"That is good to hear," Athea said.

She was testing her, and Sage could feel it. The Princess was measuring her, running some internal calculation about whether Sage was an asset or a liability. She was deciding if the woman her son had chosen was someone worth tolerating, or someone who would eventually need to be managed. But unlike other powerful women Sage knew, Athea gave absolutely nothing away. Her face was a perfect mask of ice and control.

"Since you are his girlfriend," Athea continued, the word landing with careful precision, "it is only natural that you would be aware of his..."

"Unusual biology," Sage said. "Yes."

Sage did not wait for the Princess to guide the conversation further. With a confident smile she had not entirely planned, she added, "I am also aware that you are his biological mother."

The corridor went completely quiet.

Athea’s expression did not change. Her eyes remained cold and steady. Nothing about her gave away the fact that she was genuinely taken aback by Sage’s statement. She simply did not expect Sage to know about this yet.

"Oh," Athea said smoothly. "Is that so."

"Yes. And do not worry, I am keeping the secret."

"I hope so." Athea looked at her for a long moment with that unreadable, glacial focus. "When did you find out?"

"Not very long ago," Sage said.

Athea understood that Zaeryn trusted Sage, but to her, that was just reckless and stupid. He should never trust anyone with a secret as big as his existence. As her son, he should have known better than to hand over a weapon that could destroy them all. But then again, she was never there when he grew up, so she could not raise him with her strict, survival-first values. Ysmeine had raised him, and Ysmeine was softer.

Sage understood exactly where Athea was coming from and the quiet judgment passing behind those ice-blue eyes. "I understand the weight of it," Sage assured her.

"Do you," Athea said, and it did not sound in any way like a question.

"Yes, I do, Your Highness. You are familiar with Cassia Stellan. I am her daughter, and I have learned a lot from her. When something matters, she protects it. And so do I." Sage met Athea’s eyes directly. "He matters a lot to me."

Something moved behind Athea’s expression, though it was too controlled to put a name to it. She turned toward the wide viewport, her silhouette standing dark against the glittering Capital sprawl below.

"Then understand this clearly," Athea said, her back still to Sage. "You are no longer simply a researcher who happens to know my son. You are a participant. If this secret fails, the Tribunal will not weigh your credentials or your mother’s name. They will simply act."

"I know," Sage said.

"Good."

Athea turned from the window. Whatever had briefly surfaced in her expression was already gone, sealed back beneath the composure she wore like armor.

"Take care of him," she said. It was not a request, and it was not quite an order. It was something in the precise middle space between them that carried more weight than either.

Sage held her gaze. "I intend to."

Athea gave one short nod. Then her wrist-comp chimed. It was a sharp and urgent sound, and the crimson seal of the Royal Guard flickered across the display. She glanced at it once, and whatever the message contained reorganized her priorities instantly. She started walking away immediately.

"We will speak again soon, Sage," Athea said, without looking back.

Sage watched her leave. The corridor emptied out completely. Outside the viewport, the Capital kept doing what the Capital did, enormous and relentless and utterly indifferent to the people inside the tower.

She stood there for a moment, breathing slowly. She needed to let the weight of that conversation settle properly before she carried it back into a room full of people. Then she turned and walked back toward the lab.

[Days later]

With the Cycle-End behind him, Duty Days had returned. Zaeryn arrived at the Lyceum.

Walking through the hallway, the first thing on his mind that morning was to find Ingrid. He finally spotted her standing in a small group, talking with Morticia, Jyn, Yuna, and two other girls he didn’t recognize.

He let out a relaxed sigh of relief. Ingrid looked totally stunning, her presence easily drawing the eye of everyone nearby. A sudden wave of satisfaction hit him just looking at her. The realization that she was officially his bondmate still felt surreal. Who knew that one day he would get exactly what he wanted so badly? He was actually building a harem, and one of his very first bondmates was a beauty like Ingrid.

He walked straight over to her. Without hesitating, he leaned down to claim a kiss right there in front of everyone, fully expecting her to melt into it.

But Ingrid didn’t react. She didn’t lean in, she didn’t smile, and her lips remained completely stiff against his. She just gave him an angry look. She was still upset with how he had just left without informing her.

Zaeryn pulled back, raising an amused but unbothered brow.

Jyn watched all this with an amused look, and then she wrapped her arms around Zaeryns shoulder from the side and kissed his cheek without saying anything.

"Hey Zaeryn," Yuna said. She looked remarkably stunning. She was standing slightly behind the others, looking as shy as always, her eyes quickly dropping to the floor the moment he made contact.

"Hey Yuna. You look good today," he said casually.

He gave her a faint, knowing smirk before turning back to his stubborn bondmate.

"Thanks."

"Only her? We all look good, Zaeryn," Morticia said.

Zaeryn looked at Morticia. "Yes you do."

Turning his attention back to Ingrid, Zaeryn walked behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into an embrace from behind. He kissed her neck innocently, and he could feel the tension Ingrid had going away.

Ingrid closed her eyes, getting comfortable, but then she realized that he was trying to make her forget that she was mad at him and her expression hardened.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "I’m still mad at you."

"What did he do?" Morticia asked, surprised.

Ingrid didn’t answer her friend. Instead, she broke away from Zaeryn’s embrace, turned on her heel, and walked away. "I have to go."

Zaeryn just watched her retreating figure, then sighed in his heart.

"What happened between you two?" Morticia asked with a curious look.

"I’m not in the mood to explain, so you should ask her," Zaeryn said.

