8. Uncovering secret blossoms in the dawn

8. Uncovering secret blossoms in the dawn

True to his brazen declaration, he spent two full days doing nothing but take Aeroc in bed — every hour that wasn't given to sleep or bare survival. The first day Aeroc endured it with a prim, defiant composure; by the second he was sobbing openly; and by the third he was weeping from sheer exhaustion, surrendering body and — at last — heart, entirely to Kloff's will.

Only after he'd drunk his fill of the sugar-water wrung from those sapphire eyes, only after he'd filled the man's body to brimming with his seed, was Kloff satisfied.

Afterward, Aeroc couldn't even close his legs without groaning. Lifting the spent body into his arms and carrying it to the bath to wash him personally — that was Kloff's prerogative. Martha or no, he would not tolerate another person's hands on that skin. If another alpha ever tried, Kloff's third murder would almost certainly take place under his own roof.

Under the pretense of bathing him, he'd thoroughly had his way with the exhausted man in the tub. When they emerged, a knock sounded from outside the door. Since the breakup, their perpetually foul-tempered master had done nothing but bury himself in work, looking for all the world like he'd grow old and die a bachelor — so now that he'd finally brought someone home and was clearly taken with them, Martha was beside herself with delight. She'd left fresh sheets, towels, a bathrobe, and a tray of light refreshments and drinks outside the door, then disappeared. Kloff brought it all inside, set the tray on the table, and toweled off Aeroc, who sat utterly drained in the room's armchair. He made quick work of the sheets, too.

He laid Aeroc — wrapped in an oversized towel — on the freshly made bed. Clothing, of course, was not on offer. When Kloff climbed onto the bed after him, Aeroc's eyes found his with a trace of fear.

"Again?"

"Why — do you want to?"

Aeroc blanched and gave a tiny shake of his head, watching him warily. For someone who'd been so frightened of taking a man that he'd actually tried to flee when first pushed onto this bed, Aeroc was remarkably adept at receiving one. Which had only made Kloff angrier, driving him harder. On top of the fury already simmering inside him, the fact that he'd been held rather than doing the holding had made it worse.

But the ambiguous scent had been thoroughly overwritten with his own by now, and he was calmer for it. Besides, even Kloff's body had reached its limit. If he wanted to erase the omega scent from Aeroc's body completely — to drench him so thoroughly in his own that anyone could see at a glance who this man belonged to — he'd need patience, and time. Kloff stacked cushions and pillows to lean against and asked, with studied nonchalance:

"Why the hell did you go to a place like that?"

Aeroc looked momentarily puzzled, then seemed to understand. His answer came in a ravaged voice.

"I needed something."

"Not to get roughed up?"

"I mean it. I needed something, so I went."

"What?"

No matter how Kloff pressed, Aeroc refused to say. His anger had subsided considerably, and he already had Aeroc in hand — he could afford to let a trifle slide.

Thoroughly wrung out from days of dealing with Kloff, Aeroc ate the light snack he was given and promptly fell asleep again. He'd barely been allowed to sleep, either, so he'd likely be out cold for half a day at least. In the meantime, Kloff held him close, kissing forehead and lips without cease. When he brushed back a fine strand of hair from under Aeroc's slightly shadowed eyes, an eerie sense of déjà vu pricked at his chest.

Looking at him stirred something — ancient, almost, like a memory from very long ago trying to surface. The nightmares he'd been having so frequently were far too vivid to dismiss as mere dreams, leaving an unsettling aftertaste. The saving grace was that neither the nightmares nor the déjà vu lasted. No amount of brooding ever brought the memories into focus, and what little surfaced seemed unpleasant enough that he quickly scrubbed it from his mind.

He held Aeroc for a long time, kissing him until his lips were raw, and when at last the man sank into true, deep sleep, Kloff slipped out of bed. He could let a trifle slide — as long as it didn't concern Aeroc. He dressed in the clean clothes Martha had brought and went downstairs. She was in the middle of gathering laundry.

"Martha."

"Oh, you've finally emerged."

Her voice was distinctly giddier than usual. She set the laundry basket on the floor and slid him a sly look.

"How was it? Good?"

"Mar… tha."

"If you went two whole days without eating, that's a heat we're talking about. Should I expect to be busy next year? Do we need to renegotiate my salary now?"

Her assumptions were leaping miles ahead. Kloff shook his head quickly.

"He's an al——"

The word died on his tongue under the weight of Martha's hopeful stare. She was an ordinary middle-aged omega — warm-hearted and generous in her way, but inevitably conservative as well. He worried that hearing he'd slept with an alpha would shock her. When he faltered, Martha nodded as though she understood perfectly.

"Of course. Pregnancy before marriage would be a lot of pressure. But you've spent a heat together — so when are you going to propose? I've always said, I do love a person with blond hair and blue eyes. Can you imagine the baby? An absolute angel. Our own children are lovely, don't get me wrong, but every housekeeper's dream is a little cherub of a young master. I was a bit disappointed that my employer turned out to be a dark-haired alpha, but if the lady of the house is a blond beauty, there's still hope."

Martha waved her hand through the air as though painting a vision, lost in a rapturous monologue. Kloff watched her and swallowed hard. The memory of how bleak the household had been after he'd announced the broken engagement was still fresh. Considering that, disturbing the formidable housekeeper mid-dream was not a wise course of action. But Kloff had his own urgencies.

"Martha, sorry to shatter the dream, but could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"The Ae—— the guest clothes I lent out. Could you bring them?"

"Already sending them off? The clothes haven't even been laundered, and we haven't offered a proper meal."

"It's not that. I need to check something."

Martha promptly retrieved Aeroc's clothes from the laundry basket. Shirt, trousers. The undamaged waistcoat and jacket, she said, had only needed dusting and a fresh press and were hanging up. He went through every seam and pocket by hand. Nothing unusual.

"Ah — the cloak?"

"That's in the inner garden. I couldn't wash it, so I just beat the dust out and hung it to dry."

