✦ Chapter 06 ✦
Elian's breath caught as he watched the Alpha's jaw tighten. Lucien's golden eyes followed his sister until the last echo of her steps faded beyond the doors. Then, without warning, he turned. The motion was swift—sharp as lightning—and those burning eyes locked onto him.
The weight of that gaze pressed down like an invisible hand. Elian's fingers curled into the fabric of his clothes, his lungs tightening. He dropped his eyes quickly, staring at the floor as if it could shield him. The air between them felt alive, charged, dangerous. Even when his father had been angry, he had never felt this—this raw, suffocating force that made his blood race and his knees feel weak.
His hand found the small necklace resting against his chest, fingers trembling as he held it like a talisman. Slowly, cautiously, he looked up again—and froze. Lucien was still watching him.
Those golden eyes didn't waver. They caught every twitch, every flicker of fear. The words Elian wanted to speak dissolved into silence. His lips pressed into a thin line.
Lucien's brow furrowed. "What?"
The word cracked through the air like thunder. Elian flinched, a small gasp escaping before he forced himself to speak.
"W–what happens to omegas?" His voice was barely a whisper, fragile but defiant. He raised his head just enough to see Lucien's face—and what he saw there made his stomach drop. The Alpha's expression was carved from ice.
"They die," Lucien said. The words were simple, cruel, final.
Elian's breath hitched. A sharp ache spread through his chest, tears stinging behind his eyes. His fingers tightened around the necklace until his knuckles turned white. For a long, hollow moment, he said nothing. But then, faintly, a thread of desperate hope tugged at him.
"What about… female omegas?" he asked, voice trembling but steady enough to hold the question.
Lucien regarded him in silence, the flicker of thought passing through his gaze before he spoke again. "Female omegas aren't cursed," he said finally, his tone quieter, more measured. "They're kept by the high elders—or the royal council. The king's family, sometimes. It's forbidden to mark a female omega unless you're of high rank."
He turned, the soft rustle of his robes breaking the silence. "Now you know."
Elian watched him walk away, that faint spark of hope clinging stubbornly to his heart. Maybe his mother was still alive. Maybe she had been taken in by someone powerful—protected. Waiting for him. His hand brushed over the pendant again, a silent prayer trembling on his lips.
Lucien's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Get him a room."
Elian blinked, startled. Lucien was looking toward a woman standing nearby—a woman with chestnut hair and eyes as green as new leaves. Her pale skin was sprinkled with freckles, and she had a kind of grounded beauty that didn't demand attention but couldn't be ignored.
"Which room, Alpha?" she asked, her tone polite but edged with something that might have been amusement. It was gone too quickly to be sure.
"Whichever you think suits him," Lucien replied, his gaze unreadable. Then he turned and disappeared down the corridor, his white and gold robes trailing behind him like liquid light.
The woman sighed softly and gestured for Elian to follow. She moved with the ease of someone used to silence. Her scent was faint—only the soft trace of fabric soap and mild perfume. No pheromones. A beta, then. The lucky ones in this world.
"Excuse me," she said after a moment, her voice gentle but curious. "Pardon me for being nosy, but… are you an omega?"
Her tone wasn't mocking—if anything, it was warm, almost kind. It disarmed him for a heartbeat. But kindness had always been dangerous.
"No," Elian murmured, keeping his eyes on the floor. "I'm not."
She smiled, her green eyes soft. "Then forgive me for saying this, but you're prettier than most omegas I've seen."
Elian's brows knitted slightly, suspicion stirring. Why was she kind to him? What did she want?
They stopped before a tall oak door. The woman paused with her hand on the handle and looked back at him. "You're lucky," she said lightly, as though discussing the weather. "If you were an omega and Alpha Lucien had found you… you'd already be six feet underground."
The words hit like a physical blow. Elian froze, staring at her, but she only smiled and opened the door. "Get some rest," she said, her tone unreadable, and left him standing alone in the quiet hall.
For a long time, Elian didn't move. The room was beautiful—large windows spilling sun rays over soft sheets and polished wood—but he couldn't see any of it. He walked to the window and pressed a trembling hand to the glass, staring out at the horizon.
Tears burned at the corners of his eyes, falling before he could stop them.
He sank to his knees, clutching his necklace, the ache in his chest breaking open once more.
✦ End Of Chapter ✦