"Your scent is addicting."

His voice was soft.

"I never knew you could smell this good, Ezra."

It was a tone Ezra never expected to hear coming from that man's mouth.

He didn't answer. He couldn't.

Everything felt dizzy, hazy, like his thoughts had slipped somewhere far away.

His body wasn't responding to him anymore.

'Where is my mind right now?'

He didn't know.

All he could focus on was the sound of creaking, the softness of the bed against his back, fingers firm on his waist, heavy breathing against his skin.

And a feeling.

A feeling he couldn't quite name.

It hurt, but the pain felt… good.

Not the kind of pain he knew from the battlefield, and he knew pain well. He had lived through it, endured it.

After all, he was a knight.

A damn good one.

Yet here he was.

Vision blurred by sensations he didn't understand, his body trembling beneath someone he never expected to be with.

Someone he never thought he could want enough to do this.

Each thrust sent a shiver through him.

All because—

"Why are you so quiet? I want to hear you."

His body burned.

Heat flooded through him, like he was on fire, and the only thing keeping him grounded was the man above him. The man spoke in that sweet, hushed tone.

Gentle fingers caressed his face, and those bright golden eyes held his gaze.

Eyes that symbolized power.

Power that was very real, very present, and entirely over Ezra right now.

"I-I…" He didn't know what to say.

He truly didn't.

But under that gaze, he wanted to.

His body moved on its own, just as it had all night.

If he'd had even a shred of control, he wouldn't be here.

"Have my baby."

"Your… Highness?" Ezra's eyes widened. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.

Then it grew rougher. The creaking grew louder.

"Bear my heir."

Ezra had no control over his body, his mind, his heat, and especially not over this man.

But to bear his heir?

No matter what happened, heat or not, there were two principles he had always sworn to keep.

First, never give in to his omega instincts.

Second, never—ever—get pregnant and give birth.

That should have been easy.

It should have been.

But he had already broken the first rule, and he refused to break the second.

One night like this couldn't break all his principles.

…Right?

...

"Maman!"

Ezra turned, one hand reaching for his cape as the strong wind threatened to rip it from his shoulders.

"Lior." His voice softened instantly as he scooped the little golden boy into his arms. "Done exploring already, little one?"

"Mhm! Look, look!" Lior held up a necklace, proudly displaying a string of shells tied together.

Ezra smiled, eyes following the way small fingers carefully clutched each shell. "Wow. Where did you get this, hm?"

"That little bundle of sunshine you've got there charmed the lady merchants into giving him a free necklace for his Maman."

The voice was gruff and unfamiliar.

Ezra looked up.

The man had the look of a sailor, weathered skin and an easy grin. "It's rare to see a male omega aboard a ship like this."

Ezra stiffened.

"Male omegas are rare in general," he replied evenly. "Which is why, for the sake of myself and my child, I ask that you don't mention it to anyone."

The sailor shrugged. "Wasn't planning to, lad. I just wanted to meet the one who raised him. Like I said, he's quite the charmer. As rare as you are, a child that is well-behaved is rarer still."

Ezra studied him.

The man seemed kind enough, but Ezra had learned long ago not to rely on kindness alone. As a knight, he trusted his ability to read people, especially men.

And he sensed no lie. No threat.

He relaxed slightly and smiled down at Lior.

"I suppose I got lucky," Ezra said, gently brushing a hand through the boy's hair. Lior giggled.

"You certainly did. You and the mister," the sailor replied. "I'll head back to the captain now. Just wanted to make sure the little one made it back to his Maman safely. There's been an increase in children getting kidnapped lately, so I figured I should keep an eye out."

'What?' Ezra thought, lifting his head. 'Kidnapped? Since when was there a mass kidnapping in Luxaelis?'

"A rise in kidnappings?" he asked aloud. "In this kingdom?"

Luxaelis was supposed to be the safest kingdom, almost untouched by crime, burdened only by one lingering problem.

"Aye. As if the dark ones plaguing the land weren't enough, now we've got criminals to worry about too," the sailor said, spitting to the side. "Judging by your reaction, I'm guessing you're not from around here?"

"I am. Or… I was," Ezra answered. "I left for a few years."

The sailor nodded. "A lot's changed. Ever since that Crimson Fae disappeared and someone else took their place, the Sunward Sentinels have only grown weaker. Even the Goldflame Order has had to step in more often."

Ezra froze.

The Crimson Fae.

A title he hadn't heard in five years, not since he left the kingdom on what he had called a 'vacation.'

A title given to him when he served as captain of the Sunward Sentinels, the knight order led by Helios De Luxaelian Sunthyr, first prince of the Luxaelis Kingdom.

A title earned on the battlefield, where he stood drenched in blood, merciless and unyielding.

Seven years earlier…

Ezra's heart thundered in his chest. All around him, his men lay scattered across the ground, some wounded, others unmoving.

