The silence that followed their intimate re-anchoring was dense and profound, broken only by the synchronized rhythm of their breathing. Julian lay sprawled, utterly spent, on the cool silk sheets. He was physically satiated, yet the peace was temporary. He knew the external world, now armed with Marcus's spiteful echo, was preparing to challenge the fortress Elias had constructed.
Elias lifted himself slowly, moving with the quiet, devastating efficiency of a commander rising to war. He did not dress fully, retaining the dark silk robe a distinction that emphasized his authority in this private, high-stakes moment. He retrieved a sleek, secure tablet from the bedside console, the glow illuminating the severity of his features.
"The Council operates on biological metrics," Elias began, his voice low and clinical, cutting through the remnants of Julian's haze. "Marcus has confirmed his intention to target your status as an Alpha with high fertility potential. We must neutralize that threat before the mandatory audit is initiated."
Julian propped himself up on one elbow, the shame of discussing his reproductive viability with the man who had just claimed it warring with the cold clarity that survival demanded. He was acutely aware of his own scent the lingering, sweet submission that was currently screaming perfect, healthy mate to any Alpha within ten feet.
Elias slid the tablet toward Julian, displaying a fabricated document. Julian Reyes: Medical History Addendum.
"This file has been uploaded to the Central Registry. It confirms your history of severe reproductive volatility, requiring long-term biological suppression," Elias dictated, his tone dry and precise. "You will internalize this truth. You are not a healthy Alpha ready for an heir. You are a biologically fragile component, a risk, requiring my steadying hand."
Julian forced his eyes to scan the forged data: inability to sustain pheromonal dominance, severe energy drain post-rut cycle, zero successful conception markers despite multiple attempts with Omegas. The lies were layered thick, designed to paint Julian as a flawed specimen an Alpha who posed no threat of producing the forbidden Enigma-Alpha heir.
"The first step is scent," Elias continued, leaning closer, his strong scent flaring in a controlled, clinical manner. "The Council uses sophisticated pheromonal analysis. Your natural scent, post-mating, is one of acute reproductive health. It is a danger."
Elias reached into a drawer and produced a small, silver vial of viscous, clear liquid.
"This is a concentrated dermal inhibitor," he explained. "It is not a blocker; it alters the composition of your pheromones at the source. For the next week, you will apply this every four hours. When combined with the residual Enigma in your system, it will produce a scent profile consistent with suppressed vitality the odor of a creature under intensive management."
Julian took the vial, the metal cold and foreign against his palm. The sheer violation of masking his own essence, of actively fabricating weakness, was a profound humiliation that tasted worse than anything Marcus had inflicted.
"You must project an underlying fragility," Elias commanded, settling onto the edge of the bed. "Your stillness is no longer enough. You must show the fatigue of your internal struggle."
He began to dictate the precise psychological role:
"When facing an auditor, you will never meet their eyes. You will maintain a gaze fixed just below their chin, suggesting exhaustion and a natural inclination toward deference. Your voice will be low, devoid of the ambitious resonance of a healthy Alpha. Your posture must convey a subtle lean a dependence on the nearest stability, which will invariably be me."
Elias reached out and gently tilted Julian's head, repositioning his spine until Julian was slightly curved, vulnerable. "You are not defiant. You are relieved to be protected. You are an Alpha who has failed to control his own biology, and has thankfully found a superior power to manage the remainder of his life."
The instruction was a cold, complete demolition of Julian's self-perception. He was being told to embody the victim, the failed Alpha that Marcus had always accused him of being. His humiliation was complete, but the need to survive, to protect the bond, was an overwhelming compulsion.
"If they ask about the mate bond," Elias continued, his voice hardening, "your response must be immediate, slightly shame-faced, and utterly clear. You will say: 'The Chairman recognized my instability. He has graciously provided the anchoring my biology requires.' You will not use the word love or choice. This is an arrangement of necessity and security, not romance."
Elias laid his hand flat on Julian's chest, directly over his heart, the pressure heavy and final. "Failure to maintain this facade, Julian, will result in an intervention. They will not only strip me of my title; they will strip you of your fertility and eliminate the bond with extreme, irreversible measures. They will take the security I have given you, and leave you truly defenseless."
Julian looked up at the Enigma, his eyes wide and dark. The sheer, cold magnitude of the threat the loss of the terrifying but necessary protection finally shattered his lingering resentment. He realized his life was now entirely dependent on his performance of this lie.
"I understand, Chairman," Julian whispered, the submission in his tone perfect, fragile, and utterly convincing. The surrender was complete. He was not just the Enigma's mate; he was his actor, his shield, his perfectly scripted decoy.