The first time you met Jinshi, you thought he was just another spoiled noble. All silk robes, soft smiles, and that infuriating habit of making people bend to his whims without ever raising his voice.

You knew he wasn’t an Omega—his presence was far too steady for that—but you assumed he was a Beta. Safe. Unbothered by things like heats or bonds or pheromones.

Except… something didn’t add up.

You caught it the second time you met him—a faint pull in the air, the subtle brush of a scent that didn’t match his carefully polished image.

Cedar. Jasmine. Rain-soaked stone.

An Alpha’s scent.

But that couldn’t be right. Alphas that powerful couldn’t go unnoticed in a palace like this. They couldn’t hide in plain sight.

Unless they wanted to.

“You’re wearing suppressants,” you blurted one day, catching him off-guard in a quiet corner of the palace garden.

Jinshi’s fan paused mid-flutter, obsidian eyes lifting lazily to meet yours. “What makes you think that?”You stepped closer, tilting your head, testing the air. “Your scent leaks when you’re tired. Just a little. Most people wouldn’t catch it, but…” You offered a slow smile. “I’m not most people.”

Something flickered across his face—something sharp, something ancient.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said smoothly, but you noticed the slight edge in his voice now. “Perhaps you’re imagining things.”