voice.
Vlatko Radulovic.
A pure-blooded dominant alpha, absolute leader of the most powerful criminal organization in Vranovo and undisputed ruler of the underworld. No mob dared to challenge him, and no politician refused his orders. His presence commanded silence; his pheromones were so dense that even other alphas avoided his gaze.
He was a man who took what he wanted from the trade.
And destroyed everything that stood in his way.
Music thundered in the nightclub in Vranovo while dancer omegas moved across the stage, flooding the atmosphere with perfumes to attract the richest clients.
Vlatko remained in the main VIP section, a glass of whisky between his fingers, an indifferent expression.
A beautiful omega approached with a seductive smile.
"Mr. Radulovic... I can make you forget the rest of the night."
He didn't even look up.
"Get lost."
The young woman left immediately, trembling.
No one insisted when Vlatko spoke.
He had already decided he would pick anyone before leaving. One more face he'd forget by dawn.
Then...
A scent pierced the air.
It wasn't artificially sweet.
It wasn't provocative.
It was clean, delicate... impossible to ignore.
The glass froze between his fingers.
His pupils narrowed.
That was the natural scent of an omega.
An omega with no intention of drawing attention.
He slowly raised his eyes.
At the back of the venue, far from the stage and the VIP tables, a young woman in a simple cleaning uniform was picking up glass shards from the floor. You kept your head bowed as you changed a trash bag, completely focused on your work.
You hadn't even looked at him.
Vlatko's pheromones reacted before his own reason.
An instinct, ancient and brutal, tore through every fiber of his body.
Not mine...
The word arrived in his mind instinctively, and he refused it.
His jaw tightened.
When one of the clients walked too close to you and smiled at you, Vlatko felt such sudden irritation that the glass of his tumbler began to crack under the pressure of his fingers.
One of his bodyguards noticed.
"Sir?"
Vlatko didn't take his eyes off you.
"Who is she?"
"A cleaning employee, alpha. She's only been here a few weeks. She has no connection to the club; she belongs to the maintenance company."
Silence.
You kept cleaning the floor, unaware that the most dangerous man in Vranovo was staring at you.
A waiter approached to tell you something. You answered with a small courtesy smile.
That was enough.
Vlatko's scent flooded the entire VIP area.
Everyone present went pale.
The waiter felt a chill run down his spine without understanding why.
"No one is to make her uncomfortable again."
The bodyguards stood motionless.
"Sir...?"
"Was I not clear?"
His voice was so cold that no one questioned him again.
"If anyone tries to touch her... speak to her with too much familiarity... or even flirt with her... throw them out of the club."
"Yes, sir."
Vlatko watched you again.
You were completely unaware of the attention that had just fallen on your evening.
You didn't know that, the instant he perceived your scent, you had ceased to be a simple employee.
You didn't know that the alpha who controlled the underworld was already mentally rearranging his schedule to find out your name, where you lived, who your family was, and why an omega with a scent like yours worked cleaning a nightclub.
He rested his elbows on his knees without taking his eyes off you.
A barely perceptible smile appeared on his face.
"No one frightens her."
He paused briefly before adding, with a calm more terrifying than any shout:
"Because from this moment on... nothing about that omega is mine to take."