The music fades.
A single spotlight falls on Noah, standing tall and terrifyingly beautiful on the grand staircase. Every family is watching — the Vincent patriarchs, the Miller elites, and the Anderson royals.
Noah raises his glass, his voice calm and commanding.
Noah:
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my seventeenth birthday. But tonight isn't just about me."
He gestures with an elegant sweep of his hand.
Noah:
"It's about legacy. And fate."
Gasps ripple through the ballroom as Sam, Max, Silas, and Lucien step into the light beside him — all of them visibly tense, caught in the pull of the matebond.
Noah:
"These are my mates."
The room erupts.
— The Vincent family stares in disbelief.
— The Miller elders whisper furiously, their son already being claimed in front of the world.
— Mrs. Anderson covers her mouth, while James just smirks like he's been waiting for the explosion.
Mr. Vincent:
growling
"Sam. Max. Silas. Is this true?"
Sam:
jaw clenched, eyes on Noah
"Yeah. It's true."
Max:
"We didn't choose this."
Silas:
"But we can't fight it either."
Lucien stands silently, hand resting behind Noah's back, his calm presence reinforcing the danger: this isn't a scandal. It's a power move.
Then—
James steps forward beside Noah with a smirk.
James:
"And since we're revealing truths tonight… I suppose I should share mine too."
He gestures toward the stunned crowd, and Oliver is pushed forward gently by a guard. Eyes wide. Blushing. Confused.
James:
"This is Oliver. And I'm claiming him."
The crowd gasps again — but not because of James.
Because of Sam.
Sam:
snarling
"The hell you are."
In a flash, Sam is in front of Oliver, shoving James back with a growl that silences the entire ballroom.
Sam:
"Touch him and I'll rip your hand off."
James:
calmly, amused
"Relax, little alpha. He's not your mate."
Sam:
voice cold, shaking
"He's mine. Maybe not by bond — but by choice. And I don't need fate to tell me that."
Noah watches with a strange expression — not jealous… but intrigued. Almost like he's testing Sam's limits.
Noah:
"Interesting…"
Mr. Miller:
to Lucien, furious
"You knew this was going to happen?!"
Lucien:
flatly
"I encouraged it."
Mrs. Vincent:
to Sam, eyes wide
"Are you in danger?"
Sam:
looking between Oliver, Noah, and James
"I don't know anymore."
The room teeters on the edge of war. Power, politics, bonds, and blood — all colliding in one moment.
Noah raises his glass again, calm amid the chaos.
Noah:
"I said this night was about legacy. What you're seeing… is the beginning of a new world order."
---
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