The following morning, the palace was unusually quiet, the kind of silence that lingered after storms, or prhaps the one before a new storm.
Ren arrived at the council chamber early, the great doors stood open, the long oval table gleaming with polish, chairs carved with the royal crest of dragons and laurel vines as servants arranged scrolls and ledgers.
Kael was already there. Seated at the head, his expression unreadable as he seemed carved from discipline itself.
Ren bowed low. "Greetings Your Majesty."
"Rise," Kael said, his voice a steady calm. "You will assist me with the mining petitions."
Ren blinked once. "The same mines from the east?"
Kael's mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile. "You've been listening. Good. Let's see if your ears are as sharp as your tongue."
Ren hid a smile behind lowered lashes. "As you wish."
Across the room, Theo watched the exchange with arms crossed, his expression tight.
***************************
Hours passed with documents spread across the table, they were production records, trade tariffs, merchant complaints.
Ren traced a fingertip down one scroll. "This report says ore yields increased by twelve percent, yet tax records show a decline in export revenue." he said handling over the scroll to Keal.
Kael's gaze flicked to him. "You notice quickly."
Ren looked up with a polite tilt of his head. "The numbers don't lie, Your Majesty. People do."
Theo's hand tightened against the edge of the table. "Accusing nobles without evidence is reckless," he said.
Ren turned his gaze to him, calm and unfazed. "I said people, Lord Theo, you were the one who thought of nobles."
Kael's quiet chuckle broke the tension, sharp as breaking ice. "You're bold this morning."
"Only curious, Your Majesty," Ren said softly.
Kael leaned back in his chair, studying him. "Then let's test that curiosity. Draft a summary of these records by tomorrow's dawn. Include your own conclusions, I will like to see how deep your insight truly runs."
Ren bowed slightly. "It would be an honor." He could still feel Theo's eyes on him the entire time, like a blade pressed between his shoulder blades.
************************
Later, as Ren left the council room, soft murmurs followed him down the marble corridor.
"An omega, working in state matters?"
"His Majesty has gone mad."
"He'll ruin everything, mark my words."
Ren pretended not to hear, but the whispers clung like smoke.
As he turned the corner, a familiar voice broke through them. "They'll talk no matter what you do," Lian said, leaning lazily against a column. He had slipped into the palace that morning as a visiting Beta envoy, Ren had arranged it himself.
Ren's relief was subtle but real. "You got my letter, then."
Lian held up a folded document. "And brought you something better."
He passed it over. Inside was a coded note, records from the merchants' guild. The missing shipments Ren mentioned were real.
"You were right," Lian said quietly. "Someone's bleeding the treasury dry."
Ren's eyes glinted. "Perfect. Then I'll let them hang themselves with their own greed."
Lian frowned. "Ren…"
"I know what you're going to say." Ren smiled faintly at Lian
"Then say it for me."
Ren's smile faltered. "You think I'm playing too close to fire."
Lian stepped closer. "You're standing inside the flame, Ren. Just because Kael looks your way doesn't mean he'll protect you forever."
Ren's tone turned soft. "Maybe I don't need protection."
Lian sighed, knowing it was useless to argue. "You're impossible."
"I learned from the best," Ren teased gently.
Lian's lips twitched, but the worry in his eyes didn't fade.
*************************
That night, Ren delivered the summarized report to Kael's private study. The room was dim except for the faint glow of the hearth.
Kael took the papers, scanning them silently. His brow furrowed once, then smoothed.
"You cross boundaries like it's breathing," he said at last.
Ren tilted his head. "Should I apologize?" he asked.
Kael looked up, gaze heavy with something unreadable. "No. You should keep doing it."
That startled Ren, not in one bit expecting it.
Kael rose from his chair, approaching slowly. "The others act out of pride or fear. You act out of… should I say understanding and that's rare."
Ren met his eyes. "Don't you think that understanding can be dangerous too, Your Majesty."
Kael's mouth curved faintly. "So can loyalty."
They stood close enough for Ren to feel the faint heat of the King's presence, the air between them thrumming with unspoken tension.
"Tell me, Ren," Kael said softly. "What is it you want from this court?"
Ren smiled faintly, his answer neither lie nor truth. "To learn how the crown thinks."
Kael's gaze lingered a second too long before he turned away. "Then watch carefully. But remember, even the crown watches back."
Outside the study doors, Theo stood hidden in shadow, having heard enough, he clenched his jaw, his thoughts a storm.
Ren was more dangerous than he had feared, not because he sought power, but because Kael saw himself in him.
Theo whispered under his breath, "I won't let him break you, my King."
Behind him, New (omega) his fiance waited in silence, eyes downcast. He had been waiting for Theo for hours, but Theo brushed past him without a word, lost in his own battle.
This has been a repeated occurrence for them.
New watched him go, something cold and small tightening in his chest.
Late at night, Ren sat by his window, moonlight washing his pale hair silver. The city below shimmered faintly through the mist.
He set Lian's coded report aside, then reached for fresh parchment.
His hand hovered for a moment before he wrote:
"Every power has its shadow.
If I must walk in his, then I'll make sure I know where it leads."
He sealed the note, eyes distant.
Outside, the palace clock struck midnight.
Inside, Ren smiled, soft, dangerous and certain, that the web was only just beginning to take shape.