The Advisor’s Warning

The garden air felt almost too fresh after days trapped in those chambers. Guards flanked me on both sides as I walked the gravel path between blooming nightshade and blood roses. Vesperian had finally allowed this short outing, but only with escorts and strict orders to stay within sight of the palace windows.

I kept my steps slow, trying to enjoy the brief freedom. My body still ached from this morning’s session, but the draining magic left me feeling stronger than I should. The faint glow had faded again, hidden under my skin.

A tall figure stepped out from behind a tall hedge ahead. The guards tensed but didn’t stop him.

“Lord Caelum,” one of them acknowledged with a stiff nod.

Caelum was striking, sharp silver hair tied back, piercing blue eyes, and the kind of quiet authority that made even the guards uneasy. He moved like someone who had stood at Vesperian’s side for centuries. Rumors said he’d been more than an advisor once.

“Leave us,” Caelum told the guards, voice smooth but firm. “I’ll take responsibility. The king won’t mind.”

They hesitated but eventually retreated a short distance, still watching. Caelum fell into step beside me, hands clasped behind his back.

“You’re braver than the others,” he said without preamble. “Most male Omegas I’ve seen dragged in here were broken within days. You’re still standing. Still fighting.”

I glanced sideways at him. “You here to threaten me too? Or just curious how long I’ll last before he discards me?”

Caelum stopped near a stone bench and gestured for me to sit. I stayed standing. He sighed.

“I’m here to warn you, Eli. You’re killing him.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. I froze, blood turning to ice. He knew. Somehow he’d figured out the draining magic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play innocent.” His voice dropped lower. “I’ve known Vesperian for over a hundred years. I see the small changes. He tires faster. His reflexes are fractionally slower in training. The Unbreakable Sovereign doesn’t just weaken. Not unless something is actively draining him. And the only new variable in his life is you.”

I backed up a step, panic clawing up my throat. “If you know, then why haven’t you told him? He’d execute me on the spot.”

Caelum’s eyes softened, just a fraction. “Because I’m not sure it’s intentional. And because… I love him.” The words came out raw, like they cost him something. “I’ve loved that stubborn bastard for a century. Watched him turn into this cold king who executes threats before they breathe. He stopped seeing people years ago. Until you.”

I stared at him, stunned. “You… and him?”

“Once. Long ago. Before the crown swallowed him whole.” Caelum looked away, jaw tight. “Now he looks at you the way he used to look at the world. Alive. Possessive. Almost human again. It should make me hate you. You’re a threat to everything we built. A walking prophecy that could destroy him.”

My hands trembled. I clenched them into fists. “Then why are you telling me this instead of dragging me to the executioner?”

“Because I can see it in your eyes too.” He stepped closer, voice urgent. “You care. Or you’re starting to. The way you look at him when you think no one’s watching. If any part of what happens in that bed is real for you, find a way to stop it. Sever whatever connection is draining him before there’s nothing left. Before you kill the only man we both…” He cut himself off, breathing hard.

I swallowed thickly. “You’re asking me to save him? After everything he’s done to my kind? To me?”

“I’m asking you to choose,” Caelum said. “If you truly care about him even a fraction of what that bond is forcing on both of you, help me break this curse. Before it’s too late for all of us.”

He turned and walked away without waiting for an answer, leaving me standing there with my pulse roaring in my ears.

~~~~

That night, when Vesperian came to me, I was still raw from the conversation.

He entered without knocking, already shedding his tunic. His eyes burned with that familiar hunger as he saw me waiting on the bed in nothing but thin silk.

“Come here,” he ordered, voice rough.

I went to him. My body moved before my mind could argue, pulled by the bond. He kissed me hard, claiming my mouth like he owned every sound I made. Soon I was on my back, legs wrapped around his waist as he thrust deep inside me.

“Alpha…” I gasped, nails digging into his shoulders.

He fucked me with that relentless intensity, hips snapping forward, knot already starting to swell. Pleasure crashed through me in waves. The draining magic stirred, greedy as always.

I tried to stop it. I really did.

For one desperate moment, I reached for that internal flow and tried to close it off. Tried to push his power back instead of taking it.

But then he hit that perfect spot inside me and I cried out, the bond flaring hot between us. His strength poured into me anyway, sweet and powerful. My body clenched around him, pulling more, drinking him down while he groaned above me.

“Fuck, Eli… you feel incredible,” he growled, teeth grazing my neck.

The pleasure drowned everything else. The hatred, the warning, my weak attempt at resistance. I gave in completely, letting the draining magic run wild as his knot locked us together and he filled me again.

I clung to him through the orgasm, torn between guilt and dark satisfaction, between Caelum’s words and the devastating need to keep him close.

As we stayed locked, panting in the aftermath, I buried my face against his chest and wondered how much longer I could pretend I wasn’t falling.