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Chapter Text

In a stately seaside summer palace there lived a young prince, and at his side served an exclusive and elite force of guards whose lives were dedicated to the protection of three simple things: the prince’s life, his identity, and his chastity. 

One such guard was one Leon Strohl da Haliaetus, a ripe young alpha of landed nobility. His clan were those whose riches came from modest industry such as farming. Their spoils were shared with the humble men and women who worked the land, and their comforts were meager in comparison with those clans whose wealth and prestige came from the generational passing of revered titles and ancient artifacts. 

Now, it was precisely for this humility that the house of Halia was bestowed a duty most sacred. The king of twelve generations ago, to be exact, supped and made friends of the Count of Halia in that time, and the good count’s reward was the precious responsibility of guarding the king’s omega heirs, of which there were historically many. Kings sow many seeds in hopes of establishing a line everlasting. It was only until recent times such as theirs that the royal garden had dwindled in its bounty, and their most contemporary king, the late Hythlodaeus V, bore only one child, who most fortunately for Strohl, was an omega.

As for our earnest Leon Strohl, he was an alpha of two and twenty, a tall and healthy clemar, with a neat head of shimmering silver hair parted by the petite curved horns typical of his family. He had the advantages of a handsome face and an amiable demeanor. His most notable vices were his hot temperament and stubborn pride. Strohl lacked the filter that many wise men possessed, which enervated the indelicate aspects of their thoughts before they were spoken, and he had found himself in trouble more than once on account of this foible. 

Nonetheless, he was raised well by his parents, who loved him and instilled in him a most pronounced moral compass and virtue. He was taught to be abundant in charity, willful in action, and of course, reverent and respectful of the omega sex. His parents indeed asked not much of him, besides upholding his oath to the crown and mating well and respectfully. 

There entered Euchronia’s new heir apparent, the lovely Prince Will, who was Strohl’s purpose as much as he was his weakness. 

Now, it must be noted that Strohl never entered the service of His Highness with any intention to lust for or covet him. He could not have predicted any of what would transpire after his arrival at the palace, for he had not even known how the prince looked, just as none of the constituents of Euchronia did. The appearance of the omega prince was kept secret from all, for his beauty was an elusive treasure that was only bestowed upon subjects deemed the most worthy. This was chiefly done for his protection, though a keen man would rightly deduce that maintaining a certain air of mystique was also a motivation. 

Strohl still recalled the first day he ever beheld him. The whole carriage ride from his country village to the coast, his heart had hammered like a hummingbird’s wings, and he tried to no avail to steel himself to be granted the most prestigious honor in the land.

All of that fitful preparedness mattered not at all as he stood in the courtyard and Will stepped out of the shadows of the arched walkway and into the light of the sun. He still wore the black clothes of mourning on account of his sire’s passing, yet Strohl thought him to be the most radiant thing he had ever seen. It was the feeling of the sun breaking through the storm bank for the first time after a long torrent of rain, when all the earth beckons for the safety of its embrace. 

That was just Will. He was all that an omega should be. His moonpale eyes were big and batting, his hips wide and suggestive, his voice sweet like honeyed butter. His burnished limbs were smooth and petite, and his words eloquent and careful. And his scent… 

His scent was of honey and seabreeze, of damp delicate flower petals, and the saccharinity of overripe fruit. It was an aroma that was so unassuming at first, but then crept up on the senses until they were full of nothing but. 

Now, Strohl knew better than to reduce an omega to their sexual traits. His parents taught him better than that. Realistically, he knew that what makes an omega is beyond their superficial appearance and demeanor. Perhaps he would have called himself a fool, were it not for the fact that Will’s innate traits also made him an exemplar of his biology. 

He was quiet and coy, but not overtly so. He was neither cloying nor airheaded. He knew how to hold himself, how to reply, to maintain an air of mystique yet make known his intellect. He knew how to appeal to those baser alpha instincts while retaining this sense of self that was so uniquely his. 

Strohl often looked at him and wondered how he could be so, how someone so lovely and charming could be real, let alone his crown prince and his liege. The sentiment remained unchanged from the day he first arrived: the surreal acceptance that he, by consequence, was among the luckiest alphas in Euchronia. 

The prince’s guard was comprised of eleven alphas, including himself. One would perhaps find it contradictory that the keepers of an omega’s chastity were of the very same sex that was at the most risk of destroying him. Strohl himself questioned this when he was a pup, but it was as his father explained: The prince’s wardens were carefully selected of the stronger sex to guard him to the fullest. Omegas in close proximity, you see, often resort to jealous rivalry and hormonal bickering, Alphas, carnal as they may be at times, will always be predisposed to being protective of their fairer counterparts. 

This privilege did not come without its demands, however. One of the stipulations, Strohl knew even before his arrival, was that his scent and cycle were both to be suppressed. This was for the prince’s protection and none else. 

Generations of societal precedent were at play here. The prince himself was not to be suppressed, for archaic beliefs stated that to suppress an omega of such purity would be to sully and even potentially damage his innocent fertility. 

His alpha protectors, however, were seen as having no such need for caution. If one were to stand outside the prince’s door at all times, even as he himself was in the throes of heat, one must be willing to sacrifice their bodily zodiacs. 

For those reasons previously discussed, the young Strohl had been priming himself for this sacrifice for the better part of his life. Because he knew that—should he be so lucky to be called upon one day—he must relinquish this habit, he was prepared when the day finally arrived.

Or so he thought. 

Since he arrived, Strohl was in the tutelage of an elder rhoag alpha named Grius who had been in the service of the crown for nigh on five and twenty years. As the last addition to the other ten, Strohl, the rhoag, had said, had a lot to learn fast, and he was quite thrust into it before he hardly had the chance to set his luggage in his room. 

If Strohl were being honest, Grius frightened him at first, but his stern wisdom was the sort that you slowly began to understand for what it was. He may have hurled insults like it was second nature and convinced Strohl of his worthlessness on more than one occasion, he was also strangely nurturing and patient. Strohl saw him as a second father of sorts, one who was much sterner than his own, yet was all the more effective in his meaning for it. 

Strohl learned the fundamentals of swordplay and survival. They all were taught how to navigate the worst possible scenarios. Should they ever be stranded in the wilderness with His Highness and surrounded by throngs of enemies, it was their job to defend him, while also keeping their wits about themselves. 

Grius was also helpful when it came to those less savory parts of the task. One of the first things Strohl did upon his arrival was swallow an unsavory cup of water that was mixed with a bitter concoction of herbs that were to cease his ruts. 

“Now, I don’t relish discussing such matters, private as they are, but there are things you must be ever-aware of, boy, so listen up,” the rhoag had said as Strohl grimaced at the taste in his mouth. “You’re a young man. Alphas at your age think with their cocks first and their brains second. I know this because I, too, was your age once, but the importance of you reining it in is more serious than ever.” 

Strohl frowned but listened as Grius continued, “What you’re drinking is no surefire prevention against you doing something stupid, and you may very well want to, looking at a pretty one like His Highness day in and day out. But hear these words now: You must not ever, ever , touch him, not even if he begs you for it at peril of his own life.” 

The clemar flushed at the subject but nodded. Grius frowned scrutinously at him. “You and I, we must convince ourselves that we are mere bugs at his feet. We would never be worthy of such a thing. Would be no different than dirtying your mate’s fine lace doily with your greasy fingers. Do not touch it. Don’t even think about it. You have those type o’ fantasies, erase them immediately. To entertain it is just as insulting to His Highness.” 

After he finished, the rhoag heaved a tired sigh and crossed his arms. “On the contrary, though, we must never blind ourselves to the fact that His Highness, too, is a young man who has his own impulses. The good people may loft him up to be some virtuous celibate saint, but true as the moon, he is just a boy, an omega, and he wants, just as everyone else does; but he does not have the privilege we do. His hormones are rampant and very much present. Remember that your proximity is just as hard, if not harder, for him.” 

The friendly slap Grius landed on his shoulder jostled him. “Not to worry, though, lad. I’m sure Count Louis will take care of those more…impassioned tendencies of his, for better or for worse.” 

Strohl frowned. “Who is Count Louis?” 

“Oho! So you’re unfamiliar with the devil, then, are you? Well, how does one even describe the lad? The newly titled Count Louis Guiabern…”

In the brief respites he was afforded in between Grius’s stern tutelage and following Will in his daily routines about the palace, Strohl relished the rare and intimate moments where he was afforded the privilege of glimpsing Will as he really was, not as the crown prince. 

Moments in which Will messily ate apples as he read while walking, uncaring of how improper it was to put his sticky fingers near the pages, or when he would steal an extra piece of cheese when his tutors’ eyes were distracted, and he would wink at Strohl, whose eyes caught his, as he chewed. Moments like when Will would oil his flawless limbs and lean back in the sun’s rays with an elongated sigh, the scorching light reflecting off him like newly polished wet gold, and Strohl was the hopeless plunderer whose gaze was ensnared by the treasures that he beheld.  

