She wakes up to another smell invading her senses. It's not fenugreek, the person is sleeping with his back to her but the smell is enough to tell her it's Ravi.

What is wrong with them? Why are they suddenly sleeping in her bed? Did they think she would run away and somebody?

Slowly sliding away from the prince, she gets off the bed, making sure to not wake him up. It seems he is a heavy sleeper because he barely stirs even as she falls over something on the floor.

The Queen is nowhere to be seen, preferably leaving to let them have some alone time. 

She walks out of the room, trying very hard to shut the door without making much noise and succeeding. Then she makes her way to the kitchen, her stomach grumbling. When was the last time she ate?

As she's descending the stairs, a familiar face crosses the hallway below, "Sungwoon!"

He stops, hearing his name, "My Lady," he greets once she's standing in front of him.

She looks him over, trying to access if he's still hurt but he seems fine, "I am fine My Lady. They sent a healer to tend to me," he explains, watching her look him over.

"I am so sorry," she says because she hasn't apologized to him yet, "You got into trouble for helping me."

"You don't need to apologies to me Lady Meliha. I wanted to help you."

"But...."

"Have you eaten anything?" He cuts her off.

"Ummm," she hasn't and it will come to bite her in the . 

"Do you want to go hunting?" He asks, looking around as if making sure nobody is hearing them. There are two guards at the top of the stairs.

"Hunting? Where?" She whispers.

"I know a place," he says, "but you'll have to promise to not tell anybody."

"Why?" She asks.

"Because you are the wife to the princes. You are not supposed to go anywhere without them," he clarifies.

She nods her head in understanding, of course. 

"Meet me outside the library in twenty minutes," saying, he bows once again and leaves.

There is a constant nagging in the back of her mind as she runs after Sungwoon through the thick forage, the night pitch black. Her senses keep telling her that it's dangerous to be out here on her own, in a land she knows nothing about but all that flies out the window when the beta in front leads her to a clearing.

There are fireflies, the distant sound of flowing water and the air seems so fresh she feels she have been suffocating in the castle.

"One hour," saying he disappears to the left, leaving her to shift on her own and hunt, giving her an hour to finish up.

He should've given her less.

When he comes to get her, she has already eaten two deers, she has planned on hunting one but her stomach was unsatisfied. The hunt itself was messy, missing limbs, certain other parts of the now dead animal and a lot of splattered blood. She has a tendency to be messy when she's starving.

"You are a messy one, my lady," Sungwoon comments looking at the poor animals with distaste. It wasn't a pleasant sight.

"Sorry," she apologises, taking a note to behave next time she hunts.

"You shouldn't apologise to me, my lady. Your status doesn't allow you that," he says taking a few steps towards the forest they came through.

"If I make a mistake, I should apologise. My status has nothing to do with basic manners," she replies, following after him, ready to head back, "Let's go."

They make it back in time. Surprising her companion knows some secret passways and even where to turn or duck to avoid the guards. When she looks at him askance, he whispers, "Perks of working in the intelligence," and successfully leaves her in the corridor of the Queen's Chamber, parting ways with a "Good night, my lady or morning."

She likes him, she decides, slipping back in the room and into the bed. Ravi still sleeping soundly on the other side.

The next time she wakes up, it's because of the shift in weight on the mattress and the feeling of eyes on her. She cracks an eye open to see Ravi staring her down.

"Is something the matter Lord?" She asks, voice hoarse, eyes threatening to fall shut.

"What is it like?" He asks, eyes still on her but moving closer. She suppresses the urge to shift away.

"What?"

"What is it like to kiss you?" He explains, eyes going to which falls open at the words.

"Ask Lord Ken," she answers, overcoming her initial shock, "Why are you in my bed?"

"N hyung was worried after your friends said something about you needing body contact so one of us is to be with you at all times," he answers, eyes still on , "We were in each other's head yesterday," this time he leans in, lips at her ears, "I found something interesting, just at the back of Leo hyung's mind."

He leans further down and sniffs at base of her neck, right over her scent gland. Her body jerks at the contact of his lips over her skin. She's ing sensitive there?!

"He was right," he whispers, tongue darting out to at her scent gland. That sends a bolt of pleasure in her body and she arches into him, gripping the sheets below, "You smell delicious."

Another and she hears herself moan. !

"Ra..," she tries, the fog of pleasure still clouding her head, "Rav..."

"You sound even more delicious, !" His voice is hoarse and deep and it was doing things to her. Things she didn't want to feel. Abandoning the sheets, she grips onto his shoulders, feeling them flex under her touch, "Now I know why hyung didn't want to let you go."

She needs to stop, this isn't right.

"Is it?" He questions and she realizes she said that out loud, "Why do you stop? You know you don't want to."

