☆*:.｡. o ☆ o .｡.:*☆
The final day of recovery at the Northern Palace was supposed to be a peaceful transition back to normalcy, but "normalcy" was a foreign concept to the Blackwood-Valerius bloodline.
In the royal hallway, Kenzo was attempting his morning ritual: a protective, iron-grip hug on Calix. He was still dragging his feet from the three days of brutal training Kyon had put him through, his muscles screaming for rest. Before his arms could even lock around Calix's waist, a large, calloused hand grabbed the collar of Kenzo's tunic and hoisted him back.
Kyon stood there, laughing as he easily scooped Calix up into his other arm. "Enough, pup. Your brother needs to breathe, not be fermented in your Alpha-scent all day."
"Put him down!" Kenzo roared, his voice cracking with prepubescent rage. He began a relentless assault on Kyon's shins, kicking and punching his father's sturdy leather boots as Kyon walked toward the tea room. "He's my twin! Give him back!"
Calix, meanwhile, seemed perfectly content. He clung to Kyon's neck, his black silver hair brushing against his father's shoulder. He looked down at the struggling Kenzo and let out a small, tired smile. "Kenzo is very grumpy today, Papa."
As they moved, Calix's expression turned thoughtful. "Papa... what happened to Vane and Leo? I haven't seen them since the garden."
Kyon's gaze hardened for a split second, though his voice remained light. "Don't you worry about those vultures, Calix. They've flown far away from here, and their wings have been clipped. They won't be bothering you or anyone else ever again."
Kenzo let out a frustrated growl, giving Kyon's leg one final, heavy kick as they entered the tea room. The moment Kyon set Calix down on the plush rug, Kenzo collapsed right next to him, his face hitting the floor. He was physically finished, his strength finally failing him.
The peace was short-lived. A messenger entered and handed Kyon two scrolls. The first was the formal invitation to Lorcan's engagement—the same cold, golden-sealed slap in the face that Aiden had received.
The second was a private note from Aiden. It was brief and sharp: "I am going South. I do not care for the curriculum or the border laws. I need to hear the truth from his own mouth."
Kyon's eyes narrowed. He looked down at his two youngest sons—one half-asleep and the other trying feebly to crawl toward his brother—and then out toward the Southern horizon. "The storm has finally landed," Kyon whispered.
The six-year mark arrived not with a celebration, but with the humidity of the Southern Isles and the stench of hidden agendas. Aiden arrived at the Southern Palace with Asher at his side. Aiden didn't come to start a war—not yet. He came to look Lorcan in the eye and see if the boy who had promised him forever was truly gone.
When they were finally brought into the grand receiving hall, the air was suffocating. Lorcan stood on a dais next to his mother, Queen Seraphina. He looked older, more elegant, and devastatingly cold.
"You shouldn't have come, Aiden," Lorcan said, his voice devoid of the warmth Aiden remembered. "The North has no business here. Go back home. Take your... friend... with you." Lorcan's eyes flicked to Asher, and for a second, a flash of pure, agonizing hurt crossed his face before he masked it with ice. He remembered the photos. He remembered the hand on the neck.
"I'm not leaving until you tell me why," Aiden said, stepping forward.
"I told you! I agree with this engagement!" Lorcan shouted, his voice cracking. "It's my choice! Go back to your Academy and your rivals and leave me alone!"
Aiden's patience snapped. He ignored the guards and surged forward, grabbing Lorcan's hands in his. "I don't believe you. You're a terrible liar, Lorcan. Tell me the truth."
Queen Seraphina stepped forward, her face twisted in a sneer. "Remove your hands from my son, Northern brute—"
Aiden didn't even look at her. He released a concentrated, violent burst of Sovereign Pheromones. The pressure was so immense that the queen knees locked; she couldn't move or speak, her breath hitching in her throat as the room turned cold as a glacier.
Lorcan looked at his mother, then at Aiden. He felt the crushing weight of the secret his mother had forced him to prepare. He saw Asher standing behind Aiden—Asher, who had been there for every heat, every moment Aiden was supposed to be Lorcan's.
The jealousy and the pressure broke him. Lorcan leaned in, his voice a dead whisper. "You want the truth? Fine. I'm already carrying, Aiden. I'm pregnant with my fiancée's child. The engagement is a formality to save my honor. Now, go."
The words hit Aiden like a physical blow to the heart. He recoiled as if he'd been stabbed. It was a lie—a cruel, desperate fabrication the queen had coached him to use as a "final deterrent"—but Aiden didn't know that.
The silence that followed was terrifying. Then, the air in the hall began to vibrate.
Aiden didn't cry. He went into a Mad Alpha Rage. His mana began to leak out in visible, golden lightning. "You're lying," Aiden growled, his voice sounding like it was being ripped from his throat. "You couldn't... you wouldn't... Who did this? I'll kill him! I'll burn this entire island to the ground!"
Asher stepped forward, terrified. "Aiden! Stop! You're going to level the palace!"
While the South was descending into chaos, the North was silent.
In the palace tea room, Kenzo woke up from his nap. He felt the distant, jagged pain of his brother Aiden's rage through their bond. Weakly, he reached out and tried to pull Calix closer, his hand shaking as he tried to release a protective scent. But his body was empty. He was too weak to even mask the smell of the tea.
"Kenzo?" Calix asked, sitting up. "Where's Celine?"
Arion, who had been standing by the window, turned around. His face was pale. He realized he hadn't seen his daughter in hours. "Celine? She was just in the library..."
They searched the library. Then the alchemy wing. Then the gardens.
There was no note. No struggle. Just an empty chair and a single, Southern-style coin left on the table. As Aiden's heart broke in the South, the North realized they had been distracted by the twins' recovery—and in that distraction, someone had taken the smartest member of their family.