The humiliating duel was the talk of the court. The whispers followed Arion everywhere. The "Black Tiger of the North," a true alpha renowned for his ferocity, bested by the delicate, omega Prince Kyon. The sheer audacity of the challenge, the shocking display of skill—it made no sense to anyone but Arion. He was a man adrift in a sea of his own confusion, his pride shattered, his body betraying him with every surge of heat from his marks.
He was a warrior, a leader. He was not a submissive. But the truth of his marks burned, a constant, physical reminder of the man who had claimed him. He couldn't deny it any longer. The arrogant smirk, the cold dominance in Kyon's eyes—it was the truth he'd been looking for.
That evening, Arion sought out Kyon. He found him in a private library, a book held in his slender hands, the picture of serene elegance. The scent of white tea was a maddening lie. Arion's stomach mark pulsed with a deep throb, a silent thrum of acknowledgment that he was in the presence of his Alpha.
Kyon didn't look up from his book. "To what do I owe this pleasure, my lord? Have you come for another sparring lesson?"
Arion gritted his teeth. "I know."
Kyon finally looked up, his expression unreadable. "Know what?"
"You're not an omega," Arion said, his voice low and tight. "You're an alpha. And you marked me."
Kyon closed his book, setting it aside. He didn't deny it. "I'm not a monster, Arion. It was an accident. My suppressants failed, and you were… there."
"An accident?" Arion scoffed, his anger flaring. "You marked me. You took my rank. The mark on my belly—do you even know what that means? It means I can reproduce."
Kyon stood, walking slowly toward Arion. "I know exactly what it means. It means you are a rarity. A true alpha with the ability to carry a child. A powerful alpha, a bottom, just like me—a top."
Arion flinched at the word. The reality was a bitter pill to swallow. "And now what?" he demanded, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper. "The whole court believes you're an omega. And I, the Black Tiger, am walking around with your claim. I'm tied to a man who lives a lie."
Kyon reached out, his hand hovering over Arion's neck. "You're tied to me," he corrected, his voice no longer cold, but laced with a possessive heat that made Arion's breath catch. "And I am tied to you. We are fated mates, a secret between us. A secret we must protect."
He lowered his hand and stepped back. "I have a proposition for you, Arion." He returned to his usual calm, calculating tone. "Marry me. A political marriage, as the King expects, but with a different purpose. I will give you my name, my protection, and my dominance. In return, you will be my loyal partner, my consort, and together, we will live our lives in this charade. No one will ever know the truth. And my mark on you will be justified as a show of my rank. A Prince who is a top and a Lord who is his bottom. It's a new kind of power and dominance that this kingdom has never seen before."
Arion stared at him, his mind reeling. Marriage to Kyon? To the man who had humbled him, the man who held his deepest secret, the man who was his mate? It was a cold, pragmatic deal, a political alliance cloaked in a brutal truth. But as he looked into Kyon's eyes, he saw not just arrogance, but a raw, unyielding loneliness. And for the first time, he considered a future where he wasn't just a powerful warrior, but a partner. An omega to an Alpha's claim.