Jyn stepped closer, sliding her hand smoothly up his arm, her eyes locked onto his profile. "Whatever it is you did to annoy her, don’t worry about her, Zaeryn," she said, her voice practically purring. "When you and I become bondmates, I will be very supportive. I would never be angry at you for whatever petty reason."

Zaeryn looked down at Jyn, a slow, confident smile spreading across his face.

Morticia let out a dry, skeptical laugh, looking directly at Jyn. "And what exactly makes you think you will be his bondmate?"

Jyn didn’t back down. She shrugged, flashing a confident grin as she leaned just a bit closer to Zaeryn. "Why not? It makes perfect sense." She then looked between Morticia and Zaeryn, her smile widening. "In fact, you could become his bondmate too, Morticia. It is only natural that we both end up bonded to him as cousins. It just keeps everything perfectly in the family."

Zaeryn didn’t pay attention to them speaking, as his mind was entirely on making up with Ingrid. He set off to follow her.

Zaeryn spotted Ingrid near the far end of the hallway. Her yellow hair was easy to pick out even in the crowded corridor of the Lyceum; he just needed to catch up with her.

He understood why she was mad. Their last interaction at his house had ended abruptly when he’d essentially abandoned her to run off to the Citadel for Daphne, leaving Ingrid furious and feeling disregarded. He’d promised to make it up to her, but she was not making it easy for him.

"Ingrid! Wait up!" he called out, picking up his pace.

He was only a few yards away when a voice, sharp and cold as a winter gale, sliced through the ambient chatter.

"NOCTIS!"

Zaeryn winced, his shoulders tensing instinctively. He didn’t even have to turn around to know that scent, crisp paper and that darkly floral, intoxicating perfume.

He turned slowly to find Professor Jade marching toward him, her heels clicking against the polished floor with the rhythm of a firing squad.

When he saw Jade, Zaeryn’s mind flashed back to their last meeting. He remembered the steamy things that happened and how he had finally figured her out.

Still, she looked like she was upset again right now and she was definitely intimidating, especially since she was his professor and could still mess up his day if she wanted to.

"Professor? Good morning," Zaeryn offered, flashing an innocent smile to try and blunt the edge of her arrival. "I was actually just...."

"Save me the explanation," Jade interrupted, stopping inches from him and invading his personal space just as she had during their last ’detention.’ Her storm-cloud eyes flashed with a severe, intolerant light. "Come with me. Now."

Zaeryn blinked, genuinely confused this time. He’d actually been making an effort to be a model student. "Is something wrong? I haven’t even been to a lecture yet today."

"Do not ask questions, Noctis," she hissed, pointing toward her office with her data-slate. "Your presence is required. Follow me immediately."

"Look who’s in trouble."

"I’m not surprised, he’s a male."

A few students gossiped, not caring that Zaeryn and Jade could hear them. Jade didn’t wait for a response, spinning on her heel and marching away, the sharp, angry sway of her hips a clear command.

Zaeryn glanced toward Ingrid, who was already disappearing around a corner, likely unaware of the drama behind her. He looked back at the retreating professor.

He knew exactly what this was. Jade had a hidden attraction to him. She didn’t want to give him a lecture; she wanted a repeat of the "punishment" that had been saved by the bell the day before.

"Professor, wait," Zaeryn said, jogging a few steps to catch up but keeping a respectful distance. "I really need to speak with Ingrid. It’s... important business. Can this wait until after lunch?"

Jade stopped and turned, her glare narrowing until it felt like a physical weight. She put on her most formidable teacher facade, the one designed to make cadets crumble. "Do you think my time is a commodity you can negotiate, Cadet? You are a statistical deviation who has already proven to have a lack of discipline."

Zaeryn furrowed his brows. "You don’t have to always bring up that I’m an anomaly," he said. "Also, it’s really important that...."

"I am not interested in your excuses," she snapped, stepping back into his personal bubble until her breath brushed his ear, warm and taunting. "You have insulted my patience once today already by questioning an order. Follow me, or I will file a formal recommendation for your academic probation before the hour is out."

As if she could do that, Zaeryn thought to himself. Jade was just trying to get him into her office because she wanted himlmthat was not hard to figure out, but this was a bad time because he really wanted to have a word with Ingrid.

He let out a heavy sigh, shoulders dropping in feigned defeat. He knew when a wall was too high to climb, especially one wearing high heels and a pencil skirt. He shot one last look toward where Ingrid had been, then turned back to Jade.

"Fine," he muttered, hanging his head. "Lead the way, Professor."

The door to Professor Jade’s office hissed shut, locking them into the sterile, gunmetal gray room that smelled of her darkly floral, intoxicating perfume.

Zaeryn didn’t wait for her to start the lecture because he already knew what she wanted: him, and his touch.

He moved instantly, calling her bluff by stepping directly into her personal space. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against him, his hands possessive as he looked into her storm-cloud eyes. "Did you miss me that much?" he asked in a low, provocative rumble.

Jade’s professional facade wavered, her chest heaving as she tried to pull back. "No... you don’t know what you’re talking about," she hissed, though her heart was already hammering a frantic rhythm.

Zaeryn didn’t let up, his gaze dropping to the rise and fall of her bust before locking back onto her eyes. "Really?" he challenged. "Then why else would you want me here?"

Jade had no excuse anymore. He was right.

With a sudden, fluid motion, he turned her around, guiding her with his raw strength until her front was pressed against the cold edge of her obsidian desk. He bent her over it, his hand running over her ass smoothly. "Just admit it."

Jade’s composure finally shattered. She stood up straight and leaned her weight back into him, her head falling back against his shoulder as she reached for his hand. She guided his palm up to her heavy, full breasts, pressing his fingers into the soft curves until a broken, needy moan tore from her throat.