The Pre-Solstice Banquet Hall was a sensory nightmare.
Crystal chandeliers dripped light onto a sea of velvet, silk, and jewels. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats, expensive perfumes, and the underlying, electric buzz of a hundred desperate Omegas trying to land a royal husband.
Elian stood in the shadow of a marble pillar, hovering exactly three meters behind Prince Cassian.
[Status: Within Pheromone Range. Degradation Paused.][Time Until Death: 72 Hours (Paused).]
He scanned the room like a Secret Service agent, if Secret Service agents were sweating profusely and thinking about the target's glutes.
'Target acquired,' Elian thought, narrowing his eyes at a Duke's son approaching Cassian with a glass of wine. 'Threat Level: Flirty. Weapon: Low-cut tunic.'
Cassian stood near the buffet, looking bored and impossibly handsome in the midnight blue velvet Elian had chosen. He held a glass of whiskey like a weapon.
"Your Highness," the Duke's son purred, stepping into the splash zone. "I heard you enjoy the hunt. I, too, am quite... wild."
Cassian didn't even blink. "Then you should be in a cage, Lord Bennett."
Elian stifled a snort. 'Fatality.'
Across the room, Princess Rowena was holding court. She was wearing the crimson gown that was supposed to match Cassian's coat. She looked stunning, regal, and absolutely furious.
Her eyes kept darting to Cassian's blue tunic, then to the black silk cravat around Elian's neck. She knew.
[System Notification: Player 2 Jealousy Spiking. Elian +5 minutes (Schadenfreude Bonus).]
"Elian," Cassian's voice cut through the noise. He didn't turn around.
Elian stepped forward instantly. "Sire?"
"I need an exit strategy," Cassian murmured, swirling his drink. "If one more person asks me about my 'favorite flower', I am going to start a fire."
"Leave it to me," Elian whispered.
Just then, a commotion rippled near the entrance.
Ambrose had arrived.
He wasn't walking; he was staging an entrance. He wore robes of sheer, shimmering white that looked like spun sugar. He looked fragile, ethereal, and ready to collapse at a stiff breeze.
[System Alert: Player 1 attempting 'The Swoon'. Success Rate: 80%.]
Ambrose locked eyes with Cassian across the room. He took a shaky step forward. He put a hand to his forehead. He fluttered his lashes.
'Oh, here we go,' Elian thought, rolling his eyes. 'Gravity check in 3... 2...'
Ambrose stumbled. "Oh! The heat... it's too much..."
He pitched forward, aiming his fall perfectly so that Cassian would have to catch him or let him hit the floor.
Cassian sighed, shifting his weight to catch him.
'Nope,' Elian thought. 'Not on my watch. That's my battery pack.'
Elian dove.
He didn't glide. He tackled. He slid across the polished floor like a baseball player stealing home, inserting himself directly between Cassian and the falling White Lotus.
OOF.
Ambrose landed not in the strong, muscular arms of the Prince, but in the frantic, bony arms of the valet.
Elian grunted under the weight. For a guy who looked like a twig, Ambrose was surprisingly heavy.
"Gotcha, buddy!" Elian announced loudly, holding Ambrose in a dipping dance pose. "Whoa there! Careful! The floor is slippery!"
The entire banquet hall went silent.
Ambrose stared up at Elian, his face freezing in a mask of horror. "Get... off... me."
"I saved you!" Elian beamed, hauling Ambrose upright and dusting him off aggressively. "You looked like you were going down. Low blood sugar? I told you that porridge wasn't enough."
Cassian watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching. He took a sip of his whiskey to hide a smile.
[System Notification: Target Amused. Elian +1 Heart.][Current Hearts: 10 / 1000]
"You ruined the moment," Ambrose hissed, leaning in so only Elian could hear. "I paid 50 LP for a 'Graceful Fall' buff!"
"And I paid zero LP for a 'Common Sense' buff," Elian whispered back. "Stop throwing yourself at him. It's desperate."
"Elian," Cassian said, stepping forward. "Is Master Ambrose unwell?"
"He's just overcome by the... festivities, Sire," Elian said, keeping a firm grip on Ambrose's arm so he couldn't try again. "I should escort him to a chair. Far away. Near the ventilation."
"Excellent idea," Cassian said.
Elian marched a fuming Ambrose to a chair in the corner and deposited him there.
"Stay," Elian ordered, pointing a finger. "Hydrate."
He turned to head back to Cassian, feeling victorious. He had blocked the Swoon. He had blocked the Flirts. He was winning.
But as he walked back toward the Prince, the room seemed to tilt.
A wave of heat hit him. It wasn't the temperature; it was the smell. With so many people in the room, the air was saturated with pheromones. Cloying sweetness, heavy musk, sharp spice.
Elian stumbled. His vision blurred.
'Whoa,' Elian thought, gripping a pillar. 'Head rush. Did someone spike the punch?'
[System Warning: Environmental Pheromone Levels Critical.][Status: Unbonded Omega Distress. Heat Probability Increasing.]
Elian swallowed hard. His knees felt like jelly. His breath came short. It felt like walking through invisible syrup.
'I need to get out,' Elian panicked. 'I need fresh air.'
He looked for the balcony. But the balcony was across the room.
"Valet?"
Elian looked up. Cassian was standing in front of him. The Prince frowned, his ice-blue eyes scanning Elian's flushed face.
"You look..." Cassian started.
"Fine," Elian managed to choke out. "Just... hot."
Cassian didn't look convinced. He stepped closer.
[Contact: +1 Minute.]
The moment Cassian entered his personal space, the overwhelming noise of the other smells vanished. It was like putting on noise-canceling headphones. All Elian could smell was Cassian—cool cedar, rain, and power.
It was instant relief. Elian instinctively leaned forward, practically swaying into the Prince.
"You are affecting the atmosphere," Cassian murmured, his voice low.
"Me?" Elian blinked, hazy.
"You are unbonded," Cassian said. "And you are projecting distress. It's... loud."
He reached out, his gloved hand gripping Elian's elbow to steady him.
"Stay close," Cassian commanded. "If you faint, I am not catching you. I will let you hit the floor."
"Liar," Elian whispered, looking up at him with glassy eyes. "You'd catch me."
Cassian stared at him. The air between them crackled.
"Perhaps," Cassian admitted softly.
He turned, pulling Elian with him. "We are leaving. The balcony. Now."
Rowena watched them go, her knuckles white as she gripped her wine glass. Ambrose watched from his corner, seething.
But Elian didn't care. He was tucked against Cassian's side, breathing in the only scent that made the world stop spinning.
'I saved him from the White Lotus,' Elian thought dizzily as they stepped out into the cool night air. 'But who's going to save me from him?'
[Current LP: 145][Current Hearts: 10]
The night was young. And they were alone on the balcony.
'Checkmate, Player One and Two.'