CHAPTER THREE

TRIGGER WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SUGGESTED THEMES. 

The next morning, I woke up drenched in a cold sweat with my chest heaving against the mattress.

The remnants of the dream still clung to my skin like sticky velvet. I carefully peeked beneath the silk sheets, and my face instantly burned with heat.

My breath hitched in shame. My clothing was a mess, the fabric twisted tight around my thighs, damp and clinging, a clear sign of a restless night spent trapped in my fantasies.

Biting my lower lip, I stared up at the ceiling, while my heart thudded against my ribs. The memories of the night before were a blur of shadows, sharp edges, and a desperate, uninvited heat.

Arching my back slightly, I stretched my legs out across the bed, the friction of the sheets against my bare skin sent a sudden involuntary shiver straight up my body.

I couldn't help it. My hand trembled as it slid beneath the cover, tracing the line of my hip before slipping lower, seeking a desperate release from the ache the dream had left behind.

I closed my eyes, a soft, breathless gasp escaping me as my fingers moved, trying to chase away the touch of my dream.

I was now sweaty and flushed, my skin burning everywhere as my hands traveled, sliding up and down, I was caught between the lingering weakness that years of illness had left behind and this sudden, overwhelming surge of raw need.

Even now, I was already cured of the sickness that kept me in my tower. I still felt fragile, as if a strong wind might shatter me, yet there were these new feelings, the way my body burned with a fierce needs of its own.

My thoughts drifted entirely back to the encounter that had haunted me since the previous evening.

It was a memory I couldn't shake, the sensation of being pinned against a cold stone wall, the glint of a silver dagger pressed against my throat, and the gray piercing gaze of the Omega who had attacked the palace.

He was dangerous, a killer who had the power to end my life, yet he had chosen to spare me.

As a royal prince, I was used to a world of order and quiet rooms. My youth had been spent under the watchful eyes of doctors, separated from sweat of training and the realities of the kingdom.

So seeing someone so strong and capable, especially an Omega who could challenge the palace guards and paints the hallway red. It ignited a spark of intense curiosity inside me, something dark and shameful that I didn't know I was capable of feeling.

'But he hated my lineage...' A voice whispered inside my mind.

I breathed hard as I remembered the way he had looked at me with a desire to see my family fall.

The memory of that intensity made my heart race, a mix of fear and a strange, desperate longing to see him again.

My pace quickened beneath the sheets, my breath hitching in my throat until a sharp sudden wave of heat crashed over me, leaving me trembling and spent amidst my messy bed.

"Ah-nghh!" I bites my lowet lips to muffled the sound.

Panting and sweaty, I shut my eyes in disbelief. I can't believe, I touched myself with the image of my omega mate who wants to kill me.

'But he did not actually kill me...' My mind protested.

Suddenly, a sharp  rhythmic knock on the door shattered the silence of my room, making me bolt upright.

"My prince? His Majesty requested your presence in the study immediately," a Beta maid called out from the corridor.

I scrambled out of bed, my knees nearly buckling. I hurriedly dressed in my green formal royal garments, my hands shaking so badly I could barely secure the clasps, attempting to smooth my hair.

My nerves were on edge as I walked down the long, echoing hallway toward my father's office, the pheromones of my own sudden exertion clinging to me like a second skin.

When I reached the grand doors, I hesitated. I carefully peeked through the small gap, but the moment I looked inside, I froze.

My tutor was already looking straight at me.

I flinched, a shockwave of heat burning through my body, before quickly straightening my posture, trying to maintain a princely composure as I stepped inside.

I bowed deeply to the king. "Good morning, Father."

I secretly peek through my hair at my tutor.

He stood perfectly still beside the desk. He was broad-shouldered and he possessed an aura of disciplined calm. His sharp eyes showed absolutely coldness and seriousness as he tracked my movement, his nostrils flaring slightly the moment I drew near.

My father looked up briefly from his scrolls. "Mace, this is Kei. He is a master of the martial arts and strategy. From this moment on, he is responsible for your physical training and your education. You will follow his instructions as if they were my own."

"Yes, Father," I whispered, feeling the burning weight of my now officially tutor's gaze.

"Dismissed," the King commanded.

Kei offered a brief, respectful nod before turning to leave. I followed him, feeling small and inexperienced as I trailed behind his tall, imposing frame.

We walked in silence through the winding corridors until we reached a familiar door.

'Oh, did we have such similar styles of... Wait, why are we standing on my own door?'

I looked up confused as to why we were back where I had started. I opened my mouth to ask about our schedule, but Kei spoke first.

"Clean yourself," his voice was cold, and cuttingly loud in the quiet hallway. "Take a proper bath, Your Highness."

I felt a sudden, sickening wave of self-consciousness. I instinctively checked my collar, wondering if my disheveled state from the morning was that obvious. "Is... is something wrong?" I asked shyly, my voice trembling.

Kei leaned in slightly, his expression hardening into a look of icy, absolute disapproval. "Your scent is undisciplined, my prince. It is heavy, thick with the traces of your morning's... distractions. It is unprofessional and frrankly, it tells me exactly how you have been spending your time in your bed."

My heart dropped into my stomach as I stared at him, bewildered. While, he calmly stared right back at me.

My throats became dry as the realization hit me like a physical blow, draining the warmth from my face before flooding it with a furious burning heat.

Of course, as a trained warrior, Kei’s senses were far sharper than mine. Despite being a Beta, he was able to pick up on the most subtle shifts in the air, and right now, he didn't just smell the lingering pheromones of an Alpha. 

He recognized the specific scents of someone who had just lost themselves in their private fantasies.

And I happened to have such lack of control over my own pheromones.

Which to say, he knew. He knew exactly what I had been doing just minutes before.

"I-I can explain—" I stammered, my face flushing a more mortified red than ever before in my life.

Kei didn't wait for an explanation. Instead, with effortless strength, he placed a flat hand against my chest and pushed me backward into my room.

I stumbled backward, my boots scuffing the floor as the heavy door slammed shut right in my face.

A second later, I heard the distinct, loud click of the lock turning from the outside.

I stared at the dark wood, my chest panting in absolute, unadulterated mortification.

'This is one of the worst days of my life. To have my new tutor calling me out for touching myself!'

I groaned as I rested my forehead on the door. Now my tutor didn't just think I was a weak, sickly prince.

'He must think I'm a pervert now? An alpha who couldn't even control his own instincts.'

I buried my face in my palms, turning even hotter with shame.

Of all the ways to begin our lesson, he had choosen the most humiliating one.