He searched the cloak she brought from the courtyard inch by inch. In a concealed inner pocket near the top, his fingers found something. Rustling. He drew it out: several folded papers. He sat at the table and opened one. Inside were small white pills.

He remembered that one of the dead men had sold Aeroc some kind of drug. Given the hour, the location, and the caliber of people involved, there weren't many options for what someone would buy alone in a place like that. The sort of thing men like that sold was either narcotics or aphrodisiacs. Drugs? Or aphrodisiacs? Either way, he was equally furious and worried. Kloff folded his arms and glared at the pills with a dire expression. Martha, who'd come to look over his shoulder, said flatly:

"Those are omega heat suppressants."

"What?"

"Heat suppressants. Small, white, with an 'Ω' mark — that's definitely what they are."

The unexpected pronouncement left Kloff staring at Martha blankly. Omega heat suppressants — he'd never even conceived of such a thing existing, let alone that Martha would recognize them.

"Something like that exists?"

"Of course. They're illegal, but omegas who do rough work on the streets take them to avoid unwanted pregnancies."

Martha spoke as though it were nothing remarkable, folding up the spread-out cloak and loading the extracted laundry back into the basket.

"How do you know about them?"

"At my age? Getting pregnant? I can't work like that. But I can't exactly go cold on my husband, either. They circulate quietly among working omegas. Sometimes even fine ladies procure them. Contraception's better than a miscarriage, after all. Is your partner a working omega? Or do they just have particularly severe heats?"

Kloff's mind went blank. Far from a working omega — Aeroc was a freeloading alpha aristocrat.

While Martha did the laundry, Kloff sat in the parlor and stared grimly at the pills. Count Aeroc Teiwind was unmistakably an alpha. Everyone believed it.

But if he were an omega. No — impossible. He couldn't have fooled that many people. Granted, he was small for an alpha, with a refinement of line that was unusual, but that was easily explained by a pampered aristocratic upbringing. And his body scent — it wasn't merely transferred; it genuinely emanated an alpha's signature.

But Kloff couldn't help doubting everything he thought he knew. The reasoning was simple. What kind of imbecile alpha knotted inside another alpha? Once he started thinking along those lines, the suspicious details multiplied beyond counting. Had he really been an omega living as an alpha all along, or had he somehow changed into one at some point?

Impossible. He's an alpha. He's just experienced — slept around with alphas, as is fashionable, and his body adapted. That's all. Surely. The knotting was probably just pent-up frustration finding an outlet.

That was what he tried to tell himself. But if, by some one-in-a-million chance, Aeroc really was an omega——

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

Kloff covered both eyes with one hand. Aeroc's tears were sweet. He'd confirmed it before, and over the past two days he'd tasted them again and again — there was no room for mistake. A sweetness so intense it nearly numbed the tongue. Recalling it, Kloff let out a heavy sigh. Then he rose from his seat.

On his bed lay the source of months of torment, sleeping peacefully — a sight that was hard to credit even while looking at it. Kloff sat on the edge of the mattress and shifted slightly. Aeroc remained in deep sleep. He swept aside the faintly luminous blond hair and traced the border between gold and pearl-white skin with a fingertip.

At last he understood why Aeroc had always gotten under his skin. Why the mere sight of the man had made him irritable, why the frustration had only grown. Of course. If Aeroc wasn't beside him, wasn't his — then of course he'd done all those deranged things, of course the mental pressure had mounted until he was vomiting blood.

Idiot. You pathetic fool. And you call yourself an alpha.

Kloff reproached himself bitterly. And then he took the hand of this duplicitous, wicked, thoroughly infuriating person whom he could never hate, who only made deeper affection surge through him — and pressed his lips to the back of it.

He stood guard like a knight attending his slumbering sovereign until the nobleman deigned to wake. It was late afternoon again when the blond beauty finally stirred, hair slightly disheveled from going unsmoothed, pushing himself upright and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Then, belatedly registering the ache in his lower body, he grimaced — and, spotting Kloff sitting nearby with a smile, launched the first volley of reproach.

"Brainless deviant. Insatiable animal."

The hoarse-voiced abuse was so endearing it made him laugh. Something about that seemed to astonish Aeroc; he stared wide-eyed, blinking, then abruptly pressed his lips shut and looked away. Even so, he kept stealing furtive glances. It was unbearably adorable — Kloff pulled him down and pinned him.

"No…… no more……"

He gathered up the frantically resisting Aeroc, sheets and all, and kissed him. No matter how many times he tasted those lips, there would never be anything sweeter or softer. Not merely yielding but resilient, pliant — he'd be addicted before long. Aeroc's feeble resistance gave way the moment the kiss deepened in earnest; soon he was just panting, gripping Kloff's shoulder. The sensation of fingers curling slightly into his shirtfront felt impossibly good.

He sucked until the feeling left his tongue, then lapped the saliva that trailed from the corner of Aeroc's mouth and nibbled at the plump, swollen lips. A kiss to the cheek, and then the belated answer:

"I'm not going to."

"……"

Aeroc covered his lips with one hand and stared in open disbelief. He seemed flustered, perhaps slightly aroused. More than anything, the flush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears suggested he was embarrassed. Kloff rose from the bed to avoid interfering with the sheet being pulled up, intending to step out and bring back a snack. He turned and opened the door — and behind him, Aeroc called his name.

"What? Need something?"

"……No."

On the vast bed, draped in nothing but a sheet, backlit — Aeroc looked terribly fragile. He wasn't actually frail, nor was he the sort of wispy figure that might blow away in a breeze, yet in that moment he looked as though he'd shatter. Kloff's heart dropped like a stone. He hurried out, shut the door, and went downstairs while fighting to steady his hammering pulse.

Quick on the uptake as always, Martha thrust a tray into his hands the moment he appeared. He carried it back to the room: fresh-baked cookies, sandwiches, apple juice, and a tea set. In the brief time Aeroc had been left alone, whatever thoughts had crossed his mind had left his eyes slightly damp — but when Kloff walked in bearing the tray, his face lit up like a child who'd received his birthday and every holiday at once.

"That hungry?"

