It was already dark outside, although the clouds remained grey, only turning a darker shade. The wind violently slammed itself against the windows each time it grazed them.
Eiran grabbed Ren by the hand, pulling him into his room, a grin plastered on his face.
"Let’s go, Papa!" His lips curled into a bright grin.
Zayden stood there, unsure whether to follow or not. For a moment, he realized—was this the same hesitation Ren felt whenever he wasn’t told what to do? He scoffed to himself. Of course, he would follow. He was the master of the mansion, after all.
As each strand of hair fell to the ground, Zayden’s heart raced. What could he have been hiding all this time? He occasionally trimmed his hair, but never short enough to expose his nape. So why decide to do it now? Was it because he said he would forgive him for a lie he had told? But what did keeping his hair long—hiding his neck—have to do with him being an omega?
His gaze lingered on Ren the whole time, but the barber blocked his view, standing between them. Ren sat quietly in the chair while Eiran stood in front of him.
"Dad! Papa is so pretty!" Eiran gasped, covering his mouth. He had been complimenting Ren every second.
The General couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite not being his real son, he behaved no less like one. No wonder even the Queen Consort and the Imperial Crown Prince had said the same.
"All done!" the barber proudly announced, clapping his hands.
Zayden slowly stepped closer, pushing aside the man who had been blocking his view all this time. He wondered if the scar had already faded. It had been years since he saw it too. He inhaled deeply. Finally, he would be able to see—
His eyes widened. His gaze froze on Ren’s nape.
For a moment, the world around him seemed to blur. His heart gave a violent shudder, as though it might split apart in his chest. He stumbled back a step, air catching in his throat.
He was a marked omega?
The thought rang in his head like thunder during a snowstorm. His breath stilled, his lungs refused to draw in air, and his chest tightened until he thought it would crack open.
So this was why his pheromones were always so faint... Was it why I could barely notice whenever he was in heat and why it barely affected me?
Then, the thought occurred to him.
When were his heat cycles? He never bothered to figure out, too caught up in proving to himself that Ren was, indeed, an omega.
"Dad?" Eiran tilted his head, noticing the sudden stillness. "Is something wrong?"
Ren sensed the shift in the figure looming behind him. The General was taller than the barber—he could feel his presence pressing down on him. Closing his eyes tightly, he braced himself, ready to use his powers if the General decided to kill him after all. This mark was enough for anyone to know he was an omega.
After all, only omegas could be marked by an alpha, and alphas were bound to them with their souls after marking their omegas.
"I..." Zayden paused, his eyes locked on Ren. The person he had begun to like already belonged to someone else. He swallowed hard, fists clenching.
"It’s all because of that damned physician," he muttered under his breath.
Neither Ren nor Eiran caught the words. They both turned toward him.
Ren’s pulse quickened as he tried to read the General’s expression. But he couldn’t. There was no trace of anger in those eyes. Instead... something else. Something like pain.
Was he hurt? But why?
Slamming the door against the wall, swinging it wide open, Zayden stormed into the physician’s office. The elderly man jolted from his seat. Once he spotted the General, a sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"My Lord, you scared me. I thought we were under attack," he said, bowing.
"Who would dare attack my mansion?"
It was not a question but a statement disguised as one. After all, he was the second-strongest fighter in the Empire.
"What brings you here? Did you need inhibitors for your rut?"
Zayden dropped into the chair across from him, his glare sharp and unyielding. The old man mirrored his posture nervously.
"A certain someone told me I have a fated mate."
"Oh!" the physician exclaimed, curling his lips into a grin.
"That is why you are here! What happened with him? Did you need advice? After all, it’s been five years! I haven’t heard any dating rumors circulating in the mansion yet..." He mumbled, pressing a finger to his lips as he thought aloud.
"Physician," Zayden hissed under his breath, fury simmering in every word.
"Y-Yes?" the man blinked, wide-eyed. Did things not go well with that person?
"You said he was my fated mate, but he is marked, damn it!" Zayden slammed his fist against the desk, sending medicines and an ink bottle crashing across the plain white papers. The physician flinched, raising his hands to stop the destruction, but it was too late. The mess was already done.
Zayden’s chest heaved with frustration. The person he believed to be his mate, finally starting to open his heart, make room for someone... was marked by another. And he only knew this truth after all these years. Rage and disbelief burned through him.
"W-Well, My Lord, it is not uncommon for some omegas to be marked with someone other than their fated mates. After all, it is unlikely for them to even encounter one in normal cases."
"Then how do you explain the fact that I have not been in a rut despite being so close to him? A person protected this much was certainly marked by their fated mate."
"Pardon? You are telling me this omega has already found his first fated mate, and also met you, his second—" He paused, sensing Zayden’s intense glare.
He clenched his fists. That wasn’t even the problem. How could he even share his mate with someone else? The thought alone boiled his blood.
"M-My Lord... I understand that you do not like the idea of sharing, but—" the physician paused, mustering as much courage as possible. After all, what he was about to say could cost him his life. "He might be the only one you will be able to be with, if not for another century..."
Zayden clenched his fists, forcing a bitter laugh. Official source is NoveIＦire.net
"So you’re telling me I also have countless fated mates roaming the world?!"
"T-That is not it. As a demon, it is rare for you to meet your fated mate, as they are all born in different places in the world due to the curse bestowed by the Gods—" The physician gasped at his own words.