The Voice

"Whatever you say, Theo," Oliver murmured, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. "But if your 'acting up' hormones start making you track the General's scent down the palace halls, don't say I didn't warn you."

"That's not going to happen," I said, though my stomach gave a nervous twitch at his words.

Oliver slid off the bed, stretching his arms over his head. "Well, I should probably get out of here before your father's guards actually do a sweep. Just... keep your balcony locked. And try not to think about big, scary generals."

"Get out," I muttered, shoving a pillow in his direction.

He laughed, dodging the pillow easily, and hurried toward the balcony. With a final, teasing wave, he slipped through the glass doors and disappeared into the night.

The silence of my room rushed back in.

I lay back down, staring up at the dark canopy of my bed. My mind immediately drifted back to the hallway outside—the way Evander had stood there in his perfect dress uniform, the look of genuine gratitude in his eyes before I'd ruined it with my insults.

Within a few days, everything should go back to normal, I repeated to myself like a mantra.

I closed my eyes, but the second the darkness took over, my brain didn't show me a vanilla-scented Omega. It showed me the dark shadow of the General, his scent wrapping around me, locking me down, and making me completely his.

I groaned out loud, rolling over to face the wall.

It was going to be a long fucking week.

****

The grand ballroom of the palace was blindingly bright, filled with the annoying chatter of the nobility, clinking champagne glasses, and classical music that was giving me a massive headache.

Everyone was dressed elegantly, dripping in jewels and fine silks, trying to impress my father.

From the raised dais at the front of the room, King Madina and Queen Eleanor watched the crowd. My mother sat with her usual grace, though her eyes kept nervously darting in my direction, probably waiting for me to do something that would trigger my father again.

The King, on the other hand, sat like an immovable statue of ice. He didn't look at me once, completely ignoring my existence as he raised a golden chalice to his lips.

My nose twitched, I'd be a better king.

I smoothed down the front of my tailored blue dress jacket, gripping my drink tightly.

Tonight was the night. I was absolutely determined to finally find an Omega, get them back to my quarters, and fix whatever the fuck was wrong with my body.

As I scanned the crowd, my eyes hit a wall of pure muscle. Evander. He was standing near the grand pillars, looking infuriatingly handsome in his crisp white military dress uniform.

He caught my eye, his jaw tightening, and then he looked away, completely ignoring me. I did the exact same, lifting my chin and turning my back to him.

"Wow, if glares could kill, the General would be a pile of ash," Oliver murmured, appearing at my side. He was wearing a soft lilac tunic that made his messy curls pop, sipping on something sparkling.

"I don't care about him," I muttered, taking a long sip of my drink. "I'm focusing on finding a distraction tonight."

"Right. A distraction," Oliver teased, scanning the room with me.

Much to my annoyance, my eyes darted back across the ballroom entirely against my will.

A petite Omega in a ridiculous, over-the-top feathery pink gown had just walked up to Evander.

The Omega laughed at something, his hand reaching out to rest intimately on Evander’s broad shoulder.

A vicious snarl ripped from my throat before I could even think.

The sound was so raw and angry it startled me. I clapped my hand over my mouth, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Oliver gasped, his head snapping toward me, his eyes wide with shock. "Theo... did you just—"

I didn't even answer him. Because across the room, Evander didn't push the Omega away. He reciprocated the gesture, slowly sliding his arm around the Omega’s waist to pull him closer.

Pure fury blinded me, I had no idea where the emotion was coming from but before I could process what I was doing, my legs were moving. I found myself walking directly toward them, my strides angry and fast.

"Theo! Wait, what are you doing? Stop!" Oliver hissed, running after me and grabbing at my sleeve, but I ripped my arm away, completely ignoring him.

Evander saw me storming toward him. I watched his posture stiffen, his shoulders squaring as he braced himself for whatever insult was about to fly out of my mouth.

But I didn't even look at him.

I stopped right in front of the pink-feathered Omega, glaring down at him with so much venom the poor guy actually took a step back.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" I barked, my voice cutting through the nearby chatter. "Did you raid a swamp bird's nest before coming here? You look absolutely ridiculous. This is a royal palace, not a cheap comedy holoshow. Get your tacky, feather-dusted self out of my sight before I have the guards throw you out for assaulting my eyes."

Behind me, I heard Oliver let out a sharp exhale. “Stars, that was harsh.”

The Omega’s lower lip trembled. His eyes filled with tears, his face turning bright red from the humiliation.

He let out a choked sob, turned on his heel, and fled into the crowd, leaving a trail of pink feathers behind him. A wave of dark satisfaction washed over me.

"What is wrong with you?" Evander snarled, his voice vibrating with anger as he stepped into my space, clearly about to give me a piece of his mind.

I didn't let him speak. I reached out, grabbed the front of his pristine white uniform, and started dragging him toward a secluded corner behind the velvet curtains.

"Theodore, let go of me! Stop this right now," Evander commanded, trying to pull away, but I gripped him tighter, my mind completely consumed by a territorial panic. I wouldn't listen. I kept dragging him.

"I said, Stop."

The word hit me like a physical blow. Evander had used the 'Voice'— a commanding Alpha frequency that was meant to force submission.

I froze instantly. My muscles locked up, my hands dropping from his uniform as my body paused, completely paralyzed, like I was being controlled by an invisible force.

Dead silence fell between us.

Both of our eyes widened in shock.

Evander stared at me, his breath catching as the realization settled in. His Alpha voice had just worked on me.

That was impossible. I was a dominant, royal Alpha. Another Alpha's voice should have just made me fight back, not freeze like a helpless captive.

“Did you just…did that just.. The voice just worked on you?”