Rafael stared at the offered hand for one heartbeat too long. The name hit him harder than the handshake.
Ravenstone.
Industry heirs. Old money. New money. Money that bought governments.
He took the hand quickly, hoping his palm wasn't sweating. "It's a pleasure," he managed.
Augustus smiled subtly, confidently. "Your mother speaks highly of you."
Rafael froze. "She… does?"
"She said you were brilliant, principled, and underappreciated." Augustus's eyes warmed. "I'm inclined to believe her."
Rafael almost choked on air. Delphine said that? To someone outside the family? To an alpha?
He needed to sit down immediately.
Delphine, having judged the chemistry levels with terrifying precision, stepped forward. "I'll leave you two. Tea is prepared. Please enjoy yourselves."
Rafael nearly grabbed her sleeve to drag her back, but she slipped through the door like a ghost and closed it with a soft click that felt like the shutting of a prison gate.
Silence settled.
Augustus gestured toward the seating area. "Shall we?"
Rafael nodded stiffly and sat, back straight, nerves rattling like coins in a tin cup.
Augustus chose the seat opposite him, close enough to talk comfortably but far enough to be respectful. He adjusted his glasses with an absent motion that somehow made Rafael more anxious.
"I apologize if this feels rushed," Augustus said. "Your mother asked for a discreet meeting. I assumed that meant she was… enthusiastic."
Rafael groaned internally. "She is enthusiastic about many things. Usually against my will."
Augustus's mouth curved. "I suspected as much."
He poured Rafael's tea with careful, steady hands, without dominance games or pheromone pressure. Just… manners. It was disarming.
"You look tired," Augustus observed gently. "Long week?"
Rafael let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Long life."
That earned a quiet laugh. "Fair enough."
Rafael studied him for a moment. Augustus was older than him, early thirties maybe, but he carried it well. Sharp suit, clean lines, and a gold watch that whispered wealth without flaunting it. He looked like the kind of alpha Delphine adored: elegant, educated, powerful, with enough social connections to build an empire from scratch.
Rafael inhaled softly. "So… you're Augustus. From the Ravenstone line?"
Augustus nodded. "My family handles a portion of the Empire's manufacturing and transport networks. Nothing as glamorous as court politics but useful enough that the Emperor knows my father well."
Rafael blinked. Delphine introduced him to someone Damian might actually recognize.
"And you?" Augustus asked, shifting slightly forward, posture open. "Your work at the palace. Do you enjoy it?"
Rafael hesitated. He could lie. He could dodge. He could panic. But something about Augustus made honesty slip out before he could stop it.
"It's… chaotic," Rafael admitted. "Fulfilling sometimes. Terrifying often. My boss is the consort of the Emperor. My colleagues actively enjoy spite. And the Empire keeps sending oversized gifts in anticipation of the royal baby."
Augustus's eyebrows lifted. "That sounds… intense."
Rafael forced himself to breathe, letting the warmth of the tea settle his nerves a little. Augustus wasn't intimidating the way palace alphas often were. He didn't radiate dominance or try to fill the room. He just… existed comfortably, like someone who had never needed to prove anything.
That, of course, made Rafael deeply suspicious.
"Can I ask something?" Rafael said, setting his cup down before he dropped it.
"Of course." Augustus's attention shifted to him immediately.
Rafael squinted at him. The suit, the watch, the posture, the face… Augustus looked like he had walked out of a very expensive magazine and into the salon by accident. He was handsome, obviously wealthy, and definitely well-connected. A man like that should have been drowning in suitors.
So why was he here? With Delphine?
"Why," Rafael began slowly, "are you here? With my mother. On a matchmaking appointment."
He waved vaguely at Augustus. "You don't look like someone who needs help dating. At all."
Augustus blinked and then laughed softly, warm enough that it didn't feel like mockery. "You're very direct."
"I'm very confused," Rafael corrected.
Augustus leaned back a little, hands folding neatly in his lap. "My family is large and influential. In our circles, matchmaking is the norm. Expectations are high, alliances matter, and every wrong dinner conversation becomes gossip for three months." A faint sigh escaped him. "My parents have tried arranging introductions for years. None ever felt right."
Rafael frowned. "And mine did?"
"Your mother approached my mother with an extremely logical proposal," Augustus said. "One that wasn't focused on advantage, but compatibility." His expression softened. "So I agreed to meet you."
Rafael blinked. "Compatibility… how?"
"To start," Augustus said, "your lineage is respected. Your household is orderly, not scandal-prone. And you…" His gaze moved over Rafael in a way that felt observational rather than predatory. "You are intelligent, composed, and socially skilled, and you work in the palace at the highest level. That combination is exceptionally rare."
Rafael's ears burned. Compliments always hit him like mild sparks.
He forced his voice to remain calm. "And what about you? Besides… everything you're doing right now."
He waved vaguely again.
Augustus actually looked amused. "I come from a stable background. My work in industrial strategy is secure. I'm not chasing a marriage contract for leverage, I'd like something functional. Sustainable." He paused. "And your mother was very insistent that you are not someone who accepts a match simply because others want you to."
Rafael froze. "…She said that?"
"Yes," Augustus said gently. "She was emphatic about it."
Rafael needed a moment. His mother was terrifying, overbearing, and allergic to emotional softness, but she wasn't stupid, and she knew him. Hearing she had defended his autonomy, to a stranger, no less, loosened something tight in his chest.
"And," Augustus added with an easy calm, "I find you handsome. That fact certainly doesn't hurt."
Rafael choked on absolutely nothing.
Augustus's smile widened just a little. "Too forward?"
"No!" Rafael said too quickly, then winced. "I mean… no, it's fine. Just… new."
Augustus tilted his head. "New can be good."