♪ ♡ ♪
The atmosphere in the Southern Palace had reached a fever pitch, the air heavy with the cloying scent of sea salt and the sharp, jagged edges of two clashing Alphas. But beneath the surface of the boys' rivalry, the true architect of the Southern isolation was beginning to lose her composure.
***
The Queen sat behind her heavy mahogany desk, her eyes cold as she stared at the sixteen-year-old boy sitting across from her. Aiden didn't look like a cadet; he looked like a King in waiting, his posture relaxed and his gaze unblinking.
"Why are you doing this, Aiden?" She hissed, her voice trembling with restrained fury.
"My son is a strawberry-scented Omega—a rare and delicate treasure of this kingdom. You are making him suffer. You are dragging his heart through the dirt while you parade that Northern rival of yours around like a trophy."
Aiden smirked, tilting his head slightly, a gesture that was hauntingly similar to Kyon's most dangerous moods.
"Suffer? I thought I was simply being a supportive guest. You planned to separate us, your Majesty. You orchestrated a fake pregnancy and a forced engagement to a Southern Duke. I am simply here to see the wedding. Isn't that what a 'friend' does?"
The Queen slammed her hand on the desk.
"You are ruining everything I planned! The alliance, the stability of the South—you are burning it all down just to spite me!"
"I'm not burning it down for spite," Aiden whispered, his eyes turning a lethal, molten gold. "I'm burning it down because you tried to steal what belongs to the North."
***
Aiden left the office and immediately returned to his psychological warfare. He found Asher in the gallery, the Northern Alpha looking more flustered than ever. Aiden didn't give him space; he stepped into Asher's personal circle, his hands becoming "handy." He reached out, his fingers hooking firmly into Asher's belt loops and resting on his hips.
"Stop it, idiot! People are watching!" Asher hissed, his face burning. He tried to twist away, but Aiden's grip was like iron.
Asher panicked and tried to bolt, his boots skidding on the polished marble floor. He slipped, his arms flailing, and Aiden lunged forward to "catch" him. He wrapped both arms around Asher's waist, but the momentum was too great. Both boys went down in a tangle of limbs, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Aiden ended up hovering over Asher, their chests heaving, the scent of their mingled pheromones filling the hall.
"GET OFF HIM!"
Lorcan appeared at the end of the gallery. He wasn't drunk this time; he was fueled by pure, sober desperation. He marched over and grabbed Aiden by the collar of his uniform, hauling him up with a strength born of heartbreak.
' I'm being shameless! Damn it!' Lorcan jaw clenched.
Aiden didn't fight back. He raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, a chillingly calm smile on his lips. He let Lorcan scream at him, enduring a barrage of hateful insults—words about Aiden being a traitor, a monster, and a cold-hearted Northern dog. Lorcan didn't mean a single word of it, but the pain was so great he had to lash out.
Lorcan pulled Aiden so close their noses almost touched. "Look at me!" Lorcan screamed.
Aiden did the cruelest thing possible: he slowly turned his face away, refusing to meet Lorcan's eyes, focusing instead on a painting on the wall. The rejection was so sharp Lorcan's voice broke.
"What do you want me to do?" Lorcan whispered, his voice so low only Aiden could hear. "What do I have to do for you to finally look at me again?"
Aiden remained silent. He didn't even twitch. He ignored the whisper entirely, leaving Lorcan standing there, holding his collar, looking like a shattered soul while Asher watched from the floor in stunned silence.
' this brat, what is he really planning?' Asher thought , flicking his tongue .
***
In the North, Kenzo was losing a different kind of war. His body had become a traitor. Every time he looked at Calix, his instincts didn't just scream protect; they screamed claim.
As they sat in the library, Calix leaned over to look at Kenzo's book. His neck—pale, delicate, and scented with jasmine—was right in front of Kenzo's face. Suddenly, Kenzo felt a sharp, pulsing ache in his gums. His Alpha fangs extended on their own, sharp and lethal, aching to sink into the skin of the person he loved most.
Kenzo let out a choked sound and shoved his chair back, clutching his mouth.
"Kenzo? Are you okay? Did you hurt your tooth?" Calix asked, his voice full of genuine, heartbreaking worry. He reached out to touch Kenzo's face.
"Don't touch me!" Kenzo barked, his voice muffled by his hand. He was fighting the Alpha beast inside him with everything he had, but the Sigma blood was too strong. He was terrified that if Calix got any closer, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from marking his twin right there.
Calix stayed back, his eyes filling with tears. He didn't understand why his protector was suddenly treating him like a threat.
***
At the Western border, Kyon stood on a high ridge, his eyes scanning the Elite Mountains. He could smell it—a faint, crystalline scent that belonged to Celine.
"She's here," Kyon growled to his guards. "Search every cave. Leave no stone unturned."
A hundred feet away, Lowell watched them from the mouth of the cave. He had cast a high-level Western Transparency Spell, bending the light around the cave entrance so that to the royal guards, there was nothing but solid rock.
Celine sat behind him, her black silver hair braided back. She watched Lowell's back, noticing how his hands were glowing with the effort of holding the spell against a Sovereign like Kyon.
"They're going to find us eventually," Celine whispered.
" you are doomed.." she stick her tongue out .
Lowell didn't look back, but his ears were red. "Not today. I'm not letting them take my 'ice-cube' back to some marriage contract. You're staying with me."
Lowell was becoming obsessed. He knew she was a Northern Princess, and he knew he should give her up, but every time she looked at him with those sharp, intelligent eyes, his solar mana flared with a possessiveness that rivaled Kenzo's. He wasn't just protecting a fugitive; he was hiding a treasure he wasn't ready to share with the world.
' I'm gonna get into trouble..' Lowell thought, letting out a heavy sigh.