The question hung in the air. Before Celestio could respond, the prince stepped closer, his face mere inches from Celestio’s. Celestio winced, unsure of whether Edess would strike him again.
Edess’s voice dropped to a whisper, his breath warm against Celestio’s neck covered in Sabas’s kisses. “You know I would take care of you even more than I already do,” he said, his tone almost pleading. “You know I would give you anything you could ever desire. So why him?”
Celestio’s heart sank, his throat constricting as the prince’s words washed over him. He still held a hand on his stinging cheek, and raised the other to the prince’s chest to maintain the small distance between them. “You know why,” he murmured.
Edess’s breath grew uneven as he stared at Celestio. For a moment, the tension between them was almost unbearable. The oppressive silence in the room was broken only by the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth.
Then the prince’s quiet laugh broke the silence, sharp and bitter. He raised his own hand, pressing it onto the back of Celestio’s hand that lay on his chest. “But Celestio, ‘you know as well as anyone,’” he said mockingly, repeating the well-known adage that Celestio himself had told the prince long ago, “‘that His Majesty is only capable of siring Alphas.’”
Celestio’s fingers clenched on Edess’s chest.
The prince raised his eyes to Celestio’s, burning with ambition.
Celestio’s gaze blurred and his heart pounded in his chest. His body shook with each heavy, slow beat. The prince’s own heart raced under his hand. The weight of Edess’s words hung in the air. He had no response to them.
The silence stretched between them until Edess let out a soft scoff. “You’ve always been good at keeping your mouth shut when needed, haven’t you, Celestio?”
Celestio knew better than to rise to the bait. Anything he said would only lead to further questions – questions he wasn’t prepared to answer. No matter how deep his relationship with Edess was, they could never cross that barrier, ever. It was beyond wrong. Edess could never be his Alpha, and he could never be Edess’s Omega.
The prince sighed and took a step closer, pushing against Celestio’s hand and resting his head on his advisor’s shoulder. “Your fated Alpha,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Does he know about us?”
“No.” Celestio’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Ensure that it stays that way.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince kept his face on Celestio’s chest. “If he ever seems suspicious,” he calmly commanded, “if he ever asks too many questions about your work, or the royal family, you will come to me immediately. No hesitation, no excuses. I will not give you special treatment if you disobey me. Understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince lingered on him for a few more moments.. Then he stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. “You realize, of course,” he said slowly, his tone almost conversational, “that you are responsible for him now. If he’s joining your family, that makes him your problem. Any transgressions he commits – any slight against me or the royal family – will fall squarely on your shoulders.”
Celestio nodded, his posture straight and unyielding. “I understand. If Sabas has any untoward intentions regarding the royal family, I won’t hesitate to inform you.”
Edess raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I’ll hold you to that, though I doubt it will matter in the long run. You’ll be miserable with him, Celes. And when he betrays you, I’ll be waiting.”
Celestio refused to let the prince’s words shake him.
The prince straightened, his smirk fading as his expression turned serious once more. “Until then,” he said, his tone brisk, “Sabas will remain in the castle. I won’t have you bringing an Alpha into your home and allow him to ruin your reputation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince waved a hand, turning back toward the fire. “You’re dismissed.”
Celestio hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on Edess’s back. There was so much more he wanted to say, but he knew it would be futile. The prince had made up his mind, and there was no changing it.
Celestio bowed to the prince’s back, murmuring, “I will return to my duties, Your Highness,” before turning and leaving the room, the heavy door closing behind him with a soft thud.
Edess sat on the edge of his bed, his head bowed and his knuckles white from clasping them so tightly. The air in his chambers was heavy with the scent of burning incense, an attempt to calm his stormy thoughts that was failing miserably. The events of the afternoon replayed in his mind on an endless loop – Celestio’s blushing face, the marks on his neck, the way he had refused to meet his eyes. It all churned in his chest, a mix of anger, betrayal, and….
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The frustration boiled over. After his birthday celebration, he shouldn’t be feeling so tense. With Celestio too distracted to hold him back, he was going to do exactly what he wanted.
With a sharp exhale, he stood and strode to the door, throwing it open and startling the guards stationed outside.
“You,” he ordered. “Go. I want an Omega. One in heat. Bring it to me tonight.”
The guard hesitated for only a second before bowing deeply. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said, before hurrying off down the corridor.
The prince turned back into his chambers and slammed the door shut, the sound echoing through the halls. He leaned against the door for a moment, his breathing uneven, before pushing away and stalking toward the open window. His gaze fell on the courtyard below and the city beyond the castle’s walls. His city. Something that no other Alpha could take from him.
The castle hallways were quiet, lit by the setting sun and the soft glow of lanterns mounted on the stone walls. Celestio moved silently, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet that ran the length of the corridor. His mind was already preoccupied with the tasks he needed to complete the next day, though he tried to push them away.
He hesitated outside the door of the guest chambers, composing himself before knocking. He wondered for a moment whether Sabas was waiting for him, or if he had taken the chance to explore the castle – his home for the next several months, at least – then the door swung open.
