Ryaz straightened, forcing himself to meet Kovax's gaze in the mirror. "I'm not hiding. I'm simply... indisposed."

Kovax snorted, moving closer with the careful steps of someone trying very hard to appear sober. "You've been 'indisposed' since the ceremonies began." His nostrils flared as he caught Ryaz's scent, pupils dilating visibly. "What's wrong with you, leaf-hugger?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Ryaz replied, turning to face him directly. It was a mistake. Up close, the dragon's presence was overwhelming—heat radiating from his olive skin, the subtle pattern of scales along his jaw catching the light as he swallowed hard.

"You smell..." Kovax trailed off, taking another step closer. "Different."

Ryaz backed away until he hit the wall. "You're drunk."

"Maybe," Kovax agreed, following him. "But my senses work just fine." He leaned in, inhaling deeply. "Sweet. Like... like nothing I've ever..." He shook his head as if trying to clear it.

The bathroom suddenly felt impossibly small, the air between them charged with something dangerous. Ryaz's heart hammered against his ribs, his body responding to Kovax's proximity in ways that terrified him. The burning beneath his skin intensified, pooling low in his abdomen.

"You need to leave," Ryaz managed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kovax's hand slammed against the wall beside Ryaz's head, not aggressively but as if he needed support to remain standing. "What have you done to me?" he growled, his face inches from Ryaz's now. "Since last night, I can't... I can't stop thinking about..."

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. His eyes said everything—confusion, anger, and beneath it all, unmistakable hunger.

"It's not me," Ryaz said, fighting to keep his voice steady. "It's biology. My fertility cycle—"

"Bullshit," Kovax snarled, though his body swayed slightly. "Some fae trick. Has to be."

"No trick," Ryaz insisted, even as his own body betrayed him, leaning subtly toward the dragon's heat. "It's affecting us both."

Kovax's eyes narrowed, then widened as understanding dawned. "You're saying... you're in heat? Like an animal?"

The crude description should have angered him, but Ryaz was beyond pride now. "Something like that. It'll pass. But you need to leave before—"

"Before what?" Kovax's voice dropped lower, a dangerous edge to it. "Before this?" His other hand came up and caressed Ryaz's face, fingers surprisingly gentle as they traced the line of his jaw. The touch sent electricity arcing through Ryaz's body, drawing a soft gasp from his lips.

"Stop," Ryaz whispered, even as his body arched toward the contact. "We can't—"

"Can't what?" Kovax murmured, moving closer, his breath hot against Ryaz's lips. Ryaz turned his face away, fighting against the overwhelming urge to surrender to the heat building between them. Something else was going on here; his pheramones should only be affecting Kovax, so why was his body responding too?

"We're enemies," he managed, though the word felt hollow.

"Are we?" Kovax's fingers slid to Ryaz's throat, resting over his racing pulse. "Then why does your body say otherwise?"

"Michael." The Emperor's voice cut through the corridor like a blade, stopping Michael who was on his way back to the suite. He turned to find Emperor Ru'unan approaching with uncharacteristic haste, silver robes billowing behind him.

"Your Majesty," Michael bowed quickly, fighting to keep his voice steady. "I was just—"

"Have you seen Ryaz?" Worry creased the Emperor's normally serene features. "He wasn't in the suite when I returned."

A cold weight settled in Michael's stomach. "I thought he was resting."

The Emperor's eyes darkened to a troubled slate blue. "I've checked our chambers thoroughly. He's nowhere to be found."

"He's been seeking fresh air lately," Michael said, already backing toward the hotel's garden entrance. "I'll check the terraces."

The Emperor nodded. "I'll search the conference rooms. He might be reviewing meeting notes." He hesitated, then added, "Find him quickly, Michael. In his condition..."

Michael didn't wait to hear more. He hurried toward the gardens, fear quickening his steps.

Inside the bathroom, Ryaz twisted his face away from Kovax's seeking mouth, the dragon's hot breath reeking of alcohol and something else—something chemical and wrong. His own limbs felt leaden, movements sluggish as he tried to push against the dragon prince's chest.

"Stop," he gasped, the word slurring despite his best efforts. "Kovax, this isn't—"

A growl rumbled from Kovax's throat, amber eyes unfocused and dilated to black pools. "Need you," he muttered, words thick and indistinct. "Can't... stop..."

Panic surged through Ryaz's veins. He shoved hard enough to create space between them and stumbled toward the door on unsteady legs. His fingers fumbled with the handle, pulling desperately.