He set the tray on the bed and teased him lightly. Aeroc stared at him without blinking, then his face crumpled.

"Being hungry is the thing I hate most in this world."

Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, which startled Kloff. Born into a count's household, never having gone hungry a day in his life — and here he was, devastated over two days of irregular meals. It was both absurd and endearing.

"I'm sorry. Here."

He handed over a sandwich filled with cheese and vegetables. Aeroc took it in one hand and immediately grabbed a second piece with the other. Then, without so much as a glance at Kloff, he ate with desperate urgency — barely chewing before swallowing, reaching for another.

"That one's mine, actually……"

Aeroc looked up, mouth stuffed full of sandwich, and pleaded with his eyes. He looked ready to burst into tears if denied, so Kloff said, "Eat it all," and Aeroc went right back to devouring it. Come to think of it, he'd rarely seen Aeroc eat. They'd attended the same dinner, but Aeroc hadn't acted like a starving man then. Over the past two days Kloff had fed him the occasional snack, but still. From now on, I'll make sure he eats properly.

Having demolished all four enormous sandwich quarters and still unsatisfied, Aeroc licked his fingers one by one, then glanced at Kloff before eyeing the large cookies with naked longing.

"They're not raisins. Dried blueberries."

The words had barely left his mouth before Aeroc started on the cookies. Midway through, he choked — pounding his own chest — so Kloff offered the apple juice. Aeroc drank it down in long gulps, and finally, somewhat sated, he exhaled a deep sigh and began — as though nothing had happened — elegantly breaking the remaining cookie into small pieces and placing them in his mouth.

"Why are you staring like that? Never seen a person eat before?"

"No. Just."

Kloff poured himself a cup of tea, now perfectly cooled, and resolved to give Aeroc an unlimited food budget going forward. Aeroc, just finishing the apple juice, spotted the tea in Kloff's hand and frowned.

"Where's my cup?"

"Starting today, no tea for you."

The flat refusal made Aeroc raise his head and glare.

"I thought ignoring your messages was sufficiently punished over the last two days."

His lips trembled faintly as he spoke — less from anger than from something still unsettled. Kloff brushed a cookie crumb from the corner of his mouth, offhand.

"It's more that caffeine isn't good for the baby."

Apple juice sprayed everywhere. Aeroc fumbled the glass, and while he scrambled to mop up the juice with his hands, Kloff got up, blotted the bed with a nearby bathrobe, cleared the tray to the table before it could spread further, and stripped the sheet. Through all of it Aeroc stammered in violent agitation.

"How…… how could…… that's impossible…… I took the pills……"

Kloff rolled up the juice-soaked bathrobe and lobbed it toward the door, then turned around. The sapphire eyes were shaking — far more severely than before. Badly rattled as he was, Aeroc didn't look away; he stared Kloff down. Kloff found that piercing gaze so delightful it made him smile.

"So you really are an omega."

"……What?"

Without another word, Kloff walked to the bed and sat. He let himself grin with open confidence. The realization of having fallen into a trap dawned belatedly on Aeroc's face, and his expression shifted from bewilderment to despair. Kloff climbed onto the bed and looked down, deeply gratified, at Aeroc wrapped in the sheet and watching him with fear. Then he toppled the body that had gone as white as the linen.

"How did you……"

"If you can't figure it out in this situation, you're an idiot. I feel like a fool for not catching on sooner — not a great look for a top-of-the-class graduate."

He kissed the pale cheek, then rested his head on the chest still covered in mottled marks and held Aeroc from above. Pinned under the heavy body, Aeroc clutched uselessly at the sheet he couldn't pull free and gasped. After a long silence, a voice barely audible:

"My…… my stomach is being crushed……"

The worry saturating those words made Kloff burst out laughing. His shoulders shook with it, and Aeroc's face went through every shade of red and purple before he shouted, "Y-you have to be careful in the early stages!"

Kloff raised his head and looked at him. That wasn't a joke. He meant it.

"I was just testing you. If you took the pills, you can't be pregnant. It also…… felt a little different."

The moment he admitted it was a bluff, Aeroc's jaw dropped. He asked if Kloff was serious, then asked again, and again — until Kloff stated bluntly that it hadn't felt like a vaginal insertion, at which point Aeroc clamped his mouth shut and trembled, hands white-knuckled on the sheet. Instead of the relief Kloff expected, what surfaced alongside the fury at being tricked was unmistakable disappointment. He felt both sorry and profoundly happy.

"You want my child that badly? I can arrange that, if you like."

Aeroc couldn't close his mouth. He flushed scarlet. When Kloff saw tears welling, he smiled softly.

"Don't laugh! Shut up! Get off me! Go away! You brainless, vulgar, cruel, wretched scound——"

He let it run that far. Aeroc went on muttering after that, but the moment Kloff drew his tongue into his mouth, the words died into faint, threadbare breathing. The hands that had been smacking his shoulder with some real force went still, then fingers curled inward, wrinkling the pressed shirt beyond rescue.

On the third day, he finally returned Aeroc's clothes. Freshly laundered and mended by Martha, the garments went on piece by piece until Aeroc picked up the cloak last, felt for the inner pocket — and turned to look at Kloff standing beside him.

"Give them back."

"Give what back?"

He played dumb. Aeroc said nothing for a long time. The pills had already been disposed of. Now that Kloff knew Aeroc was truly an omega, he couldn't permit him to take anything of the sort. And if suppressants were ever needed in the future, he would be the one taking them, not Aeroc. When it became clear nothing would be forthcoming, Aeroc looked away.

"I'll just buy more."

Kloff nearly choked.

"After what happened to you, you'd go back there? If you hadn't run into me, you'd have been raped."

He couldn't contain his agitation, snapping the words out — and the calm reply came back:

"I know."

"You know. A sheltered aristocrat who doesn't know the first thing about the real world."

The absurdity of it drove him to sarcasm. Aeroc's gaze went dry.

"I know very well."

"How could you — born the legitimate heir of a count's house, surrounded by luxury your entire life, waited on hand and foot — possibly——"

"I've been through it."

