With two hours until the grand Awakening Ceremony—where my ABO designation would seal my fate as crown prince—I played the idle royal, slouching through gilded halls like I had nothing better to do. Boring as watching paint dry on a corpse.
No contracts, no shadows to stalk; just simpering people and endless etiquette. Screw that—I slipped away, ducking behind tapestries woven with glowing runes, my silver hair tucked under a servant's hood.
"It's boring out there. I think that I can 'play around' for some time, right?"
The palace sprawled like a living beast—towering obsidian spires veined with luminous crystal, halls echoing with marble footsteps and faint magic hums. I roamed the underbelly—kitchens steaming with pheromone-spiced roasts, barracks where Alpha guards drilled with thunderous clashes, hidden gardens blooming nightshade for Omega elixirs to control their heat.
Like old assassin days, I observed everyone—a beta maid pocketing silver—harmless greed—two omegas whispering scandals, an alpha knight's rut-scent spiking suspiciously near the armoury. Let's ignore the last one, shall we?
Eyes sharp, steps silent, I melted into crowds—overhearing nobles bet on my presentation.
"Alpha, surely—have you ever looked at his shoulders?"
"Wife, have you ever looked at his face?"
"Most people think that he will be an alpha."
"I believe that too."
Argh, who the hell gave them the right to bet on me? But I do think that I will be an alpha. Noting escape routes, weaknesses. A loose grate here, a guard's lazy patrol there. Palace is just a bigger alley. Everyone's a mark.
But after an hour weaving through servant tunnels and balcony overlooks, fatigue hit like a chain to the gut. My eyes grew heavy, vision blurring at edges; legs turned to lead, staggering against cool stone walls. Poison? No—too soon. Then, what is it? A strange heat bloomed in my chest, the unmature scent gland throbbing like a heartbeat.
The world tilted as I crumpled to the mosaic floor, silver hair fanning out. Darkness swallowed me whole, dreams flashing—alley rain, blade twists, imperial thrones.
In the chamber adjoining the Awakening Hall—a vast vaulted room pulsing with fist-sized Aether crystals embedded in the walls, humming like restrained thunder before a storm—Emperor Lirien paced with predatory grace, her Alpha presence crackling the air like static before lightning.
Heavy brocade curtains muffled distant ceremony chants, and the scent of incense clung thickly. Knights knelt rigidly before her, helmets tucked under arms, faces drained pale under flickering crystal glow.
"Where did you find him?" Lirien demanded, her stern gaze slicing like a blade through flesh. "Tell me! Right now!"
"Near the servants' alley, Your Majesty," one stammered, voice echoing off gold-veined marble walls adorned with imperial tapestries.
"How the hell couldn't you observe him properly?! He slipped out for the gods' sake—two hours before his ceremony! And you call yourselves knights!" Lirien's voice boomed, fists balling at her sides, the air thickening with her spiking rut-scent—musk and iron, raw with protective fury.
Her wife, Empress Elowen, glided forward and grabbed Lirien's hand. It acted like a soothing balm against the storm, soft vanilla scent weaving through the tension like a gentle fog. "Lirien, please calm down. He's fine now—see? He's resting peacefully." She nodded toward the inner archway, auburn waves catching the warm torchlight.
"But what if something happened to him?" Lirien growled low, her rugged features twisting with rare vulnerability, broad shoulders heaving.
"He's too strong for that. Don't worry—he is our child." Elowen squeezed gently, her touch grounding, eyes shining with unwavering faith.
Lirien whirled on the knights, voice pure thunder rolling through the chamber. "Get out of my sight! And don't ever repeat the same mistake!"
They bowed low, murmuring frantic thanks, and fled like scolded pups, boots scuffing urgently on the polished floor.
Nearby, in the ceremony room packed with beta overseers—neutral attendants in pristine white robes etched with glowing binding runes that shimmered faintly—Alexander lay on a raised dais of white marble, silver hair splayed like a halo, body still and sweat-damp from the collapse. The air hummed heavier here, crystals pulsing brighter with each passing second, drawing in ambient Aether like breaths.
A minute ticked by in agonizing tense silence, the betas murmuring incantations to stabilize the rite.
Finally, a beta healer emerged through the rune-warded doors, his face lit with happy relief but edged with wide-eyed fear—eyes darting nervously to the emperor. "Your Majesty... the crown prince has differentiated successfully. Congratulations—you have now a daughter... an Omega."
Lirien nodded curtly, masking a jolt of shock behind steel, her mind racing. Omega? "Thank you. You can go now." The healer bowed deeply and vanished back into the room.
Elowen's hand flew to her mouth, colour draining from her beautiful face. "What should we do now? I didn't want him to be an Omega! It'll be dangerous—Lirien, you know the attention he'll attract. All the bad kind from those filths! Rut-crazed Alphas sniffing for a claim, schemers plotting to break him... I don't want any danger for him!" Her voice rose, hands trembling.
"Calm down, Elowen. Now, you are panicking."
"But you understand my concerns, don't you?"
"We can do nothing now, Elowen," Lirien said firmly, pulling her wife close in a protective embrace, her Alpha strength enveloping like armour. "Let's just protect him. Besides, you wanted a daughter once, and now you have a daughter. But he's still our perfect child."
"He is a naughty one."
"That's correct."
"But I'm very worried for him," Elowen snarled, rare fire flashing in her omega eyes, her scent turning sharp and acrid with distress, like burnt sugar.
"We're still alive, Elowen. We'll shield him—with wards, guards, everything."
"But what after we...?" Elowen's voice cracked, glancing anxiously at the dais, visions of her vulnerable son... now turned... daughter, alone in a viper's court haunting her.
Lirien cupped her face tenderly, alpha resolve steeling like forged blade. "I'll do something, okay? I always do."
"Promise?"
"Have I ever let you down? He is my child too, Elowen."
"Yes, Lirien... I understand."
"Good. Let's wait for him to wake up."