It was nothing, those moments, nothing more than trivial and insignificant musings over profoundly mortal behavior displayed by a man who was meant to appear the opposite, but to Strohl, it was something sacred. 

It all changed one summer afternoon, and for Strohl, it was for the worse. 

For our sweet prince, however…

“Aurissia! Where is my violet wrap?” the prince called over his shoulder. Strewn across his bed was a whirlwind of garments that were removed from his wardrobe as he ransacked it while deciding what to wear for the occasion. 

The prince’s omegas-in-waiting were scurrying to and fro in a manic haste to pick up behind him. Aurissia, the plain-faced and frenetic beta in question, stopped and wrung her hands. “It is being tailored, Your Highness! Your hips grew two inches since you last wore it!” 

Will turned a few times aimlessly as his eyes raked over the selection. He ruffled his half-styled hair and groaned. “We don’t have time for this. We’ll go with the white, then!” He tugged free the long drape of muslin from the pile. “Pin me quickly. Where is Minerva? I want the circlet woven into my hair this time…” 

No sooner did the heralds announce the arrival of the caravan did Will burst from his room, still chewing his pudding as he sprinted across the marbled floors as quickly as his satin-slippered feet would carry him. 

“Your Highness!” Aurissia called after him woefully. She chased him down with her skirts bunched in her hands. “You mustn't run! It’s unseemly! Think of your hair! Oh,” she moaned, stamping her foot in exasperation before hurrying after him with renewed vigor. 

As Will tossed off the pesky slipper that had been giving him so much trouble, Louis arrived in a parade of coaches. 

The sun beat down above the guard as they stood in a stoic line along the topmost stair of the palace awaiting the return of the prince’s childhood friend. Will arrived at the center, a  breathless vision of tan limbs wrapped in a sheer tunic of white. A large ornamental sapphire pinned the fabric together just below his navel, a focal point at the center of a flat, glistening abdomen and a narrow waist. 

The convoy ground to a halt. After a moment’s bustle, the door of the leading coach swung open, and out stepped Louis. 

He wore the garb of a war hero: tight eggshell breeches, a long flowing overcoat, high ivory boots, and a high-buttoned blouse. His long cascade of golden curls swung down his pinstraight back, and his austere features were set hard in a pursed expression of selective disinterest. The royal omega waiting maids whispered and barely stifled their salacious giggles.  

The prince wasted not a moment before he sprung forward down the steps and cried, “Louis!” and he flew into the alpha’s arms. 

With a surprised chuckle the other elda drew him into his embrace, and it was only after Hulkenberg cried,” Your Highness !” in an affronted and embarrassed tone that Will drew back. Around them the others present muttered in quiet scandal. 

Will noticed himself and blushed, but only faintly. He stepped back from Louis before he looked up at him and said, “Sorry. I just missed you.” 

The blond smiled faintly though fondly in return. “I have missed you as well.” He leaned down to compensate for the sizable difference in their heights to whisper, “But we must remember ourselves now, for you are no longer the wide-eyed pup I left behind, are you?” He smiled as he drew back with a light brush to Will’s chin, a gesture that aroused even more scandal among those gathered. “Your scent has blossomed.” 

The young alpha count bowed deeply and said, “Your Highness.” Will relieved him with warm cheeks and a restless step. When Louis was standing once again, he offered the prince his elbow, and it was taken with an eager giggle. 

Strohl should have noticed, then, how inappropriate their relationship was, and how Louis inexplicably pushed the boundaries of propriety, and of how willing the young Will was to succumb. Their scandalous reunion boded ominously what was to come, but at the time, Strohl was much too taken by Will and too premature in his opinion of Louis to formulate the thought. 

It was relayed to him as thus: Louis was the childhood friend of the prince, who spent the formative years of his childhood in the eldan sanctum, where Louis was born. There, they developed an unshakable bond, one that was only strengthened when the forest hideaway succumbed to flames.

Of this event Strohl was aware, for it was a gruesome demonstrative tale told to children to warn them of the wickedness of the elda. Of course, when Strohl was first told it, he had not known the prince to be an elda himself , but that was neither here nor there. 

Whether it was an assassination plot or an act of hatred few knew. Regardless, the forest sanctuary was no more, and after its destruction, His Highness was taken to live in the summer palace at the coast, where he brought Louis as the last vestige of his childhood home, and as his dearest companion. 

Louis, an orphan, was sponsored by the noble family Guiabern, who perhaps saw an advantage in his prospects as an alpha or in his closeness with the prince. Louis enlisted in the army to earn his keep, but for all intents and purposes, he was brought up at court, where his bond with Will grew yet stronger. 

The following details are where recollections vary. The indubitable fact was that Louis presented first, he being more than five years the prince’s senior, and his newfound role as an alpha complicated opinions of his relationship with Will, who was all but fated to one day present as an omega. 

It was largely believed that Louis’s biology, his prodigality in military merit, and the easy assumption that he would become king consort if his bond with Will were to persist that led to his damnation. When Louis was seventeen, His Majesty—at the advisement of Sanctifex Forden—enlisted an elite troop of soldiers to quell unrest in the mountain villages of Montario. This garrison was designed to be led by Louis. 

For nearly a decade past, Louis was away, and in that time Will came into himself. At sixteen he presented to histrionic affair, and two years later, the king succumbed to madness borne from heartbreak. 

Over the course of these years, it was said that the elda count and the prince exchanged many fond letters. Some undoubtedly wished for Louis to perish, but he persisted. Though distance was forced between them, the likely couple nurtured and developed their bond. 

Thus arrived the present day. With Will made heir apparent, Strohl was summoned to the palace to fulfill his duties, and Louis made his triumphant return after eliminating every threat to the crown from here to Altabury. 

Strohl could neither shake his unease nor his jealousy as he trailed behind them as they entered the palace, Will still wound around Louis’s arm and giggling up at him as he spoke. It was obscenely improper, not only because Will was, well, the prince , but because he was an unmated omega who had not received a formal declaration intention from the alpha who seemed not only to disregard the behavior, but revel in it. On either side obsequious courtiers and hopefuls swarmed them and offered Louis any and all favors at their disposal: opera tickets, horses, fine hunting wear, and tokens made of gold. They were ignored by both prince and suitor. 

Then, the pair stopped, causing a sudden jilt among the procession behind. Louis had apparently ceased his walking because he was perturbed by something, and Strohl watched in all degrees of horror as the alpha elda raised his hand and with his thumb brushed away a small smear of cream that yet clung to the corner of Will’s mouth. He summarily brought it to his lips and licked it clean with a thoughtful hum. 

“Custard?” he asked with light amusement, his blue eyes low and glimmering. 

Will’s warm cheeks swelled with a sheepish smile. “I had a snack.” The prince lowered his eyes and appeared to hesitate before raising his hand so that he may reverently trace over the medal pinned to Louis’s breast. He looked at it mournfully for a moment before his eyes once again rose to meet the other elda’s. They were sad. 

“I wish that we didn’t have to be followed like this.” The omega said this quietly, his face strategically shielded from their onlookers by Louis’s chest. “I want to be alone with you—like we used to,” he quickly added as an important afterthought. 

“A most gracious clarification,” the alpha laughed. His eyes raked over the features of Will’s face, sending a flurry of butterflies flying within the omega’s chest. “Here, for a moment, I feared for your virtue , Your Highness.” 

With a playful grimace Will slapped the blond’s chest. “Not funny.” 

Louis brought Will’s hand to his mouth, and pressing a kiss to his knuckles, said, “I wish for that as well.” 

The arrival of the sanctifex brought an end to their tender reunion. There was no herald to announce him, for he was in his own palace. Those gathered were too preoccupied by the uncomfortable concupiscence that was transpiring to notice, and they were hasty to remedy their insolence by bowing their heads at breakneck pace. 

Forden raised his right hand to still his entourage, and he stopped a few feet away from the prince and the homecomer. Louis and Will both paid their obeisance. 

“At last, the good Count Louis has returned to us from the horrors of the battlefield,” Forden acknowledged. As was usual, his countenance was severe and studious. “How fine it is to see that you are well.” 

Louis righted himself, and his smile was cool but impish. “Your Eminence—or, shall I say ‘Your Majesty’ now? You must forgive me.” He chuckled, waving his hands as if to complement his apology. “It is quite hard to keep track after all these years away from court affairs.” 

“Indeed,” the rhoag sneered, his moonpale eyes raking over Louis with discernible distaste.

This, of course, was Strohl’s first time observing the two interact, and he found himself in as much shock as he did perplexity. You see, even after learning of Forden’s purported role in sending Louis away, Strohl had little reason to see Forden as a bad man. For Strohl’s part, he saw the rhoag as a worried father figure doing what he could to protect the kingdom’s sacred jewel. Indeed, from Strohl’s perspective, Louis was an impertinent upstart crossing boundaries that were not his to trespass. 

