"We're here for the five as requested earlier," the man boomed.
"Five?!" Madam Wagner stood up. "We were requested four."
"No," the man countered, his eyes scanning the room. "We clearly said five."
"Unfortunately, we only have four today," Madam Wagner said, her voice steady.
"Maybe you can just come instead," the man threatened, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face.
Benjamin felt the knot in his chest tighten. He pushed back his chair and stood up. "I will go."
"Benjamin, you can't!" Madam Wagner gasped, reaching out to catch his arm.
The man turned his gaze to Benjamin, his awful smile widening to show teeth. "A newbie, huh? He's a looker."
Benjamin stood six feet tall, his lean, athletic build held with a disciplined stillness. His hair, a dark brown so deep it was easily mistaken for black. His fair-skinned face provided a pale canvas for his eyes, which served as a map of his lineage. At their core, his eyes held the piercing blue of his father's people from Zephyr. In the low, amber light of the brothel, the outer edges of his irises glowed a golden brown, the heritage of his mother from Xenos. Under sunlight, they would deepen into a dark, vivid green.
"This will do," the man said with a menacing grin, his eyes lingering on Benjamin for a moment longer before he turned his gaze back to Madam Wagner. "Here's the payment. It's been doubled. We have a special guest tonight, and this newbie might do the job."
He reached into the folds of his crimson garbs and pulled out a heavy pouch, dropping it onto the counter.
Madam Wagner looked at Benjamin, her expression clouded with a deep, unspoken worry. "You don't have to do this," she whispered. "You don't know what they're like, Benjamin."
"You know I've seen the brunt of it." Benjamin replied reassuringly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't worry about me."
Madam Wagner nodded with guilt, acknowledging there wasn't anything she could do to fix the situation. I shouldn't have asked him to stay for dinner, she thought. It's all my fault. He's such a kind-hearted boy. In a place like the one they were going, she feared even a heart as strong as his might break.
"I'm so sorry, Benjamin." Madam Wagner squeezed his hands.
Benjamin forced a grin, his hazel eyes softening as he tried to mask the tension tightening in his throat.
"I'll be fine. I'm stronger than I look," he said, his voice steady even as his pulse began to quicken.
** ** ** ** ** **
So this is the famous mansion belonging to the well-known Zhou family, Benjamin thought, his eyes scanning the grand mansion that loomed ahead.
The Zhous were a dynasty originally from Xenos, carrying with them the clinical prestige of their homeland. They controlled one of the largest pharmaceutical networks across the Andromedus Empire, each family member possessing their own medicinal specialty.
Lan Zhou, the master of this particular estate, had carved out a lucrative niche in hormonal medicines for alphas and omegas. According to the whispers Benjamin had heard from his patients, these exclusive parties were more than just social gatherings.
Behind the velvet curtains and polished marble, Lan Zhou was advertising products that weren't intended for public shelves. These were potent aphrodisiacs and medicines for virility. To prove their efficacy, Zhou hired attendants from brothels, allowing his wealthy clients to test the potency of his latest products.
The atmosphere inside the mansion was suffocating. Despite the tall ceilings and the vastness of the room, the air overwhelmingly reeked of alpha pheromones aggressively tangled with those of omegas.
Something like this would only happen here, Benjamin thought.
During the three decades of Emperor Farrokh's reign, laws were passed to bring about equality and equity for all secondary genders. One of the most groundbreaking laws was the Universal Masking Act. To prevent disturbances and maintain social order, this mandate required alphas and omegas to wear scent-blockers in public and professional settings. Businesses were required to provide these blockers for their employees. This law ensured that the modern citizen avoided the unwanted and overwhelming assault of raw pheromones.
Entering Lan Zhou's mansion was like stepping back into a forgotten, more primal era. The air was a thick, suffocating reminder of a past where pheromones dominated every interaction. Since this was a private residence, the Masking Act did not apply here.
At the entrance, each attendant was subjected to a thorough pat-down, checked for hidden weapons or unauthorized drugs. Once cleared, they were led to a long bench in the grand entrance hall which sat before the double doors that opened directly into the ballroom. The doors had been left wide open for the event. The ballroom was cavernous, with the ceiling soaring up to a second-floor gallery where guests leaned over the railings, drinking and conversing as they looked down upon the floor below.
In the center of the ballroom, the couches were positioned in a vast square around a low, oversized table. The table displayed an array of crystal decanters and the potent, experimental aphrodisiacs Lan Zhou was so eager to sell.
Here, the scene was one of raw, uninhibited indulgence. Men and women in every possible pairing engaged in various sexual acts, their bodies slick with sweat. The scene made Benjamin feel sick. The blatant exploitation of medicine and people fueled an anger he couldn't hide. His eyes burned with a quiet fury. Refusing to watch the spectacle any longer, he turned his back on the obscenity.
One by one, the attendants were called. The bench grew emptier, the silence in the hall heavier, until Benjamin was the only one left.
"Don't look so angry, newbie. You have a very important guest. We paid extra for you. Have you ever taken it in your hole? Are you an omega? Or an alpha?" The man in red, who had collected them earlier, motioned for Benjamin to follow him.
"I'm not obligated to answer," Benjamin answered sternly as he followed behind the man.
As he followed the man upstairs, Benjamin observed the layout of the second floor. The second floor was a labyrinth of private chambers that circled a massive, central room. The man led him through this central common space, which overlooked the chaos below.
At the far end of the common space, there was a heavy door, guarded by two sentries. They were dressed in the unmistakable uniforms of the Isadoran Royal Guards. Unlike the rigid and vigilant soldiers one might expect, the two guards were leaning slightly against the stone walls, and their expressions projected a sense of profound boredom.
"Mr. Zhou's present for His Highness," the man said, and with a sudden, forceful jerk, he tossed Benjamin forward toward the guards.
The guards scanned Benjamin from head to toe with a flat, detached indifference. As Benjamin drew closer, he noticed that the two guards were identical twins. The guard on the right performed yet another pat-down. Satisfied, the guard on the left gripped the handles and opened the heavy door.
Inside, the room was dimly lit. Three long, velvet-upholstered couches were arranged in a wide U-shape, their open end facing the door. At the center of this formation sat a polished low, dark-wood table.
At the center of the arrangement sat the esteemed guest.
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