The next morning, I stood in front of the full-length mirror.
My trembling hands slowly peeled back the edge of my silk tunic.
There it was.
Burning a fierce, angry red into the flesh of my lower right ribs.
Two crisp, permanent letters. K.T.
My heart beat violently against my chest.
The pain from last night had finally dulled to a rhythmic throb. But the reality of it froze the blood in my veins.
The assassin who had pinned me to the wall...
The Omega who was ready to slit my throat during the raid...
Was my fated mate.
A rebel.
A sudden, sharp knock on the door made me flinch.
"Prince Mace," a butler's muffled voice called out. "His Majesty has summoned you to the royal study immediately."
"I-I'll be right there," I called back, my voice cracking.
Panic surged inside me.
I quickly threw on my layers of royal clothing, desperate to hide the mark before anyone could see it.
Even as my hands shook from the terror of the night before. I forced my feet to move down the stone corridors.
***
Standing before the massive doors of my father's office, a heavy dread settled over me.
I clenched my fists to stop the shaking. Took a shallow breath and knocked gently.
"Come in."
The voice was cold.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the grand office. Behind the dark wooden desk sat my father. The King.
The deep, rigid lines between his brows told me everything I needed to know.
He was furious.
"F-father?" I stammered, keeping my distance.
I didn't dare take another step forward.
My father took a slow sip from his wine glass, his sharp gaze drilling holes right through me.
"You were lucky to survive the night."
A chill washed over me.
'Lucky?'
Yes, I really was. Luckily alive, but my mind was a mess.
My mate was out there.
He was one of them.
I wanted to scream, to ask my father why the rebels hated us so much, why they wanted us dead, and what drove them to attack
But I didn't. Because asking this would reveal the truth. And to reveal the truth is to seek death.
Images flashed behind my eyes: the cold weight of the dagger against my throat, and the strength of the rebel leader.
Instinctively, I reached up, my fingers brushing against the white bandages wrapped around my throat.
He had been so ready to kill me...
'What kind of Omega was he? How could an Omega be that terrifyingly strong?'
Father leaned back in his leather chair, his knuckles tapping a slow rhythm on the desk.
"You need to learn self-defense. You can't stay like this."
"I can't..." I whispered, looking down, fingers curling. "My body..."
"Your body is fine now." He cut my words off.
He pointed at me. "You've been fully healed for the last three years."
"But I still feel it, father. My body wasn't like yours or the other Alphas. Mine is weak-"
"You are an Alpha, Mace!" My father's voice boomed, his teeth gritting as he slammed his palm onto the desk.
"An Alpha is never weak."
I flinched. Remaining silent as he continued.
"You're a disgrace to this bloodline, crouching in fear like a damn bitch omega."
The humiliation sank deep into my bones, painful and rotting.l
He was right.
I was an Alpha.
Yet I was fragile, sickly, and utterly helpless.
A dark, intrusive thought whispered in my mind. 'You don't deserve to be an Alpha.'
"Who... who will teach me then?" I forced the words out, swallowing my pride.
"I have already arranged it," Father replied coldly.
"A Beta. He is the son of a legendary warrior from the neighboring province."
"Not only will he train your useless body in self-defense, but he will also tutor you on the politics and history of this kingdom. You will no longer remain ignorant."
I nodded numbly, staring at the floorboards.
I needed this. If I wanted to survive in this palace, I had to become strong.
"And... what about the rebels?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, terrified of the answer.
Father's eyes darkened with a savage light.
"We will drag them to the square and hang their heads on spears. There is no mercy for Omegas who forget their place as livestock."
A sudden fear struck my heart, so physical it made me gasp.
In my mind's eye, a horrific vision appeared.
I imagined him, the rebel leader.
I imagined his white veil torn away.
His cold gray eyes were lifeless.
Staring from atop a blood-stained spear in the castle courtyard.
"Control your pheromones!" My father suddenly barked, snapping me out of my nightmare.
Only then did I realize the air in the room had grown heavy. I was leaking.
