Chapter 194: The Night That Helios Waited For. Pt.2

"Ezra?" Helios asked quietly, his smile fading just a fraction, carefully enough to resemble concern to anyone watching.

But in reality—

He was pleased.

Very pleased.

Because right in front of him, Ezra’s nape was beginning to flush red beneath the collar of his uniform.

Slowly.

Heat is creeping across pale skin, little by little.

And even better—

Helios could already see the faint sheen of sweat gathering.

"You went quiet all of a sudden. Are you alright?" Helios continued softly, his hand still resting firmly against Ezra’s shoulder.

’So far so good.’

Helios kept his expression calm despite the satisfaction curling inside his chest.

Everything was progressing exactly the way he needed it to.

Helios was one of the strongest among all of Samson De Luxaelian Sunthyr’s many, many children.

At least—

That was what everyone believed.

Samson knew all his children’s gifts.

It was one of his strictest rules.

Every child blessed with Luxaelian blood had their ability documented, monitored, and recorded carefully inside the royal archives.

And years ago, when Helios was younger—

When he first started planning—

He found the book.

The hidden records contain every single one of his siblings’ gifts.

Kaelis’ blood could heal.

Aurien could temporarily enhance his body’s strength and durability once a day, though there was a strict limit to how long he could maintain it.

Lorencia—

A name Helios was genuinely surprised his father even bothered remembering—

Possessed enhanced intelligence alongside a perfect photographic memory.

And more disturbingly, she could replay memories through blood dropped into water, projecting them like reflections for others to see.

Useful.

Dangerously useful.

But not useful enough.

Then there was Aramina.

An oddball.

Strange even among their already strange family.

But Helios always saw her as useful.

Very useful.

Out of all his siblings, Aramina had perhaps been the most beneficial to him.

Her gift allowed her to alter another person’s body if they ingested enough of her blood.

Anything could be changed.

Appearance.

Features.

Internal functions.

And even their second gender.

Though there was one limitation.

She needed to remain physically close to the person while the changes happened.

Samson considered her dangerous because of it.

Especially due to the rumors surrounding Araminta, Aramina’s concubine mother.

A witch.

Or something close enough to one.

But none of that mattered right now.

Because Helios himself?

His own gift was pathetic.

Helios’s ability was essentially a weaker version of Kaelis’.

He could purify poison.

That was it.

Any form of poison.

Useful for survival, perhaps.

But compared to the others?

It felt insulting.

Humiliating even.

’What the fuck was I supposed to do with that?’ Helios thought bitterly, remembering how furious he used to feel whenever he compared himself to the others.

He hated it.

He hated how ordinary it sounded.

But fortunately for him—

And unfortunately for Samson and the kingdom—

Witches did exist.

Real ones.

Not the ugly monsters from children’s stories.

Not old women hiding in forests surrounded by bones and smoke.

Real witches were beautiful.

Dangerously beautiful.

Like his mother.

His mother was the reason Helios became what he is now.

His mother, who always laughed whenever people called her a witch.

Because she preferred another title entirely.

"A beautiful woman who uses Dark Magic."

Dark Magic.

Magic unrestricted by bloodlines.

Unlike the Luxaelian Sunthyrs, whose powers were limited strictly to their blood and their light.

Dark Magic could create.

Alter.

And most importantly—

Destroy.

And Helios learned very early on that destruction was far more useful than healing or ’purification’ ever could be.

Kaelis scoffed beside him, the sound pulling Helios away from his thoughts almost immediately.

"It’s quite common for your captain to go silent out of nowhere, brother. That’s just how he is."

’Only with you.’

Helios thought proudly, something darkly satisfied curling inside him.

Because that wasn’t natural.

That was learned.

Conditioned.

Ezra went quiet around Helios because Helios had spent years making sure Ezra listened more than he spoke, obeyed more than he questioned, and trusted more than he doubted.

And Helios liked it that way.

He liked knowing Ezra behaved differently around him.

"Only with you!"

Ezra’s sudden outburst cut through the tension sharply enough that Kaelis’ eyes widened immediately in shock.

Helios—

Helios almost smiled.

No, he wanted to smile.

Badly.

Because Kaelis looked genuinely hurt for a second, caught off guard by Ezra snapping at him so suddenly, Helios found the sight deeply satisfying.

At the same time, Ezra himself looked startled by his own reaction.

"I—" Ezra sucked in a sharp breath, visibly trying to steady himself. "I’m sorry."

And Helios wanted so badly to tell him it was fine.

Because it truly was.

If anything—

It was amusing.

Seeing Ezra lash out while already flushed and affected made something possessive twist warmly inside Helios’ chest.

"That was uncalled for," Ezra added quickly, his breathing uneven now despite his effort to sound composed. "Forgive me, Your Highness."

Kaelis still looked surprised.

But Helios’ attention had already shifted completely back to Ezra.

Because Ezra’s entire face was changing now.

His skin looked warmer.

His breathing is less steady.

His posture was tense in a completely different way than before.

Helios forced himself to let go of the amusement for now.

And instead—

He carefully put concern back onto his face.

"Ezra," Helios says softly, his voice lowering slightly. "Are you sure you’re okay?"

’Can you feel it?’

Helios thought as he subtly released more of it.

Something nobody else around them knew how to control yet.

Not like he could.

Pheromones.

Carefully controlled.

Carefully directed.

Years of practice were hidden behind his princely image.

"Do not lie to me," Helios says quietly, stepping just slightly closer. "You seem...off."

’You seem hot, Ezra.’

Helios watched the faint flush spreading further down Ezra’s neck.

’You seem flushed.’

It took everything in him not to simply grab Ezra right there and drag him away from the ballroom himself.

And finally do what he was supposed to have done all those years ago—

Kaelis said something beside them.

Helios barely even heard it.

Didn’t care enough to process it properly.

Because anticipation had already swallowed most of his focus whole.

Years.

Years of waiting.

Of yearning.

Of planning every little detail while pretending patience came naturally to him.

Even the hesitation.

Especially the hesitation.

But now—

It was finally time.

"I’m not feeling well," Ezra says at last, forcing the words out carefully, though his voice sounded tighter now. "I think I need some air."

Perfect.

And so, despite Helios pretending to hesitate slightly, pretending concern—

Ezra still left.

Exactly like Helios knew he would.

"I wonder what that was about," Kaelis says slowly as he watches Ezra disappear into the crowd.

But Helios didn’t answer him.

Didn’t leave immediately either.

Because this was all according to plan.

’He’s going to try and return by carriage,’ Helios thought calmly, watching the direction Ezra left through.

’And that carriage...’

It was already arranged.

Conveniently.

It would break down directly in front of Helios’ palace.

And by then—

The heat should already be nearing its peak.

Which meant Ezra would panic.

And when Ezra panicked, he always sought out the one person he trusted most.

The one person who knew he was an omega.

Helios.

Helios only had to wait now.

Wait for the signal.

Then leave at the perfect moment.

And after that—

Everything Helios had wanted for years would finally belong to him completely.

Ezra.

His lips twitched slightly at the thought.

’I wonder what our child would look like,’ Helios thought quietly, something almost dreamy flickering briefly across his face.

The plan was foolproof.

It couldn’t fail.

After all—

Helios knew Ezra too well.