Claudius Edward, Crown Prince of Eldoria, harbored a truth as forbidden as it was undeniable—his love for Luca, a male Omega. Their bond, though confined to secret touches and whispered nights, was fierce and consuming. Claudius told himself it was only physical. Yet, the way his gaze followed Luca in every crowded hall, the way his scent alone could unravel the prince’s restraint, betrayed the lie he lived.

But duty came knocking, cold and relentless.

When Claudius publicly announced his engagement to a noble-born Omega—chosen for alliance, not affection—Luca vanished. No tears, no confrontation. Just absence.

He resurfaced in the seediest quarter of the capital, seeking oblivion in strong liquor and the fleeting warmth of strangers. A prince's rejection hurt more than a blade ever could.

By the time Claudius tracked him down, the inn reeked of ale and sweat. His boots echoed on the grimy floorboards as he pushed open the door. Then he froze.

Luca.

Crumbled on the stained mattress, cheeks flushed and hair disheveled, shirt half-undone and his trousers askew. His glassy eyes struggled to focus, lips parted as if still caught between sleep and stupor. Around him loomed a circle of men—rough, lowborn Alphas, the kind who reeked of desperation and rot. Their eyes glinted with crude hunger, their hands too close to what belonged to Claudius.

A single breath passed.

Then rage, cold and absolute, detonated in Claudius's chest.

The air thickened as power rolled off him in waves. His Alpha presence, usually masked beneath layers of noble restraint, now lashed out like a storm unchained. One man stepped back instinctively, sweat beading at his temple. Another reached for his belt knife—but far too slowly.

Claudius moved like lightning. The first man crumpled with a guttural scream as Claudius’s boot drove into his ribs. A second was hurled against the wall, skull cracking with a sickening thud. The rest scattered in a flurry of curses and boots thudding on wood.

Silence fell.

Claudius stood amid the wreckage, chest heaving, his eyes burning with something wild and raw. Then he turned to Luca.

The Omega looked up at him through lashes wet with unshed tears. His voice was a whisper, slurred but brittle. “Why… why do you care?"

Claudius dropped to his knees beside him, fingers trembling as they swept a strand of hair from Luca’s cheek.

“Because you’re mine,” he growled, voice ragged with suppressed emotion. “And I will burn down the world before I let anyone touch you.”