Since the blond’s arrival, he had done nothing but engage in improper behavior with His Highness and show cavalier disregard toward the palace staff and courtiers. Strohl had no reason to favor him over Forden, a man who had proven his merit through decades of service to church and crown. 

“Well,” the sanctifex sighed at last, “you are here, and your service shan’t go unrecognized. We shall toast tonight at dinner in your honor, Louis.” 

And as though the impertinence had never happened, Louis transitioned with ease into humility and gratefulness. “I am most humbly grateful, Your Eminence.”

After a moment, Forden sighed emphatically. “Well, Count Louis has fared far to join us here in the palace. He is certainly fatigued.” Louis’s objection on the contrary was promptly overridden as the rhoag continued, “We shall let him retire and freshen up ourselves before availing ourselves of dinner. Come now, Will.” The elderly beta beckoned Will into his outstretched arm. “You’ve lessons to finish yet, haven’t you?” 

The prince followed, though not without casting a crestfallen glance over his shoulder in Louis’s direction. Strohl watched as the alpha’s features softened, and he gave Will an encouraging nod. The young elda’s sadness transformed into a smile, and his face was all warmth as he turned around and went on his way with Forden.  

Although some lingered to seek Louis’s favor, most dispersed, having found the intrigue lessened with the prince’s departure. Once they all left, Strohl and the others in the prince’s guard were alone with the alpha count, who smoothed out his clothing with pursed lips. 

Though Louis thus far had not impressed Strohl, he still knew his duties, and he forced a smile meant to serve as an olive branch. “Would you like me to show you to your rooms, my lord?”

Strohl never could have imagined the utter disdain with which Louis looked at him for the first time. 

The elda turned, studied Strohl for a moment, and with a sneer said, “So, Forden has enlisted a pup to safeguard the future of the country.” He snorted under his breath. “I am away for not even a decade, and already we have descended into lunacy.” 

To say the least, Strohl was aghast. 

“ Excuse me ?” the alpha guardsman scoffed. 

But the alpha elda merely turned up his nose, smirked, and said, “I don’t need to be shown the way. This was once my home.” Without another word, he turned and made on his way. 

Irascible, Strohl lurched forward to follow the elda, but Hulkenberg stopped him. “Don’t,” she said firmly. “He’s not worth it, and the price for engaging him is far more than you can afford to pay. You must remember your duty.” 

Strohl frowned as he looked at the other alpha. He glanced back at Louis’s retreating form and huffed. He had never been fond of those who feel that their status gave them carte blanche to act as they pleased at the expense of others. “My anger is not for my pride alone. His behavior with the prince was unacceptable!” he hissed. 

“I know,” Hulkenberg said quickly. Her voice was low and grave. She watched Louis, too. “Come. Let us discuss this in private.” 

Back in the guard’s quarters, Hulkenberg poured them both a cup of ale. Grius was there, too, smoking his pipe on a stool.

“He’s always been like this, then?” Strohl questioned the other two alphas. “That…Louis.”

Grius hummed and chuckled dourly, smoke languidly curling before his chapped mauve lips. “Testing the very boundaries of propriety and then some, that one. He’s a shameless fiend, one who only gets away wi’ it ‘cause of the princeling’s fondness for him.” 

Strohl worried one of the grapes on the small wooden plate before him. “I’m going to assume that the sanctifex sent him away for more than one reason, then.” 

Hulkenberg nodded gravely. “All of us, His Eminence included, knew that His Highness would be at great risk were he to present in proximity to Louis. Removing him from the prince’s life while his body embraced his biology was of paramount importance to all of us sworn to protect him.” 

“But we cannae protect the prince forever.” Grius shook his head, his one-eyed gaze distant and contemplative. “Nor had we the capacity to prevent them from nurturing their affection through letters. For a while, aye, we had Louis’s intercepted, but he found a way around it, the crafty bastard.” 

Strohl’s lips trembled. “And now, Will is an omega.” 

“An unmated and naive omega at that,” said Grius. “One who is quite eager to fulfill the more natural aspects of his duty and has his sights on just the alpha to do it wi’.”

Strohl stood so abruptly, he jostled the table and sent their drinks sloshing. His features were adamant. “Well, we have to stop it!” he cried. “We cannot allow such a match. It’s our duty to stop it, is it not?” 

The roussainte scoffed and grinned in bemusement. “Well, it is hardly that simple, is it? Louis has many advantages in resources over us, not to mention, one of them being Will’s special protection. If His Highness knew we were plotting against him, he would surely interpret that to be a most grave affront.”

“I don’t care.” Strohl shook his head. “He is my prince. If we must give him away, it should be to an alpha who cherishes him, who respects him before strangers and kin, not some, some lecherous villain!” 

The other guards groaned. Grius was the first to speak. “Lad, you’re doing exactly what I warned ye against.” 

Hulkenberg nodded passionately. “You mustn’t, mustn’t ever , think of His Highness through the eyes of an alpha. What you speak is an alpha’s consideration for his fairer counterpart, and there’s no mistaking that. Quit these feelings now.” When Strohl tried to argue, she interrupted more firmly, “You must.” 

Grius laughed. “Dinnae worry, lad. The potions are still settling into your veins. Before long, you’ll lose those senses. Till then ye must try to keep a lid on it, mm?” The rhoag punched his arm. Perhaps he meant it as a brotherly admonishment, but it hardly felt like it. Strohl pouted and rubbed his tender flesh. 

“So we’re to watch?” he challenged defeatedly. 

Hulkenberg crossed her arms and smirked. “Well, you are, tonight. You and Alphons are on door duty.” 

Strohl hated “door duty,” as the guard called it, which entailed bordering the prince’s bedchamber doors on either side while he was inside. It was a mantle most insulting and trying to an alpha’s senses, being made to stand idly near an omega in their private apartments, but it was also boring . His second night here, Strohl was on door duty, and more than once he nearly fell asleep on his feet. Two hours after midnight he even dropped his spear, and the shame he felt over the thunderous noise it made as it hit the floor was so potent that he struggled no more. 

Thankfully, it was daylight this time when he arrived, and he assumed position on the right, his posture as erect as the spear he held against the floor. 

He remained like this for a while, stifling his sniffs and shifting as subtly as he could so that his knees did not seize, until something most unusual happened. Aurissia, the prince’s waiting maid, flung open the doors flushed and breathless. She looked back and forth at the two alphas until settling on Strohl, and she said, “You, come with me.” 

Strohl’s brows shot up into his hairline, and he blinked and looked haplessly between the beta and the nonexistent person beside him. “Me?” he questioned dumbly. 

The beta huffed and grabbed his wrist. “Yes, you ,” she groaned. “Come in here. His Highness requires assistance. Don’t fret yourself over it, he’s decent,” she promised. 

Though conflicted and panicked, to say the least, Strohl followed, for he told himself that a direct request from the prince superseded his routine duties, even if he could not shake the feeling that he was doing something most improper. 

Aurissia had said Will was “decent,” but decent is largely a subjective term, especially when one considers the standard omega fashion of the time. Sometimes, looking at Will as liked to dress, Strohl wondered whether it would be easier seeing him actually bare. 

The omega was seated on the stool of his vanity, leaned onto his elbows upon it as he smeared a sheer clear balm across his lips. His eyes were accented by a thin border of pigment, but those were the only adornments on his face, were one not to count the pearl and diamond circlet which hung high at the center of his forehead. His hair, which was just longer than his shoulders, was delicately curled into sweet-smelling snowy strands.

Omega fashion in their contemporary culture was designed to cater to an alpha’s instincts. The silhouettes were simple, the fabric scant, and the coverage overall sparse, the culmination of which lent to a most liberal style. Omegas of all sexes seldom wore trousers. Their thighs were typically bare, as Will’s were, and their necklines low, as to reveal that place which was smooth yet longed to be bitten. 

Will wore white. The base layer on his torso, a long-sleeved, caped blouse of the sheerest muslin, was covered by an undone corset. Between its wayward laces Strohl was treated with the sight of his honeyed skin, peeking out between triangles of satin down his smooth spine. Below he wore white bloomers. His only other clothing were the sheer ivory stockings that trapped his soft thighs that were only made softer as they spread under his weight.  

“Strohl,” the elda greeted the alpha’s reflection in the mirror before him. His eyes creased with a smile as he dipped his fingers into an ornate jar on the vanity. He began rubbing the balm in delicate circles along his collarbone and neck, as to amplify his scent. For good measure, he massaged the rest into the valley at the center of his breast. His skin was left kissed by a sheen. 

“If we use this one, Your Highness, it will be most pleasing to the count’s nose,” one of the maids offered, raising a similar pink jar. 

