"Alpha."
A faint smile ghosted over Akira's lips. "Exactly."
His gaze flickered away from her as he leaned back against the terrace wall, rolling the bottle between his fingers. The moonlight glinted off the glass, casting fractured reflections onto the stone floor.
"So, when all the women started choosing strong men, the weaker ones got jealous. Desire and lust exist in them as well, right?"
He tilted his head slightly, watching for her reaction.
"That's when poetry came into the picture. 'I'll bring the moon for you, I'll swim across the river of fire for you. I'll cross the seven seas for you. I'll get you this, I'll get you that.'"
Akira chuckled darkly.
"But they never really do anything. The only ones who actually do something are the…"
He stopped mid-sentence, his ruby eyes locking onto Hinata. She met his stare, her voice steady as she completed his thought.
"Alpha."
For a moment, silence settled between them, thick and unspoken. Hinata let out a slow breath.
Then she furrowed slightly, Lowering her gaze.
"I didn't even realize you were touching my foot."
Akira blinked, then followed her gaze. His fingers, rested lightly on the curve of her ankle. He hadn't even noticed. Slowly, deliberately, he withdrew his hand.
Hinata's stare hardened, but Akira remained impassive.
Without another word, she turned away, heading toward the door.
"Hinata."
She turned just enough to glance at him, Who got up.
"You have a big pelvis."
Her face darkened instantly.
"You mean to say I'm fat?"
Akira shook his head.
"No, no, I'm not saying you're fat."
"What I mean to say is you have a big pelvis. You can accommodate healthy babies."
Hinata just stared at him.
…
Garuda, the guardian eagle, stirred from his nap. His sharp golden eyes fluttered open, taking in the moonlit courtyard. Stretching his massive wings, he sent a cascade of blue rose petals scattering across the marble floor.
He lifted his head to gaze at the brilliant moon, then turned toward the distant murmurs breaking the tranquil silence.
A small group approached, their figures casting elongated shadows beneath the lantern glow. Different races and lineages, their presence together was unusual. Among them, Akira walked, lost in thought.
Hajime cast a sidelong glance at his friends.
"Thanks for coming, guys."
"It was a great evening, Hajime."
Akira stirred from his reverie.
"Hajime…"
Hajime turned toward him, squinting slightly.
"Yeah?"
"Is there any chance that I can marry Hinata?"
Hajime blinked.
"What?"
Akira repeated, his voice steady this time.
"Is there a chance?"
Hajime stared at him in sheer disbelief.
"Dude, are you crazy? What are you even saying?"
Hajime shook his head.
"Are you here for Uncle's birthday party or to break off her engagement?"
Akira continued.
"Forget about that, Could you talk to your dad?"
"Oh, hey, relax."
Hajime's eyes flickered toward Garuda, who watched them with eerie stillness.
"You should leave."
Akira, however, remained unmoved.
"This whole thing started because of your aunt."
"Think about it. Out of all your friends, why did she only address me as 'brother'?"
He leaned in slightly.
"Your aunt must have seen something in Hinata's eyes that made her tell her to call me that."
Hajime looked at him as if he were an absolute fool.
"What are you even talking about?"
"I already proposed to her. On my sixteenth birthday."
"Sixteenth? And what about her?"
Akira shrugged.
"She was thirteen."
There was a pause before he continued.
"Then it became fourteen and seventeen. And she said yes."
Hajime's frown deepened.
"What do you mean… she said yes?"
Akira shrugged.
"She said yes means she said yes. She even invited me to her house. That was the same day your aunt visited."
Mimicking an older woman's voice, he continued theatrically,
"Who is he, Hinata?"
Then, shifting into a softer, more feminine tone, he answered himself,
"A friend of Hajime, Aunty."
Switching voices again, he added,
"Oh, your brother's friend? Then he is also your brother. Now call him Brother."
Laughter erupted from the group, breaking the tension in the air. Akira's head snapped towards them, his sharp glare silencing the chuckles in an instant.
"Don't you dare laugh!"
he barked. Then, his eyes flicked between their faces as he demanded,
"Did Hinata ever call any one of you 'brother'?"
The laughter faded completely. A few exchanged glances before one of them finally muttered,
"No."
Akira pressed further,
"In the academy or after?"
Another shake of heads.
"No. Never."
Akira turned to Hajime, his voice measured.
"She calls me 'brother' when we're with others… but when we're alone, she uses my name."
One of the group members nodded.
"Yeah… I've noticed that too."
Akira continued,
"That very night, I fell ill with a high fever."
Hajime scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Come on, fever? Really?"
Akira shot him a look.
"If you push yourself to the limit and then suddenly stop, won't your body react? I had a high fever that night."
He gestured downward with his eyes.
"Ask her. She must have had it too. I'm one hundred percent sure."
Hajime sighed.
"Man, if you knew all this… where have you been until now?"
"I didn't know you all would be so eager to get her married. And it's not like these emotions just resurfaced today. This feeling was, is, and will always be there."
Hajime narrowed his eyes.
"Akira, stop acting like a child. She's getting married in two days and leaving just after."
Akira's expression darkened, his jaw tightening.
"She's not going anywhere."
Hajime frowned.
"What?"
Akira repeated, this time slower.
"She's. Not. Going. Anywhere."
Hajime scoffed.
"Do you think you can just call her and she'll come running to you?"
A smirk stretched across Akira's lips.
"She'll come running to me."
At that very moment, the door to the top floor creaked open, and Hinata appeared. She paused at the entrance, her gaze sweeping over the gathered boys.
Silence fell over them like a thick fog. Her eyes settled on Hajime, whose back was turned to her, but Akira, standing in front of him, met her stare head-on.
"Brother."
Akira's said to Hajime.
"She's talking to you,"
Hajime turned to face her.
"Dad wants to talk to you."
Hajime hesitated but gave a short nod before striding past her, leaving the conversation and the tension hanging in the air.
As he disappeared down the hall, Akira and Hinata remained locked in a silent exchange.
Garuda, the guardian eagle, sensing the shift in energy, spread his massive wings, scattering the blue rose petals gathered at his feet. He let out a low cry before launching into the air.
Akira broke the eye contact first, turning away. Without another word, he stepped forward and leaped onto Garuda's back. With a single powerful flap, the eagle soared upward, cutting through the night sky, carrying Akira away from the Blue Rose Mansion and into the darkness beyond.