Now that Lioren was fully awake, panic rushed through him. he wanted to hide, to disappear completely. The voices around him, the laughter, even the small arguments, everything felt too close and too overwhelming.

The last thing he remembered was seeing a figure, scentless, completely unreadable, standing before him, making threats he couldn't comprehend.

That's when his eyes landed on Leyla. Without thinking twice, she stepped forward.

"Hey," she said in a gentle but steady voice. She bent down a little so she wouldn't look intimidating and stretched out her hand, almost like she was offering comfort. Her gesture was friendly.

"I'm Leyla," she introduced herself. "You're safe here. Don't be scared. The people around you," she glanced at Cyrin and said "They are friends, not enemies."

Lioren tried to steady his breathing, trying to calm the frantic thud of his heart, and followed her gaze. “This is Sevren, Meirei, Cyrin, and…” Her eyes flicked to the doorway, where Veyr leaned against the frame, arms folded, perfectly still. “…and just think of him as a ghost. Forget him.”

Lioren's stomach twisted. Recognition hit him like a punch. The grey-eyed figure wasn’t just a memory anymore. He was real, standing there, and his gaze pinned Lioren as if he were a specimen under a microscope. The silence from the doorway was heavy, and Lioren froze completely.

Suddenly, Leyla’s eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together, pulling Lioren out of his discomfort. “Everything is ready,” she declared proudly, almost bouncing on her toes. “Just a few more days, and the wedding can happen, lavish and beautiful, with lights, music, and everything!”

A cold thought pierced his mind. What if they were Kael's people? Had Kael already found out? Had he discovered that I was hiding here, in the lower city?

The thought left him cold. He had chosen this place because it was the last corner Kael would ever step foot in, dirty, chaotic and filled with people who kept their heads down. Yet now, sitting here, it felt like Kael's shadow had stretched even this far.

Before he could steady his breath, Cyrin's sharp voice cut through the haze.

"Leyla, enough of your silly talk, you are only 19, what wedding?" Cyrin snapped, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on Lioren. "You, tell me the truth. Who are you?, And what exactly are you hiding? Why were you following Veyr? Are you with those old fucks? Do you work for them?"

Lioren's mind struggled to keep up. The questions came fast, overlapping, their sharp and urgent tone pressing down on him. His arms and legs felt heavy, his chest tight. He wanted to respond, but the confusion tangled his thoughts so completely that he had no idea what Cyrin was asking about, and the words simply would not come.

That was when Meirei acted calmly, controlled, and impressively fast. He moved forward and slapped the back of Cyrin's head with one hand. At the same time, Leyla reacting to Meirei, took the chance and did the same, her palm meeting Cyrin's skull with perfect timing. Cyrin staggered, blinking in shock, and for a brief moment, the room felt still again.

Lioren's eyes widened, trying to understand what was happening.

Meirei's voice snapped through the air, sharp with frustration. "Are you that brain-dead?" he shot at Cyrin. Looking very intense.

"First, you tried to throw tea on his face! And now instead of letting him recover, you are overwhelming him with your pheromones to get an answer, when I've already told you he suffers from irregular heat!"

Lioren felt the pressure on his chest, a suffocating weight lifting as a different scent, calming and steady, settled around him. It was meirei. The dominant omega had released his own pheromones, a silent shield, without a word.

Lioren felt a chill run down his spine when he heard those words- throw tea on his face. But he also understood Meirei protected him with his own pheromones to counter Cyrin's influence, shielding him without a word; he had ensured his safety.

"Why are you going around spilling this tea thing to everyone, man?" Cyrin shot back, glaring. Meirei didn't answer; he just rolled his eyes.

"You could've seriously hurt him!" Meirei continued with his eyes blazing. "Think before you act next time!"

"Yeah, you said something. I didn't think it mattered that much."

The room continued to buzz around him. Cyrin muttered apologies, Meirei gestured with exasperation, and Leyla and Sevren watched like spectators. Lioren stayed silent, taking it all in. Yet the noise, the explanations, and the scolding felt distant compared to the steady, intense scrutiny from Veyr at the door. Veyr leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed, watching.

His gaze was intense and steady. lioren's chest tightened further, not from fear alone, but from the unnerving weight of being watched so fully by the same man who had threatened him before. There was no anger, no obvious amusement, yet the corner of his lips curved into a faint, secretive smirk.

It was a sharp, calculating stare that pinned Lioren in place, making it impossible to look away