The car door closes behind me with a soft, solid thunk—the kind of sound that speaks of expensive engineering and money. I straighten my shirt, tugging at the cuffs until they sit just right against my wrists.

It’s afternoon. Summer, supposedly.

But the air that brushes my face is cool—too cool for the season, carrying a chill that settles into bone and whispers warnings. The sky above is pale, like it’s holding its breath before a storm that might never come.

Winter is coming.

I can feel it in my fingertips.

I walk toward the café.

It stands open and unobstructed—no walls to hide behind, no buildings pressing in. Just space. Light.

Glass walls rise on all sides, catching the afternoon sun. A glass roof stretches above, letting the sky pour in, pale and endless. Flowers fill the space—not wild, not overgrown, but carefully kept. Neat rows. Hanging vines. Soft colors layered with quiet intention.

Clean. Alive.

A small sign hangs near the entrance, simple, hand-painted.

Love & Love.

Sum’s sister’s place.

She’s an Alpha—like me. Like her brother. But she chose differently.

She married a male Omega against her parents’ wishes. Against their threats. Against the weight of a family that expected obedience.

Her father disowned her. Cut her name from the records. Erased her like she never existed.

Now she runs this café. Lives above it. Wakes up every morning to flowers, to coffee, to a husband who looks at her like she hung the moon.

She left everything behind.

Everything.

I push the door open.

The bell above me chimes—soft, almost shy, like it’s apologizing for announcing my arrival. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of coffee and blooming things.

Flowers everywhere.

Hanging from the ceiling in glass terrariums. Spilling from ceramic pots on every table. Climbing the walls in careful vines, tended by hand.

This place is peaceful.

Always peaceful.

An open café that breathes with nature. That draws in people looking for something quieter. Something easier.

She built it for him. Because her Omega husband loves flowers.

What a sweet love story.

How can someone leave everything—family, fortune, future—for just one person?

"Hey, Ellis! You came."

Sum’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I blink. Turn.

He’s sitting at a table near the back, where the light falls softly through lace curtains. His sister sits across from him—Alara, sharp-jawed with gentle eyes.

I walk over. My footsteps quiet against the wooden floor.

"Hey, Ellis." Alara’s voice is warm, but there’s something beneath it. Something tired.

"Hi, Alara."

I slide into the chair beside Sum. The wood creaks softly beneath me. "Is something special going on?" I ask. "You called me here."

Sum smiles—light, careless, the kind he wears like armor.

"It’s been a while since we sat together over coffee." He stretches, cracking his knuckles. "I thought we should fix that today."

Alara stands, wiping her hands on her apron. "I’ll make coffee." She glances at me. "Ellis, your usual?"

I nod.

She disappears through a doorway draped with crystal beads. They chime softly as she passes, a delicate sound that lingers. From inside, I hear the clink of cups, the hiss of the espresso machine.

Sum’s eyes stay on the doorway. Watching her go.

"What’s wrong with her?" I ask. "She looks sad."

Sum sighs—long and slow, the kind that carries history.

"She’s worried about her husband." A pause. "That’s why she called me."

Another pause. Longer this time. "She feels like he’s hiding something from her. Things between them feel... off."

He shrugs, but the gesture is heavier than it should be.

"She wants to take him out to dinner. Talk things through." A beat. "Try to fix something she didn’t break."

He pats my shoulder. The weight of his hand is familiar. Grounding.

"Anyway, Ellis." His tone shifts—lighter now, almost teasing. "What’s with the glasses? Take them off."

He reaches for my face.

I turn away.

"No."

Sum blinks. His hand lingers in the air for a moment before dropping back to his side.

"Why?"

"My mood’s already bad." My voice is flat. Empty. "I don’t want to hear any unnecessary noise today. I want some peace."

Sum sighs. Leans back with theatrical exaggeration, draping an arm over the chair like a king surveying his kingdom.

"Ahh... so today I don’t get to see my Mr. Charming’s beautiful blue eyes?"

My voice doesn’t change.

"Shut up."

"Fine, fine." He turns toward me, his smile fading at the edges. "It seems your mood is really bad."

A pause. The café hums around us—soft music, distant chatter, the hiss of steam.

"Yesterday, your mood was bad too." Sum’s voice softens. "You just left my condo without a word. I called. Texted. You didn’t answer."

He looks at me. Really looks.

"You know how much I worry about you."

"I don’t feel it."

"Ellis." His voice turns serious—the one he uses when he’s done pretending. "You know I do."

I pause.

The flowers outside sway in the cool afternoon breeze. White petals against a pale sky.

"Yesterday..." I start. The words feel heavy on my tongue. "I tried to read his mind."

Sum blinks. Shifts toward me, drawn in. "And?"

"Nothing." The word lands between us like a stone dropped into still water. "Only silence."

Sum stares at me. His mouth opens, closes—then stills.

"How is that possible?"

"I don’t know."

My gaze drifts to the flowers outside. White. Bright in the afternoon light.

"It’s the first time for me." My voice drops. "I can’t hear a person’s thoughts. It’s never happened before—not once. Not since I was old enough to understand what I was hearing."

Sum’s brow furrows. He leans in, elbows on the table. "Maybe Uncle and Aunty told him about your ability," he says carefully. "Maybe he’s hiding his thoughts. Some kind of training, or—"

"It’s impossible." I shake my head—sharp, almost violent. "Even if they told him, no one can quiet their mind completely. There’s always something. A flicker. A whisper. A shadow they can’t hide."

I stop.

The memory of his eyes rises—uninvited.

Brown. Warm. Silent.

"But his mind is calm." My voice drops to a whisper. "Like still water. No voice. No noise."

A beat.

"Nothing."

Sum’s voice is shocked when he speaks.

"Ellis..." He swallows—I hear the click of his throat. "Are you losing your ability?"

I take off my glasses. Set them on the table. The wood is warm beneath them, sunlit through the glass wall.

I look at him.

His expression. Shocked. Eyes wide. Fingers stilled mid-motion.

His mind screams—

{It means Ellis is losing his ability. How is that possible? He’s always been able to read anyone. Anyone. What’s happening to him?}

I look away.

The flowers sway again. White against a pale sky.

"I don’t know if I’m losing my ability or not." A pause. My voice turns cold, edged with irritation. "But your mind is still noisy."

Sum’s voice is quiet when he speaks. Careful. Serious.

"Ellis... I’m really shocked." He pauses, searching for words. "How can you not read him?"

Another pause. Longer this time. The café seems to hold its breath with us.

"Are you losing your ability..." His voice drops to barely a whisper. "Or is there something special about him?"

My gaze shifts back to the flowers.

White. Too white.

Like his skin. Like the silence that fills my head whenever I look into his eyes.

Something special about him.