* * *

“Ashton… I mean, that is…”

Unsure of how to respond, he hesitated for a long while.

“Remy.”

As always, the prince, who could never stand to see the two of them so close, made his appearance.

“What’s this? Did you drink a lot? Why’s your face like that?”

Hayworth directed his words at Remy, but his gaze was fixed on Ashton, filled with anger for the one who dared touch what was his.

“Hmm? Your Highness… Drinking? Oh no… I only sipped a little wine.”

“That’s still alcohol, isn’t it?”

“No way… That can’t be considered alcohol…”

Hayworth’s sharp eyes shot another glare at Ashton.

Ashton shrugged indifferently, finally removing his hand from Remy’s waist.

“Get up. Let’s head back, Remy.”

“I don’t want to, Your Highness. I’m not done eating yet.”

“So, you’re planning to stay here? Right next to Ashton?”

At this, Ashton, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

“What’s wrong with him sitting next to me, Your Highness Hayworth?”

The tension in Ashton’s voice made Hayworth’s gaze burn even fiercer.

Ashton, still seated, returned the glare with equal intensity.

He had no intention of backing down this time.

Leaving a drunken omega in the hands of a dominant alpha was absolutely unacceptable.

“That’s just your opinion.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“I mean, I can’t leave a drunken omega next to a dominant alpha.”

“That applies to Your Highness as well.”

Hayworth smirked, curling one side of his lip arrogantly.

“How is it the same? At least I wouldn’t stoop to stroking a drunken omega’s neck or waist.”

Ashton momentarily clamped his mouth shut at Hayworth’s retort, but soon chuckled softly, brushing it off.

“Ah, I see. You’re jealous. But this is just the kind of casual touch we’ve shared since childhood.”

At Ashton’s response, the two began a heated staring contest.

Their gazes locked, each radiating hostility, and the oppressive pheromones they released began to fill the air.

“Ugh… it’s suffocating… I can’t breathe…”

The pheromones had an immediate effect on the fragile omega.

“It’s scary… it’s suffocating… like something is choking me…”

Remy’s frail body trembled violently as he whimpered.

Only then did the two alphas, who had been too busy growling at each other, turn their attention to him.

Both of them, in perfect unison, called out.

“Remy, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Remy, are you hurt?”

Normally, Remy would have been repulsed by their concern, but the overwhelming pheromones left him trembling uncontrollably, curling into himself.

“Damn it.”

Hayworth clenched his teeth as he finally grasped the situation.

His anger grew at the realization that Remy was suffering because of Ashton.

Without sparing a thought for anyone watching or whispering, Hayworth scooped Remy into his arms.

“Ah…”

Holding the trembling, delicate body close, he whispered softly.

“It’s okay, Remy. I’ll withdraw my pheromones. You’ll feel better soon.”

Not to be outdone, Ashton pulled Remy from Hayworth’s arms into his own.

Remy, too weak to resist, found himself pressed against Ashton’s chest, still trembling uncontrollably.

“Ashton. What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’ll take him. I won’t let Your Highness have him.”

“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now?”

“I do. And I also know I can’t entrust Remy to Your Highness.”

Neither alpha was willing to back down.

As the tension between them grew, so did the intensity of their pheromones.

Remy’s complexion, already pale, turned an alarming shade of blue.

“Ha… ha… it hurts… it’s too much…”

And just like that, unable to endure it any longer, Remy lost consciousness.

“Remy!!”

The furious shouts of the two alphas echoed across the foothills of Mount Molaris.

---

Remy was immediately taken to a tent, with both alphas in tow.

In the now-quiet tent, only the sound of Remy’s strained breathing could be heard.

As his condition stabilized and he began breathing more easily, the two alphas sat side by side, glaring at each other.

“So, who taught you those despicable manners? The Duke of Harland didn’t raise you that way.”

Having confirmed Remy was safe, Hayworth turned his sharp tongue on Ashton.

Ashton, of course, wasn’t one to take such words lying down.

“I’m not sure what Your Highness considers ‘despicable.’”

“Touching a drunken omega, defying your superior, and releasing violent pheromones in front of me and an omega—take your pick.”

“I already told you, this is just how Remy and I have always been.”

“That might have been true before he manifested as an omega.”

“Manifestation doesn’t erase our history.”

“How long are you going to hide behind the excuse of childhood friendship? It’s obvious your feelings for Remy have changed.”

“And it’s clear your feelings have as well, Your Highness.”

A tense silence settled between them, but it wasn’t long before the verbal sparring resumed.

“Acting so arrogantly won’t end well for you.”

“If I’ve been rough, I’ll apologize. But if you’re talking about my reputation, that’s for me to handle.”

“You think your reputation will hold up after you released pheromones like that?”

“I’ve never cared much about such things, so yes, I’ll be fine.”

Hayworth snarled, Ashton smirked, and the thick tension between them only grew.

The pheromones they unconsciously released began to fill the tent again.

Even in his sleep, Remy trembled and curled into himself. Ashton noticed first.

“It seems Your Highness and I shouldn’t be here. We’re only making things worse for Remy.”

Hayworth could somewhat understand Ashton’s words.

He, too, was beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation as he watched Remy trembling.

“Let’s get up. Leave this to the healer.”

It was only long after Ashton finished speaking that Hayworth rose from his seat, his brow deeply furrowed.

He didn’t bother hiding his foul mood.

“Ashton.”

Just before stepping out of the tent, he called out in a low voice to Ashton, who had been following him.

Ashton stopped in his tracks, silently meeting Hayworth’s gaze.

“Can you swear on it?”

Even in the dim light, Ashton could tell from the tone of Hayworth’s voice and the sheer tension in the air just how serious he was.

The intensity radiating from him was unmistakable.

“Swear on what, Your Highness?”

“That you have no feelings for Remy. That you’re only looking out for him because he’s your childhood friend.”

“…”

“Can you swear to that?”

Ashton remained silent for a moment.

Their gazes tangled in the charged air, as though each were probing the other’s intentions.

A faint breeze slipped into the tent, sweeping through the heavy atmosphere filled with the pheromones of two alphas.

“Is it necessary to swear to something like that?”

“Am I to take that as you can’t swear on it?”

“Your Highness.”

“I feel like I could be certain just from the way you look at Remy.”

“And is Your Highness’s certainty so easily swayed?”

“I’m not playing games with you. I want the truth.”

Hayworth took a step closer to Ashton, his overwhelming pheromones filling the space between them.

He leaned in until their faces were inches apart, his sharp gaze brimming with menace.

For anyone but another dominant alpha, it would’ve been unbearable.

“Listen carefully, Ashton.”

“…”

“I don’t care what your true feelings are.”

“…”

“But if you’re looking at Remy as more than just a childhood friend, you’d best bury those feelings. Unless, of course, you want your family to fall out of favor with the royal house.”

Ashton knew Hayworth meant every word.

This wasn’t just a warning—it was a threat.

The pheromones Hayworth released carried a deadly weight.

“Understood, Your Highness. I’ll take it to heart.”

Yet, despite the pressure, Ashton didn’t flinch.

His calm, almost unnervingly composed eyes met Hayworth’s head-on.

“If the day ever comes when my family and the royal house are at odds, I’ll be sure to recall today’s warning.”

“What the hell are you saying…!”

“So, Your Highness, let’s leave it at this for now. There’s no point lingering here any longer.”

Ashton spoke with a starkly different tone, his demeanor polite and measured, yet brimming with an unshakable confidence.

* * *