When Jake and Felix got to the penthouse.
Jake held Felix's hand tightly, leading him into the elevator. The air was thick with anticipation, and Felix couldn't tell if it was his own or Jake's. *What was going on?*
"Can you guess your surprise?" Jake asked, his voice low and warm.
Felix raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm terrible at guessing games, you know that."
Jake chuckled. "Just try. Close your eyes."
"Okay," Jake said softly, stepping behind him.
"Now you can open your eyes."
Felix blinked—and then froze.
There, draped over the velvet chaise in the center of the bedroom, was a dress unlike anything he'd ever seen.
The dress is a black velvet jacket‑style top with gold embroidered filigree on the lapels and cuffs, paired with a royal‑blue skirt that has white star patterns. The skirt has layered black sheer ruffles over the blue fabric and gold trim along the hem. It also includes a white ruffled collar, a blue bow tie with a gray center, and black gloves with blue cuffs that match the embroidery.
Felix reached out without thinking—fingers brushing the cool fabric gently.
"It's… breathtaking," he whispered. "But why—?"
Jake stepped forward, hands resting on Felix's shoulders as their reflections met in the mirror. His eyes were soft—but full of fire behind them.
"I got an invitation," he murmured. "From *England*. An old family estate… a gathering of Alphas and Omegas across bloodlines." He paused. "They want to meet *us*. Together."
Felix turned slowly to face him. "You want me… to go? Like this?"
A slow smile curled on Jake's lips—one proud, possessive, tender all at once.
"I want *everyone* to see what I have." His thumb traced Felix's jawline gently. "*Mine.* In this gown? You'll steal every breath in that room."
Silence stretched between them—warm and heavy with promise…
But beneath it?
Somewhere far away—
Mika stood outside their penthouse window (figuratively), whispering into the dark:
**"Oh no... you don't."**
Felix's heart raced—not just with surprise, but *excitement*. The dress fit in all the right places, shaping him into something almost regal as the silk hugged his form. He turned slowly—watching the movement of the fabric and the delicate gold buttons as he moved.
"I can't believe you did this for me," he murmured, fingers tracing the lace. "It's… it's absolutely perfect."
Jake pulled Felix closer by the waist. "Only the best for my favorite Omega," he murmured back. His lips brushed a gentle kiss to Felix's temple.
Mika leaned against the brick wall outside his apartment, phone in hand, staring at the blurred photo he'd just taken through the penthouse window.
*Too close.* Too intimate. The way Jake touched him—like he *owned* him.
He crushed the image with a swipe.
It didn't matter.
Let them play their royal fantasy.
Let Felix dress up like a prince in gilded lace and gold-threaded dreams.
He wasn't *in love* with safety.
He was drawn to danger.
And Mika?
Mika was **volcanic**
A single text lit up his screen—from an unknown number:
> *"You ready to make moves? Or just stand around taking pictures like a creep?"*
Mika smirked, fingers flying over the keys:
> "I'm not standing. I'm watching."
> "And soon… I'll be dancing too."
He hit send—and slipped into the shadows with one last whisper:
**"See you in England, darling."**
---
The flight to England was a blur. Felix tried to focus on the breathtaking view from their private plane—the clouds drifting past outside the window like cotton candy, the sun sinking in a cascade of gold and red as it began to set. But Jake's touch kept pulling him back into the moment, hands brushing his sides or resting on a knee, an arm, the curve of his hip.
And as they walked beneath the stone torches that lit the mansion's massive entryway?
It felt like walking into a dream.
The mansion loomed—ancient, ivy-clad stone glowing under moonlight. Torches flickered in iron sconces, casting dancing shadows across the gravel path as servants in crisp livery bowed them inside.
Felix's breath caught.
"This is… your family home?" he whispered, fingers tightening around Jake's.
Jake smirked, pulling him close. "*Our* home now," he murmured against his ear. "For the week."
Inside, crystal chandeliers dripped from vaulted ceilings. Portraits of stern ancestors watched from gilded frames. But what made Felix freeze?
The ballroom doors at the end of the hall—open just a crack—revealing a sea of silk and shadow, music swelling like thunder beneath elegant restraint.
"The Bloodline Gathering starts tonight," Jake said lowly. "And you're going to walk in on my arm… looking like *this*." His eyes raked over Felix—the dress hugging every curve in black-blue silk and gold defiance—then kissed his jaw once, possessively sweet.
But far above them—in a dim gallery hidden behind velvet drapes—
A figure watched from the shadows.
Pale hands gripped marble balustrades.
A slow smile curled on Mika's lips as he adjusted his stolen invitation badge:
**"Welcome to my revenge."**
Mika watched from the shadows, his breath slow and steady as he gazed down at Felix.
He was breathtaking—drenched in elegance and gold. Like a fallen angel draped in midnight silk, standing on Jake's arm like a prize to be displayed.
Mika's fingers tightened around the railing. *No. Not just displayed.*
He wanted him *seen*.