At first the quiet answer didn't register. Been through what? While he groped for meaning, the ripple widened, gaining force, until it became a vortex that swallowed Kloff whole. The shock was too immense for any response; he stood frozen. Aeroc smiled a tired smile.

Something snapped inside his skull. Violent rage toward whoever had touched him — and, simultaneously, crushing self-contempt: you call yourself an alpha and you couldn't protect your own omega. He should have held the wounded man close, but what clawed its way out was something bitter and twisted.

"If you're going to pass yourself off as an alpha when you're really an omega, don't be surprised when that sort of thing happens."

No retort. Just that sorrowful smile. It only stoked his fury. He seized Aeroc's arm and all but barked:

"From now on, if you set foot outside this house without my permission, there will be consequences. Or else——"

"Or else what? You'll lock me up?"

Aeroc winced — the grip was hurting — and tried to wrench free. Afraid he'd dislocate the arm, Kloff released it but instantly caught him around the waist, pulling their lower bodies flush. Aeroc twisted against it, but this time there was no chance of being let go. Kloff bent his head, tongue tracing the nape, face nuzzling the shell of Aeroc's ear — and then, in a voice gone quiet and silky with fury, he whispered:

"I'll strip you naked, shackle your ankles to the bedposts, and every time your heat comes I'll fuck you until you can't close your legs. No chance to even think about pills — I'll drive you to the edge again and again until you're screaming. I'll saturate your scent with mine so thoroughly that anyone who comes near will know you're my omega. And after that, you'll carry my child. You'll bear them until the heats stop — as many as it takes."

Horror flooded the gaze that met his. Aeroc looked at Kloff with eyes brimming with wounded sorrow.

"What — you think I can't?"

No answer came. Aeroc buried his face against Kloff's shoulder, his trembling hands hovering — unable to bring themselves to hold on to the man who was restraining him, wavering again and again. He was plainly in agony; his chest heaved, his breath hitching and stopping before, at last, a long, surrendering sigh. Then, quietly, a small voice of defiance.

"I'm an alpha."

Kloff was growing tired of nonsense. He stared down with a coldness that matched his mounting rage.

"You know and I know that you're not."

"Count Aeroc Teiwind is an alpha. If anyone finds out about the pregnancy, it will cause enormous problems."

"We'll deal with that when it comes."

"I'm——"

He was done listening to protests and excuses. He caught the back of Aeroc's neck, turning the face to meet his own. Up close, the blue eyes wavered.

"If you're about to tell me you don't want me, or that you refuse to bear my children — don't bother. You don't get a choice."

To the coercion Aeroc said nothing, pressing his lips tightly shut. Kloff pulled the head against his chest and buried Aeroc's face in the crook of his neck. He breathed in the complex, mingled scent drifting through the soft blond hair. When he'd believed the sweetness was another omega's trace, it had aroused him physically but had never pleased him. Now that he knew the sweetness was Aeroc's own — now that two days of relentless intimacy had braided their scents together — the pleasure was beyond measure. He felt full without having eaten a thing.

After a moment, Aeroc went limp in his arms and asked:

"How many do I have to bear this time?"

Something about the question was strange. When Kloff echoed — "This time?" — the body in his arms flinched violently. In that instant he came very close to wrapping his hands around Aeroc's throat.

"Do you already have a child with someone else?"

The question came out like a blizzard pouring from his throat. Aeroc shook his head immediately.

"A slip of the tongue. Just…… a mistake."

Kloff stared down, trying to determine whether it was a lie. This omega was a masterful liar; caution was warranted. Aeroc was slightly rattled, but neither his eyes nor his expression betrayed deception. For now, Kloff chose to believe him.

"Don't make careless slips in the future. You nearly caused a double homicide just now — one adult and, presumably, one minor."

He slid a hand under the nape and pulled the ashen face close, pressing their lips together. A light kiss, and then:

"So — how many are you confident you can bear?"

Whether from nerves or terror or because the kiss had pleased him, Aeroc exhaled a slightly breathless sigh between warm lips.

"Six, perhaps?"

Every scrap of the fury that had been blazing hot enough to consume him guttered out in a single breath.

He was so stunned he drew back, studying the guileless-looking omega who had just played him like a fiddle. The fact that Aeroc appeared to mean it only made it more terrifying. Even accounting for the warning that there would be no rest from pregnancy, Kloff had been thinking three at most — and the man said six. He'd spend his entire prime having children. Kloff couldn't even summon the anger.

"I didn't realize you liked children that much."

He offered this perfectly reasonable observation, and Aeroc looked faintly startled, held his gaze for a beat, then turned his eyes down with clear displeasure. From that angle, his lips barely grazed Kloff's collarbone.

"That's my business."

The stubbornness over something so unnecessary convinced Kloff that this omega really needed to learn what it meant to fling himself — naked and drenched in heat-scent — at an alpha who was already brimming with unspent desire, and perhaps then he'd stop saying such dangerous things.

"Well, if you're that confident, I suppose I should do my part."

The hand that had been gripping above the waist slid lower, cupping the firm curve of his backside and slipping inside the back of his trousers. Fingers dove without hesitation into the cleft. When his middle finger rubbed the still-plump, swollen rim, Aeroc drew a sharp breath and rose on his toes.

"What are you—— ah……"

The first knuckle breached the slightly slick entrance and Aeroc's expression turned anguished, head tipping back. His parted lips and chin trembled finely. The hand braced flat against Kloff's broad chest curled inward. A crease formed between his brows, and the drawn-together tips of his eyebrows gave tiny spasms.

But soon Aeroc was biting down hard, the sounds shifting from pleasure to pain. It was tempting, but pushing further would clearly be too much. With no small reluctance, Kloff settled for kneading the resilient flesh and mouthing at the nape. Aeroc let out a quiet sigh of relief and obediently tilted his head, offering the predator his throat — a sacrificial gesture, tendered before the beast could bite.

"When is your next heat?"

"Two months, perhaps."

"Two months will be tight. We'll have to stand before the officiant as three, not two."