Helios was with the convoy from the Kingdom of Lunaris, the very convoy the Sunward Sentinels had been assigned to protect.

"Captain! You… you have to go! You need to call his—ACK!"

"Joseph!" Ezra shouted, eyes widening as a Dark One emerged behind the man. Its arm drove straight through Joseph's body, impaling him where he stood. "No… no…"

Ezra's vision blurred, red flooding his sight. He didn't know if it was rage or the blood running down his forehead and into his eyes.

Maybe it was both.

"You bastards!" Ezra snarled, tightening his grip on his sword as he took in their surroundings. There were more Dark Ones than he had ever seen before, closing in from every direction.

"C-Captain, please retreat," Leon's weak voice came from behind him. "Just leave us… please."

"I am not running away!" Ezra roared. "I am not leaving my men behind. His Highness, the First Prince, Helios De Luxaelian Sunthyr, entrusted you all to me. I will either die here with you, or I will save every last one of us before His Highness arrives."

Silence followed.

Only sobs broke it. The cries of wounded men. The ragged breathing of those still standing.

"Captain…"

"Captain Ezra, please!"

"Captain, save yourself…"

Ezra didn't listen.

He couldn't afford to.

'Helios will come. Until then, he trusted me with all these lives,' Ezra thought, drawing in a steadying breath as his gaze swept over the Dark Ones encircling his men.

Encircling him.

"Come at me," Ezra muttered, bracing himself for the fight.

The Dark Ones came all at once.

They had once been human. Ezra knew that.

He saw it in the twisted remains of their faces, in the fragments of armor still clinging to decayed bodies, in the way some of them moved with instincts that were painfully familiar.

Dead men.

Men who had lost everything that made them human, driven by a single purpose: to drain the life from the living.

Ezra moved.

Steel met rotting flesh with brutal precision. His blade cut through the first Dark One cleanly, blackened blood spraying across the ground.

Another lunged at him, faster than the last. This one had been a soldier in life. He could tell by the feint, by the way it tried to circle and flank him.

Smarter.

Ezra blocked, twisted, and drove his sword straight through its skull.

"Captain, please!" someone cried behind him.

He didn't turn.

More came.

Some were weak, their bodies barely holding together, collapsing under a single strike. Others were stronger, sturdier, their muscles still remembering how to fight, how to kill.

Ezra adjusted with every enemy, reading them as he always had, even now.

Even surrounded.

His arms burned. His breathing grew heavy.

Still, he pressed forward.

"NO, NO, PLEASE!" a man screamed in horror. It was Elion, one of the youngest among them.

Ezra's head snapped toward the sound.

A Dark One had its claws wrapped around Elion, lifting him off the ground as he thrashed helplessly. Panic filled the young soldier's eyes.

"No," Ezra growled. "Not on my watch."

He surged forward, ignoring the protest of his muscles. His blade flashed, severing the Dark One's arm before plunging into its chest. The creature collapsed, lifeless once more.

Ezra caught Elion before he hit the ground. "Get back," he ordered sharply. "Now."

"But Captain—"

"Move."

Elion didn't argue again.

Ezra turned just in time to block another attack. His sword felt heavier now. His vision swam. Blood coated his armor, soaked into his clothes, slick beneath his boots.

Some of it wasn't his.

Some of it was.

'Don't slow down,' he told himself. 'Not now.'

He fought on.

Strike after strike. Cut after cut.

The world narrowed to steel and flesh, to snarls and screams, to the wet sound of his blade tearing through things that should never have risen again.

His knees buckled for a heartbeat.

Too long.

Ezra stumbled, catching himself on his sword. His head spun violently, the ground suddenly far too close.

'I can't… fall.'

Another Dark One lunged.

Then—

Light.

Brilliant, blinding golden light tore through the battlefield, burning away the darkness as if it had never existed. The remaining Dark Ones shrieked as magic consumed them, their bodies dissolving into ash under the overwhelming force.

Ezra lifted his head slowly.

He knew that light.

He had followed it into battle more times than he could count.

"…Prince Helios," Ezra breathed.

The last Dark One vanished in a burst of gold.

Silence fell.

And Ezra finally let himself give in.

But instead of hitting the ground, a pair of arms caught him.

"Ezra… good job," a faint voice whispered.

"Y-Your… Highness…" Ezra tried to look up, but his strength was gone.

"Rest easy now. I'll handle it from here."

At those words, Ezra let go.

He let the darkness take him, knowing his men and the convoy were finally safe.

Present…

After that day, the men who survived told the tale of Ezra Belloren, the Crimson Fae.

The stone-cold captain who refused to give up so he could save what remained of his men.

Ezra was proud of that story.

To the world, he was simply a strong captain who never faltered, a frightening knight said to possess the strength of ten men.

No one knew the truth.