A guard appeared in front of him, bowing his head.
“I wasn’t aware Sir Sabas required a guard,” Celestio said, eyeing him warily.
“His Highness has requested increased security for the moment.”
Celestio nodded. Regardless of the scene Sabas had made earlier, he was still all but unknown to everyone, and he couldn’t begrudge the guards for following standard protocol. “May I have a private meeting with the guest?”
“Yes, sir.”
The guard stood in the hall and Celestio strode past him, reaching behind for the doorknob.
“His Highness has requested that the door to the guest chambers remains open during private meetings, Sir Celestio.” The guard didn’t meet the advisor’s eyes.
“Of course,” Celestio replied, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips. Edess was worried about his well-being, after all.
The guest chambers were modest by the castle’s standards, though still richly appointed. A large bed with navy linens dominated the space, its posts carved with intricate designs. A small writing desk sat near the window and a few candles burned softly, casting flickering shadows across the walls.
Sabas sat in a plush chair by the window, his posture relaxed. He had been looking out at the early night but was now watching Celestio, a smile crossing his face when Celestio approached with the guard out of sight in the hall.
“Celestio,” he said warmly, standing and crossing the room to meet his Omega. “You didn’t have to come all this way. Is everything all right?”
Celestio reached out, pulling Sabas into an embrace. He buried his forehead onto the Alpha’s shoulder, breathing deeply. “We need to talk,” he murmured. “Mostly about His Highness.”
Sabas returned the hold for a moment, then glanced over Celestio’s shoulder. He saw the glint of armor as the guard vanished around the corner after his attempt to covertly peek into his room. He pulled away, resting his hands on Celestio’s waist and pulling him to the chair next to his. “I imagine we do.”
Celestio sat down. Sabas kept their hands together, his thumbs stroking the back of the advisor’s hands.
“First of all,” Celestio said. “What in the world compelled you to do such a strange thing? And you claim you want to part from your family to join mine?”
Sabas’s grip on Celestio’s hands tightened. “I never felt that I belonged in my family,” he admitted. “I haven’t missed them in the past few years, to be honest. I thought of returning to Almwick simply out of duty.”
“But, a marriage proposal?”
“You didn’t want anyone to think you were ‘open game,’” Sabas gently reminded him. “No one will ever think that now. You are everything I didn’t know I was looking for, and I will protect you from any Alpha who thinks they can hurt you.”
Celestio sat in silence for a moment. “We have accepted your terms,” he said. “Now, you must accept His Highness’s.”
“If that will please you.”
Celestio cleared his throat. “His – Prince Edess has ordered that you remain in the castle until our wedding. He doesn’t want to risk any rumors or gossip that could harm my reputation.”
Sabas tilted his head, studying Celestio’s expression. “That’s not unreasonable, given the circumstances. I have no objection to this condition, assuming that you don’t want a year-long engagement.”
Celestio let out a quiet breath of relief, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I know it’s not ideal, but –”
“Celestio.” Sabas lifted a hand to Celestio’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Truly. I’ve already sent a letter to Messina to have my personal belongings brought to the capital city, and another to my father informing him of our engagement.”
“You’re taking this better than I expected,” he admitted, a faint blush creeping up his neck. “Edess can be… difficult.”
Sabas chuckled softly, his hand squeezing Celestio’s shoulder reassuringly. “I’ve dealt with worse,” he said.
Celestio’s blush deepened and he glanced down, his hands fidgeting slightly. “I just… I don’t want you to feel trapped,” he said quietly. “If you change your mind about any of this –”
“I won’t,” Sabas said with finality. He gently tilted Celestio’s chin up so their eyes met. “I made my choice, Celestio. And I will never regret it.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence between them filled only with the quiet crackle of the fireplace. Then Celestio found himself leaning forward, Sabas’s arms wrapping around his slender frame. Celestio hesitated for a moment before relaxing, his hands coming to rest lightly on Sabas’s back.
“Thank you,” Celestio murmured, his voice muffled against Sabas’s shoulder.
Sabas smiled, resting his chin on the top of Celestio’s head.
Celestio closed his eyes, allowing himself to breathe deeply and take in the calming scent of Sabas’s pheromones.
The sound of footsteps in the doorway broke the moment, and Celestio sighed as he pulled away from his Alpha. The royal guard outside remained vigilant while he shifted on his feet, but the reminder of their surroundings was enough to pull Celestio back to reality.
“I should go,” Celestio said. “I’ll visit in the evenings after my duties are finished. I can show you around the castle and introduce you to the staff. You need to ingratiate yourself early.”
Sabas nodded, though there was a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. He remained seated when Celestio rose. “I understand,” he said softly. “Have a good night, Celestio.”
“Goodnight, Sabas,” he replied. Every fiber of his being was yelling at him to stay, but he couldn’t disobey a direct order from the prince. He steeled his will and turned, walking briskly out of the room while noting that Sabas’s personal trunk, sitting open at the foot of the bed, seemed to only contain clothing.
Tomorrow, he would bring in a few books from his study so Sabas wouldn’t have to sit in boredom.
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