Will merely shook his head and smiled. “No, thank you. Louis favors my natural scent,” he added with an air of smugness. 

“And pearls?” another maid asked with a knowing smile, holding a string of said gem over Will’s neck as he stood behind. He lowered and fastened them when Will chuckled, nodded, and agreed, “Yes, the more pearls the better.” 

Strohl shifted uncomfortably, and he glanced at Aurissia, whom he hoped would alleviate his confusion as to why he was here. 

“I need to be laced in, but our collective strength isn’t cutting it,” the omega chuckled as he stood, gathering his cape, “so I said, ‘Why don’t we bring in a little more muscle?’ And, fortunately for me, I have two strong alphas just outside the door at all times.” He giggled. 

It was not until the prince was before him facing away, holding his hair to the side and his hem in the other hand, that it settled just what was being asked of Strohl, and with a nervous laugh he held up his hands and shook his head. His face was scarlet. “Oh, I don’t know that I should—”

“It’s fine,” Will reassured. Strohl could tell that he was smiling, though the alpha could not see his face. “You have my express permission,” he added wryly. 

Even so , Strohl wanted to protest. It was impossible: touching, even inadvertently, an unmated omega of such quality, let alone the crown prince, felt tantamount to smearing dirt on the first scripture. The very thought of it made him as nauseous as it did thrill the baser part of his brain. It was only natural to be enticed to do something the more illicit it was made out to be, but in matters concerning his prince, everything felt much more severe. 

He cleared his throat, for he found it suddenly arid, and raised his shaky hands. At some point Aurissia relieved him of his spear, though he did not even remember it happening. Strohl had never laced a corset before, but he had seen his mother do it while playing with his toys on the floor of her room as a child. He knew the way in theory.

Doing his utmost to not graze Will’s body in the process, he gathered the delicate ribbon into his hands and pulled it toward him. Those taunting little slivers of Will’s skin disappeared as the seam closed. The omega exhaled softly and relaxed his shoulders, a silent prayer for Strohl to continue. He mustered what courage he could find and pulled tighter yet. 

“As tight as you can,” Will advised. “Don’t worry about hurting me. I’m quite hardy, despite how I look.” 

Strohl laughed at that, then cleared his throat and focused when he felt eyes on him. He knit his brow as he took the strings closer to Will’s body, so that he may have more leverage, and with careful diligence he pulled them tauter and tauter until Will’s waist seemed hardly wider than his own thigh. When Will finally breathed again, it was all but a groan. 

“Tie it off?” he requested. Strohl began to, but the maids descended; and he stepped back, finding that his duty had been done. 

When they were finished Will turned and faced him. He smiled sheepishly and let his arms fall to his sides. “Well? How do I look? Alpha’s opinion?”

Strohl glanced once nervously at Aurissia before nodding and raising his thumb pitifully. “You look…good. Great.” 

“‘Good,’” the prince repeated. His eyes shone with mirth, but something else, too, perhaps. Strohl did not have the chance to ponder it, for Aurissia was smoothing out his fabrics and sighing with the pride and satisfaction of a matron. 

“Oh!” She clapped her hands together and beamed. “Count Louis will just die when he sees you!” 

Just as easily as it came, Strohl’s smile faded. That’s right. Count Louis…

Strohl entered the dining hall, a dead man walking, his nerves shaken and his nose filled with Will’s scent, no matter how hard he fought to dispel it. Even his fingertips felt the phantom touch of Will’s warm skin, and they burned where they gripped his spear as he fell into line behind Hulkenberg. He and the other prince’s guards stood against the leftmost wall, where they had both an unobstructed view of the high table and the hall where the guests sat. Only Grius was absent, for he was to be Will’s escort this evening. 

He could not help but look at Louis, who was seated at the honorary table, separated from Forden only by Will’s vacant chair. The alpha sipped wine and sat leisurely, while Strohl was treated with all manner of omega whispers in his tribute. 

“He is an unimaginable picture of grace and beauty,” one courtier marveled at a nearby table. Her male companion at her right raised his eyes over the rim of his chalice and glanced obviously in Louis’s direction. “He is certainly the most eligible alpha in this room.” 

“And a newly minted war hero, nonetheless…” 

“Oh, he is a credit to his new title!” 

An elongated sigh. “What I wouldn’t give for a night as the subject of his cruel gaze…” 

Strohl’s stomach was in knots by the time Will was announced, and he exhaled thinly through his nostrils as he hardened his posture and kept his line of sight trained ahead. The alphas in the room all stood in respect of their omega prince. His omega counterparts bowed their heads, as was customary. Strohl only knew Will passed, for the sweet scent of overripe melon and honeysuckle floated in his wake, and the long lacy trail of his cape slid along the floor near Strohl’s feet. 

Grius led him to the steps leading up to the high table. There, Will gathered his hem and ascended, his cheeks warm from anxiety and the sole attention of everyone in the room. Louis  withdrew his chair for him. At that moment, he was the only alpha whose gaze was not averted. Rather, he stared at Will as he approached, a small satisfied smile playing on his lips. 

For Will’s part, his approach was one of increasing thrill and wonder. His heart was all but pounding out of his chest as he reached the chair. His eyes did not leave Louis for even a moment. 

As he settled into the seat that Louis courteously slid underneath him, the blond leaned close and into his ear murmured, “You are a vision unworthy of the eyes that behold you tonight, my darling.” 

Goosebumps erupted along every inch of Will’s skin as he asked breathlessly, “You think so?” He turned his cheek ever-so-slightly, so that Louis’s breath was fanning across his face. His own caught in his throat, and his lashes fluttered. 

Louis smirked. “I could look at nothing but even if I tried.” 

The infinitesimal moment shared between the two of them dissipated, and Will found the wind knocked from his lungs as he settled back in his chair. Behind him Louis made to be seated, and Will felt the illicit brush of the alpha’s hand against the back of his neck, an intentional effort made out to be inadvertent. It was a language spoken only by them, and Will interpreted the meaning. When he glanced to his right, Louis appeared largely unaffected, but as he lowered into his seat, his eyes met Will’s for a fraction of a second, and in them the omega spied a knowing mirth that did nothing to assuage the exhilaration in his veins and between his thighs. 

With Will settled, the court relieved themselves, and Strohl took in the scene over thin and impatient breaths. Meanwhile, Will offered the regent a pleasant and practiced smile, and Louis took up the nearest bottle of wine and offered the beverage to the prince after receiving reluctant permission from Forden. 

“Yes, please,” Will laughed, and Louis filled his glass. 

“How amusing it is,” the alpha remarked with a chuckle. “When last I shared your company, you were too young to even be in the company of libation. Now, look at you: blossomed, beautiful, and an enjoyer of fine spirits. How the times do change.” 

The prince smiled around his rim. He took a sip to quell the deep rise and fall of his chest, only made more apparent by the constriction of his corset. “A lot can change in nine years, you know.” 

“So I am discovering,” the alpha muttered. There was a hint of suggestive mirth in his tone as he cut a small portion of the baked fish ornately laid upon his plate, but he did not look the prince’s way as he chewed it. 

Will’s lips parted to speak, but he was interrupted. Rather than consume his next bite, Louis raised the fork, and cupping his hand beneath it, he extended his arm and offered it to Will. “Care for a taste?” 

The prince flushed. Slowly, he nodded, and though his lips fell open, his eyes locked onto Louis’s as the fork was pushed into his waiting mouth. He closed his lips around it. 

There was a discernible shift in the air as Will pulled back until the utensil exited his mouth. He chewed, sweet scent unconsciously flaring, and his eyes locked with Louis’s. They were the only two people in the hall, oblivious and thus uncaring of the many eyes which shifted toward them. An alpha and an omega could not do such things in secret: Their words and acts may be discreet, but their scents will always betray them. 

Louis hummed appreciatively, and he broke off another morsel to press against Will’s waiting lips. The omega’s lashes fluttered as he accepted without a second thought. Another soon followed, leaving the prince’s own plate forgotten. 

“Good,” the alpha murmured. His thumb raised to swipe across Will’s lower lip. It lingered there a moment, pressing into the supple skin and revealing the glistening mouth beyond. 

All the while, Will was enraptured. When the alpha’s hand moved away, he thoughtlessly followed. Louis could only chuckle fondly at the wanton display, but he did not deny Will. Louis appeased his preening omega instincts by plucking a grape from the fruit bowl and popping it into his mouth. Those who beheld the scene pretended to not see the way Will kissed the very tip of the blond’s finger, just as their noses feigned to not smell the egregious twinges of titillation originating from the couple. 

Strohl had abided much on their account. He had permitted their closeness, allowed them to share private words, and even withstood Will’s premature implied claims on the alpha, but this was something different altogether. By all accounts, they were humiliating themselves. They were making everyone in their vicinity uncomfortable, and they seemed to do so with little to no regard. 

