Chapter Text
The grand halls of the estate were quiet at this hour, the soft glow of lantern light spilling through the arched windows and pooling on the polished wooden floors. Wooyoung moved with practiced grace, barefoot and silent, his mind focused on the thought of fresh water to ease the lingering dryness in his throat.
He descended from his bedroom on the upper floor, his loose sleep shirt hanging softly around his frame, when a muffled voice caught his attention. He paused, instinctively drawing closer to the slightly open door of his parents’ chambers.
“You’ve done well arranging it so quickly,” his father’s voice spoke, low and satisfied. “This engagement will secure our position for generations. An Alpha of his standing… we couldn’t ask for more.”
Wooyoung froze, a chill creeping over his skin despite the warmth of the evening air.
“I just worry about how Wooyoung will react,” his mother replied, her tone cautious but yielding. “He’s always been… stubborn about these matters. But once he meets the Alpha, he’ll understand how fortunate he is.”
A strained laugh from his father followed. “He’ll have to understand. We’ve already accepted the proposal. There’s no backing out now.”
The words rang in Wooyoung’s ears, his pulse thundering in his veins. An engagement? Without even asking him? Without even telling him? A sick feeling coiled in his stomach as the reality of it crashed over him. An arranged marriage—to an Alpha he didn’t know, didn’t want, and had no say in.
He couldn’t stay there, couldn’t bear to hear any more. Pressing his lips tightly together to hold back the furious shout building in his chest, he spun around and slipped back down the hall, his footsteps quieter than ever.
The fresh water he had been craving was forgotten as his mind raced, thoughts tumbling over each other, all pointing to one desperate conclusion—he had to get out. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—be trapped like this.
XxxxX
Ever since Wooyoung was a child, his mother had always told him how lucky she was to have given his father an Omega son—how fortunate it was that Wooyoung would one day secure the family’s standing among the nobility with an advantageous marriage to an Alpha.
He had hated those conversations for as long as he could remember, ever since he was old enough to understand what they truly meant. Even as a boy, he could sense the way Alphas looked at him whenever they visited or whenever the family attended a grand party—like he was some prized possession waiting to be claimed. At just twelve years old, he had already started receiving marriage proposals from Alphas twice his age, men who saw him as nothing more than a pretty, submissive ornament to complete their lives.
Wooyoung had long since accepted that Alphas would always take what they wanted without caring about anyone else’s wishes. He had seen it happen too many times for it not to be true. That certainty was why he rejected every proposal that came his way—without hesitation, without even considering it. His stubborn refusals had driven his parents nearly insane with frustration. They never understood what he was trying to tell them, and even if he tried to explain, they would argue and dismiss his feelings without a second thought.
It was no wonder that Wooyoung and his parents never truly got along. At twenty-four years old, he still didn’t have an Alpha husband—a fact that only deepened the rift between them. And now, after all those years of fighting for his freedom, it turned out they had made the decision behind his back anyway, accepting a proposal from a stranger he had never even met.
The betrayal stung deep, but it wasn’t exactly surprising.
And exactly because it wasn’t surprising, Wooyoung was prepared for this. He had anticipated something like this happening for years, always waiting for the day his parents would finally stop giving him a choice. So when it came, he didn’t waste a second.
His hands moved swiftly, gathering a few essential belongings and stuffing them into a worn leather bag. Clothes, surpressants, his sketchbook—just the things he couldn’t bear to leave behind. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he pushed open the window and glanced down at the garden below. The thick vines trailing up the stone wall had always been tempting as an escape route, and now they would finally serve their purpose.
He swung one leg over the windowsill, then the other, carefully gripping the vines as he began his descent. His fingers were steady despite the rush of adrenaline, and soon his feet hit the soft grass with a muffled thump.
For a moment, he just stood there, catching his breath and glancing back at the grand estate behind him. The imposing silhouette against the moonlit sky looked almost peaceful from this angle—beautiful, even. Sadness twisted through him, accompanied by a bitterness he couldn’t quite swallow down. He was leaving behind his family, his home, and all the comforts he had known. But he was also leaving behind the suffocating expectations and the constant pressure to become something he never wanted to be.
He took a steadying breath, forcing himself to let go of the ache in his chest. There was no time to dwell on it. Straightening his shoulders, Wooyoung turned away from the estate, tightened his grip on his bag, and started walking toward the city, ready to chase the freedom he had always dreamed of.