Content Warning: spicy scenes in the upcoming Chapters!
Ren sat at his desk, writing in his diary as usual. The small lamp beside him was dimly lit, its faint glow barely illuminating the pages before him.
Just then, the door creaked open.
The omega flinched, snapping the book shut before hurriedly opening the desk drawer and shoving it inside.
"What are you doing?" Zayden asked as he stepped in. His gaze immediately darted to the figure seated in the corner chair. For some reason, he didn’t need to think—he already knew Ren would be there at this hour.
"N-Nothing," Ren stammered nervously. His pulse quickened, his breathing turning shallow.
The fear of his one and only secret being exposed lingered like a blade hanging above his head, ready to fall at any moment.
Whenever Ren had tried to tell Zayden the truth in the past, Zayden had always—always—made his hatred for Hianshu painfully clear. That was when Ren had begun to fear the truth itself.
Still, if he was careful enough, no one would ever know. Hianshu’s people would not return—not after Charles’s death—and no one from Revhara would willingly set foot in a land they despised.
"Why are you being so suspicious?" Zayden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"H-Huh?" Ren frowned, his heartbeat spiking. "I’m not," he replied, forcing his voice to stay steady—and managing to do so.
The alpha chuckled, shaking his head.
"I was joking. No need to get so serious."
Ren finally let out a deep breath, relief washing over him.
"But what brings you here?" he asked.
"Well," Zayden inhaled, suddenly wrapping one arm around Ren’s back and the other beneath his knees, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"We haven’t been spending enough time together. So I thought—when else but at night would be the perfect time to finally have you all to myself?" He laughed, heading toward the bed.
Ren tilted his head. It no longer surprised him to be carried like this. If Zayden could, he would do it every single day. It was as if Ren had become his personal weight-lifting routine.
"We do have breakfast together, and dinner," Ren said. "And we do your work together too."
Zayden clicked his tongue, shaking his head. He lowered himself slightly, locking eyes with the younger man.
"Yes, but there are always other people around. In the mansion, there’s Eiran, Enzo, Yusha—so many people!" Zayden groaned before pressing a soft peck to the omega’s lips.
Ren chuckled, covering his mouth.
A moment later, Zayden set him down on the bed before jumping onto it beside him.
The wooden frame creaked ominously, as if about to break immediately.
"Careful! You will break it!" Ren shouted, panic rising in his voice as he sat up on the bed.
"So?" the man beside him grinned. "I will get you a new one. A better one."
"You are impossible!..." the omega sighed, lying back on the bed.
"That, I sure am."
For a moment, a strange stillness fell over the hall. Neither of them dared look at the other, each staring away, caught in the sudden awareness that they were lying beside each other, almost brushing against one another’s warmth. And this time, Eiran wasn’t here either.
Zayden’s hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a small, diamond-shaped piece of jewelry. The jewel caught the dim light, glimmering faintly.
"Ren," he said softly.
The omega shifted, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"Lift your shirt."
Ren blinked, startled. A tint of red crept across his cheeks immediately upon realizing what the alpha was asking of him.
"W-What?!"
Realizing how it sounded, Zayden quickly clarified, holding up the golden nipple bars adorned with tiny diamonds on each of them.
"I-I mean, these are for you. A gift."
Ren’s eyes widened as comprehension struck, and his face heated.
"Y-You..." Ren buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed with embarrassment. "Why would you do this?"
Zayden chuckled, leaning closer.
"I don’t need a reason to spoil my lover, do I? Come on, don’t make me wait forever to give you your gift."
The silver-haired omega slowly sat on the mattress, straightening his posture. In deliberate, teasing slow motion, he lifted his shirt, making Zayden’s impatience grow.
"B-But... you know how to put it on, right?" Ren asked nervously.
Pain didn’t frighten him. But he knew that if he wasn’t careful, it could cause complications later.
The piercings he bore weren’t meant to be decorative or seductive—they were marks from the Temple. Tonight, however, he would replace them with something given by Zayden.
It almost felt poetic. The alpha was about to mark him in the way the Temple used to mark their weapons.
But this time, he would become Zayden’s omega.
"I practiced," Zayden said, unclasping the hook from the nipple bars, his grin widening.
Ren’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You practiced... with... who?"
Zayden’s eyes went wide, hands flying up.
"W-Wait! I didn’t mean it like that! I practiced alone! Alright? There was no one else—I swear!" His hands shot up as a commoner would before a military officer who had charged them guilty without listening to his explanations.
Ren’s cheeks puffed out, his lips forming a pout.
"Better be," he muttered, trying to hide a smile.
Zayden grinned, leaning closer.
"You are adorable when you are suspicious. You know what?"
Ren peeked through his fingers, his blush deepening.
"And you are insufferable when you are being smug."
"Shhh, now," Zayden pressed a finger on the omega’s warm lips. "Let me begin."
Ren took a shaky breath, his fingers clutching the edge of the mattress. His heart thudded in his chest as Zayden leaned closer, holding the golden nipple bars delicately between his fingers.
"Just relax," Zayden murmured, his thumb brushing a loose strand of silver hair behind Ren’s ear. "I will be careful not to hurt you in any way. No need to be scared."
Ren’s eyes flickered up, meeting Zayden’s gaze. The warmth in those crimson eyes made his pulse race, and for a brief moment, the world narrowed to the space between them.
"Y-You are making it... really hard to stay calm," Ren admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Zayden chuckled, leaning even closer until their foreheads almost touched.
"That’s the point. I like seeing you flustered. Although it makes me want to fuck you," he whispered beneath his breath.