To behave as such without being mated was already to arouse outrage, but so do so here , at the royal court, with none other than the crown prince was, to Strohl, an act of treason. He wanted to cry out, run to them, and rip Louis away from him. He wanted to throw the alpha to the ground and beat him. He wondered, as he stood there shaking and holding himself back, whether these feelings were on the part of his inner alpha, or whether they were born of his duty to the crown. That begged the question: Was his duty to the crown, or was it to Will? 

Thankfully for Strohl and the dozens of other innocent onlookers, Forden ceased the behavior. “Louis,” he said sternly under his breath. “Your intentions are noted, and you are not without rights to make them known; but I must request that you quit this for a more appropriate time.” 

Louis, who had been in the process of delicately placing a piece of cheese onto Will’s tongue, turned his head. His hand was still raised. His pale brow piqued. “A more appropriate time, you say? Pray, name such an occasion, for I cannot think of a better place to let my intentions be known far and wide.” 

The rhoag’s expression of diplomatic admonishment grew severe. Anger was beginning to blossom on his features. “Better circumstances, perhaps not, but a more decent approach. You’ll ruin him at this rate with your lewd disregard.” 

Will did not participate in this debate. After Louis stopped feeding him, he had slumped into his chair and fought to catch his breath, for he had little of it. He knew the corset was partially to blame, but indeed, he had allowed himself to be run away with his desire for closeness. He knew better by standard alone, but he had underestimated the power of Louis’s scent. Still novel to his nose, not to mention so utterly enthralling, he could not have predicted the power it would have over him. As his senses began their slow return, he became uncomfortably aware of how aroused he was, and when he glanced at the familiar faces of court before him, he saw in their eyes only scorn and shock.

Suddenly, his head felt light, and he had little appetite. He began to feel restless and anxious. Their attention was too heavy, their ridicule too hot. The bickering Forden and Louis looked toward him when he made a small sound, and he pressed a hand to his breast as he gripped the armest of his chair.

“I think I’d favor a moment of fresh air,” said the prince weakly. He stood. “If you will excuse me.”

Those seated at the high table all stood to acknowledge him. Louis burst out of his chair first. His hand hovered beneath Will’s arm to ensure he was steady. 

“Shall I escort you?” asked the elda count. 

Will quickly shook his head, effectively silencing the immediate objection Forden was preparing. “No,” the prince answered around a stilted laugh. “I’ll be fine. Please. Just a moment.” 

Hulkenberg and Strohl hurried to the steps to help Will down, but the prince pulled away his arm and again shook his head insistently. “Don’t touch me, please. I’m fine. I just wish for a moment of privacy.” 

“But Your Highness—” Hulkeberg interjected. The prince was never to be alone. 

“ Please .” Will’s sweet voice was strained by the force of his plea. He looked up at them imploringly. “Just one single moment.” 

Hulkenberg looked at Strohl with concern as Will gathered his hem and exited the room. Strohl looked over her shoulder at Louis, whose eyes met his. Strohl leveled him with acid contempt for a pause before turning on his heel and chasing after Will. 

“ Strohl!” Hulkenberg shouted, aghast, to no avail. Strohl was gone. 

As soon as the stewards shut the doors to the dining hall, Will removed his slippers and ran down the hall as fast as his feet could carry. His throat was full of his heart, and his eyes burned like his hands and feet. His skin everywhere, in fact, was alive with cold-hot prickles. 

Will had carried his burdens for years, so he was no stranger to them. Life had never been particularly easy, even as a pup. Most children have at least the privilege of naivete to what they will one day face, and that ignorance leaves room for joy. Will had always felt something looming overhead, even if the master of the shadow was not yet visible. It hung above when he was made to live in the sanctum, and he would ask where his father was, why they could not live together. It was there when the other elda children would avoid him or act with frightened caution in his presence. It was there in the delicacy with which he was treated by everyone who ever met him except for Louis. 

Louis , he thought mournfully as he burst onto the grand balcony at the end of the hall. He closed his eyes and laughed as he stumbled back against the cool stone wall. He let the back of his head hit it, little white strands clinging to the rough surface and pulling free from his careful style. 

Louis, Louis. His Louis. Louis was the only thing in Will’s life that had ever felt uniquely his. When Will was disgusted by his nature, Louis was all that soothed his despair. When he longed to embrace it, Louis was the only one with whom he wanted to share it. When he was frightened, Louis stood beside him. When he was happy, Louis laughed with him. When he felt nothing at all, Louis’s was the hand in his. 

Will had longed for the alpha with his body and soul for nearly ten years . In that time, his father died; the kingdom was pushed to the brink of war; Forden became king in his stead; he entertained multiple failed courtships; and worst of all, he became an omega. That alone he did not resent, for knowing Louis as an alpha would be waiting for him was his saving grace; but he never expected to go through it alone. Louis was ripped from him while his body was at the cusp of its greatest agony, and that week—that long, neverending, unbearable week—where Will writhed, sweated, and sobbed alone in his chambers was the most sobering and unendurable pain one could ever imagine. 

All he had were the letters. All Louis was reduced to was a neat scrawl across a page and a fading press of scent onto parchment. Will lived in those letters like he lived in books. He conjured the picture of Louis in his head and conjured much the same how the alpha would hold him; how he would regard him now that he, too, was changed; how he might take him as an alpha takes an omega, and how forever they would be safe and together as mates. 

It was his first night back with him. Louis was there with him. All Will had wanted, all he dared ask for himself, was a single moment to savor him—to reconnect with the man to whom he promised himself. That, much like Louis himself, was stolen, too. Will succumbed to a sob, which he stifled with his palm, as the thought settled over him. Not even his body was afforded the chance to process it. Instead, he was forced to be watched and mocked. He felt more like a doll than a prince, strung up and observed at the expense of his own mortal feelings. Tonight he was a doll of amusement, of gossip. Tomorrow, perhaps he would serve a different purpose as his clothes were swapped out and his makeup was redone. The cycle had not been broken by Louis’s arrival. Louis was just a second actor to better the show. 

Removing his hand, the omega prince finally allowed himself to breathe. He panted as his eyes raked over the vaulted ceiling, and he whimpered softly as he pressed his hand between his thighs and clenched them together. Against his fingertips he felt the telltale humidity of wetness blooming, and he had stiffened, too. It was excruciating, not unlike what he felt in heat, though thankfully less severe. It was still the same ache: that longing for something he had yet to have, yet his body insisted on having thrice a year for all of recent memory, and for the better part of his years to come, too. 

Footsteps approached, and Will groaned inwardly as though pleading for this reprieve, too. He was able to pull his hand away and stand up straight by the time Strohl stepped onto the balcony, and the prince’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected it to be him. 

“Strohl,” Will said in surprise. 

“Your Highness,” said the alpha breathlessly. His shoulders slumped. He had hurried here without a second thought and realized suddenly that he had nothing prepared to say. He wet his lips, swallowed, and cleared his throat. “Are you all right?” 

Will’s lashes fluttered, and he chuckled softly. His smile was somewhat forlorn. “Yes. I meant it when I said it. I really just wanted to be alone, I…” 

Strohl frowned, but his voice was earnest, not critical. “Prince Will, what happened in there with Count Louis—” 

“I know,” Will interrupted quickly. He looked away and knit his brow. “I know. I don’t need to hear it from you, too.” He made for the railing of the balcony, where he rested his hands as he looked out upon the dark gardens. “I got carried away. It was bad. It was shameful. It could have ruined me. All of these are things I already know. Don’t you think I’ve known them all my life?” He laughed bitterly. 

Strohl’s eyes softened, and painfully he watched as Will’s shoulders slumped and his head lowered. He waited a moment before speaking again. “I know it must be hard. I won’t pretend to get it. I don’t. An alpha’s one thing, but it’s different; and you…” He sighed and shook his head. “You’re not just an omega. You’ve a mountain of responsibility, and you’re still so young…”

“Don’t.” Will turned and faced him. He rested his hands behind him on the railing now. His beautiful eyes were shining as they looked at Strohl. They were sad. “I’m less than three years your junior, not a baby.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“No, you did, you just didn’t mean it to hurt.” Will crossed the stone floor until he was before Strohl, who had never seen the look that Will was giving him now. “I’m not a child, I just need to be protected like one. I’m not stupid, but I can’t rule without an alpha by my side. I’m not a saint, yet I’m forbidden from intimacy like anyone else my age. Your kindness is a contradiction. You think you’re being sympathetic? You’re just patronizing me.” He scoffed under his breath and shook his head, pearl and diamond tickling the center of his forehead. “I have never known earnestness from anyone but one person in my entire life. Now, I’m not even allowed that.”       

Strohl was speechless. What could he possibly say that wasn’t further patronizing? He felt ashamed, for he had not considered Will’s feelings; but he knew the omega was right. How isolating it must be, how pretentious every interaction must seem. Even tonight, Strohl was guilty of it. Though the majority of his ire was aimed at Louis, he had been, admittedly, disgusted with Will. He flushed. 