Well, no one except one person.

Ezra was an omega.

Omegas were never meant to become knights. They were seen as fragile, as weak.

And yet Ezra had fought harder, endured longer, and stood stronger than many of the alphas and betas beside him. That knowledge filled him with a quiet, defiant pride.

That was why he loved being a knight.

He loved being strong.

One of the hardest things he ever did was give it all up for five years for—

"Maman, maman… can I please put this on you? I-I'm sure it will make Maman even more beautiful!"

Lior's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Ezra looked down at his son and smiled.

—for the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Of course, little one," Ezra said, lifting Lior slightly so he could reach. The boy carefully placed the seashell necklace atop Ezra's head.

"Mhm, mhm," Lior hummed to himself as he concentrated, small hands gripping Ezra's hair.

"Careful now," Ezra said with a soft chuckle.

"I will, Maman!" Lior exclaimed. When he finished, he grabbed Ezra's cheeks and turned his face toward him. "There!"

"Hm? Shouldn't it go around my neck?" Ezra asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lior shook his head firmly. "Nuh-uh! I wanted it to look like a crown on you. Like a queen!"

Ha.

Haha.

How ironic that his little golden boy would say that, without knowing that—

"How clever you are, Lior," Ezra murmured, smiling as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his son's head. Lior giggled.

—that his father was one of the princes of the—

"Land ahead! Ready yourselves! We're approaching the Kingdom of Luxaelis!"

...

Goldhaven.

The largest and busiest district in Luxaelis, serving as the kingdom's main port. Ships, merchants, traders, and tourists all passed through here before anywhere else.

It had always been one of Ezra's favorite districts.

He loved food, and Goldhaven was overflowing with it, especially in the Tide Market where they now stood. Ezra remembered the scent of freshly baked bread, sizzling meat, and his favorite Luxaelis delicacy, pastillas. Soft, chewy milk-based confections, sweet and indulgent.

Ezra could eat twenty pieces in one sitting. That's how much he loved them.

However—

"What the…?" Ezra tightened his grip on Lior's hand.

The familiar warmth of food and spice was gone, replaced by the sharp smell of oil and something else he couldn't quite identify.

"Maman… food?" Lior looked up at him, confused.

Of course he was. 

This wasn't the food capital Ezra had promised him.

"Let's… walk a bit more, little one. Maybe some of the shops are still closed because it's early," Ezra said, though his voice lacked confidence as he continued forward, eyes scanning the streets.

The sailor had warned him that much had changed in Luxaelis, but this much?

'What… happened?' Ezra thought, his brow furrowing.

A rise in crime was one thing, but this was Goldhaven. The heart of trade, the kingdom's busiest district.

'All the stalls are closed. Some of them look like they haven't opened in years,' he thought, unease settling deeper in his chest.

His frown deepened when he spotted a familiar storefront, one that had stood longer than his twenty-four years of life.

The pastillas shop.

"Seriously?" Ezra muttered under his breath.

He remembered the kind old woman who owned it, Teresita. She had once told him the history of the shop, how it had been passed down through generations.

A place like that didn't simply close.

'Is this why Helios kept writing to me?' Ezra wondered. 'Something big is happening in Luxaelis. But why didn't he tell me?'

Ezra had returned because Helios De Luxaelian Sunthyr had sent him letter after letter, each more urgent than the last.

Helios had always been respectful. He had given Ezra all the time he needed, no matter how long that was.

Which meant those letters mattered.

Despite everything, despite wanting to stay away for as long as he could, Ezra had come back.

Because he could never say no to Helios.

"Maman—"

So instead of ignoring the letters and refusing to return to Luxaelis to protect his son's identity, Ezra had been forced to think of alternatives. 

Ways to keep Lior safe.

And to keep his identity hidden.

Especially now, when the risks were far greater than before.

"Maman!"

Ezra was pulled from his thoughts by the distress in Lior's voice. "Lior, what's wrong—oh no."

Tears streamed down Lior's cheeks, and the bright orange of his eyes was beginning to shift. Flecks of gold surfaced beneath the color.

"Already?" Ezra muttered. "It hasn't even been a week."

Lior tugged at his hand.

"Maman, it hurts… it hurts," Lior cried, rubbing his eyes. "Maman…"

Ezra's chest tightened. He immediately crouched and gathered Lior into his arms, scanning their surroundings. "Shh. It's okay, little one. I've got you."

"It hurts…" Lior buried his face against Ezra's chest.

'I knew that quack said it would hurt when it faded, but…' Ezra moved quickly, eyes searching for somewhere private to give Lior his 'medicine.'

"Lior," Ezra said softly, trying to distract him, "remember how I taught you to count?"

"Mhm hm," Lior replied weakly, still rubbing his eyes as Ezra soothed him with gentle strokes along his back.

