***
Arion's hand was steady as he began drafting the dossier on Kyon's Guard Captain, his mind compartmentalizing the bitter taste of betrayal. He was a machine now, coldly processing information for the alpha commander who held his son's life in his hands.
Suddenly, the war room door burst open without a preliminary knock, shattering the intense atmosphere.
Prince Lorcan of the Southern Isles strode in, his velvet cloak sweeping dramatically behind him, his face a picture of righteous indignation. He was flanked by Duchess Maeva and Lord Torvin, who had evidently arrived at Cassian's safe house under Lorcan's insistent escort.
"Prince Cassian!" Lorcan declared, his voice echoing with aristocratic fury. "I demand an audience! You cannot simply release a foreign prince and then silence him about such matters! And you," he added, pointing a trembling finger at Arion, "why are you dressed like a guard?"
Lorcan's unexpected arrival, coupled with the presence of Arion's family. his mother's protective intensity and his brother's guarded menace instantly changed the dynamics of the room.
"Lorcan, this is a secure room," Cassian said smoothly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the breach of protocol, though he quickly masked his irritation. "And your gratitude is sufficient. You will return to your delegation."
"No!" Lorcan insisted, planting his small feet firmly. "The boy—Aiden. He is important. I want to know why you forced a man of Lord kyon's standing to wear those pathetic rags and why you are hiding the Serpent King's secret son! We Southern Isles are neutral, and we will not be used in your civil war!"
Cassian's eyes flicked to Arion, who remained motionless at the desk, his expression unreadable. Cassian knew Lorcan was a powerful leverage point; the Southern Isles' neutrality was crucial.
"The boy is safe, Lorcan," Cassian assured him with deceptive calm. "And Lord Arion is here by choice, serving as my confidential advisor."
"He is not here by choice!" Maeva interrupted, stepping forward, her eyes blazing with maternal protectiveness. "He is here because you hold his son hostage! Cassian, we have arrived to secure Arion's safety and formalize his position. He is not your servant; he is the key to the Eastern Dominion's support. You will treat him with respect."
Torvin, silent but formidable, simply crossed his arms, his strong alpha presence reinforcing his mother's stance.
Cassian realized the situation had escalated. He couldn't risk alienating the Duke of the East or the Southern Isles. "Very well," Cassian conceded, a graceful retreat. "Lord Arion is my trusted advisor, and his family is welcome to stay at the Eastern Delegation's temporary quarters in the city. The boy, Aiden, will remain here for his security, but his mother will have unlimited access."
*****
Meanwhile, miles away in the Royal Palace, Prince Kyon was not sitting idly. While Arion and Cassian were plotting his downfall, Kyon received the panicked report from his maid.
the one who had seen Aiden in the marketplace.
Kyon, meticulously dressed in the robes of a Crown Prince and conspicuously wearing the Jade Heart, listened to the breathless description of the small boy with his eyes. He listened to the maid's report on the child's features, recognizing the undeniable truth: Aiden was alive.,arion hadn't got rid of the baby.
Kyon smiled, but it was a cold, frightening expression of triumph, slightly surprised.
He kept the pup, Kyon mused, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. The valiant tiger of north couldn't destroy the proof of his shame. How sentimental.
Kyon had not spent years building an empire on the lie of his omega's status without planning for every eventuality. Kyon had known, from the moment he released Arion, that the chemical agent he used on himself to amplify his omega's nature was unstable. And he knew the agent that turned Arion into an omega was also not a final, perfect solution.
Kyon turned to his chief physician, Dr. Valerius (no relation to the Western Prince). "The tests on the final suppressant. How complete is the synthesis?"
"Near complete, Your Highness," the physician confirmed. "The agent will fully stabilize your physiology and permanently lock your pheromones to dominant omega's status, nullifying any residual alpha nature."
Kyon nodded, his blue amber eyes glittering with foresight. He was an alpha. He had been born and raised as an omega , but a rare genetic marker made his omega feathers equally potent. The chemical agents were not to turn him into an omega , but to amplify and stabilize his dominant omega's side, ensuring his pheromones nature to absolute submission, a necessity for seizing the throne. The Jade Heart was merely a powerful focus for that chemical stabilization.
Kyon had also anticipated that his enemies, particularly his own brothers. Cassian, would eventually learn about his "chemical secret" through Arion. Kyon had already subtly planted false information. half-truths about the instability of his omega's nature. to make them believe he was vulnerable to the removal of the Jade Heart.
Kyon leaned back, a master chess player watching his opponents walk into a trap of their own design. "So, Arion has joined Cassian, and he's brought the boy. Excellent. Let them believe they have a weapon. Let them think I am a vulnerable omega disguised by an amulet."
Kyon signaled his guards. "Send a detachment to Prince Lorcan's delegation. Secure the prince discreetly. He has seen too much. And prepare a dossier on the Dragon-Slayer's son. We will not deny the boy. We will use him."
Kyon knew his vulnerability was a brilliant lie. He would play to it, letting Cassian launch a full-scale attack based on a fundamental miscalculation.