It didn't budge. Panic surged. He tried to use his magic to force the door but something was wrong, his magic remained unresponsive.

"What?" he whispered. The door remained firmly shut, sealed as if by magic. "No, no, no..."

Behind him, Kovax snarled—a primal sound that sent ice down Ryaz's spine. Before he could turn, powerful hands grabbed his shoulders. 

"Mine," Kovax growled, his face transformed with hunger. Gone was any trace of the arrogant prince, replaced by something feral and unleashed. Rough hands tore at Ryaz's robes, ripping delicate fabric with terrifying ease. Ryaz yelped, pushing weakly at Kovax's chest, but the dragon prince barely seemed to notice his resistance.

"Please," Ryaz begged, voice breaking. "Don't do this. This isn't you—"

Kovax's only response was to spin him around, bending him forcefully over the sink cabinet. In the mirror, Ryaz caught a glimpse of his own reflection—eyes wide with terror, skin glowing with unnatural luminescence, tears already tracking down his flushed cheeks. Behind him, Kovax worked frantically at his own trousers, movements clumsy but determined.

The realization struck Ryaz like lightning. The dragon prince's table at dinner. The endless glasses brought by servants he didn't recognize. Someone had plied Kovax with drink, had drugged him deliberately. The same someone who had given Ryaz the "potion" that left him weak and disoriented.

The same someone who must have locked them in this bathroom together.

His uncle's face flashed in his mind, and with it came a wave of betrayal so profound it stole what little breath he had left. Ryaz's thoughts shattered as he felt an incendiary heat press against him. He tried to scream, to call for help, but Kovax's palm clamped over his mouth, fingers digging painfully into his cheeks.

The initial breach was agony—no preparation, no gentleness, just brutal, searing force. Tears streamed freely down Ryaz's face, dripping onto the marble beneath him.

This wasn't Kovax—not really. The dragon was as much a victim of manipulation as he was. But that knowledge offered no comfort as the assault continued, Kovax's movements growing more frantic, more primal with each passing second.

The burning inside him intensified, his fertility cycle responding to the mating despite the violence of it. His body betrayed him, pleasure mingling with pain.

Then came a new pressure—the base of Kovax's length beginning to swell inside him. The dragon's knot, a biological imperative to ensure successful breeding. Ryaz sobbed against the palm still covering his mouth as the knot expanded, locking them together in the most intimate way possible.

Kovax groaned loudly as he reached his climax, the sound echoing off the tiled walls. Ryaz felt the scorching heat of the dragon flooding him, filling his fertile womb. 

Then Kovax fell limp against him, consciousness fleeing as the drug took full effect, pinning him against the marble. Ryaz stared at nothing, unable to find his voice after such a violent violation. His tears fell silently. The knot would keep them joined for several hours yet, ensuring the dragon's seed remained where it could do its work.

For Fae, conception was instant; life had taken root already.

Moments earlier, Lord Pharraseus stood outside the bathroom door. His lips curled upward. The faint sounds from behind the door confirmed his plan had worked. He pivoted on his heel, the satisfaction of victory already warming his chest, only to freeze mid-step. Emperor Ru'unan stood three paces away, silver robes catching the corridor's dim light.

"Pharraseus?" His brother's eyes shifted from blue to a questioning gray. "What are you doing here? Have you seen Ryaz?"

Pharraseus's fingers twitched once before disappearing into his sleeves. "I was just about to look for you, brother." He tilted his head toward the bathroom door. "I was at the bar," he continued, each word measured, precise. "The bartender mentioned seeing the prince heading this way." He gestured toward the door, brows drawing together in a perfect mimicry of concern. "The dragon prince followed shortly after. I arrived just before you did."

Emperor Ru'unan's eyes narrowed, the color shifting from worried blue to a suspicious violet. Before he could question further, a bestial roar erupted from behind the bathroom door—primal and unmistakably draconic.

Pharraseus moved with theatrical urgency, thrusting his shoulder against the door. The lock gave way with a splintering crack just as Michael rounded the corner at a dead run, his face flushed with exertion and fear.

The scene that greeted them froze all three men in the doorway.

Ryaz bent over the sink cabinet, robes torn and hanging in tatters around his trembling form. Behind him, Prince Kovax's muscular body pinned him down, his hips flush against Ryaz's exposed flesh. The dragon prince's head hung limply, his crimson-streaked hair obscuring his face as he swayed drunkenly, seemingly unaware of their presence.

"RYAZ!" Michael's anguished cry shattered the horrified silence. He lunged forward, hands already forming fists, rage transforming his features into something almost feral.

