Mother knows best

Seraphina and Celeste stared at Lysander, their expressions shifting from shock to pure horror.

Seraphina took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Lysander… tell me exactly what happened. Did he touch you?”

Lysander hesitated, thinking back to when the Alpha had grabbed his leg and forced the medicine onto his wound. “Uh… yeah, I guess?”

Celeste’s eye twitched. “Where?”

“My leg.”

Both sisters exchanged a look before Celeste groaned dramatically and collapsed onto the bed, flinging her arm over her face. “Oh, great! We’re all doomed.”

Lysander blinked. “What? Why?”

Seraphina’s face paled. “Lysander… did you feel anything when he touched you? A shiver? Warmth? Maybe an odd sense of—”

Lysander thought about it—the strange warmth that lingered, the way his skin tingled under the Alpha’s grip. “I mean… yeah? But that’s normal, right?”

Celeste bolted upright. “No, you idiot! That means he scented you!”

Lysander frowned. “Scented me? That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Seraphina groaned. “Lysander… when an Alpha scents an Omega, it’s a claim. Even if it was unintentional, his scent is on you now. Other Alphas will smell it.”

Lysander’s blood ran cold. “Wait—so you’re saying that the werewolf king accidentally claimed me?!”

Celeste sat up, gripping her head. “Not fully, but it’s enough to make you a walking target for other Alphas who want to challenge him—or worse, the vampires who will think you betrayed our kind!”

Lysander’s heart pounded. “Okay, okay, let’s stay calm! I’ll just wash it off—”

Seraphina cut him off. “It doesn’t work that way. An Alpha’s scent doesn’t just wash off. It’ll linger for days, maybe longer because he’s strong.”

Celeste groaned again. “Oh, wonderful. Our little brother just got half-claimed by the most dangerous Alpha alive. The same Alpha who hates vampires. The same Alpha who could wipe us out if he wanted to.” She dramatically flopped back down. “Yup. We’re doomed.”

Lysander gulped. “Maybe… maybe he won’t come looking for me?”

Seraphina gave him a flat stare. “Oh, he will. And when he does, we better be ready.”

Lysander nervously bit his lip, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.

Somehow, he knew she was right.

Lysander paced back and forth in his room, running his hands through his soft, silvery hair. “Okay, okay… what do I do? How do I unscent myself? Maybe if I cover it with perfume? Or bathe in rose water? Or maybe—”

“Maybe you stop talking before you pass out,” Celeste interrupted, rolling her eyes as she lay sprawled across his bed.

Seraphina, who stood near the window with her arms crossed, sighed. “You can’t just get rid of an Alpha’s scent, Lysander. Especially not one as powerful as him.”

Lysander groaned and flopped onto the floor dramatically. “I am so dead. If mother finds out—”

The door suddenly burst open.

Their mother, Queen Belladonna, stormed inside, her long black gown flowing behind her. Her sharp crimson eyes landed directly on Lysander.

The room fell into silence.

The queen took a single step forward, sniffing the air. Then her eyes narrowed.

“…Lysander.”

Lysander stiffened. “Uh—y-yes, Mother?”

Her lips curled into a frown. “Why do you reek of a werewolf?”

Lysander swallowed hard. “Uh… um… well, you see…”

Belladonna’s gaze darkened as she turned to Seraphina and Celeste. “Explain.”

Celeste pointed at Lysander without hesitation. “It’s his fault.”

“Celeste!” Lysander whined.

Seraphina sighed. “He flew out of the kingdom, crashed into werewolf territory, and met him—the Blind Alpha.”

Belladonna’s eyes widened slightly before they narrowed again. “The werewolf king?”

Lysander hesitated, then nodded slowly.

The queen’s frown deepened, her elegant fingers gripping the fabric of her gown. “And he scented you?”

Lysander winced. “It… wasn’t on purpose! He just grabbed my leg to put medicine on it—”

Belladonna inhaled sharply. “He touched you?”

Lysander winced again. “...Y-yeah?”

The room fell into heavy silence. Then—

“Oh, wonderful.” Belladonna pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just fantastic.”

Lysander blinked. “Wait, you’re not going to yell at me?”

His mother let out a slow breath before turning toward the window. “No, because it would be pointless. What’s done is done.”

Celeste looked at her in disbelief. “So, what? We just let our little brother be claimed by a dog?!”

Belladonna’s lips twitched slightly. “No. But we must prepare.” She turned back to Lysander. “You will see him again. It’s only a matter of time.”

Lysander felt his stomach twist. “But… why?”

Belladonna gave him a look, as if the answer was obvious.

“Because, my dear son…” she said, voice calm but firm.

“An Alpha never lets go of what he claims.”

To be continued

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