After nearly an hour of playing in the snow, Gabriel and Alie finally returned to their chamber with Noah.
They were laughing and breathless, their clothes dusted with white flakes. Along the way, they had built a crooked little snowman and taken several pictures with Noah, who had been more interested in chewing on his mittens than posing.
Now, inside the warm room, the chill slowly faded from their bodies.
Gabriel dropped onto the edge of the bed, running a towel through his damp hair as he tried to dry it.
Nearby, Alie was already focused on Noah.
She carefully checked his clothes, feeling for any damp spots, then gently inspected his diaper, making sure he hadn’t gotten cold or uncomfortable during their ti outside.
"It is still dry," she murmured with a satisfied nod, adjusting his tiny sweater.
Gabriel smiled faintly at the sight before reaching for his phone, which lay on the bedside table.
Just then, it vibrated. He picked it up casually, until he saw the screen.
A strange photo filled the display: a bloodied man slumped against a wall, chaos visible in the background. The lighting was dim, unmistakably taken inside a bar.
Gabriel’s brows knit together. Without hesitation, he dialed Louis and stepped out of the chamber into the drawing room for privacy.
"Louis," he said, "what’s this photo?"
On the other end, Louis exhaled heavily. "Karn hit Mr. Vayne’s son in a bar."
Gabriel stopped walking. "What? Why?" His voice sharpened. "And who exactly is Mr. Vayne?"
"Lazarus Vayne," Louis replied. "One of the council mbers."
Gabriel’s jaw tightened.
"Soone sent this picture anonymously," Louis continued. "I’ve been trying to reach Karn, but his phone’s off. I figured you should know imdiately."
"I see," Gabriel murmured.
He ended the call and leaned briefly against the wall, his mind racing. Trouble with a council mber’s family was never small. It wasn’t like he was scared about it.
Closing his eyes, Gabriel reached out through their mindlinked to his beta.
’Where are you?’
’At ho,’ ca Karn’s response from the mindlink.
’Turn your phone on. Then, call ,’ Gabriel stated, then breaking the mindlink.
Gabriel stared at his phone until it finally rang a minute later.
He answered imdiately.
"My phone’s battery was dead," Karn said from the other end. "What happened? Even Louis has been calling nonstop."
Gabriel didn’t waste ti.
"Why did you hit Lazarus’s son?" he asked sharply. "Louis sent a picture. Soone anonymously forwarded it to him. What’s going on?"
There was a brief silence.
Karn hadn’t expected the news to spread so quickly. His jaw tightened as he replayed the scene in his head. He had made sure the CCTV caras were off. He had been careful.
So how had anyone found out? How had it even started?
"His son harassed Aisha yesterday," Karn finally said. "And he got bail easily. Just walked free like nothing happened."
The mory reignited his anger.
"I couldn’t keep that rage inside," he continued. "So I went to the bar and taught Eryx a lesson."
He paused, then added quietly, "I’m sorry it reached you. That wasn’t my intention."
His tone hardened again. "I’ll handle this matter myself."
Gabriel let out a soft chuckle at his beta’s words. "So," he said lightly, "you’ve finally learned how to fight the whole world for your mate."
"What?" Karn frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Gabriel smiled to himself. "You still love her, don’t you? That’s why you walked straight into this trouble. Co on, Karn. You can’t hide it from ."
There was no teasing in his next words, only certainty.
"And you’re not handling this alone. I’m with you."
Karn stayed silent.
"Lazarus will definitely bring this matter to the council," Gabriel continued. "You know that."
"I warned his son not to fight like a coward," Karn muttered.
Gabriel sighed. "Do you really think that matters to soone like Eryx? He’ll hide behind his father’s influence. That’s all he knows how to do." His voice grew firr. "And you’re going to do exactly what I tell you. Because I don’t want you carrying this burden by yourself."
Karn clenched his jaw. "What do you want to do?"
"You’ll say it was my order," Gabriel replied calmly. "That I told you to teach Eryx a lesson."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Why should I lie?" Karn snapped.
"To protect Aisha," Gabriel said imdiately. "And to protect you."
"They won’t dare touch ," he added. "Not with my position."
Karn said nothing.
"I can twist the law in my favor," Gabriel continued. "You can’t. That’s the ugly truth. Royalty is treated differently, whether we like it or not."
His voice softened slightly. "This is the only way to shut Eryx up for good." Then, after a pause, he added, "And honestly? I don’t think Aisha would be happy knowing you lost control for her sake."
Karn shook his head, his jaw tightening as Gabriel’s words challenged his morals.
"Gabriel, you don’t have to protect ," he said firmly. "I know what I have to do, and I won’t lie. I didn’t commit any cri by beating the hell out of a harasser. If I’m being honest, I would’ve killed Eryx if I’d lost control."
He exhaled sharply before continuing, "He wasn’t just misbehaving with Aisha at work. He humiliated her in public, on the street, in front of everyone. Like she was nothing."
Gabriel had always known his beta as calm, composed, and level-headed. Hearing this intensity in Karn’s voice told him just how deeply the situation had affected him.
"Alright," Gabriel said after a mont. "I won’t force you." Then he added firmly, "But if I see things going in the wrong direction, I’ll step in. No matter what. I’m with you. You did nothing wrong."
A brief pause followed before he continued with a dry chuckle. "And honestly, if I were in your place, I probably would’ve buried him alive."
Karn couldn’t help but laugh at that.
"You know I’m serious," Gabriel went on. "I’d go to any extent to protect my woman."
Then his tone shifted, becoming lighter. "So... Tell sothing. Did you confess to Aisha? Did you tell her you want to date her?"
Karn hesitated for a second before answering. "Yes," he admitted. "I did. And she agreed."
There was a faint smile in his voice now.
"She was upset because I’ve been doing so much for her without her asking. She said she feels alone... Like she has no one to rely on. And I realized I couldn’t keep my feelings buried forever. So I laid my heart bare. I told her everything. She understood and she accepted ."
"I’m... happy."
Gabriel smiled on the other end of the call. "I’m proud of you, my beta," he said warmly. "You’ve finally grown into the man you were ant to be."
He continued with confidence, "Aisha is going to heal. She’ll forget her past and build sothing new with you. I know it. And if she ever loses a man like you, she’ll regret it for the rest of her life."
Karn sighed and said, "I don’t know about her. But I would have regretted losing her."
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