Azra felt the mood in the room shift, Varyx looking at him with a scathing glare. His voice was deep, cutting through the tension like a sharp blade. “Condemned?” Varyx scoffed, though it hardly masked his anger. “Don’t you dare act like you don’t get anything from this. You came here voluntarily, in your own carriage and with your own escort. I didn’t send my men to your realm to drag you here like some prisoner. You agreed to this arrangement just as willingly as I did.”

The scent in the room was like burning cinders- Azra could almost taste the smell of ash in the air. Azra swallowed as he wrinkled his nose; it felt overpowering, but he refused to back down. “I did this for my father,” he snapped, his nails biting hard into his palm as he felt a shiver and heat beneath his flesh; he had to calm down and stop his magic from stirring. “You know that you gave me no choice. If there had been one, I wouldn’t be here-”

“Enough!” Varyx’s words were soaked in savagery as he unfolded his arms and strode forward towards Azra. He towered over him, his green eyes dark and unyielding- glinting in the light like cut emeralds. “Have you forgotten your place?”

Azra stiffened, his heart pounding as he held his ground, unflinching. “You know it’s the truth. You threatened to ruin my father- ruin my realm if I didn’t agree to marry you.”

Varyx straightened, shaking his head in dismay as he narrowed his eyes down at Azra- so much taller and stronger than the slight prince, but met with every bit of fiery resolve. It was Varyx who seemed to submit, letting out an arduous sigh as his gaze softened slightly. “I am not your enemy, Azra.” The scent in the room suddenly quelled- Varyx’s own mood shifting the tension from brutal to something Azra could bear. 

Azra’s head felt tight, his scalp tingling as the power in his veins lessened- retreating back into somewhere deep inside his mind. His hair returned to lavender, a neutral state as he waited for what Varyx would have to say next… What excuse he’d come up with for the actions that had brought Prince Lyroth to Privillion in the first place.   

Varyx stepped away from Azra, turning his back on him as he walked towards the table. Azra moved slightly closer, watching as the alpha prince looked down at his large maps and small pawns to depict army formations. His voice was low and dangerous as he stated, “Azra, you and I both know why you are here.” He turned again to meet Azra’s eyes, standing tall with pride. “This is an arrangement that benefits both of our realms- both our fathers. Privillion will strengthen Solvale’s army against the siege of war, and in exchange my royal bloodline will have powers no other monarch has possessed…other than you.” 

“Power is more of a curse than a blessing,” Azra spat, his muscles sore from tension. Azra’s eyes flicked to Varyx’s war table, saying resolutely, “I’m sure you’re well aware the border between the humans and fae is unstable. The threat of this war leaves omegas to be highly sought after and hunted down by both sides… You said it yourself, omegas are imprisoned in whorehouses for the rich and wealthy to use- or worse, to be sold at some auction house to the highest bidder… All because we can give birth and pass along magic to our children.” He swallowed, grimacing at the thought. “Those with such power would face the same threat. You would wish that on your heirs?”

The man raised a brow, folding his hands behind his back as he said, “The ends justify the means. My father has made it very clear that you are a rare opportunity for our lineage. Omegas are scarce enough as they come. While alphas are merely the product of ideal genetics for both the humans and fae…omegas are another story. Omegas like you are the only kind of human who can exist with magic in their blood…and Privillion desires the next line of royalty to be able to wield that magic. The power and authority would be limitless.”

“You seem to think very lowly of omegas- the muddied offspring of a fae and human, as you would so kindly put it.” His voice was choked as he thought of his parents, aching for home. Ripping his gaze away from Varyx, Azra sucked in a breath through his grit teeth. “You would really want someone like me? For your children to be like me? 

Varyx was arrogant as he narrowed his gaze on Azra, his words cracking like a whip as he said, “Of course our children will be different. I’d teach them better- I’d never allow any omega I raised to be coddled or weak. We would train them as any alpha and bring forth a new line of humans with strength and power.” He smirked, his eyes scanning Azra as he uttered with contempt, “They’d be nothing like you.”