Julius had no idea how long he had been standing there. The city below still glittered with cold light, and the music from the ballroom drifted faintly through the half-open door, but everything felt distant. Muted. The only thing that possessed any weight was the man in front of him.
The only thing he could truly feel was Harrison. The weight of Harrison's hand still resting at the nape of his neck, it had not moved. It had not loosened. Somehow, that quiet, controlled touch felt more dangerous than a physical blow.
Julius should have stepped away. He knew that clearly. But his body remained exactly where it was, his Alpha instincts paralyzed as if he had stopped belonging to himself the moment Harrison touched his skin.
Then his phone rang. The sharp sound split the silence and dragged him back to reality. Julius stared ahead, breathing unevenly, before reaching into his pocket.
The screen lit up, casting a pale glow on his face. Helen. His fiancée. The world he was supposed to live in. Julius looked at the name for a moment longer than he should have.
It felt strange. Distant. Like a memory of a life that no longer fit the man standing on this balcony. He answered anyway.
"Yes?" His voice came out lower than normal, thick with the tension he couldn't shake.
"Where are you?" she asked. Her tone was soft, but the disappointment underneath was unmistakable. "You disappeared."
Julius glanced sideways. Harrison was watching him, not moving, not speaking, just tracking the way Julius's pulse hammered frantically against those steady fingers.
"I stepped out for some air," he said.
"You left me alone," she replied. "My parents were asking about you. They want to talk about the wedding."
The word struck harder than it should have. Wedding. It suddenly sounded foreign. Not because he had forgotten it, but because standing here, with Harrison's heat radiating against him, his entire future felt fragile.
"When?" he asked quietly.
"Soon. They want to finalize everything tonight. The date, the arrangements… everything."
Julius said nothing. He should have responded immediately, calm, direct, in control. Instead, he hesitated.
The Enigma's hand at his neck shifted. It was barely a movement, just a slight tightening of the grip, but it sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated heat straight to his core.
"Julius? Are you listening?"
"Yes," he answered quickly. Too quickly. "I'll come back inside."
"Alright. Don't disappear again."
The call ended. Julius lowered the phone, staring at the dark screen before slipping it back into his pocket. Silence returned, heavy and suffocating.
Then Harrison spoke. "Cancel it." The words were quiet. Steady.
Julius turned fully this time, frowning. "What?"
"The wedding," Harrison repeated, his gaze immovable.
Julius let out a short, hollow breath. "You don't get to say that."
"I already did."
That calm certainty irritated him more than a scream would have. Julius took a step back, finally forcing some space between them. "That is my life," he said. "My decision."
Harrison did not follow. He simply stood there, eyes dark and still, as though Julius were a specimen he was patiently dissecting. "You hesitated," the Enigma said simply.
"That means nothing."
"It means enough."
"No," Julius said sharply, running a hand through his hair as frustration flared. "This, whatever this is, it does not change anything. I'm still getting married."
Harrison tilted his head. The movement was small, but it made Julius feel pinned. "Do you even know who you're marrying?"
Julius frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Silence followed. That deliberate, unhurried silence that always felt like a trap. Then Harrison took one slow step forward.
"Her family is not as harmless as you think."
Julius's expression hardened. "That is none of your business."
"It becomes my business when it touches you."
"You don't get to involve yourself in my life," the Alpha snapped.
A faint, mirthless curve touched Harrison's mouth. "And yet I already have."
Julius hated how true it was. The distance between them shortened again with that same unbearable patience. Harrison moved like a predator who knew the prey had nowhere to run. Julius did not step back.
"You think marrying her will end this?" Harrison asked, his voice a low vibration.
"Yes." The answer was strained.
"No."
Julius felt his chest tighten. "You do not decide that."
"You don't understand what you're standing in the middle of," Harrison said. "You are standing between things you still think you can control."
"It is simple," Julius replied, though his heart was racing.
"No."
The single word settled into the silence. Julius's throat tightened. He hated that one quiet answer from Harrison could strip him of his authority.
Harrison raised a hand then, slowly. Julius could have stopped him. Could have turned away. He did none of those things. Fingers brushed the side of his neck, light, controlled, and intensely hot.
The reaction was immediate. Julius's breath caught. Something low and instinctive tightened through him, a raw ache that defied his pride. Harrison saw it all.
"You still think you can walk away from this," he said softly.
Julius swallowed. "…I have to."
Harrison stepped closer, leaving no space at all. Julius could feel the steady presence, the impossible dominance in every inch of the man.
"No," the voice came, almost a whisper against his ear. "You don't."
Julius's fingers curled at his side. His control was cracking. Harrison's hand remained at his neck, certain and possessive. Then, unexpectedly, he said, "Go back inside."
Julius blinked, thrown. "What?"
"Go to her," Harrison said. "Smile. Stand beside her. Talk about your wedding."
Julius stared at him, his mind reeling from the sudden dismissal. "Why?"
The dark eyes locked onto his, reflecting the moonlight and something much more dangerous.
"Because I want to see you try," Harrison said, his voice dropping to a seductive, lethal edge. "I want to see how long you can last playing her husband before you realize that your body already belongs to me."