The doors of the study room creaked softly as Dorrent and Shadron pushed their way inside.

Guron was seated behind his desk, swirling a glass of liquor. He lifted his eyes, a flicker of surprise crossing his handsome face as he noted the tight, anxious posture of his son and his best friend at this late hour. He put his glass down with a soft click, gesturing toward the chairs opposite him.

"Sit down, boys," Guron commanded, his deep voice carrying its usual heavy weight. "What is wrong with you two? You look like you’re carrying the weight of the whole world on your shoulders."

Dorrent dropped into a chair, but he remained rigid, his mouth locked in a tight, stubborn line. His immense pride was suffocating him, the words completely caught in his throat. Seeing his best friend unable to speak, Shadron took a deep breath and stepped forward to break the ice.

"Sir... Dorrent actually has something critical to talk to you about," Shadron started, his voice wavering slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck, the weight of the secret making his tongue feel heavy. "It’s about... it is regarding the little herbalist, Jannah. He..." Shadron trailed off, completely unable to force the scandalous medical details out of his mouth in front of the older Alpha.

Dorrent’s patience snapped. He slammed his palm down onto the armrest, his eyes flashing with a desperate intensity as he looked his father in the eye.

"Forget it, Shadron!" Dorrent barked, turning his fierce gaze onto Guron. "I’ll say it myself. Father... it is only Jannah that can get me erect. No one else. That’s how farthest her treatment has gone."

Guron froze. He blinked slowly, surprise washing over his face as if he hadn’t heard the words correctly. He leaned forward across the desk, his brow furrowing into ridges. "What exactly do you mean by that, Dorrent? Are you telling me that her medical herbs finally worked on your system? You take her medicine and now you can get it hard?"

"No, that is not what I mean at all!" Dorrent growled, his face frustrated as he bared the truth. "What I am telling you is that without any herbs, without any medicine, my body reacts to her touch. I can get it hard and fuck her. She is the only woman alive who can make me function like a real man at the moment."

The reaction from the old man was instant, and it blindsided both younger men.

Instead of blowing up in a furious rage, Guron’s eyes lit up in delight. A booming laugh tore from his chest, and he actually stood up and clapped his hands together in celebration.

Dorrent and Shadron exchanged a confused, bewildered look. Dorrent’s jaw literally dropped. He stared at his father as if the old man had completely lost his mind. For the past five years, Guron had done nothing but aggressively pressure Dorrent to cure his impotence so he could successfully marry the elite beauty queen Joanne and merge their empires. It made no sense for him to be cheering right now.

"Father, why the hell are you behaving like this?!" Dorrent demanded, his voice laced with confusion. "Aren’t you mad at me? I am screwing another woman when I am officially supposed to marry Joanne! You should be throwing a fit!"

"Mad? Why on earth would I be mad?!" Guron beamed, entirely unfazed as he settled back into his chair, a satisfied grin stretching across his face. "This is absolutely great news! Tell me, Dorrent... how many times have you actually slept with her so far?"

Dorrent shifted uncomfortably, his pride stinging under his father’s intense interrogation. "Twice," he muttered roughly.

"Good. Very good," Guron nodded approvingly, his eyes gleaming with ambition. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping into a probing register. "And tell me the truth, son... did you two use any form of protection during those encounters?"

"No," Dorrent replied flatly, his brow furrowing deeper. "We didn’t."

"Excellent! You shouldn’t use protection with her at all!" Guron clapped his desk, his voice echoing off the walls. "Never wrap yourself when you are inside that girl. Tell me, has she shown any signs of morning sickness yet? Is she pregnant with your child?"

Dorrent let out a bitter, exhausted sigh, dropping his head back. "No, Father. She isn’t pregnant, and she can’t get pregnant. She told me straight to my face that because of her unique herbalist lineage, her body completely rejects a man’s seed unless she gives her whole heart to him. She has to love me for a child to form."

Guron’s eyes widened in amazement. He leaned back, a low whistle escaping his lips. "Well, isn’t she an interesting creature? First, she turns out to be the only woman who can make my S-tier son get hard, and now it turns out she cannot carry a pregnancy unless she is in love with the man."

"Why are you looking at this like it’s some kind of twisted game?!" Dorrent snapped, leaning across the desk, his patience gone. "Why are you taking her side?!"

Guron only smiled a mysterious smile. "If that is her biological framework, Dorrent, then your task is simple. You should do whatever it takes to make her fall deeply in love with you. And in the meantime, you must continue sleeping with her as much as possible without a single shred of protection. Right now, she is the only living woman I know who can give me the grandchildren I need. I am aging fast, Dorrent, and I refuse to die before I see my grandchildren running through these halls."

Dorrent stared at his father, his eyes narrowing into suspicion. He didn’t buy the old man’s simple explanation for a second. "Grandkids? Is that the only reason you are pushing this so hard, Father? Just for the sake of grandkids?"

"Yes, of course," Guron replied smoothly, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"I don’t believe you," Dorrent delivered coldly, his voice dropping into a whisper. "If everything is fine, then why the hell does my mother want Jannah out of this house? She literally tried to drag her out this morning! Is there something you two are hiding from me? It makes no sense—you want her to stay, while mother wants her gone."

Guron’s smile vanished instantly, his features turning hard as he waved his hand dismissively. "You do not need to worry your head about your mother, Dorrent. I will deal with my wife personally. She is just not feeling well lately, and her pride simply cannot stand the sight of a poor girl from the slums living inside her house. It is a simple matter of status, nothing more."

"And what about the arranged marriage to Joanne?" Shadron ventured carefully from the side, his voice tense. "The Vice President’s family is expecting a wedding. How do we navigate that disaster if Jannah gets pregnant for Dorrent?"

"I will deal with the marriage and the Vice President later," Guron stated flatly, his tone turning cold as he stood up from his desk, indicating the meeting was over. "Leave the room now, boys. Go back to your quarters and rest."

Dorrent and Shadron slowly rose from their chairs, turning toward the exit doors. But just as Dorrent’s hand gripped the handle, Guron’s voice boomed out from behind them, stopping them.

"Wait a moment," Guron called out, his eyes locking onto his son’s shoulders. "Before you leave... there is one more thing. What exactly is that Boren boy doing here?"

Dorrent turned his head slightly, his jaw tightening. "He is here treating Jannah’s body from poison, turns out the bullet had been poisoned, Father. And according to what I’ve heard... he is also her boyfriend."

Guron’s glass slipped from his fingers, crashing against the floor as his face turned pale with terror.

"What?!"