Omega Ascension System[BL]

She was going to confront dear old dad. . . "Dad. We need to talk." She barged into his throne room, her eyes landing immediately on the man standing above it all on the dais of his throne. The throne room had been repaired after the damage left behind by Lucian’s scuffle with their father. Anyway, Alpha King Arian had his arms folded in front of his chest, a holographic screen floating in front of him, signifying he’d been on a call. But when his eyes flicked to her, the holographic screen disappeared and his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "I recall telling you I was in my office and I’ll be busy." He boomed, although his voice was calm. Aurora didn’t stop walking until she got right below the steps of the dais. There were no guards present, and the guards outside hadn’t dared to stop her when she arrived. "Well, this isn’t your office so I guess I didn’t go against your wishes." Aurora tilted her head with a sarcastic smile. However, when she saw the stern glint in her father’s eyes, she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "It’s urgent. I was on—" "I thought the doctor said your mother’s wound from the laser blast had healed?" Arian questioned worriedly, his silver eyes quivering. Aurora couldn’t help but scoff. "She’s fine, Dad. No thanks to you though." Arian’s jaw clenched visibly, his fists curling beside him. "Are you here to insult me or do you have something reasonable to say, child?" Hmph... Child. Why did she feel like she was six again, trying to ask something outrageous from him? Aurora set aside her snarkiness, going straight to the point. "I saw this slide under my door." She raised the letter in her hand for him to see, ignoring the way he squinted as she continued. "It’s from the Dark Hand. It has the symbol shaped like a black claw and all. But that’s not the worst part." She dropped her hand, placing her right leg on the first step leading to the throne. "The worst part is that when I called Lucian to tell him about it, he also confirmed seeing the same letter. Before we could figure something out, his line went dead."

The Alpha king was silent, his eyes locked on Aurora. But he soon sneered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why would your first instinct after seeing that letter be to call your brother? What was he going to do all the way from—" "What were YOU going to do, father?" Aurora snapped, her voice sharp and echoing off the walls of the majestic throne room. Arian stiffened, his eyes widening with surprise. But the princess was far from done. "Your wife got attacked. Your palace is compromised and probably crawling with an unknown number of Dark Hand spies as we speak." Her voice shook, her lips trembling. "Your Empire is slipping out of your control, father. And you wanted me to come to you?" Arian’s eyes became icy, his golden kingly robe whipping slightly behind him. "What has gotten into you, Aurora?" What has gotten into her? What has gotten into HER? "Flip the mirror and ask yourself that question, Dad." Aurora shook her head, the words laced with venom. "You’re poisoning the Empire by sponsoring the Dark Hand. Yet you don’t want your dirty secret going out." Arian’s eyes shone with alarm, his gaze fleeting to the throne room doors behind her. They were shut but the walls had ears... Aurora didn’t tear her eyes off him during this, waiting patiently for something. Anything that could vindicate one of the only men she actually cared about since Magnus betrayed her and died. And after what felt like eternity— "You wouldn’t understand, Aurora." Arian let out a defeated sigh, plopping to his throne and looking away from her. "The Dark Hand has had me hooked on their net for decades. My sponsoring them and keeping a blind eye protects the truth they hold against me from leaking out there." Aurora frowned, feeling an odd sense of guilt crawling up her chest. Or was that just her stupid ability to read emotions at it again? "I’ll reach out to Axel and check if Lucian is okay." The Alpha king finally muttered, clearing his throat. "In the meantime, I—" "Tell me what the secret is." Aurora interrupted sharply, grabbing the hem of her icy blue gown. Arian froze, dimming his eyes at her like she’d spoken a foreign language. "What?" She persisted. "Father, aren’t you tired of holding this secret for decades? Tell me what it is before it consumes you. Before it consumes us all." There was a flicker of hesitation in her father’s eyes, giving her hope that he might actually consider it. But he soon shook his head. "You have no idea how dangerous this organisation is. The attack on your mother was a warning to Lucian. And I’m sure that letter is another warning as well."

Aurora didn’t let his words deter her, keeping her voice soft. "They’re already after those you love, father. Does it make a difference if you tell me now?" The Alpha king closed his eyes, drumming his fingers on the armrests of his throne room silently. Aurora waited, knowing he was already considering her words. Her father has always had a soft spot for her despite her outspokenness. Add that to the fact that he already seemed exhausted and— "No one must know what I’m about to tell you, Aurora." Arian finally blurted, sounding like he was going to regret it. Aurora’s eyes lit up as she nodded. "Whatever you’re saying won’t leave this throne room. I promise." Arian still blinked at her skeptically but it was clear he had already made up his mind. He let out a heavy breath before dropping what could possibly be continent-shattering information. "The leader of the Dark Hand, Lord Kyren’s father... Is actually my half-uncle." He said that without breaking eye contact. "Which would make Kyren a member of the Lunarian royal family by birthright." Aurora’s jaw dropped, her eyes blinking slowly. ... What?! Kyren Nochthane. The rogue king. The man who took her mate’s life... Was her cousin?