The next day came, but the outing would not come off. Arlen caught a fever during the night.
Julius' nose was filled with soft pheromones. Indeed, it was no ordinary fever, and if he stayed put, every alpha nearby would come knocking. "The suppressants didn't work. SSorry, does it hurt badly?" He used a cold towel on Arlen's skin. His Master could barely make out words. Arlen's breath was shallow yet faint, and it frightened him.
Julius needed clarification. He could not leave Arlen in this state, yet whom would he call for help if not the Loughtys?
Out of the storm came a saviour in the form of a princess. "Julius...Arlen?" Ari showed up at the door. She had been waiting for her cousin for hours and had to come around to find out what was eating his time. "Julius, are you burning fragrance again? It's pretty strong." Ari made a forced entry after knocking so many times.
"Arlen!" She rushed to the bed in seconds, triggered by the youngster's whimpers. "What's wrong with him? Have you sent for the doctor?"
"N...no, he forbade me from doing that," Julius panicked.
"Why? What are you waiting for?!" Ari's motherly instincts kicked in instantly. Arlen was covered in sweat and tears as Ari felt his forehead and pulled down the blanket. His temperature could fry an egg.
"My lady, wait...there's something I should tell you," Julius stammered. Ari was only concerned about her cousin's state and did not notice his behaviour. "I'm not burning fragrance; it's Arlen's pheromones."
"What?" Ari's mouth dropped. It took seconds for her to organize her thoughts and take charge of the situation. "Go out there and find help. We'll carry him to my place. It is safer there."
Arlen's quarters were mainly surrounded by alphas, making it urgent. So Julius runs out to find betas who could move him. It took quite some time, but he finally made it back with two men for the job.
"Gentle, he's in many discomforts," Ari cautioned as they sat Arlen up.
The youngster groaned. The ground beneath him spiralled out of control, and his heart resounded vividly in his chest. Arlen's lips parted, gasping for air strenuously. His head dropped as he was wrapped in a heavy coat and carried.
"It hurts...piggyback...please," Arlen moaned. Ari listened. They set him on the second man's back and draped the coat over his head so he would be well covered...
*
Arlen was stripped and set in a cold bath when they arrived. He needed to lose some heat before they could feed him any medicine. Julius narrated the concoction they prepared independently, hoping to find out what happened. They had the right mixture, but Arlen's body did not respond positively.
If the omega's body rejects the drugs, it won't stop the heat but rather enhance it.
Ari was furious, as she should be. "Hiding such a serious development from us could have endangered Arlen, Julius! What were both of you thinking!" She said. There was little time to stay mad; Ari had to deal with Arlen vomiting the new pill he was fed.
"I only wanted to delay it." Julius bowed his head remorsefully.
"Some things are meant to happen. Watch him; I have to tell my mother about this," said Ari.
"No...no," Arlen attempted to escape, catching Ari off-guard as he fought to crawl off the bed. Luckily he was too tired to succeed. He was surrounded by many: each working to soothe the first transition.
Ari caresses Arlen's burdened face. "Baby brother, everything will be fine. After this first bloom, you'll learn to adapt; I promise you'll be fine. I must prepare for your right of passage; Julius will not leave your side. You're doing a wonderful job; stay strong." She kissed Arlen's forehead before rising to her feet.
Leaving Arlen in good hands, Ari set out to find Basma.
By nightfall, Rufus and Claude learned of this new development with Arlen. They could not visit, but their heart went out to the youngest. The Queen was slightly disappointed, yet her love for the boy was far greater than her wish to bring up another alpha.
Arlen's desires had grown stronger. His cries were louder, and his temperature dropped below normal. At this stage, his body longed for the warmth an alpha could provide. It was a different hell altogether- to be tormented by the cold and lust.
He clung to his Aunt, eyes bloodshot from excessive crying, His body shivering so much that his teeth rattled.
"It's okay, child; it will end in a day or two." Basma stayed with him while Ari took care of the necessary tradition for an omega during their first heat. Arlen would have to complete it once the heat passed.
"Lu...I need Lu-ca," Arlen chanted under his breath. His speech was impeded by the haze and agony, his eyes barely focused on a spot.
"What are you saying, child?" Basma tried to make out his words. She was bathed in distress and worry over the boy's state.
Julius bit his lips, praying Arlen would not complicate matters by saying a forbidden name. "Um...my Queen, he's calling for me. Ju...Jules. He calls me Jules," he jumped to explain, to save their skins. It made sense to the Queen since the youngest often depended on this servant. Perhaps Arlen was crying to him for support. Basma accepted it and concentrated on Arlen. "Tell the maidens to bring more warm towels," she said.
"Yes, my Queen." Julius bowed and walked on, nervously taking peeks at his disoriented Master.
'Luca, I need you. Come back...please.' Arlen reflects in his thoughts words his lips found heavy to let out.
Somewhere in Damaris, around the same hour.
Luca sat on his bed, oddly disturbed. The night wind was calm, but his core grew warm along with his body. He wipes the sweat on his face and comes out to the balcony.
The urge to mate strongly lingered in his mind and his body reacted. But he flushes it out with meditation and revisiting the new assignment he had been given. There was intel on Caesar's next move. One that could make crushing him easier.
It involved an heir who disappeared after the raid- an heir who would be on his way to his father in a month. According to sources, the spawn was as dangerous as his father, and their reunion had to be catastrophic for all of Slora. Death would rule their lands again, and another famine would break out.
The specifics of the mission were yet to be finalized since more than five groups were being positioned at vantage points. When he had better control of his libido, Luca returned and sat down to use the time.
Luca had a way of connecting the dots. He would summarize the entire process in a journal, using short phrases and sentences.
"Capture...contain and interrogate." He puts down the pen and reviews his notes. 'Arlen Braddock' They now had the name of their target.
Luca broods on the rest of the minutes taken. Aware of how slippery and determined the other Kingdoms were at the meeting, he concluded on the highest possible outcome. With a stoic face, he picks up the journal and reads to his hearing.
"Capture...Contain and interrogate...Gather knowledge... Use Arlen Braddock as bait... kill... kill Arlen Braddock. Kill Caesar and burn Ingram."