Elian's POV
*****
His eyes widened when he heard that voice.
No. Not now.
He swerved his head to the entrance of the garden only to see Beta Axel stepping forward, a frown on his face as his gaze flicked from him to Lucian.
"Lucian, I said let go," Axel growled coldly, his voice dropping. "Except this is some kind of foreplay I'm not aware of."
Elian's face heated up with a violent blush but fortunately, Lucian let go of his jaw and stepped back before turning to face Axel fully.
"Oh, you should know. Shouldn't you, Beta?" Lucian snarled with contempt, baring his fangs at the Beta.
The tension that followed those words was enough to cut.
Axel tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at Lucian. "What are you even talking about?"
Yeah, what was he talking about?
[Girl, who cares? These two will rip each other apart if you don't do something.]
Girl?
"You talk so weirdly," Elian muttered to the system but then Lucian whipped his head to him, causing him to gulp.
"See? You're doing it again." Lucian let out a light scoff, his gaze going from his head to his toes. "You're hiding something, Elian. I know it."
Elian looked away, glancing at Beta Axel whose anger was slowly turning into curiosity now.
[Congrats! Your stupidity managed to dissolve the conflict. That should go on your résumé.]
[Also... How many times do I have to remind you that you can easily communicate with me mentally? Goddess, you're exhausting.]
HE'S exhausting?
Elian's eyes twitched as he rubbed his right hand down his face. He needed to get out of this confrontation...
"I want to go to sleep." He suddenly blurted, looking away from Lucian's intense gaze. "But uh... You boys have fun and—"
"Aren't you coming for dinner, Elian?" Beta Axel asked with concern, walking forward now.
Elian parted his lips but then Lucian added beside him. "I couldn't care less if you want to starve yourself. But my parents request your presence for dinner."
Gods, no...
[Use the sickness card!]
Bingo!
Elian flashed a sarcastic smile at Lucian before looking at Axel.
"I'm... Not feeling too well. And I'm already full so I think I'll just go to my room and get some rest."
However, Axel became even more worried and walked closer, causing Elian to subconsciously hold his breath as his heart beat quickened.
He was alone, under the moonlight, with two of the hottest men in the Empire surrounding him close to a wall with twirling vines.
It looked like a scene out of one of his wet dreams— except the dream would actually be a nightmare since the jackass Alpha Prince was his mate.
When Beta Axel got in front of him, he placed his right hand on his shoulder and had a small smile on his face, ignoring Lucian who looked on coldly.
"Like a fever? Are your nerves acting up?" Axel asked with a soft voice, as if he was trying so hard to be gentle— but in a way that still brought warmth to Elian's heart.
Elian sucked in a breath, trying to find the right words to say. No one had touched him like that in a long time — well, not this gently.
[Spank me, daddy! You can start with that.]
Elian didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard the system's random yell in his mind.
Moon goddess, what kind of "gift" is this?
[The kind that bagged you not one but THREE hot mates. Speaking of which, I can't wait to see what mate #3 brings. These two are low-key already boring me.]
Before Elian knew what was happening, Axel slowly brought his fingers to his face, caressing it gently and sending a jolt of something electric through the former's body.
At that same moment, Lucian let out a scoff before turning on his heel, walking toward the entrance of the garden where Axel had walked through.
"When you two are done edging each other, you could come for dinner. Or stay out here. I don't care." He harrumphed, causing Elian to blink and swerve his head to him.
When Lucian finally left... Elian coughed awkwardly, taking a single step back.
"Looks like the Alpha Prince is giving you a hard time," Axel remarked, smiling slyly at Elian.
The latter nodded, parting his lips and not knowing what to say. He wanted to lean in and kiss the Beta.
Those enchanting golden eyes and soft pink lips were literally begging him to cling to this man and do all sorts of things that he had kept to himself for years.
And worst of all... His dick was still pulsing from the lingering sexual tension between him and Lucian.
[Get a room already.]
Elian gulped, blinking awkwardly at the Beta.
"I–I was..." He stuttered but nothing he could think of made sense.
Was he really ready to go have dinner with Lucian and his parents— the Alpha King and Queen— present? Nope, far from it.
Not to mention there was still the threat of Estella lurking. That bitch could strike at any moment and kill him in a worse way than his last life.
Eating at the same table with her would be stupid.
"I need to go to sleep. Really." Elian finally said to the Beta, smiling wryly. "Thank... Thank you for everything. You've been so nice so far and—"
Suddenly, the Beta's index finger went to his mouth, shushing him.
"It's fine," Axel said with a small smirk. "You can go to sleep. I'm pretty beat myself."
Elian smiled softly, his lashes lowering as he took a deep breath. Axel's hand had dropped from his face, but the warmth of his touch lingered like a branded memory.
"Goodnight, Elian," Axel said after a pause. His voice had dropped an octave—soft, genuine, and way too seductive to Elian's resolve.
Elian looked up, searching Axel's face as if he wanted to say more. Maybe he did.
Maybe something stupid like "stay with me" or "kiss me until I forget how royally fucked I am".
Instead, he gave a half-smile.
"Night, Beta," he murmured with playful sarcasm, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Axel arched an eyebrow at the use of his title, but said nothing. He simply reached out, brushing his fingers across Elian's knuckles as he turned and walked away, back toward the garden's entrance.
Elian stood still for a second, watching him go before releasing a long, slow exhale.
.
.
The hallway was quiet when Elian returned to his chamber—too quiet.
His footsteps echoed off marble tiles and high, arched ceilings. The palace was cold at night, but his room welcomed him with warm chandelier lighting and the faint scent of lavender oils that had been left burning.
For once, no staff were loitering.
He kicked off his boots, letting them thud to the floor. With a groan, he collapsed backwards into the bed, bouncing once before settling into the plush pillows.
[You handled that like a champ. An awkward, horny, emotionally constipated champ.]
Elian groaned. "Shut up."
[...Also, I may have forgotten to tell you something.]
Elian rolled onto his side, gripping the pillow as exhaustion finally crept into his limbs. "What now?"
[It's about Mate #3.]
"What about him?"
[He's not asleep anymore.]
Elian's eyes opened just enough to see the translucent blue screen flicker above him—the possessiveness bars of each mate pulsing gently in the dark.
Lucian (Mate #1): 24%
Axel (Mate #2): 15%
Mate #3: 9%
The bar of mate #3 pulsed… then ticked to 10%.
A low hum filled the air for just a second, so faint it could've been the wind. But it wasn't.
It was… something else. Like a heartbeat pressed against his mind.
Elian's own heartbeat was heavy as he blinked slowly at the screen, his chest tight with confusion.
[Sleep tight, sugarplum. You're not alone anymore.]
Elian didn't reply. He simply closed his eyes, gripping the pillow tighter, letting the heaviness of sleep take over.
But even as he drifted off, the strange pressure in his chest refused to go away...
It was like someone was watching him... Far, far away.