"What are you all doing here?"
Adriel's voice cut through the hum of the gala as he entered with Roen at his side. Heads turned instantly. Even in a room filled with alphas and betas of influence, his presence was magnetic, impossible to ignore. The air seemed to sharpen around him, his natural authority making curious guests pause mid-conversation.
"You finally showed up," Laylah exclaimed, her eyes blazing. "Look at you—so polished, so handsome—while your mate is left here greeting strangers. What in the world are you thinking, Adriel? And making him Claude's secretary of all things? Have you completely lost your mind?"
"Laylah—" Eren murmured, gently tugging at her sleeve, trying to steady her. His scent wavered in the air—uneasy, submissive, touched with fatigue.
Adriel didn't flinch. His expression remained composed, as if he had anticipated this storm the moment Laylah discovered Claude was back. Beneath that calm, though, his pheromones pressed faintly outward—sharp, possessive—warning the onlookers not to push further.
"No, don't stop me," Laylah snapped, shaking her head. "This man needs to hear—"
"I already know."
Adriel's interruption was quiet, but it carried a weight that made several guests shift uncomfortably.
"Then if you know," Laylah shot back, "why in the world would you allow—"
"I asked for it."
Eren's voice cut across hers, soft but steady. Laylah froze, her head whipping toward him in disbelief.
"What?"
"I was the one who insisted on being Claude's secretary," Eren explained. His hands clenched against his sides, his scent trembling faintly with strain. "Adriel was against it. But I pushed for it anyway."
Laylah's lips parted, her fury stumbling into shock.
"And you let him?" she demanded of Adriel, her tone low and sharp.
He merely shrugged, face unreadable—but the air was thick with the restrained press of his alpha pheromones, a silent wall between Eren and the rest of the room.
"Unbelievable." Laylah turned back to Eren, her voice biting, her frustration barely contained.
"I'm fine," Eren said quickly, the words practiced, defensive. His tone was calm, but his eyes betrayed the flicker of unease. "The work isn't heavy. It's manageable."
The hum of the gala dimmed as Laylah's voice rose, sharp enough to cut through the chatter.
"Not heavy?" she repeated, staring at Eren in disbelief. "He's treating you like a servant—and you're fine with that?"
Her glare snapped to Adriel, who stood beside Roen with a face carved in composure. "And you—how can you stand there and allow it?"
Adriel's jaw ticked, though his tone stayed even, commanding. "I opposed this arrangement as well. But it's what Eren wanted, so I respected his decision." His gaze narrowed. "And tell me, Laylah—why are you the one so angry about it?"
The air prickled. A faint shift of pheromones rippled from him—authority pressing down like invisible weight. Still, Laylah refused to back down.
"Of course I'm angry!" she shot back, voice trembling with protective fury. "Eren is like a younger brother to me. He's carrying your child, and compared to Claude, he's the better omega, the better mate. But you—" her finger jabbed at Adriel, "—you don't even know how to take care of him!"
The words landed like a strike. A hush fell over the nearby guests, eyes darting toward the confrontation. Eren's forced smile faltered, his throat tightening as if every whisper in the hall was aimed at him.
"I know how to take care of my mate," Adriel said evenly, but there was an edge of warning beneath the calm. The low thrumming of his alpha pheromones seeped into the space, thickening the air. "That's why I let him do the things he wants."
"Hold on a second." Laylah snatched the guest list from Eren's hands and thrust it at Akira. Then she turned back and placed her palms firmly over Eren's ears. "Cover them. Both. You don't need to hear this."
Confused, Eren blinked, caught between humiliation and the faint sting of her protectiveness. His scent spiked faintly—hurt, sharp, vulnerable—and Adriel's nostrils flared as the urge to shield him warred with the restraint in his stance.