He sucked at the thin, translucent skin where neck met jaw, leaving a mark. Aeroc's waist seemed to lose a little more of its strength; Kloff gripped it firmly in place.

"What do you mean?"

He seemed not to understand. Kloff decided to exercise a degree of kindness. He was his omega now — he wanted to treat him gently.

"Even starting preparations today, a wedding within two months is nearly impossible given everything involved. But your first heat back, you will conceive. Which means there'll be three of us signing the marriage certificate."

The body in his arms went completely slack. Kloff held on tight to keep Aeroc from collapsing. Taking advantage of the absence of resistance, he nuzzled against the man's cheek. If only they could meld into one body. Then again — if they did, he wouldn't be able to have sex. That would be a problem.

"I'm legally classified as an alpha, so marriage is impossible."

Kloff snorted at this — the response Aeroc had apparently been laboring to produce.

"Between the two of us, I'm the legal expert. Leave those worries to me and just do as I say."

He tilted the chin up for another kiss, but Aeroc wrenched his head away, scowling.

"If I'd known this was the sort of man you are……"

"You'd have done what, exactly?"

Aeroc glared at the empty air, then redirected the glare at Kloff.

"Were you this overbearing with Rapiel, too?"

"I can't fathom why you keep bringing Rapiel up. Do I need to commit another murder?"

At the word murder, Aeroc shook his head quickly.

"Don't ask pointless questions. I don't enjoy my spouse taking an excessive interest in other people."

He said it calmly but with unmistakable force. Aeroc offered no further argument, only a nod. He pressed his face into the strong neck and slowly, slowly moved his arms to encircle the solid waist. The motion was so faint it barely registered — at first Kloff assumed he was simply too weak to hold on. But soon a wet sound reached his ear. The shoulder of his shirt, where Aeroc's eyes rested, was soaking through.

He lifted the chin. Crying, as expected. Nothing had been done to hurt him; nothing should have wounded him — yet the sight of Aeroc weeping so piteously made the vise around Kloff's chest tighten all over again. Everything this man did was catastrophic for cardiac health, and yet that damned alpha instinct overrode everything else: Kloff lapped the tears away and soothed him. He rubbed the hiccupping back in gentle strokes and left a tender kiss in the tousled gold.

"Why are you crying? Does something hurt?"

"I'm not sure. It doesn't hurt, exactly."

"You don't look the type, but you're certainly free with the tears."

He hadn't really meant it as teasing, but it displeased Aeroc all the same — he glared up at Kloff through swimming eyes, deeply reproachful.

"This is all your fault."

The accusation carried real force, but delivered through a trembling, tear-soaked voice it only sounded endearing.

"Crying suits you well enough, so it's no hardship for me — but you might want to restrain yourself in front of the children later. If an alpha son picks up the habit from watching his mother, that's a problem."

"Mother?"

Even mid-sob, Aeroc echoed the word in apparent shock. A lifetime of living as an alpha had left him astonished by the smallest things — a sign that the road ahead would be anything but smooth. Still, Kloff couldn't help laughing at the sight of this teary, snotty man mouthing the word mother over and over like a baby learning to speak. He touched his forehead to the clean, smooth brow.

"Does it feel strange to be called that?"

"……I'm the mother?"

Kloff exercised patience and explained kindly, even in the face of this absurdity. Losing his temper would only rupture something.

"You're the one giving birth, so yes — you're the mother. I'm the father, obviously. No exceptions. Children tend to learn by watching their mother, so I'm telling you to be careful."

"……There's no way the children would learn from watching me……"

"If they don't learn from the mother who raises them, who are they supposed to learn from? Surely you're not suggesting I raise them alone?"

The genuine alarm behind the gentle-but-firm interrogation produced a blank, teary-eyed gasp of wonder. Tears continued to stream from reddened eyes, and Kloff clicked his tongue and soothed his omega with kisses beyond counting.

If he was being honest, he didn't even like the idea of Aeroc leaving the room. But he couldn't very well keep the man kidnapped forever, so for now they would return to the mansion. When Aeroc came downstairs dressed and ready to go, Martha looked faintly disappointed.

"Leaving so soon? I was in the middle of preparing dinner."

"Perhaps another time, if the opportunity arises."

Aeroc answered Martha before Kloff could say a word, offering her a courteous nod. Such a rare gesture toward a servant — Martha's face lit up, and she beamed as she saw them off. As Aeroc climbed into the carriage, she called out, "Please do come again — I'll make you my special salmon!" and waved. Aeroc returned an awkward nod.

"Wasn't she in the Westport household's service?"

"Martha? Martha's worked for me from the start. Before that she was a housewife with a big family. Why?"

"No reason."

"She has absolutely no connection to the Westports, so stop worrying about every little thing."

The repeated mentions of the former fiancé were grating; he grumbled, and Aeroc gave another of those thin smiles and nodded.

The carriage was faster than he would have liked. It cleared the outskirts in no time, cut through the residential quarter, and soon entered the district of grand estates. When the familiar scenery came into view, Aeroc glanced out the window and spoke abruptly.

"Nobody knows."

"Knows what?"

"That I'm an omega."

Kloff, who had been watching the same scenery from across the seat, turned his gaze to Aeroc.

"Not even the butler?"

"I've never told him directly, so I believe he doesn't know."

Setting aside the petty satisfaction of knowing a secret that even Aeroc's near-surrogate-father didn't share, it was hard to fathom how a man that close could have missed it. Kloff wanted to hide the smile — he brought a fist to his mouth, cleared his throat, and crossed his legs.

"I don't see how he could possibly not know. He's your closest attendant. Or was, at any rate."

"It hasn't been long since the change, and I've made every effort to keep it from him."

"Wait — 'hasn't been long since the change'? What do you mean?"

He frowned, and Aeroc gave another of those helpless smiles. Not so much hiding something as searching for the words — and Kloff waited. By the time the carriage reached the Teiwind estate's entrance and they were waiting for the great iron gate to swing open, Aeroc finally spoke.

"I was originally an alpha. The change to omega is recent — that's why the butler doesn't know."

