I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

Chapter 346: The Morning Drag

"Not that I hate this, but I really think we need to wake up now."

The only reply he got was a deep grunt from somewhere inside Zarius’s chest, the sort of sound that suggested actual words had been considered and immediately rejected. Instead of loosening his grip, the alpha simply tightened his arms, pulling Cherion even flatter against him. One of Zarius’s thighs landed across Cherion’s legs.

Apparently, this was how the man said, "You’re staying."

Cherion lay perfectly still for a moment. He seriously thought his entire left side was wet. Between the layers of their clothes and the ridiculous amount of heat Zarius gave off, Cherion felt like he was being slowly steamed alive.

They hadn’t even bothered to strip down or change into proper night clothes the evening before, having collapsed out of pure exhaustion. Since the moment they fell asleep, they hadn’t been apart for a single second.

Even asleep, Zarius somehow knew the exact moment Cherion tried to move. The man simply followed, latching onto him with the unwavering determination of someone who refused to lose his favorite pillow.

It wasn’t that Cherion hated it. Quite the opposite, really. In fact, he’d been awake for a while now, quietly pretending he still wasn’t, purely because the embrace was far too comfortable to abandon. There was something incredibly comforting about having Zarius beside him, especially after days of feeling like he was walking on broken glass in the palace.

But there was a limit to everything. At this rate, the sun would be high overhead before they moved an inch, and the rest of the estate was no doubt already bustling. They really shouldn’t still be in bed.

"Zarius," Cherion muttered, grunting slightly as he tried to wiggle his right shoulder free. "Come on. The servants are going to knock soon."

Instead of listening, Zarius just buried his face deeper into the crook of Cherion’s neck.

"No," Zarius grumbled, his voice a low, raspy rumble that vibrated right against Cherion’s collarbone. "We don’t have to go out. We don’t need to go outside today."

"I don’t think so," Cherion pointed out, his hand coming up to press against Zarius’s broad chest, trying to push some distance between them. It was like trying to move a mountain. "The King might summon you again, the others..."

"I will make an excuse," Zarius interrupted flatly, his grip pulled Cherion back down, completely burying him under the weight of his arms. "Let them be."

It took a ridiculous amount of effort to finally get them out of that bed. Cherion had to resort to a chaotic, undignified combination of brute strength and relentless nagging. There was a lot of pulling, a fair amount of breathless "swearing" from Cherion, and a series of deep, deeply irritated groans from Zarius, who looked like a massive, disgruntled bear being forced out of hibernation before his time. Even when Zarius finally swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, he looked thoroughly pissed off at the sun for daring to rise.

Apparently, a clean face and fresh clothes did absolutely nothing for Zarius’s mood. They only made him look more presentable while he glowered.

When they finally left the chamber to walk down the long corridors, Zarius refused to afford Cherion even an inch of personal space. The northern duke walked so incredibly close that his broad shoulder kept bumping rhythmically against Cherion’s, his massive frame practically overlapping Cherion’s smaller silhouette.

Every time Cherion tried to take a wider step to give them room to breathe, Zarius simply corrected his stride, sticking to his side like a giant, brooding shadow. It made walking a challenge since they kept coming dangerously close to stepping on each other’s boots. Zarius, however, didn’t seem to find anything strange about it. He just kept his dark eyes scanning the hallways, his jaw set in a rigid, defensive line.

Eventually, the two of them made their way down to the central sitting room, where the rest of their circle was already starting to assemble.

To Cherion’s complete surprise, Iryna was already out of bed. Given the absolute chaos of the previous day and the lingering threat that had breached the palace, he had expected her to be resting under heavy guard. Instead, she was standing near the large stone fireplace, looking perfectly steady on her feet.

"Look who finally decided to join the living," Iryna noted as they entered, though her eyes softened slightly when she saw Cherion. She waved off his immediate, concerned look before he could even ask. "I’m feeling perfectly fine already. Honestly, I could probably fight the one who poisoned me right now had she still been alive to face me. A little intrigue isn’t enough to keep a solaric pricess in bed past dawn."

Gillian, who was standing a few paces away near the window looked up at their entrance. Seeing the familiar silver hair, Gillian took a step forward, his expression easing into a polite, standard greeting. "Good morning, Lord Cherion. We were just discussing about the..."

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

Before Gillian could take another step toward them, Zarius moved with a sudden, violent swiftness. He didn’t draw a weapon, but he stepped directly into Gillian’s path, his massive shoulder cutting off the line of sight between the prince and Cherion.

The air in the room instantly turned freezing cold. Zarius’s eyes narrowed into a harsh, dangerous glare, his entire posture radiating a vicious, territorial warning that made the floorboards feel like they were vibrating. He stayed silent, yet his stance said more than words ever could: Do not come any closer. Do not touch him.

Gillian froze in his tracks, his hands instinctively lifting an inch in a placating, defensive gesture. He looked completely caught off guard by the unprovoked, aggressive hostility rolling off the duke.

Across the room, Iryna and the present staff stopped talking entirely, staring at Zarius with deeply weirded-out, bewildered expressions. The duke was acting entirely out of character, displaying a raw, untamed possessiveness that belonged more to a wild beast protecting its kill than a calculated military general handling morning reports.

But amidst the awkward, stunned silence of the room, Elios and Flio didn’t look surprised at all. Standing quietly near the corner table, the two of them exchanged a long, knowing look, their eyes shifting from Zarius’s rigid, furious back down to Cherion’s utterly flustered face.