"Well then, speak," Zayden said, folding his arms, looking the man before him in the eyes.

Ren settled beside the General, still unsure if he was allowed to listen to their conversation. They appeared far too... close.

At first glance, it was obvious that they knew each other too well. Perhaps for decades? After all, they were surely not human.

Whereas Ren was merely a stranger among these two friends, in a room that suddenly felt far too large for the three of them. His friendship with Zayden was new, fresh. It was like the warm breeze of spring—but once winter came, he knew it would disappear too. Yet, he wanted to cling to it until it lasted.

Enzo exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "About what we discussed yesterday... I’ve thought about it all night."

Zayden’s gaze sharpened, his expression more serious than Ren had ever seen. Even during harsh situations, he would smile, laugh—but now, he did none of that.

"You mean the divorce?" the General asked, his hands slowly falling to his sides, palms resting on the soft leather of the couch.

Enzo gave a faint nod, lowering himself into the chair across from him. He folded his hands together, fingers intertwining as if to steady himself.

"Yes. If I file it without a reason, the Court will laugh in my face. They’ll call me ungrateful, accuse me of turning against my own mate. You know how it works, Zayden. Omegas are always the ones blamed—told to endure, to forgive."

His lips twisted faintly, a sorrowful smile forming at their corners for a faint second.

"They will say Charles is my fated one, that he can’t truly hurt me," he snorted.

Zayden’s expression darkened. When he first heard this from Enzo, he couldn’t believe it.

How could a fated mate ever hurt their partner?

It was ridiculous!

But when he saw the blue marks on Enzo’s wrist—the proof of struggle and abuse—he couldn’t ignore it.

It was so uncommon to find one’s fated mate that people idolized the relationship. They couldn’t shake off the thought of how romantic it was—whereas it could be a beautiful dream, or the worst nightmare. To be trapped in a bond where you are suppressed by the pheromones of the dominant between the two—alpha or omega. A relationship where one was abused, tortured while the other simply lived as if everything was perfect in front of everyone else.

Then, the thought occurred to him. Perhaps he had also been among those who once idolized that bond. But that kind of thing was often only triggered by physical attraction. Like the South Pole to the North Pole—two forces pulled together by instinct. Yet, that didn’t mean it was true love.

All night, Zayden thought it over.

Perhaps all he felt for Ren was attraction and not love?

But he hadn’t laid a hand on him. He hadn’t lost his mind, giving in to his alpha instincts.

Zayden desired him—yearned for him—but he wouldn’t hurt Ren. Never. His hands clenched at his sides, the veins in his forearms tightening.

"And yet he hurts you," he muttered. "Every damn time."

Ren, sitting still beside the General, lowered his gaze upon hearing that name.

He hadn’t known Enzo was married to Charles. He did know Charles had gotten married twenty years ago; however, trapped in the Room, he had barely met anyone other than the High Priests.

His jaw tightened as his gaze slowly flickered upward. He wasn’t shocked. Not even a little.

Charles had always been like that—the kind of man who wore his title like a weapon and treated omegas as if their pain was meant to be endured in silence.

Enzo gave a quiet, humourless laugh.

"That’s why I need proof. We’ll make it look like I tried—that I did everything I could to save the bond before cutting it. If they see what kind of man he truly is, they’ll have no choice but to approve the separation."

Zayden tilted his head slightly, studying him.

"You know what that means, right?"

Enzo nodded, his gaze firm. Even if he was a demon, even if he had a longer lifespan than a mere human like Charles, he refused to accept a fate where he would be tortured until that old man took his last breath.

"You are willing to let people talk—to let them pity you—just to make it official?"

"I have been pitied enough, don’t you think?" Enzo said with a faint smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. "... By those who serve me, by Charles, and by those High Priests who stayed silent even after seeing all of this. This time, I will just use it to my advantage." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ren’s eyes glimmered under the glow of the golden light—the small flicker of defiance in Enzo’s voice caught him off guard.

For a brief moment, he almost admired it. But then his chest tightened. Because he could tell Enzo wasn’t just seeking freedom. There was something else hidden beneath that determination—a lingering hope.

Something... that involved Zayden. However, that was only his instinct.

But why would I have an instinct related to the General?

He pondered, perplexed. But no answer came to his mind.

Zayden leaned back in his seat, exhaling quietly. Finally, he released his fist, resting his palms on the cold leather couch.

"Then I’ll make sure it’s done right," he said at last. "No one will doubt your word."

Enzo’s eyes softened for the briefest second before he looked away, hiding the emotion flickering in them. "Thank you... so much," he murmured.

"Don’t thank me. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember my own name," Zayden said with a faint smile. Usually, he would have made a jest, but the matter was far too serious for that. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything that might hurt Enzo’s feelings.

"Yes, yes," Enzo chuckled, a soft sigh of relief escaping his lips. Soon, he would be free from the clutches of that horrible—cruel—man who dared to call himself his husband.

Finally... Freedom.