Satisfied, Laylah squared herself against Adriel. "You think I don't see it? You let Claude slither back into Ulrick Jewels as if he hadn't abandoned you, as if he hadn't left you to bleed. You're a married man now, Adriel. Did you really believe you could let your first omega back into your orbit without destroying what you have with Eren? What is he to you—just a placeholder? A duty? The omega fate tied to you while you still ache for someone else?"
The words hit hard. Gasps fluttered through the crowd.
Adriel didn't move at first. His expression was unreadable, but the sharp tang of his pheromones cut through the room, dominance coiling tight like a storm barely held at bay.
"You're spouting nonsense," he said at last, his voice a low growl, calm but laced with warning. "But if you think I'd ever let another omega come before what's mine, you don't know me at all."
Even the grand Winter Solstice cruise Adriel had planned—the one meant to mark his engagement—became the very night Claude left him three years ago. He had promised to raise his family name to global prominence, to stand at Claude 's side as Alpha once his vow was fulfilled. Adriel kept his end. Claude never returned to keep his.
Then came Eren. At first, bonding with him was little more than duty—an obligation once Eren carried his pup. But day by day, something shifted. The soft thrum of Eren's pheromones, the quiet strength behind his omega instincts, the unassuming warmth that bled into every room he entered—Adriel found himself drawn in until he was lost. And before long, he realized he wanted not only to protect Eren and their unborn child but to claim them fully, with every fiber of his being.
"Nonsense?" Laylah snapped, her voice sharp as claws. "Tell me, Adriel—which part of what I said isn't true?"
"I know you're worried," Adriel replied evenly. He stepped closer to Eren, gently lowering the omega's hands from his ears. His own scent flared instinctively, curling around Eren like a shield, firm and grounding. His gaze softened as he looked at him. "But don't. I won't do anything to hurt him. He is mine. My omega. My mate. And I will only ever have eyes for him."
The words were steady, low, carrying the unmistakable weight of an Alpha's vow. Eren felt his chest tighten, heat flushing beneath his skin as his body instinctively responded to the claim. His heart stuttered beneath the weight of Adriel's gaze, the faint spice of his Alpha scent thrumming with sincerity. For a breathless moment, the noise of the gala disappeared, leaving only that tether between them.
Laylah exhaled sharply, still bristling. "For your sake, Adriel, I hope you mean that. Because if you don't…" Her eyes flicked to Eren, then back to him. "…I'll be the one to take him away—and you'll never see him again."
Adriel's lips curved in a humorless chuckle, though his arm instinctively shifted closer to brush against Eren's. Akira only sighed, shaking his head.
"Akira," Adriel said dryly, "take your wife inside before she claws at Claude in front of the press. Tonight is supposed to be a gala, not a blood feud."
Akira chuckled, slipping an arm around Laylah's waist to draw her away. She resisted at first, still glaring, but eventually allowed herself to be led inside.
"Why are you still out here? The event's about to start," Adriel asked once they were left outside with Roen.
"I still need to welcome the guests," Eren said softly.
"I can take over. You should accompany the Alpha inside," Roen offered.
"No." Eren shook his head quickly. "If Claude sees me standing idle, he'll be furious. Don't worry—I'll go in before the program begins."
"Are you sure?" Adriel pressed, studying him closely.
"Of course." Eren smiled gently.
Adriel leaned in suddenly, his body heat flooding close, his Alpha pheromones brushing faintly against Eren's senses. The omega's breath caught, his pulse quickening as instinct screamed at him to lean in, to surrender to the tether that pulled them together.
"Careful with that smile," Adriel murmured, his voice low and rough, almost a growl. "You'll make me forget we're standing outside the function hall."
Eren flushed, caught between instinct and restraint, but the warmth of his smile only deepened. "Go on inside," he whispered, giving the Alpha a soft push toward the doors. "I'll be right behind you."
Turning to Roen, he added, "Please, go with him."
Roen gave a knowing nod, falling into step beside Adriel as they entered the hall. Eren lingered, pressing a trembling hand to his chest, trying to steady the flutter his Alpha's words—and his scent—had left racing inside him.