But it wasn't a dominant, commanding scent from an alpha. It was sour, decaying, and reeked of absolute, unadulterated fear.
My father looked at me in disgust.
I choked back my scent, bowing tightly before fleeing the room.
The terror in my chest was blinding.
If the palace found my mate, they would kill him.
Which meant I had to get strong. I had to find him first. I can't let him die.
'Maybe I can convince him that we're not enemies?'
***
By midnight, the palace was dead silent.
Unable to sleep, I sneaked out of my room, wrapped in a dark cloak.
I had to see the outer walls. I had to find a way out, to look for him, to somehow make him see that we didn't have to be enemies.
We can just be mates.
But as I slipped down the eastern corridor, a movement in the shadows ahead made me freeze.
Two figures stood near the arched windows.
One was my father.
The other was a stranger. A man standing with his back to me.
Even from afar, his presence was undeniable.
His shoulders were incredibly broad, his posture straight and strong.
I pressed myself against a stone pillar, holding my breath as I listened to their quiet discussion.
My father was giving him strict instructions about my schedule.
Which means... This broad-shouldered stranger was the Beta my father hired to train me.
"I'll give you a year." I heard my father say, "You decide when he rests, you decide what to teach him first."
"I will do my best, your majesty."
After a few tense moments, the tutor offered a deep, respectful bow.
My father turned and walked away. His heavy footsteps faded into the western wing.
Left alone in the dim moonlight, I watched my supposed tutor begin to walk down the opposite hallway.
Curiosity gripped me, overriding my earlier goals.
Quietly and nervously, I began to tail him through the shadows.
When he passed beneath a flickering wall torch, my breath hitched.
I finally got to see his full face.
He was breathtakingly handsome.
Smooth, golden honey skin that caught the light. A sharp, narrowed golden eye.
He was tall, and beneath his light tunic, I could see the distinct, powerful build of muscles.
And he didn't move like a common servant; he moved with such confidence.
I decided that I wanted to follow him more. So I quietly quickened my steps.
But suddenly, in the middle of the empty hallway...
My tutor stopped dead in his tracks.
He didn't turn around. He just stood there, staring into the dark.
I tilted my head curiously.
"How long do you intend to follow me, my prince?" His voice echoed, smooth, calm, and entirely aware.
My eyes widened in panic. My heart leaped into my throat.
Instinct took over; I spun on my heel, tucking my cloak around myself, and tried to sprint back the way I came to escape.
"Running doesn't suit you," he commented.
His voice was closer now.
I paused mid-stride. My cheeks flushing a furious bright red.
Realizing I couldn't outrun him, I quickly whirled around, trying to pretend I was perfectly calm.
I clumsily put my feet together. Clapped my hands tightly in front of my chest and stared up at a random portrait on the wall.
Completely ignoring his gaze.
"Oh! What a... beautiful painting." I exclaimed, staring at a portrait of a plain white bird.
'What does this bird even mean?'
A subtle, amused sigh rippled through the quiet air.
"Your Highness, if you wish to play innocent, you might want to suppress your pheromones first. They are leaking entirely through the corridor.
My hands flew to my neck as my face turned hotter.
I had forgotten. In my panic, my sour, anxious scent had completely filled the hallway like a beacon.
Maybe that's why he noticed me...
But my inner Alpha didn't like it. 'You idiot! Stop filling the air like you're a dumb Omega!'
Defeated, I rubbed the back of my neck. Letting out an awkward, embarrassed grin.
I forced myself to step forward, clearing my throat to properly introduce myself to my new tutor.
"Right. Well... I am Prince Mace, and I just turned 20 last year. It's a pleasure to-"
I blinked.
The words died in my throat.
As the empty hallway stretched out before me. The cold air swaying my hair.
The golden honey-skinned Beta was gone.
There was no sound of footsteps, no creak of stone, no lingering scent.
He had vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.
After just calling me out for following him.
I stood alone in the dark. My hand still extended into the empty space.
A chilling thought slowly crept up my spine.
'What kind of normal Beta can move that fast?'
