☆.•.•.*•.☆
The six-year mark was approaching, and the tension in the atmosphere was thick enough to choke on. The Queen had finally granted Lorcan a "supervised excursion" to the North. Her goal was cruel and calculated. she wanted him to see with his own eyes that Aiden had moved on, so that he would finally agree to the Southern marriage alliance she had arranged.
Lorcan had arrived in the Northern border village under a heavy cloak, his face obscured by a deep hood and a mask. He looked like any other traveler in the crowded market. His heart was hammering against his ribs so hard it was painful. He just wanted to see if the photos were a lie.
Lorcan was navigating the narrow stalls of the market, his eyes scanning the crowd, when he turned a sharp corner and slammed directly into a solid, warm chest. The impact was enough to send him stumbling back.
He looked up, and his breath stopped.
It was Aiden.
Aiden was sixteen now. He was massive—towering over most adults, his shoulders broad and his jawline sharp enough to cut stone. He smelled of heavy mountain pine and that lethal, familiar ozone. But he didn't look at Lorcan with recognition. He didn't see the boy he had held in the library.
"Watch where you're going," a voice snapped from beside Aiden.
Asher was there, standing barely an inch away from Aiden's side. He was smirking, looking at Lorcan with pure annoyance. "You're lucky the Prince is in a good mood, or he'd have you arrested for bumping into royalty."
Aiden didn't even glance at Lorcan's face. He just offered a quick, distracted nod. "My apologies, traveler. The market is crowded today."
Aiden didn't wait for a response. Asher started insulting Aiden's "softness" for apologizing to a commoner, and as they walked away, Lorcan watched as Aiden reached out and gripped the back of Asher's neck. Aiden pulled Asher close, leaning down to whisper something directly into his ear. Lorcan saw Asher's face turn a bright, flustered red, his body going momentarily still under Aiden's touch.
Lorcan bit his lip so hard he drew blood. The photos weren't a lie. The intimacy was real. He turned away, his vision blurring with tears, and vanished into the crowd.
Aiden suddenly stopped. He turned back, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the retreating figure of the hooded traveler. Something about the scent—a faint, ghostly trace of strawberries—had hit his senses, but it was drowned out by the heavy smell of the fish market and Asher's constant bickering.
"What are you looking at, Valerius?" Asher groaned, rubbing his neck. "Let go of me, you're attracting attention."
Aiden shook his head, the moment passing. "Nothing. Let's go. We have equipment to buy."
They entered a heavy timber building filled with the smell of oil and cold steel. They were there to pick up custom training swords for the upcoming academy trials.
Asher, as usual, couldn't keep his mouth shut. He was picking up daggers and swinging them carelessly. "I don't even know why I'm here with you. You're just going to pick the heaviest, ugliest sword because you have no style. You're just a brute, Aiden. A big, boring Northern brute."
Aiden was checking the balance of a longsword, his patience finally snapping. He was tired of the mission, tired of the market, and tired of Asher's voice.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?" Aiden said, his voice dropping into that dangerous, low register.
"Or what?" Asher challenged, sticking his chin out. "You'll pin me again? We're in a public shop, Aiden. You wouldn't dare."
Aiden didn't say a word. He moved with a speed that left Asher gasping. He grabbed Asher by the collar, spun him around, and smacked him hard across the backside.
The sound echoed through the quiet shop.
Asher jumped, a shocked yelp escaping him. He spun around, his eyes watering from the sting and the sheer humiliation. "You! How dare you! That's... that's inappropriate! I'm a cadet!"
Aiden leaned in, his face inches from Asher's. "If you want to act like a bratty child, I'll treat you like one. And if you say one more word about my 'lack of style,' I'll tell the entire Academy exactly how you sounded when I held your neck in the dorms. I'll tell them you whimpered like a puppy."
Asher's face went from red to purple. Tears of pure rage and embarrassment actually pricked his eyes. He realized Aiden wasn't playing anymore. The Prince was genuinely angry, and the power dynamic was so skewed that Asher had no way to fight back. He went silent, clutching his side and glaring at the floor, while Aiden went back to picking out swords as if nothing had happened.
Back at the Primary Academy, the situation for the twins was getting worse. Vane, the senior Alpha, hadn't forgotten the sight of Calix in his female form. If anything, the mystery of the Shifting Prince had turned into an obsession.
Vane and his friend Leo were constantly lurking near the gates. They didn't try to kidnap him again—Kenzo's threat had been too real for that—but they tried to "court" him.
"Hey, Calix," Leo said, stepping into the path as the triplets walked to lunch. "I brought some sweets from the Southern trade ship. Do you want some?"
Calix looked at the bag of candy and then at Celine. He was genuinely confused. "Why are you giving me these? Is it your birthday?"
Celine rolled her eyes, pulling Calix along. "He's trying to hit on you, Calix. Just ignore him."
"Hit on me?" Calix asked, his voice soft and polite. "But I don't want to fight. Why would he hit me?"
Calix's innocence was his greatest defense, but it also made the Alphas even more desperate. They saw his confusion as "purity" that needed to be conquered.
Kenzo appeared from behind a pillar, his eyes fixed on Vane. He didn't say a word, but he let out a sharp, concentrated burst of pheromones that acted like a physical wall between the seniors and his twin. He stood between them, his hand resting on the hilt of his wooden training dagger.
Vane scowled, backing off. "We're just talking, Kenzo. Relax."
"Talk to the wall," Kenzo snapped. "If I see you near him again, I'm telling Papa Arion that you're harassing a member of the royal family. Let's see how your father likes explaining that to the King."
Kenzo grabbed Calix and Celine, ushering them away. But as they walked, Calix felt the heavy, lingering gaze of Vane on his back. He didn't understand why everyone was so focused on him, but for the first time, the "weird feelings" in the air were starting to make him feel truly uncomfortable.
The North was getting colder, and the shadows were getting longer. Lorcan, watching from a distance, finally realized that the world he left behind was gone. The Aiden he loved was now a man who smack-subdued other Alphas, and the twins he helped raise were now warriors in their own right.
Lorcan pulled his hood tighter and began the long walk back to the harbor. He had seen enough. The six-year wait was almost over, but the reunion looked like it was going to be a bloodbath.