"I have to go! I have to go!" Elian scrambled off the bed, tripping over the long grey t-shirt.
"Noah is going to break my door down in 2 minutes!"
He looked around for his pants.
"Wh...where are my silver pants?" He ask shyly...
"Burned," Kaelen said lazily from the sofa. "We didn't like them. Too tight. Too... public."
Elian gasped. "You burned my clothes?! What am I supposed to wear?"
"Wear that," Kieran pointed at the t-shirt Elian was wearing. "It suits you."
Elian didn't have time to argue.
"Fine! I'm stealing this! Bye!"
He sprinted barefoot to the private elevator. He punched the code for the 40th Floor.
The doors closed just as he saw the Twins smirking at him.
Ding.
He reached his floor.
He ran down the hallway, typed his code (Vanilla123), and threw himself inside his apartment just as he heard the main elevator ding.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"ELIAN! OPEN UP!" It was Noah.
Elian grabbed a blanket, threw it over himself to hide the Twin's shirt, ruffled his hair to look like he just woke up, and opened the door.
"What?" Elian yawned (fake). "Why are you shouting?"
Noah stood there, furious and worried. He scanned Elian.
"You didn't pick up the phone."
"I was asleep, Noah," Elian rubbed his eyes. "Deep sleep. You know I take sleeping pills sometimes."
Noah looked at him suspiciously. He stepped inside, sniffing the air.
"Why do you smell like... Expensive Cologne and Sandalwood?"
Elian froze. The shirt.
"Uh... new room spray?" Elian lied. "It's called 'Midnight Musk'. Do you like it?"
Noah narrowed his eyes but sighed. "You're alive. That's what matters. Mom is worried sick. Call her."
Elian exhaled. He was safe.
But upstairs... the Wolves were remembering.
Back in the Penthouse.
Kieran Blackwood stood by the window, watching the street below.
He took a sip of his coffee. The room felt empty without the boy.
He closed his eyes, replaying the events of last night. The parts Elian didn't remember.
Flashback (3:00 AM - The Arrival):
They had carried Elian out of the elevator. Elian was half-asleep, mumbling nonsense.
Kieran had laid him gently on the massive bed.
Elian's face was covered in glitter and sweat from the club.
Kieran had gone to the bathroom, soaked a soft towel in warm water, and returned.
"Stay still," Kieran had whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.
He gently wiped Elian's face. The warm towel removed the glitter, revealing the soft, pale skin underneath.
Elian had leaned into the touch, sighing contentedly.
"You have gentle hands," Elian had mumbled, his eyes fluttering closed. "Are you an angel?"
Kieran's heart had skipped a beat. He, the ruthless businessman, being called an angel?
"No, Elian," Kieran had whispered, brushing wet hair off Elian's forehead. "I am the devil. But for you... I can be gentle."
Then came the clothes. The silver pants were uncomfortable.
Kieran had unbuttoned them with clinical precision (trying to ignore his own desire). He dressed Elian in his own softest t-shirt.
When Elian was finally tucked in, looking small and peaceful, Kieran had felt something he hadn't felt in years: Purpose.
Kieran opened his eyes.
"He took my shirt," Kieran murmured, a possessive smile touching his lips. "He is marked now. Everyone will smell me on him."
Kaelen was still lying on the sofa where Elian had been standing moments ago.
He picked up the pillow Elian had slept on.
He buried his face in it, inhaling deeply.
Vanilla.
His beast was purring. For the first time in five years, the constant migraine was gone.
He remembered last night differently. For him, it wasn't about being gentle. It was about Survival.
Flashback (4:00 AM - The Nightmare):
An hour after they put Elian to bed, Kaelen couldn't sleep. The silence was too loud.
He had walked into the bedroom.
Elian was shivering in his sleep, whimpering softly. A nightmare.
Kaelen didn't think. Instinct took over.
He climbed into the bed. He pulled Elian's trembling body against his own chest.
Skin to skin. Warmth to warmth.
Elian had stopped shivering instantly. In his sleep, Elian had thrown a leg over Kaelen's waist and buried his face in Kaelen's neck.
"Safety," Elian had whispered again, gripping Kaelen's arm.
Kaelen had frozen. Being touched usually made him want to kill. But this... this felt like the missing piece of his soul snapping into place.
He had wrapped his arms tightly around the boy, chin resting on Elian's head.
"I've got you," Kaelen had vowed in the dark. "No nightmares here."
And then, the miracle happened.
Kaelen Blackwood closed his eyes and slept. A dreamless, peaceful sleep.
present time :
Kaelen lowered the pillow. His blue eyes were dark with hunger.
"I slept, Kieran," Kaelen said, his voice rough. "Actual sleep."
"I know," Kieran turned from the window. "I watched you."
"We can't let him go," Kaelen stood up, restless energy returning. "He is the Cure. He is mine."
"We aren't letting him go," Kieran walked over to the security screen.
It showed a live feed of Apartment 4001.
They watched Noah scolding Elian. They saw Elian hiding under the blanket, wearing Kieran's grey shirt.
"Look," Kieran pointed at the screen. "He is hiding us. He lied to his brother to protect our secret."
Kaelen smirked, seeing Elian look so small and cute in the oversized clothes.
"He likes us," Kaelen decided. "He just doesn't know it yet."
"Let him play house with his brother for now," Kieran tapped the screen.
"Tomorrow is Monday. He has to go to University."
"And we," Kaelen's grin turned predatory, "are the Trustees."
"It's time to pay a visit to the campus," Kieran agreed.
The Hunt was over. The Courtship had begun.