“I’m sorry.” It was all he could say. The alpha guardsman raised his brows plaintively and shook his head. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Nothing I can offer can change your circumstances, but on account of my thoughtlessness, I am sorry.” 

Will looked up at him for a long moment then sighed. His shoulders slumped, and he smiled faintly as he looked at their feet. “No, me, too. I still meant what I said, but I know you didn’t mean to patronize me. I know you’re really concerned. I just…sometimes I wish there was no one to be concerned about me at all.”

“Well, that’s impossible,” Strohl said lightly as a joke. “Someone like you? I’m sorry, Your Highness, however disingenuous it may be, nobody could ever ignore your face. Not in that getup, especially.” 

Will giggled. His next smile was genuine as he looked up at Strohl fondly. Then, it faded, and he said, “Thank you, Strohl. You’re a good man.” 

The alpha chuckled awkwardly and readjusted his grip on his neglected spear. “Anything you need me to be, I am.” 

When the mood dissipated, Will looked down at himself and sighed. He tossed his hem out behind him and stepped into his discarded slippers. “Suppose we should be getting back. The longer I delay, the more they’ll definitely be talking.” 

“All words of envy and nothing else, I’m sure. They’re likely scheming how to get Count Louis out of the picture so they can have you all to themselves. You yourself, certainly, are an afterthought.”

Will rolled his eyes and gave Strohl’s chest a playful shove. His hand remained there as he tugged at the heel of his shoe to get it on, and Strohl felt his heart jump at the contact. 

Before they began to make their way back, Will asked reluctantly, “Be honest: Do I still smell? I don’t think I could bear it if I did.”

Strohl swallowed thickly and hesitated for a second before bowing his head slightly and taking the most modest of sniffs. “No,” he said thickly, for other reasons, “you smell fine, like you usually do. They’ll never notice.” 

With a pat to Strohl’s chest, the omega said, “Good,” and with a nod, he raised his elbow. “Shall we?” 

As it turned out, Strohl’s subsequent absence was its own scandal. After he returned Will to the hall and deposited him at the high table, where Louis waited to usher him back to his seat, Strohl fell back into the guard line, where Hulkenberg wasted no time hissing over her shoulder, “Are you completely daft , you imbecile? How dare you follow His Highness like that! Think of his reputation!” 

“You’re being dramatic,” Strohl defended under his breath. “I was merely doing my duty by him. He needed an escort regardless.” 

“Not in a moment of vulnerability, and not when he is in that state !” 

“Aye, quit yer yammerin’, now,” Grius barked at the front of the line. “We’ll have a talk about all this later, we will. For now straighten up and look presentable. Yer both actin’ like spoiled pups.” 

Hulkenberg huffed, and Strohl rolled his eyes; but they were both effectively silenced. Strohl watched Will and Louis. The alpha was leaned toward him, and he was speaking to Will earnestly. Will nodded along and eventually laughed softly. His hand closed around Louis’s wrist for a fraction of a second before falling under the table. Strohl squeezed his spear, but he said nothing else. 

The remainder of the dinner went on with little event. Many present were undoubtedly still preoccupied with thoughts of what transpired at the high table, but for the most part as one would expect, they moved on to other superficial topics: how much Count Nobel was eating, whether the war would actually ever breach the border of Montario, and which designer would be the frontman of this fall’s fashion. 

After dessert was served, Louis departed to share a cigar and digestif with the court alphas. He and Will separated with a lingering hand touch. Will was summoned to sing and entertain the omega crowd at tea. During this, Strohl was dismissed to the guard’s quarters, where he loosened his ceremonial cuirass with a sigh as he lowered himself into a seat. Now, the guards were allowed to have supper. 

“You were stupid and reckless,” said Hulkenberg bitterly as she angrily spread cold butter over a torn piece of bread. “With opinions of His Highness already so inflamed, you go and follow your impulses. You will disgrace us all.” 

“Aye, young Eiselin, you’re right.” Grius held up his hand to silence Strohl so he could speak himself. “But we cannae forget the lad’s also green to this. There’re things he’ll catch onto—things you yourself have known for many a-year now. I’m no’ saying he’s not a twit of an alpha, ‘cause he is, but give him some credence.” 

The roussainte looked at Strohl cholerically but huffed rather than continued. She took up her pint with a displeased wayward glance. “Be that as it may, I won’t be silent. Not when we all are at risk because of your stupidity.” 

Strohl rolled one of his potatoes around his plate, his cheek rested upon the back of his hand. “He needed somebody,” he said defeatedly. “I knew—know—it’s not my place, but… I couldn’t just leave him be.” 

Grius sighed through his nostrils. The candlelight from the table and torches on the walls made his hair a pale orange. “You’re a well alpha, Strohl, but there is a time and place; and for us in this room, and in this guard, it isnae by the side of omegas like His Highness.” 

Strohl’s mouth twitched, and he nodded. His appetite was scant for the rest of the night. 

The dinnertime merriment concluded, and it was late when Will returned to his chambers. He sent away his waiting maids, for he wished to undress alone. He was socially fatigued and still somber from the embarrassment that transpired at dinner. He longed for a warm bath and a distracting story to read. Perhaps he would cry, or perhaps he would simply stare off into space until his mind was blank or numb. He did not know, but Will was one who savored solitude once reaching a certain point of weariness. 

He sighed, toed off his slippers, and closed his eyes as he first removed the pearls around his neck. Next was the circlet, then the earrings. He carefully unwound the ties from his hair and loosened it with his fingers. Reaching behind himself, he untied and began to loosen the strings of his corset, but just then, he heard a sound. He paused. 

The prince raised his head and looked around the room in minute alarm. He was not naive to the fact that, being royalty, the danger of assassins was always very real. When he heard it again, he knew it was not mortal danger. It was a tiny, quiet sound, like the sound of a bird’s talons tapping, or a heavy raindrop hitting glass. It came from his balcony. Brow perplexed, he bunched up the hem of his cape and padded across the floor to inspect. 

He stepped out, approached the railing, and squinted down into the dark. There, Will saw Louis. With a soft exhale, he grinned and cupped his hand above his brow so he might see him better as he leaned over the guard. “What are you doing out there?” 

Louis held himself handsomely. His posture was straight and inviting, the hand that had been pelting pebbles now resting at his hip, the other bent and beneath it holding something wrapped. “I thought perhaps you might favor a walk with just the two of us, so that we could be alone—like we used to,” he added with a knowing smile. 

Will’s face warmed, and he smiled sweetly to himself. He looked over his shoulder as though to confirm that no one was there watching him. Then, he looked to the sides and all around, again to ensure that they were alone. When he was satisfied, he bunched up his lace and with an exhilarated grin climbed onto the stone, using the column beside him as support. 

Fortunately for the young lovers, Will had been confined to these apartments for the better part of the past decade, and though he was largely alone, he was not exempt from the mischief of youth. Naturally, he had discovered ways to escape untraced, which he sometimes did when he longed to read alone beyond the garden’s hedges. He always returned before he could be greatly missed—and the rare times that he failed in this he had indeed faced stern reprimands from Aurissia and Grius—but those stolen moments were the prince’s sole tastes of freedom from the palace walls.  

He thus took his favored secret route: he descended the slant of the roof nearest his study window carefully until he reached the edge. Then, he lowered himself onto his hands and knees, and by memory he scaled down the decorative ridges of the cornerstone where the two walls met. 

He tried to be cautious, but there was an inevitable eagerness in his step. When he reached the last three, his foot slipped, but he only felt a flash of fear as the open air behind him swallowed him. Louis was there, and he caught Will in his arms. The omega’s back and head collided with a warm, unrelenting chest, and he looked up wide-eyed at the alpha who smiled down at him. 

“Hi,” greeted Will, breaking into a grin, which Louis returned. 

“Good evening.” 

They looked at one another for a moment before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Louis helped him onto his feet, and Will unconsciously adjusted his corset. 

Louis looked even better than he had earlier that night. The nighttime humidity encircled his hair with a light, wispy edge that seemed to glow from the palace lights that caught in it. His two topmost buttons were undone, and on his skin was that subtle sheen that came from a day’s worth of activity. To some, perhaps it would have been unattractive or unclean. Will wanted to lave his tongue over it. He wanted to slip his fingers into his open collar and feel his pulse dance as he coaxed out the scent of musky cedarwood and fallen jasmine petals until his nose was overwhelmed by it. 

“We shouldn’t tarry,” said Louis with a warning wag of his brow. “Someone could see us.” 

Will worried his bottom lip, then, stealing one last good look at the alpha, took his hand and mischievously said, “Come on. I know where to go.” 