"Is that even plausible? An alpha becoming an omega?"

No matter how delighted he was that Aeroc was an omega — no matter how relieved to know that his attraction had been instinct, not madness — believing someone had changed from alpha to omega was another matter. But Aeroc's expression was entirely serious, without a trace of humor. If anything, it was Kloff who received the reproachful look for questioning it.

"I've told you before — this is all your doing."

"I haven't done a thing to cause that."

"That's absurd. My body started changing after I met you…… before, too…… now as well — you did this to me."

The accusation struck like a curse flung at a demon, icy gaze and all — but what filled Kloff's mind in that instant was wondering what on earth he had done to deserve such rapturous news. Whether Aeroc had originally been an alpha and changed, or had been an omega all along — it didn't matter. What mattered was that Aeroc was telling him his body had transformed as if by magic, for him.

Kloff couldn't contain himself. He caught Aeroc's arm and pulled, drawing him onto his lap. When Aeroc protested — what are you doing — Kloff kissed him.

One hand captured the hand pushing at his shoulder; the other cradled the nape. Aeroc resisted at first, but the moment their lips met and the kiss turned genuinely molten, he stopped fighting. He liked kissing. When Kloff breathed warm against Aeroc's skin and let his lips skim cheek and jaw in slow, caressing strokes, Aeroc always wound his arms around the neck and leaned in. Now, perched on Kloff's lap, arms looped around his neck, foreheads touching, Aeroc breathed quietly — then left a soft baby kiss on his mouth. Kloff chased the lips that tasted sweet enough to be addictive, murmuring:

"Does it bother you — that you changed because of me?"

"……"

Aeroc said nothing. He looked confused. If the transformation from alpha to omega was real, the turmoil was understandable. Kloff was ecstatic, but he could imagine what Aeroc was going through.

If the situation were reversed — if Kloff had met Aeroc and changed into an omega — he'd almost certainly have gone half-mad. It would be an upheaval that upended an entire life, a devastating blow to one's sense of self. Nearly impossible to accept, and the last thing anyone would want discovered. That was why Aeroc had spent the past two months rejecting the alpha at his door, trawling the underworld for pills.

And yet Aeroc had not ultimately refused him during those two days. He had been unprepared, and it must have been agonizing — but in the end, he had accepted Kloff. That alone made Aeroc so unbearably dear that Kloff couldn't stand it. Even when the carriage stopped at the mansion's entrance, he couldn't let go. He pulled Aeroc close and buried his face in the man's chest.

"……Kloff."

"I am so happy. I want to give thanks to God."

The person who carried his scent alongside a sweet-and-bitter one of his own stiffened slightly. Whether or not any of this pleased Aeroc was immaterial now. He had already changed into an omega for Kloff, and two days of ceaseless intimacy had confirmed it beyond doubt. There was absolutely no intention of letting go. Kloff raised his head. He met the blue eyes looking down at him from within his arms, and stole the man's breath once more. Again, Aeroc did not refuse.

They were deep into the kiss when a knock rattled the carriage door. Aeroc flinched, broke the kiss, and peered outside. The interior was too dim for anyone to see in clearly, but the belated realization that they'd been kissing in an uncurtained carriage was enough — he scrambled out of Kloff's arms. Kloff tried to hold on, but the speed of the escape was astonishing. Before he could even register the emptiness, Aeroc had wiped his lips with the back of his hand and stepped down from the carriage.

The footman, who had been wearing a courteous smile, gaped at the sight of the count emerging from Kloff's carriage. A maid beside him darted into the house.

"Welcome back, my lord."

"Anything happen while I was away?"

"No, sir."

The brief exchange carried Aeroc toward the front door. Kloff followed, naturally. The footman eyed him with mild puzzlement but — a seasoned servant of the count's house — asked no unnecessary questions. Past the entrance and into the hall, the butler appeared from the far end at a somewhat hurried pace.

"Young master. You've returned. I was beginning to worry — we couldn't reach you."

"My apologies, Hugo. Something unexpected came up."

Hugo accepted the offered cloak with decorum — then spotted Kloff. The bow was impeccable, but the eyes behind the monocle glinted like drawn steel. The old fox had immediately connected something unexpected to Kloff and had evidently resolved, by some private standard, to hold him in severe condemnation. A formidable man, that butler — but things would need to change going forward.

"Did your errand go well, sir?"

"Mm — it's a bit involved. I'll tell you later. For now I'd like to rest."

"Shall I arrange dinner?"

"No. Sleep first."

The butler escorted Aeroc toward the bedroom, and Kloff followed without a word. Of course he did — an alpha's place after his omega had just come through a heat was at his side. Pregnancy was off the table thanks to the pills, but the instinct was impossible to override. Yet when they reached the bedroom door, Hugo turned and stared at him. Aeroc's gaze followed.

"How far do you intend to follow?"

The count's level question caught Kloff off guard.

"Obviously I'm going to——"

"I told you. Nobody knows."

"But——"

"Go home for today. I'll be in touch."

"That's out of the question!"

His vehement protest left Aeroc utterly unmoved. With a smile that was barely a smile, he gestured to the butler. Hugo summoned the footmen. Two strapping alphas approached and offered Kloff a polite smile along with an escort. Kloff tried to grab Aeroc's arm — but the butler slipped neatly between them.

"Please be on your way, sir. The count needs his rest."

"Aeroc!"

Aeroc was halfway through the open door. He glanced back.

"I'm not going to run. Go home and behave — you've got work to catch up on."

"I can't leave my om——"

He caught himself. It was one thing for the butler — practically a father — but there were footmen present, and Kloff had no desire to reveal Aeroc's omega status to them. The impulse was equal parts possessiveness and vigilance. While Kloff stood there unable to finish his sentence, Aeroc smirked, stepped inside, and the butler followed — the door shutting with a decisive click. And so the alpha, having lost his omega right before his eyes, was expelled from the mansion.