Pharraseus caught him mid-stride, strong arms wrapping around Michael's chest. "Stop! You'll hurt him worse!"

Michael struggled violently. "Let me go! I'll kill him—"

"They're locked together," Pharraseus hissed, tightening his grip. "Dragon biology—the knot. Pull him off now and you'll tear Ryaz apart."

The words cut through Michael's rage like ice water. He went rigid in Pharraseus's grasp, his eyes never leaving Ryaz's tear-streaked face.

Emperor Ru'unan remained motionless in the doorway, his expression a study in controlled fury. His eyes had darkened to the deepest purple, almost black, but his voice when he finally spoke was eerily calm.

"Into the bathroom. All of you." He stepped inside, closing the door behind them with deliberate care. "Discretion is paramount now."

Pharraseus frowned, releasing Michael only when the hybrid stopped struggling. This wasn't how he'd planned the scandal to unfold—immediate and loud discovery should have come by now, witnesses ogling at the doorway. The Emperor's quick containment threatened to derail everything.

Ru'unan surveyed the scene with clinical detachment, his gaze moving from his son's violated body to the dragon prince's slumped form. Kovax swayed dangerously, mumbling incoherently, his eyes unfocused and glazed. Were it not for the biological lock binding him to Ryaz, he would have collapsed entirely.

"Father..." Ryaz's voice was barely audible, broken with shame and pain.

The Emperor raised his hands, ancient words flowing from his lips as silver light gathered at his fingertips. The air shimmered around them, reality bending as the localised teleportation spell took hold.

The bathroom dissolved into sparkling motes of light, reforming into the opulent bedroom of the presidential suite. Ryaz and Kovax materialized on the bed, still joined in their unwilling union, while the others appeared standing beside it.

"Michael, Pharraseus," the Emperor's voice brooked no argument, "wait in the living room."

"I'm not leaving him," Michael protested, reaching for Ryaz's hand.

"You will." The Emperor's tone softened slightly. "For his sake. This moment should not be witnessed, especially by you."

Michael's jaw clenched, tears of frustration and rage gathering in his eyes as he reluctantly backed toward the door. Pharraseus followed silently, his expression carefully neutral despite the fury boiling beneath his skin. The plan was slipping from his control.

The Emperor waited until the door closed behind them before turning to his son. He sat gently on the edge of the bed, brushing sweat-dampened copper hair from Ryaz's forehead.

"Father, it hurts," Ryaz whispered, fresh tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. The luminescence beneath his skin pulsed with each ragged breath.

"I know, my son." The Emperor's voice cracked slightly, betraying the depth of his anguish. "It will pass soon."

Ryaz closed his eyes, his body trembling. "There's life inside me now. I can feel it. A spark." His voice broke on a sob. "I can feel it taking root."

"We will address that when you're free of him," Ru'unan promised, his fingers cool against Ryaz's burning skin. "There are options."

Kovax groaned behind them, his head lolling forward. The dragon prince remained oblivious to their presence, caught in whatever chemical haze had overtaken him.

"I should hate him," Ryaz whispered, his eyes opening to meet his father's gaze. "But I could smell something on his breath. Something beyond alcohol. Chemical. Wrong." He swallowed painfully. "He's as much a victim in this as I am."

Ru'unan's expression darkened. "You believe he was drugged?"

"Yes," Ryaz's voice strengthened slightly. "And I think... I think Uncle Pharraseus arranged it all."

The Emperor's face remained carefully neutral, though his eyes flashed with something dangerous. "That is a serious accusation."

"The potions he gave me—they didn't help. They made everything worse. Made me weak, disoriented. My magic remains elusive to me even now." Ryaz winced as Kovax shifted unconsciously behind him. "The bathroom door was magically locked. Someone planned this, Father."

Ru'unan was silent for a long moment, his ancient eyes studying his son's face. "I have... suspected my brother's ambitions for some time," he admitted reluctantly. "But this would be beyond ambition. This would be treason."

"I know," Ryaz whispered. A fresh wave of pain made him gasp as the knot binding him to Kovax shifted slightly. "What about Michael? He must be devastated."

"I will speak with him," Ru'unan promised. "Try to rest now. The dragon is unconscious—he'll likely remain that way until the biological lock releases."

Ryaz nodded weakly, attempting to find a more comfortable position despite the violation still ongoing. "Don't let Michael do anything rash."

"I won't." The Emperor rose, his silver robes shimmering in the dim light. "I'll return soon."