He began to pull Louis toward the hedge maze, and after sparing a look over his shoulder to ensure he was following he began to run. Louis stumbled only once before rushing to match his pace. 

“Will!” the alpha laughed incredulously. “What are you doing?” 

“Come on, slowpoke! You’re a soldier, aren’t you?” he laughed. He did not slow down. In fact, he increased his pace, running as fast as was possible with an alpha a foot taller than him in tow. In his right hand he held his bunched hem, and his left held onto Louis as they entered the maze. Will wove through the paths thoughtlessly, for he had traversed them so many times over the years that he knew every route and its tricks. 

As they neared the center, where the grand fountain was, they heard someone approaching, and Will stopped abruptly, sending the alpha colliding with his back with a quiet grunt. Will reached up to shush him with a finger, and pushed Louis over to the nearest hedge so he may press against it. Will made himself small against the blond’s chest as he peered around the corner to watch a sentry pass with a yawn. When the coast was clear, he looked up at Louis and giggled. “Come on. This way.” 

They resumed their secret journey for a little while longer until they came upon a deadend. There, Will approached the hedge, and he reached his arm into its leaves to feel for something, squeezing one eye shut and pursing his lips as he blindly felt around. At last, he found the latch, and with a quiet click, a hidden swinging gate opened. Will stepped back and bowed with a flourish. “My lord.” 

Louis laughed and returned the gesture with a low bow of his own. “Most gracious of you, good sir. After you.” 

Because the gate was not the full height of the hedge, Will had to bow low to pass through, meaning a man of Louis’s height was forced to all but crawl, but he did. Once they were out, the alpha shut the gate, and excitement was in Will’s step as he led Louis onto the soft grassy incline. A short distance away was a lone old tree, and just beyond it the river in placid deep blue. 

The hedge provided a wall that separated them from the palace grounds. Will turned to face Louis and raised their joined hands overhead with a big grin. “We came here together once. Do you remember?” 

Louis studied the scenery thoughtfully before saying slowly, “Yes. It was our last day together, was it not? The day we said goodbye.” 

“‘Goodbye carries too much finality,’ you said. Instead, you said you’d see me soon. You put a flower in my hair, just here.” The prince raised left hand and pointed to his temple. “Remember?” 

“How could I forget?” Louis said with a quiet smile. He stepped closer, and Will looked up at him. Louis raised his hand, which was still being held by Will, up to the omega’s face. He caressed it, and the prince turned into it, eyes closed as his lips grazed his warm and rough palm. 

Emboldened by their solitude, Will nuzzled it, and he inched his face closer to the alpha’s wrist so that he may inhale his scent where it was strong. He sighed softly at the notes that dwelled there, for they erupted goosebumps across his exposed skin. “Oh, Louis,” he whispered dreamily, “I missed you so awfully I can hardly describe it.” 

Louis brushed his bangs, fingertips dancing lightly across his soft face. “‘Awfully’ would be an understatement on my part. Will, you are the very reason I stand here today.” 

Overwhelmed by the wash of emotion he felt, Will laughed shakily, and he kissed the alpha’s palm and raised his gaze to him. His chest was emphatically rising and falling. Rather than lose himself immediately, he opted for, “You smell so good,” and Louis responded in turn. 

“As do you. All night, I strove to better catch it, but all those simpering courtiers dulled it somewhat. Now, I have you all to myself, haven’t I?” 

“Only yours,” said Will, and he guided Louis’s hand to curl around the side of his neck where his pulse beat hard. He knew that when the alpha removed it, it would smell just like him. He wanted that. 

It took great willpower from them both to separate, but they did. It took only one aimless moment for Louis to act, and he slid his coat off his coat in favor of spreading it upon the grass so that Will may sit. “Please,” he said with a wave. 

Tucking his lace beneath him, Will sat, and he made sure to place his legs just right, so that they seemed longer and his thighs looked nice. Louis settled beside him, and they shared a smile. It took all the restraint Will possessed to not pull him close. 

Thankfully, Louis drew his attention. The alpha reached for the wrapped bundle he brought with him. Will was admittedly curious as to its contents, and he was both surprised and amused when Louis opened it to produce a bottle of wine and two steel goblets. 

“I find myself still astonished that you are now old enough to drink,” mused the alpha with a chuckle, “but you seemed to enjoy the wine we had at dinner. I thought perhaps you’d enjoy a little more. A toast, if you will, to your beautiful presentation. It is a long time coming.” 

Will nodded, and he watched with lowered eyes and a fond smile as Louis filled their cups. He took his and offered a small toast. Their rims tapped, and they drank. Will let out a soft sigh as he gazed upon the water, the wind ruffling his milky bangs. He rested on his arm. “It really is true that so much has changed.” 

He could feel the weight of Louis’s eyes on him when the alpha murmured, “I did not pay you the credence you deserve when I called you a vision. Truly, Will, you are the very definition of beauty. I’ve hardly had time to formulate the thought, I have been so taken by you.” 

The prince looked at him and tilted his head. He was blushing, but he still teased, “And how do you think I feel? You were an alpha even when I last saw you, yet now you seem so much…bigger, somehow.” His eyes raked over Louis’s form. It made him blush harder yet. 

“I cannot say the same for you. You’ve hardly grown an inch since I last beheld you.” 

Will swatted at him and laughed, but his feigned displeasure was short-lived. He bit his lip as he hesitated to say his next words. “Louis…” 

“You needn’t ask,” the alpha chuckled. He raised his nose and smiled knowingly. “Come closer.” 

Will did. It didn’t require asking twice. He inched over, so that his hip was touching Louis’s arm, and he rested his head upon the alpha’s shoulder and sighed blissfully. Like this, his scent was strong, and Will was not coy enough to pretend he wasn’t reveling in it. His breaths were deep, and if that wasn’t indicative enough, his own blossomed and flourished, a flowery and fresh aroma of unadulterated pleasure and longing. 

The omega held up their hands and spread his fingers, so that they were outstretched and his palm was flat against the other elda’s. Louis did the same, and Will smiled at the difference in their breadths. Louis dwarfed him in nearly every way. It made whole a part of Will that he hadn’t realized needed filling. 

“It feels like too much at times,” he confessed quietly, “my duties, all that’s happened—time. There is so much I don’t know about you now. It’s like we’ve lived a lifetime apart, not nine years. How ever can I catch up if we only have each other in stolen moments like this?” 

Louis slid his fingers between Will’s and closed them as he spoke, “We’ll find a way, my darling. We always have, you and I. Adversity is the origin of our bond, is it not? We have endured the very fires of hell, and we are together still. I cannot name a single thing that could separate us.” 

The alpha turned his own head, so that his nose was pressed into Will’s hair, and he, too, delighted in the scent there. They both inhaled one another, and in turn, their respective scents morphed into something new entirely. 

Louis hummed quietly. “It is not just your scent, nor your pretty face. You’ve become a man since I’ve been gone. Your very presence commands me. I find, more than ever, I am a slave to your whims. One word from you would order me. I leave a sniveling pup, and I come home to find my master. How strange a mistress she is indeed, time.” 

Will quickly discovered that his infamous restraint was solely contingent on those words. With them said, Will cared no longer about the silly pretense he felt obligated to maintain, nor did he care about anything else under the sun, for Louis was with him; and Louis wanted him. Will wanted him, too, and no one was there to judge or stop them. 

And Will gravely lacked the continence to stop what was next. 

The prince sat up slightly, and with eyes alight with the stars he asked, “Kiss me?” 

Louis, whose face was close, tilted his head, studied Will’s lips, and smirked for only a second before he so graciously, and so wondrously, closed the distance between them. Their mouths, which had been so terribly lonely for thousands of days, were suddenly accompanied, and Will felt in him every ounce of joy that he could ever imagine.  

It was Will’s first kiss, but he knew it to be a perfect one. Their mouths fit perfectly. They knew the other’s next movement, how to respond in turn. Will moaned and turned his head, and already Louis was slotted into place. Their lips pressed without the need for command. Will retreated in submission that had never been practiced yet was so thoughtless, and Louis gave chase with no danger. They met, and they melded. Will parted for him, and the tongue that entered his mouth was as sweet as it was safe. He accepted it greedily. 

Will gave into him, not because Louis demanded it of him, but because he wanted to so badly. Thankfully Louis took the cue, and his hand found Will’s nape and held him there as he licked into him. The prince felt his threads loosen and unravel until he was but a pile of wayward strands, thoughtless and obsequious, willing and desirous. He felt utterly shapeless as Louis kissed him, and he rejoiced knowing that he may be reassembled as whatever his alpha wished. 

He was not, however, a doormat, even craving submission as he was. He still reached up his hands to fist Louis’s hair where it hung over his shoulders, and when Louis’s fingers crept beneath the hem of his bloomers, he rose and straddled his lap. 