* * *

A week had passed. Kloff was shaking again — hands trembling under the crushing mental pressure. Documents, contracts, none of it registered. He'd swallowed his pride and gone to the mansion several times, but on each occasion the butler informed him that Aeroc was fatigued and resting. Hugo's courtesy, in particular, had grown colder and sharper than before. He always appeared with footmen in tow, and — regardless of what Aeroc actually wanted — made perfectly clear that Kloff would not be permitted to move freely within the estate.

"The count needs his rest. Please come back another time."

"Who rests for six days?"

"Persons of quality do, as a rule. Though I wouldn't expect you to know that, Viscount Bendyke."

The measured tone was laced with contempt. Kloff had long known the butler didn't care for him, but now the disapproval was unconcealed. What Hugo emphasized above all was Kloff's comparatively low social standing — an unspoken warning not to presume to put himself on equal footing with a count.

He considered simply telling the butler that Aeroc was an omega, but that wounded his pride in its own way. Given Hugo's attitude, the man probably wouldn't believe it — and even if he did, he would almost certainly treat Kloff as the count's glorified bed-warmer. An intolerable prospect.

"This is no different from before!"

He slammed a file down, and his secretary — placidly drafting a letter — glanced over, then looked away and returned to work. The man no longer so much as flinched at his employer's sudden eruptions.

Kloff seethed at the window, bracing one hand against the sill. He didn't think Aeroc would do anything reckless behind his back. Even Aeroc had a brain; after what had happened, surely he wouldn't wander into dangerous territory alone. And with the butler on high alert following the communication blackout, Hugo would certainly not let Aeroc go out unaccompanied. Yet the anxiety persisted, and the reason was obvious: Aeroc's words kept circling back.

I'll just buy more.

How Aeroc had even learned of a drug that Kloff — a man who considered himself reasonably worldly — hadn't known existed was a mystery. But Kloff understood all too well that Aeroc wanted it badly enough to risk the underworld alone. The unease was maddening. The thought of Aeroc in danger again was unbearable in itself, and on top of that, the sense that his omega was rejecting the idea of carrying his child stirred a low, creeping anger. Though he hadn't heard it directly, the butler's wall of refusals felt like Aeroc's answer by proxy.

"I'm going to lose my mind."

If Aeroc had been an ordinary omega, there would've been no need for this kind of agonizing. But his partner happened to be a high-ranking aristocrat known to the world as an alpha, and Kloff was not in a position to bend him to his will. He'd never resented his station this much before. Now it was different. If he'd at least been the firstborn and inherited the title, he wouldn't have been pushed aside so easily. Why does he have to be a count? He brooded over how to get that maddening omega firmly in hand. His secretary interrupted.

"Viscount Bendyke — regarding the advisory post that the Finance Minister offered, I'm drafting the refusal as you instructed. Could you check the phrasing on this section?"

"Wait. That — bring it back."

"The reply, or the original letter?"

"Both."

The secretary handed over two letters. The Finance Minister had recently proposed, in writing, an advisory role concerning the national fund's investments. The position carried no concrete authority, a pittance for a salary, and crushing responsibility — a "service to the nation" in the purest, most thankless sense. Kloff had intended to refuse. Even without it, his private clientele among the nobility generated ample income, and the post was nothing more than an honorific.

But now things were different. He needed power — any kind — if he was going to bring the count to heel. Kloff drafted a gracious acceptance in his own hand and ordered the secretary to dispatch it to the ministry. He watched from the window as the man left the building.

"If status isn't enough, I'll supplement it with authority."

He had every confidence. He resolved to parlay the national fund into a position at the economic core of government, earn an honorary title elevation, and then — openly and officially — claim Aeroc Teiwind as his spouse.

As he laid plans and set them methodically in motion, the roiling fury and anxiety subsided. Not gone — merely driven underground, where it coiled like magma. But outwardly, at least, he was functional again.

Viscount Derbyshire, who had noticed the erratic behavior but kept his counsel, chose this moment to meddle once more. When Kloff visited for a routine report, the viscount directed him not to the study but to the drawing room. Spotting the tea service already laid out, Kloff knew he was in for a lengthy conversation. Suppressing a sigh, he took a seat. Sure enough, the moment Derbyshire's young butler poured the tea and withdrew, the viscount leaned in with an insinuating tone.

"Now, I have an acquaintance with a niece who's just come of age——"

"I appreciate the thought, sir, but I must decline."

"Without even hearing me out?"

"I will not be marrying an omega. Not now, not in the future."

Derbyshire frowned and set down his cup.

"Don't you think it's time to put the Westport business behind you?"

"I have. After considerable reflection, I've concluded that I'm simply not suited to a conventional domestic life. I say this with genuine gratitude for your concern, but I have no intention of settling down with anyone."

"Tch — one broken engagement and he acts as if the world's ended."

"It has nothing to do with the engagement, I assure you."

Kloff offered a sincere smile, but Derbyshire looked unconvinced. He pressed no further, however, and the conversation turned to investments. When Kloff mentioned his interest in a government post, the viscount listened, then declared that a man ought to have grand ambitions beyond mere wealth, and voiced his encouragement. It turned out he was well acquainted with the current Finance Minister — and offered to write a letter of recommendation on the spot. Kloff expressed his gratitude with genuine pleasure.

"Just don't pretend you don't know me once you've climbed the ladder."

"I would never dream of it, sir."

"Ah, if only you were my own son. A son-in-law would do — but my wife had to go and give me nothing but two alphas."

Derbyshire groused, but his two sons — one a soldier, one a scholar — were men of considerable reputation. Kloff demurred politely. Derbyshire moved from grumbling about sons who were too busy to visit to outright boasting about them. This, too, was an extension of business, so Kloff listened with patience until the tea went cold.

Patience, as always, was rewarded. The viscount, impressed by Kloff's forbearance, wrote the recommendation immediately and sent it by courier. Armed with it, Kloff met the Finance Minister for a substantive discussion and secured not a token service role but a position of genuine consequence: autonomous management of a portion of the national fund — specifically, international investments. It was the launchpad of a career, the kind of opportunity a man from the provinces with nothing to his name could rarely seize in a single stroke.