The Omega in her doesn't want to, she  is the one who always want to stop.

"Because I haven't lost myself to the Omega yet," gripping his shoulders, she pushes him away and takes a breath when he doesn't resist. The smell of both their arousals is heavy in the air.

"But isn't the Omega part of you? You are the omega. Why fight it?"

"Because we chase after different things," she can feel his curiosity. And it doesn't feel like an interrogation so she answers his questions.

"What is it you chase after?" He questions, the gold in his irises receding back, she didn't notice that before, "Your Omega clearly chases after us."

"The safety of my kingdom," she answers as the door opens and the Queen stands there for a minute or so then turning around, leaves the room, followed by the maids.

"Huh?" She looks at him.

He chuckles at her and she sees how good he looks with a smile, "The room smells like arousal, your clothes are....well...," She looks down to find her night gown riding up her thighs and the neck pulled down the shoulder, almost revealing her . Great!

"It's your fault!" She accuses, shooting daggers at him.

"I would've ripped it off you," he winks at her and then slides off the bed, "Get ready and come for breakfast," with that he walks out the room.

She puts in a little effort to look presentable that day, she doesn't want to accept it but even the maids give her knowing looks when she tells them to get a better gown instead of the one laid.

She doesn't really know why she behaves that way or why she wants to look good. Maybe it's because she ate to her fullest and even had physical contact. She's feels mostly sated. And she hasn't felt like that since she came here.

She walks in after the guards at the door announce her presence. Mother Royal and Queen Beta is already there, along with Hyuk and Hongbin.

"Good morning Mother Royal, Queen Beta, Lords," she wishes with a mild bow, her eyes taking in the empty chairs besides both the princes. Her decision is instant as she moves towards the youngest Alpha.

"There's an empty chair here. Why would you go around the table?" Queen Beta speaks up, raising an eyebrow at her, "My son doesn't have an infections disease either."

Biting the inside of her cheek, she pulls out the chair next to Hongbin and sits down, throwing a smile at Hyuk who seem just as surprised as her at the woman's suggestion. Didn't she hate her till yesterday?

"Umm...," She doesn't know what to make of the situation so decides to focus on the food instead. As she puts the first slice of apple in , Hakyeon comes into the room followed by Leo. The former takes his place at the head of the table while Leo goes to sit beside Hyuk. His eyes going from her to Hongbin to Queen Beta.

"Interesting," she hears Hakyeon say and turns her head to see him watching her.

"Interesting indeed," Mother Royal comments, her eyes going to Queen Beta for a second.

Okay something is happening here and she doesn't know what. 

"Who would have thought?" Lord Ken and Ravi comes in at the moment. The former sitting beside her and later going to sit by Lord Leo, 

"Eww you reek of Ravi!" Lord Ken states, stealing some of her apple slices and placing his hand on her thigh as if it belongs there.

"Umm..," the action surprises her. Have they been told to be all touchy feely with her?

"Of course she does. I was all over her scent gland," Ravi answers making her choke on her toast, "She smells amazing hyung."

"I know she does," Ken answers, sliding his hand upward. She wants to duck under the table and stay there. Forever.

"Why are you sitting next to Hongbin?" Thankfully Leo saves her from further embarrassment.

"Queen Beta wanted her to sit next to her son," Mother Royal provides, "I wonder why though."

"How did your meeting with the council go Hakyeon?" The woman in question asks instead.

There was a meeting with the council? Why did she not know about that? 

"It was okay Mother," strange, he never calls Mother Royal 'mother'?

"I don't attack an enemy when their back is turned," Queen Beta says, eyeing the other woman in the room, "unlike some degraded woman. We both know what's on the line here."

"Mother!" Hongbin chides.

"But it's the truth, isn't is Bora?"

"Mother!" This time Hongbin's voice is stern and she glares at him for a second before pushing away the plate with a ,"I am done."

Is she insulting Mother Royal? It's clear that she doesn't like her. But aren't both of them Queens of the same court? Is she missing out on something?

"What...," She decides to open and ask but the sudden tug in the pit of her stomach stops her. Something is wrong. She grasps onto the hand on her thigh for purchase as another tug comes, stronger this time.

"Something is wrong," she mutters, grasping the hand tightly, "Something is wrong."

"What?" Hakyeon asks and they hears the unmistakable ringing of a metal bell, loud and clear. The whole kingdom would've heard it. Not only theirs but hers as well and a lot of other kingdoms.

The last time she heard the bell, she lost almost half her kingdom. It continues to ring, three rounds of long drawn three rings.

They look at each other as the deafening silence that follows the ringing and share the same look, pale, worried and scared.

It's a signal of what's about to come, of destruction, of war.

"It started," someone says but she couldn't make out who, being too busy trying not to vomit the breakfast right there.