The Royal Garden was silent, save for the rustling of willow leaves.
Elian stood frozen, his wrist trapped in the iron grip of the sleeping man. The heat from the stranger's hand was burning against his skin.
"Don't go..." the man murmured again, shifting slightly on the bench. The white jacket Elian had placed on him slipped, revealing a glimpse of a sharp, defined jawline and a silver piercing on his ear.
Elian's heart hammered against his ribs.
Who is this? And why is he so strong?
"Sir, please," Elian whispered, tugging his hand gently. "I have to go."
But the man didn't let go. Instead, he pulled Elian closer. Elian stumbled, his knee hitting the edge of the marble bench. He was now inches away from the stranger's face.
He could smell him—a mix of expensive cologne, tobacco, and something dangerous like rain before a storm.
For a second, the stranger took a deep breath, inhaling Elian's scent. His tense eyebrows relaxed completely. The pain lines on his forehead vanished. He looked... peaceful.
He's treating me like a teddy bear, Elian thought frantically.
Suddenly, voices echoed from the pathway nearby.
"Check the garden! The Young Master might be here!" It was Noah's booming voice.
Elian panicked. If Noah found him here, holding hands with a strange man in the dark, he would probably punch the guy into orbit.
"I'm sorry!" Elian squeaked.
With a burst of adrenaline, Elian yanked his hand back with all his strength.
The stranger's grip loosened just for a fraction of a second.
Elian broke free.
He didn't look back. He turned and ran. He sprinted across the grass, his white shirt glowing in the moonlight, leaving his expensive White Suit Jacket covering the sleeping stranger.
He disappeared into the shadows just as the stranger's eyes snapped open.
Kaelen Blackwood wakes up.
He didn't wake up groggy. He woke up instantly, his instincts on high alert.
His hand snatched at the empty air.
"Wait," Kaelen growled, sitting up.
He looked around. The garden was empty. The boy was gone.
But then, Kaelen froze.
He touched his temple.
There was no pounding. No stabbing pain. No screaming noise in his head.
For the first time in years, his mind was... silent.
" The migraine..." Kaelen whispered, disbelief coloring his voice. "It's gone."
He looked down at his lap.
There, resting on his legs, was a Pearl-White Suit Jacket.
He picked it up. The fabric was soft, expensive silk. But it was the scent that mesmerized him.
It smelled like Vanilla, Fresh Rain, and something sweet like Freesia flowers.
Kaelen buried his face in the jacket, inhaling deeply. The scent rushed through his veins like a drug, calming the beast inside him instantly.
"Kaelen?"
A cold voice spoke from the shadows.
Kieran Blackwood (The Elder Twin) stepped out, adjusting his glasses. He looked at his brother, then at the white jacket in his hands.
"You were sleeping," Kieran noted, his eyes narrowing. "You haven't slept in three days. What happened?"
Kaelen looked up at his twin. His ice-blue eyes were glowing with a terrifying intensity.
"I found him, Kieran," Kaelen said, clutching the jacket tightly. "I found the cure."
"Who?"
"I don't know," Kaelen stood up, the white jacket hanging from his hand like a trophy. He looked at the path where Elian had vanished.
"But he left this." Kaelen smirked—a dark, possessive smirk that promised chaos.
"Find out who wore a white suit tonight. Tear this party apart if you have to."
The hunt had begun.