Fully facing now, their kiss was even deeper. Will found his belly pressing forward as to feel the extent of Louis’s warmth. His alpha grew bolder, too, and those fingers were matched on the opposite side. They were in his shorts, not touching anywhere particularly illicit, yet feeling foreign skin all the same. Will whimpered, and to show his appreciation, he ground his hips down. He was unashamed by the wetness between his thighs, nor was he ashamed when he pressed his face into Louis’s neck and wantonly breathed in his scent. 

It was piqued and heady, and it undid him. His eyes were closed, and his hidden face was the picture of bliss as he took in all his lungs would allow. His delicate hands were reverent as they explored the shape of the body beneath him, tracing over the shape of muscle through fabric along arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, back, until he knew that no other shape would ever be remembered by his palms.

He gasped softly against the alpha’s neck when Louis mouthed over his scent gland, and his hands relocated to Louis’s hair, fingers sliding up and into his dense silky waves at his nape and holding there so he didn’t float away. He rocked his hips and found hardness against his own, and it was enough to allow himself to be unbidden in his own desire. He was no longer self-conscious of the wetness gathering in his shorts, knowing now that Louis felt the same. He hoped it stained through. He hoped Louis could smell it. He hoped Louis would take pity on him, and those long fingers would travel further yet, and—

“Louis,” he pleaded. His head fell back to expose the long column of his throat. Louis latched onto it, sucking straight over his most sensitive spot. Will saw fireworks erupt behind his eyelids in brilliant flashes of light and splendor. His alpha beneath him raised his thigh, so that Will was directly upon it, and the omega sighed and ground against it. “Touch me,” he sighed from far away. “Touch me anywhere. Touch me everywhere.” 

The alpha made a low sound, something between an appreciative growl and an amused chuckle. Whatever it was, it reduced Will to a puddle. “My beautiful prince has grown lewd waiting for me. How apparent is my error.” 

A perfect tongue swiped over the expanse of Will’s chest where it was exposed above his corset, and Will moaned sweetly. At the same time, large hands engulfed his thighs, smoothing over soft silk and trembling plush skin. Will arched back and bit his lip in anticipation as the fingers’ dance continued northward, slotting underneath frills and lace until they were full of a supple backside, squeezing and spreading, but never straying too far. Will shook like a leaf being tested by the wind in his lap. 

The omega tried to speak but found his efforts emerging only as a babble of moans and hiked gasps. He wondered how he looked to Louis, eager and restless, heaving and clammy, lips bitten and thighs spread, beading through his bloomers, chest hardened through sheer muslin. Did he want Will like Will wanted him? Was he moments away from losing himself, too? 

“Why should we wait?” asked Will breathlessly. “Take me now. Mark me. We both want it. I want you, Louis. What are we waiting for? I’ve waited so long for you. Just—” 

Louis pushed onto his knees and abruptly switched their positions. When Will’s back gently hit the ground, he made a soft sound of surprise, chest heaving and shining. Louis caged him in from above. He looked like an angel to Will, yet also an incubus, here to seduce and make dirty pretty things like him. It thrilled him and made him leak down below, where his skin felt engorged and desperate. Unconsciously he spread his thighs wide, seeking to accept the alpha between them. 

“Your body speaks on behalf of your mind. You don’t mean the things you say.” The alpha said this, yet his hips pressed against Will’s. The omega gasped, head falling back against the coat-made-blanket beneath. He was preening as he felt that place where Louis’s heartbeat was hot and strong slot between his cheeks. Louis’s lips danced over his as he murmured, “Desire has a way with polluting judgment. Feel me now, where you long for it the most, and know that you cannot have it. Let it thrill you. Let it possess you.” He rutted himself against Will as he spoke. “Let it consume you, so that every action you take from this moment forward is in the name of this memory, and everything you do henceforth is to have it again.” 

Will gasped his name, his barely open eyes fixed on Louis’s perfect face as he teased and tortured him. Louis’s scent was everywhere, on everything, in his veins. He could hardly breathe air beyond it but found that wasn’t so bad. Suffocating on such a flawless smell was one of the better ways to go. 

“I can’t do it.” The prince’s features were wrought as he shook his head. “It’s too much. I can’t have you yet not have you at all. Louis, I want all of you. I want you now. I want you, I want you!” 

He pulled the alpha down so he could kiss him deeply. He felt Louis beneath his hands again, at first cupping his face, then sliding into his shirt. He wanted to feel his skin so he could imagine it against his own. He wanted to see him as he was, not like how Will fantasized he might be. 

“Consider it a preview,” Louis chuckled against his parted, begging lips. “Motivation, if you will, to secure our match. You want me, Will?” 

“Yes!” the omega sobbed. 

“Then you mustn’t let them stop us. You must stop the regent’s designs against us. You must do all you can to carve a place for me, and I will make you mine, Will.” 

“I am yours,” Will barely managed to say, for every muscle in his body was seizing. “I’ve always been yours.” 

“And here, too?” asked the blond lightly as his teeth grazed Will’s scent gland. 

That was it. Will had already been pushed to and pulled back from the brink over and over again, but that —the vision of being marked, delivered so graciously by the very alpha who would one day do it—was all that Will could bear. 

Before he even knew what was happening, he convulsed beneath the alpha, and he cried out harshly as he was overwhelmed by a shuddering climax. It traveled through him slowly, and he felt every wash of pleasure from the tips of his toes to the peak of his skull. He sighed; he gasped; he whimpered. He dissolved into the grass like grains of sand that were only reformed by the placating hands that soothed over him and pushed him back together. 

Will panted heavily as lucidity gradually returned to him. He loosened his legs, which he hadn’t even noticed had been caging in Louis. His pupils were dilated, his face flushed, his gaze distant and lofty. Louis beheld him as though a jewel, and he raised one of Will’s hands to his lips in favor of pressing a kiss to his knuckles. 

“Best to stop there anyhow, lest we get carried away down a path that we can’t turn back from.” 

Will offered a weak smile, and he pushed himself onto his elbows. “What about you?” he asked with a small frown. 

Louis shook his head and smoothed out his shirt. His arousal was very much still present, and quite visible. “I fear that what I require is more than I’m ready to take at present. I shall wait, but do not worry yourself so. I am quite fine, I assure you.”

Will was unconvinced, but he pushed aside his guilt and righted himself fully. “I can’t believe I…” 

A laugh bubbled up in Louis’s chest. “Nor can I,” he hummed wryly, “but you needn’t be ashamed. You looked just as I imagined, and now, I’ll be able to think of nothing but.” 

WIth warm cheeks, Will crawled over and pressed his fingers onto the blanket as he kissed Louis. It was only then that he remembered that it was not a blanket at all, and he flushed. 

“I’ve made quite a mess,” he worried, looking around and under them. “Your coat…” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” The alpha’s voice was deliciously low with mirth and something else when he said, “Dare I say I’ll like it even more now.” 

Will flushed even harder and pouted as he tugged at Louis’s collar. “You’re gross.” 

Louis laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t go there right now, not in your position.” 

The prince sulked and slumped against the alpha, and Louis chuckled, closing his eyes as he pressed his mouth into the crown of Will’s hair. “I longed for you every night, you know. I thought of you when idle, in the throes of battle, during my most debauched fantasies. You are the center of my mind’s orbit, Will.” 

Will peeked up at him, eyes shimmering as he asked, “You did?” 

Louis nodded with a distant smile. “Truly. You are everything, Will. The beginning and the end.” 

The alpha nearly had to carry Will back, his legs were so unsteady, but he persisted. As it turned out, climaxing at the hands of another is much more taxing than by your own. Granted, Will had been tucked into bed for the night all the times he pleasured himself, but that was surely irrelevant, he thought dourly. 

Their impending goodbye made the traverse through the hedges much shorter. Before Will could even blink they were beneath his balcony, and they faced one another. 

“You must hurry. If we are caught, they will undoubtedly smell our indiscretion, if they don’t see it first,” reminded the alpha.

Will nodded, though his expression was forlorn. “I don’t want to go,” he whispered, turning his face into Louis’s waiting hand. “It’s not long enough.” 

Louis offered a soft, placating smile. “It won’t be the last time. We’re only getting started, hmm?”

Will smiled back. He pressed a fleeting kiss to the alpha’s palm before gathering his hem and making for the cornerstone. 

“Will?” called Louis as Will reached the balcony railing and climbed over it. “Do wash well?” 

The prince chuckled as he looked down at him. “You, too!” he called with a smile that was all fondness and warmth. They held each other’s gaze one last time, and Will said, “Good night, Louis.” 

“Sleep well, my prince.” 

Will shut the balcony door slowly, and just like the night had never happened, he was alone again. Maybe he could have convinced himself that it truly hadn’t, were it not for the stickiness clinging to his thighs and the euphoria still simmering throughout his veins. 

He took a few steps, ran his hand through his bangs, sighed, and flopped onto the foot of his bed.