Chapter Text
Princess Caitlyn Kiramman had always known the rules of her life. They were stitched into every silk dress she wore and echoed in every hallway of the palace. An Omega princess marries for alliances, not affection. Her mother had said it so many times Caitlyn could practically hear it when she woke up in the morning.
Caitlyn obeyed. Mostly.
She smiled at visiting nobles. She memorized her court duties, attended council meetings, walked with perfect posture, and held her tongue whenever someone called her “delicate” like she was made of porcelain instead of bone and stubborn determination.
And then there was Vi—the one thing in the palace that absolutely refused to fit into the clean, polished picture of Caitlyn’s life.
Vi was her assigned knight, though she carried herself more like someone who had fought her whole life just to stand in the same room as royalty. She had that scrappy, street-born confidence that made the other guards uncomfortable, but Caitlyn found it… grounding. Refreshing, even.
If Caitlyn was taught to glide, Vi moved like she was ready to break down a wall at any second.
Their first meeting had been painfully formal—Caitlyn poised and perfect, Vi trying not to scuff the polished floor with her boots. But over time, something shifted. Vi started making these tiny, quiet jokes under her breath just to make Caitlyn smile. Caitlyn started lingering in doorways when Vi was on duty. And neither of them talked about the way Caitlyn’s Omega scent softened around Vi, or how Vi’s Alpha instincts sharpened whenever someone looked at Caitlyn for a little too long.
Nothing had happened.
Nothing was allowed to happen.
But their not-quite friendship settled into a pattern that felt dangerously like something more.
Vi walked half a step behind her in the halls, but she watched the room like she’d throw herself in front of anything that threatened Caitlyn. She wasn’t gentle—Vi didn’t really do gentle—but she was careful with Caitlyn. Always.
When she adjusted Caitlyn’s cloak before a council meeting, her rough fingertips brushed Caitlyn’s collarbone like she was touching something sacred. When she opened doors, she glanced at Caitlyn first, like making sure she was ready. When they talked, Vi listened. Really listened. More than any noble ever had.
And Caitlyn—Maker help her—she found herself looking forward to Vi’s shifts more than she should.
Her mornings were a little brighter if Vi walked her to training.
Her evenings felt less lonely if Vi stood guard outside her chambers.
Her parents noticed, of course.
Her mother warned her gently first: “Omega or not, a princess must keep her distance from her protector.”
Her father was less subtle: “Knights serve. They do not… fraternize.”
Caitlyn pretended she understood. Pretended she didn’t care.
But every time her eyes met Vi’s, she felt the rules of her life tugging at the edges, threatening to tear.
⸻
One evening, everything started to shift.
The council meeting had run late, full of tedious discussions about trade routes and alliances. Caitlyn left tired, rubbed at her temples, and hoped Vi was still on duty. She didn’t know why the thought mattered so much—it just did.
As she turned the corner toward her chambers, she saw her.
Vi was leaning against the wall beside Caitlyn’s door, arms crossed, one foot propped behind her like she owned the whole hallway. She looked up instantly, eyes softening the moment they landed on Caitlyn.
“You look exhausted, cupcake,” Vi said. She always used that nickname when Caitlyn looked stressed.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, though her heart did a tiny, embarrassing flip. “Long meeting. You’re still here?”
“Your mother asked me to take double patrol tonight. Said you’ve been working too hard.” Vi shrugged, but her eyes narrowed slightly. “You okay?”
Caitlyn opened her mouth to answer—and that’s when the first sharp, unexpected wave hit. A heatwave so sudden and deep that her knees almost buckled. Her breath hitched. She gripped the doorframe to steady herself.
Vi straightened instantly, all casualness disappearing. “Caitlyn?”
Caitlyn forced a smile that probably looked more like a wince. “I’m fine. Really. Just… tired.”
But her scent betrayed her. It shifted, softening, sweetening, filling the space between them with something unmistakable. Vi froze.
“Princess…” Her voice dropped, low and controlled. “You’re going into heat.”
“It came early,” Caitlyn whispered, cheeks burning. “I wasn’t prepared.”
Vi looked like she wanted to call for a medic, run to get help, and punch the wall—all at the same time. But she didn’t move. Her Alpha instincts were screaming at her to stay put, and Caitlyn felt it like a pulse in the air.
“Let me call someone,” Vi said quietly.
“No,” Caitlyn said too fast. She reached for Vi’s wrist, fingers trembling. “Please. Just stay with me a moment.”
Vi’s breath caught. Her eyes softened in a way that broke every rule.
“Alright,” she whispered. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
And just like that, the line they’d been pretending didn’t exist… began to blur.