[ZAFFUTO]
"But he kneels only for the one he chose. The one he loves… His beloved. His future. His husband. His consort. The one he will rule Kawai with. Not you. Never you," Zaffuto said, adding the last bit with a cruel tone of finality.
One that had Gabe flinching at the words the king had used.
This was pure cruelty.
This was not what Gabe wished for himself or even his worst enemy. He had hoped to get Tamiko back. To apologize. To use the battle against Kosta and show Tamiko that he didn't need an omega by his side.
But now he wasn't sure anymore. He didn't have anything left save for his broken father. He had no one, and it hurt. It hurt to hear the king cement the choice Tamiko had made.
This was not just for show.
Gabe had seen it earlier in the way the king, Kosta, and Tamiko had interacted. He had seen the way the mad king had accepted Kosta as his son's beloved, and it tore right through Gabe's heart like poison.