Pondering how to repay the viscount, Kloff returned to his office and threw himself into work. He'd be busier than ever going forward; minor matters needed to be sorted and delegated. It was late evening, the secretary long since gone, when another visitor arrived. Kloff dragged himself away from the desk and found, standing at the door, the butler of the Teiwind household. Hugo.

"Good evening, Viscount Bendyke."

"……Not particularly."

Even in the face of this frosty greeting, Hugo's expression didn't waver. "May I come in?" Kloff wanted to shut the door in his face — the same courtesy Hugo had extended to him — but the childish gesture might cost him Aeroc permanently. He stepped aside.

The butler surveyed the office in a single sweep and, finding it not to his liking, ran a gloved finger along a bookshelf. Kloff was about to protest that there was no dust — but Martha hadn't visited in some time, and the white fingertip came away gray. Hugo flicked his glove clean and turned.

"Most…… unsanitary. To think the young master came to a place like this."

"A little dust never killed anyone."

"Not killed, perhaps, but consumption seems a distinct possibility."

"Then leave."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

The frigid command didn't faze Hugo in the slightest. He wandered about, making pointed observations — unsanitary, filthy — until Kloff, barely containing his fury, snapped: "Why are you here?" Hugo replied, "You don't know to offer a guest tea? No — never mind. Drinking anything in this place would give one not just consumption but gastritis," and proceeded to fish out a handkerchief and press it over his nose and mouth.

The old man came here to pick a fight. Kloff clenched his fists until they shook, then jammed them into his pockets. Doing anything to the butler would ensure Aeroc's permanent hostility.

"Stop wasting time and state your business."

"Impatient. Violent. Discourteous."

"……Did you come to start a fight?"

Hugo paid this no mind and continued.

"Setting aside a station that leaves much to be desired, I cannot fathom why persons of discernment call someone who squanders his fortune on a brawl a promising young man — but if that is what they say, I shall take their word for it. What I find unconscionable is this: my young master, a man of exalted birth, refinement, and universal esteem — what could he possibly lack that he has taken a liking to, not an omega, but an alpha? And has gone so far as to explain the rather intimate nature of this relationship to his elderly butler."

Kloff had been plotting ways to physically silence the man — but the final words landed, and he blinked.

"……Aeroc did?"

"Last night. The young master informed me that he has, to put it indelicately, been intimate with Viscount Bendyke."

Hugo's hands trembled with barely suppressed rage; he could hardly finish the sentence. His glare could have incinerated Kloff on the spot. But Kloff was untouched. If Aeroc had told Hugo, it meant he'd accepted the relationship to some degree. Score evened against the butler, at least. The laughter threatening to erupt took considerable effort to restrain; he managed a cough instead.

"Ah — well. So it has."

"I trust, sir, that you did not somehow lead that innocent and gentle young man astray, that your influence did not cause his body to——"

"I'm as surprised as you are. I was equally blindsided by his secret. If anything, I'm the victim here."

"V-victim — the nerve——"

Hugo quivered with indignation, but Kloff had nothing more to say. It was the truth. He kept his mouth shut and his eyes roaming to avoid provoking an actual cardiac event in the old man.

After glaring at Kloff with a look of pure murder, Hugo at last opened his faintly trembling lips.

"I have confirmed through a physician — multiple times — that the change is irreversible."

"Funny. I'd been meaning to do the same — so thank you for saving me the trouble."

The bald-faced gratitude set Hugo's teeth audibly grinding, but he soon raised a hand to sweep back his hair. The gesture was startlingly similar to Aeroc's. The years-silvered hair combed neatly back, Hugo took a small, steadying breath and returned to his usual composed neutrality. Truly, master and servant were cut from the same cloth. Kloff's brow furrowed.

"The count has a duty, as an alpha, to preserve his house and continue the line. Attending to that duty is mine. If he had been an omega from the start, matters would be different — but a sudden change at this stage would only invite public ridicule. It also raises questions of succession. The late count was an only child, but he had siblings and several cousins, which means the possibility of a protracted and unpleasant legal dispute. That is the last thing I want."

In the flush of delight over Aeroc's omega status, none of this had occurred to Kloff. He'd been thinking only in terms of heats, pregnancy, children. But to a butler who had devoted his life to an aristocratic house, the question of succession loomed far larger. As a man of the law, Kloff could not dismiss the concern. He leaned against the desk, arms folded, and waited for Hugo to finish.

"I wish for this matter to be laid to rest."

He'd been wondering when that would come.

"I don't."

Kloff had absolutely no intention of pretending none of this had happened. Whatever the butler did, however Aeroc might be persuaded to refuse — the thought of surrender didn't enter the picture. He rose, aggressive, and glared. Hugo merely sniffed.

"I expected as much."

Unintimidated, Hugo regarded him with the poise of decades. The aged eyes were still searingly bright.

"Neither do I wish the young master, still in his prime, to live out his days alone and lonely. Nor do I desire this matter to become public knowledge. That leaves only one option — one that is, I assure you, profoundly distasteful to me, but if providence has ordained it, so be it."

Kloff watched him warily, unsure where this was heading.

"Were he an omega from the beginning, I might have reconciled myself sooner — but as things stand, you are entirely unsuited to the house of Teiwind, and I am confident you will remain so. However, the young master has spoken, and I am left without alternatives."

"What exactly did Aeroc say?"

"Come to the mansion tomorrow morning. I will clear my schedule."

The invitation to come to the mansion was welcome news, but Kloff couldn't understand why Hugo would need to clear his own schedule for it. Before he could work it out, the butler gave him a look of withering pity.

"I had thought the raw material was not entirely hopeless, but I may need to reconsider whether I can shape it into something presentable. That will be all for tonight. Good evening."

With that, the butler swept out of the office. Kloff stood there, baffled. He had the distinct impression that a major declaration of war had just been issued — but couldn't pin down exactly what kind. He'd find out when he went to the mansion tomorrow. But something deeply foreboding had settled over him, and long after Hugo departed, involuntary shivers kept crawling up his spine.