Truly seen—not hidden beneath Jake's possessive touch or wrapped up in some aristocratic fantasy.
And then… as if sensing him, Felix looked up.
Just for a second.
A flicker of blue eyes scanning the gallery—
—and meeting Mika's gaze across space and silence.
The world stopped.
Felix's breath hitched audibly—so much so that Jake turned sharply toward where he was looking…
But Mika had already stepped back into shadow,
gone,
leaving only one lingering thought hanging between them:
*You felt it too.*
Felix stumbled a little, dizzy with that brief moment of connection.
But then Jake's hand steadied him, his lips brushing the shell of his ear as he spoke low: *Are you alright?*
Felix exhaled slowly, trying to gather himself.
*Yes.* *I thought I saw someone.*
He felt Jake's thumb trace a trail down his back—over the delicate boning of the corset, where the silk was thinnest. Something low and warm curled in Felix's core, and he bit back a shudder.
*Someone worth seeing?* Jake asked softly, his hand drifting lower, as if tracing the edge of the lace.
Felix let out an unsteady breath—an unconscious reaction to Jake's touch that made him sound breathless.
*I think so,* he managed.
Jake's lips brushed up the curve of his neck, just shy of a kiss. *Then keep your eyes on me for now,* he murmured. *I don't want anyone else seeing how pretty you look in dress.*
Jake led him down the grand staircase, and Felix tried to focus on the steps—not on that shiver at the back of his neck where Jake's breath lingered, or the way his hand was drifting lower and lower down his back, fingers toying with the edge of his corset every now and again. He tried not to notice how it made his breath hitch every time.
*Stay focused,* he reminded himself fiercely, trying to breathe steady.
But the world felt just the wrong side of wrong. Too vivid, too bright.
As if one touch from Jake was enough to set him aflame.
The ballroom doors swung open, and Felix caught his breath at the sight:
Golden light spilled over marble floors, glinting off intricate crystal chandeliers, a sea of silk and sharp-cut tuxedoes. Couples glided along the dance floor, elegant and restrained beneath the watchful eyes of gold-framed ancestors. The scent of champagne and perfume wafted through the air, making Felix dizzy.
And then Jake's arm tightened around his waist, leading him into the heat of the crowd…
Jake led Felix into the center of the ballroom where other couples were dancing, and Felix tried to keep himself steady as they began to move.
But his heart was racing—part nerves, part adrenaline, his pulse thrumming against his ribcage like a trapped bird.
*Calm down*, he told himself.
Jake pulled him close, and Felix caught his breath at the feeling of strong hands at his hips, drawing him tight against his broad chest.
"Let me lead," Jake murmured, voice low and warm against Felix's ear as he guided them into the rhythm of a slow waltz.
Felix nodded, letting his body relax—just slightly—into Jake's hold. The music swelled around them: strings and piano weaving through the air like moonlight on water.
One hand on Felix's waist pulled him closer; the other clasped his palm with firm certainty. Their steps moved as one—graceful, precise.
And then—
Jake spun him out slowly, silk flaring in a midnight-blue arc.
Felix gasped softly at the motion—but before he could stumble back, Jake reeled him in *hard*, pulling their bodies flush together with a possessive intensity that made Felix's breath hitch.
"You're beautiful when you dance," Jake whispered, eyes blazing into his. "Like you were made for this."
"For *me*."
And as they moved again—one step after another beneath glittering chandeliers—
Felix felt it:
The weight of dozens of eyes watching…
The heat of desire burning between them…
… and somewhere beyond it all?
A single pair of **hungry** blue eyes staring from across the room—
*Mika.*
Still here.
Still watching.
Still waiting for one wrong move…
---
The music faded, and Jake didn't let go—not right away. He held Felix close for one breath too long, his eyes daring anyone in the room to look too hard.
But it was no use.
The moment they stepped back from the dance floor, Alphas began closing in—smiles sharp, eyes hungry.
"He's exquisite," murmured one with silver hair and a wolfish grin.
"Is he *claimed*?" asked another beneath his breath—but not quietly enough.
Whispers slithered through the ballroom like snakes through grass.
*That Omega belongs to someone now.*
*But what if he wanted more?*
*Dance with me,* an elder Alpha purred as he brushed past Felix's arm—fingers lingering just a second too long on silk-covered skin.
Felix stiffened.
Every touch burned—not from desire… but danger.
And then—
A voice cut through the crowd like cold steel:
**"Back off."**
Jake stepped forward, broad shoulders blocking them all, arms wrapping possessively around Felix's waist as he pulled him flush against his chest. His aura flared—Alpha dominance rolling off him in waves—and every other man took a step back... except one.
At the edge of the ballroom archway stood Mika—dressed all in black velvet that clung to his frame like shadow itself had taken human form—he wasn't smiling anymore.
He was watching.
Waiting.
Unafraid.
And when Jake growled low under his breath:
*"You don't belong here,"*
Mika simply tilted his head… and said:
**"Neither do you."**