"One to ten," Ezra continued. "Ten's the biggest number you can count to now, right?"

"T-Twenty."

Ezra blinked. "Wow. Twenty? Since when?"

No answer.

Lior's quiet sobs only grew harder, and panic began to creep into Ezra's chest. Then he spotted a narrow alley just ahead.

'There,' Ezra thought, immediately changing direction.

"One to ten, little one," he murmured as they hurried. "How much does it hurt?"

"T-Ten," Lior whispered.

Ezra's heart broke all over again. He stopped speaking and focused solely on reaching the secluded alley, clutching his son tightly against him.

'Please, Aurethys. Let there be no people,' Ezra prayed silently.

When he reached the alley, he quickly checked the space. Empty. Only old barrels and stacked crates.

'Praise Aurethys,' Ezra thought, relief flooding through him.

He gently set Lior down on one of the barrels. Tears streamed down the boy's face as he continued rubbing his eyes.

"Maman…"

"Lior, sweetheart, please don't rub your eyes. Let me see so I can…" Ezra reached for his satchel, rummaging through it. "I need to put in your eye medicine."

"B-But… but…"

"It'll be okay. I promise." Ezra pressed a soft kiss to the top of Lior's head as soon as he found the vial. "Just a drop, sweetheart. Only a drop."

Lior's hands trembled as he lowered them. It was clear he was scared.

This was the first time he had ever felt pain like this.

Guilt clawed at Ezra's chest.

"You can do it, Lior. My brave boy," Ezra whispered. Lior slowly lowered his hands, though his eyes remained tightly shut. "Now open your eyes, little one. Let me see those beautiful—"

Lior opened his eyes.

There they were.

Bright golden eyes, shining even more through the tears.

Ezra's breath caught, as it always did when he looked into them. They reminded him of another pair of golden eyes, ones that had looked down at him on the night Lior was conceived.

"Maman…"

Lior's small voice snapped him out of it.

"Sorry, little one." Ezra moved closer, uncorking the vial. "Keep your eyes open, okay? Just two drops. One in each eye."

Lior nodded, and Ezra smiled.

"My brave boy," he murmured.

He gently cupped Lior's left cheek, using his thumb to keep the eye open. With practiced precision, Ezra tipped the vial and let the drop fall directly where it needed to go.

Lior flinched.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? Did it hurt?"

Lior shook his head. "N-No."

"Good," Ezra said, watching closely as the golden hue faded back to orange. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

'So it works. Completely… but,' Ezra thought, knowing the downside all too well. When the medicine wore off, the burning always came first.

He had to be careful. He had to apply it on time.

"Other eye," Ezra said softly, repeating the process.

Moments later, both of Lior's eyes had returned to their familiar orange.

'I still wish it could change them to an entirely different color,' Ezra thought as he sealed the vial and tucked it back into his satchel. 'But this is the best anyone could manage, given Lior's lineage.'

Lior's sobs slowly faded, his breathing evening out at last.

"Are you okay, my little brave boy?" Ezra asked once everything had settled.

"Y-Yes," Lior replied. But despite his words, his head remained lowered, his usual smile nowhere to be found.

Ezra noticed immediately. He always did.

"What's wrong?" He gently cupped Lior's face, encouraging him to look up.

"Maman, why… um… why do I need to change my eyes?" Lior struggled to put the question into words, but Ezra understood him perfectly.

He had been expecting this.

That was why he already had an answer.

"Remember when I told you we had to come back here, where I grew up?" Ezra asked softly. Lior nodded. "This place is very beautiful, but it isn't very safe for children with golden eyes. If people see them, they might take you away from me, and I—"

Ezra pulled Lior into his arms again, holding him close. "I don't want to be separated from you. Do you?"

Lior frowned deeply and shook his head. "No! I don't wanna!"

"That's why no one can know about your golden eyes, okay?" Ezra said gently. "It has to be our secret. Just between the two of us, so we can always stay together."

"O-Okay, Maman! I promise. I'll keep it a secret!"

"Good boy." Ezra pressed another kiss to Lior's forehead. Lior giggled, his smile returning.

'He looks determined now,' Ezra thought, smiling back.

But guilt twisted in his chest, because that wasn't the whole truth.

Ezra had to make sure no one ever saw Lior's golden eyes.

Because in this kingdom, golden eyes did not merely symbolize power.

They symbolized direct ties to the family blessed by Aurethys, the Sun God.

The De Luxaelian Sunthyr family.

The royal family.

'If anyone here saw his eyes, they'd know immediately that he's…'

Ezra couldn't finish the thought.

The idea of someone discovering Lior's identity, of someone taking him away, filled him with dread.

Not only that, but the identity of Lior's father alone was—

"Well, well… what do we have here?"

A voice spoke from behind them.

It wasn't friendly.

"What's a clean-looking fella like ya doing in our alley?"