"Fascinating," Isla purrs, pressing against him shamelessly, her vanilla-amber scent deliberately enticing. "I've always been drawn to Alpha power. There's something so...primal about it."
I resist the urge to bare my teeth at her. Could she be any more obvious? This Beta woman might as well climb into his lap and be done with it.
We enter the observatory, and I am momentarily distracted by its grandeur despite my possessive fury. The domed ceiling is crafted of crystal panels that appear black until Malakai waves his hand. Shadow magic pulses through the structure, and suddenly the panels become transparent, revealing a perfect view of the twilight sky above.
"It's beautiful," I admit before I can stop myself.
Malakai's gaze shifts to me, something unreadable flickering across his features. I notice his hand drifts to touch one of the intricate star charts etched into the wall, his fingers tracing patterns as if from memory. His unexpected surge of...pride bleeds into me. As if my appreciation pleases him in some way I cannot comprehend. But beneath it, there is something else—a sudden ache, sharp and unexpected.
"The first time I saw it, I had the same reaction," he says, his voice softer than I have ever heard it, though his eyes have grown distant, his scent shifting to something like old grief.
Isla clears her throat, clearly displeased by this moment between bonded mates. "What are those markings?" she asks, pointing to intricate runes engraved into the floor.
As Malakai begins to explain, I notice a shift in his demeanor. The playful antagonism from earlier—his deliberate attempts to provoke my jealousy—has disappeared, replaced by something more distracted, more withdrawn. He keeps glancing at the star charts, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. I sense conflict rather than the smug satisfaction I expected—and underneath it all, an old pain that feels bone-deep.
What has changed? One moment he was practically goading me into a territorial display, the next he has pulled away emotionally, his thoughts hidden behind walls I cannot penetrate.
Isla does not notice the difference. She continues to smile up at him, her hand permanently attached to his arm, her body angled to emphasize her curves in ways that make me want to throw her from the observatory's highest point.
I spent two days in heat with him. Two days of nothing but his knot, his scent, his touch. Two days of him caring for me, feeding me, holding me through the fever. And now this Beta thinks she can just touch him? Press against him? My Omega snarls with possessive fury. Mine. He's mine. I survived my first heat with him. He belongs to me now, whether I want to admit it or not.
"The alignment occurring next month is particularly rare," Malakai is saying, though his attention seems divided. "It happens only once every century."
"Perhaps I should extend my stay to witness it," Isla suggests, her implication clear. "I've always wanted to experience shadow magic at its fullest expression. With the right...guide."
Something silver flickers in my peripheral vision, and I nearly choke on my own breath. Ivy is here, hovering near one of the massive telescopes, her fae form partially materialized. She waves cheerfully at me, as if her presence in a room with Malakai and a neutral territory diplomat isn't the height of recklessness.
I widen my eyes frantically, trying to signal her to leave. If Isla sees her, if she reports fairy presence in the Shadow Court—it could create a political nightmare. Fairies are expressly forbidden in Shadow territories because of their unpredictable magical effects on Alpha-Omega bonds.
Ivy just grins wider and points at Isla, making an exaggerated gagging motion. Then she begins to mimic Isla's fawning behavior, clutching an invisible arm and batting her eyelashes with such ridiculous exaggeration that I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
"I just remembered," I blurt out, perhaps too loudly, "there are matters I must attend to. Household duties that can't wait."
Malakai turns to me, his brow furrowing. "Now? We're in the middle of a tour."
"You're clearly capable of continuing without me," I reply, unable to keep the edge from my voice. "I'm sure Lady Isla won't mind having your undivided attention."
His eyes narrow, displeasure flickering, and for a moment, I think he might refuse to let me leave. Something flickers. I sense reluctance, confusion, and beneath it all, something that feels almost like longing. But then his expression smooths out, his familiar sardonic smile returning.
"Of course. Don't let us keep you from your...duties."
The dismissal stings more than it should. I expected him to argue, to command me to stay, to assert his claim on me in front of Isla. Instead, he's letting me go without a fight, as if having his mated Omega present means nothing.
"Until dinner, then," I say stiffly, inclining my head in a formal bow that feels ridiculous after everything we've shared—after his bite marked my throat permanently, after his knot locked us together, after drinking my blood.
"I look forward to it," he replies, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes, and our mating bond pulses with that strange, distant ache.
I turn to leave, fury bubbling in my chest. After making such a show of possessiveness, after deliberately provoking my jealousy all morning, he dismisses me without a second thought? And now he'll be alone with Isla, who will no doubt redouble her seduction efforts the moment I'm gone.
As I exit the observatory, I catch a glimpse of Isla pressing against Malakai's side, her lips curved in triumph.
I step into the corridor, my mating mark throbbing. Ivy materializes beside me, her fae form shimmering with urgency rather than her usual playful demeanor.
My body still aches from the heat—a pleasant soreness that reminds me of every time he knotted me over the past two days. Part of me wants to be furious at how eagerly I surrendered, how I begged him for more even when I was exhausted. But the mating mark pulses with contentment, my Omega satisfied in ways I didn't know were possible.
And now he's dismissed me to entertain another woman.
Ivy materializes beside me, her fae form shimmering with urgency rather than her usual playful demeanor.
