The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!-Chapter 23: The Night of the Ball. Pt. 3

"Captain Ezra... are you okay?" Aurien asked, his voice wavering. "Why aren’t you saying anything...?"

His eyes widened as realization hit him. "Did you hit your head? Should I call someone?"

Aurien moved closer, crouching fully now, his concern unmistakable.

Ezra noticed it then, distantly, strangely.

Aurien had grown.

Not that he shouldn’t have.

They were the same age.

Time did that to people.

But standing this close, it was impossible not to notice.

Broader shoulders.

A steadier presence.

Someone who no longer looked like the fragile prince Ezra remembered.

And then there was the scent.

Aurien smelled... good.

Calming.

Familiar.

Like cedarwood after rain.

Ezra’s breath hitched.

Something inside him stirred, pulling, aching in a way that made his thoughts blur. The heat in his body surged, sharp and needy, and his instincts screamed louder than reason.

’I want...’ Ezra thought weakly. ’I really want...’

Ezra’s body moved.

Without thinking, he lifted his hand and cupped Aurien’s face.

Aurien froze.

His eyes widened, breath catching. "C-Captain... Ezra?"

Ezra barely heard him.

All he knew was the want.

He didn’t know what he wanted.

He couldn’t name it, couldn’t shape it into words.

He just knew he wanted something.

Something he felt deep inside him, burning, insistent, and terrifyingly close to slipping out of his control.

Ezra’s head swam.

It only got worse when Aurien’s hands settled on his shoulders, meant to steady him.

Instead, the dizziness spiked, sharp and disorienting, like the world had tilted beneath his feet.

Ezra sucked in a breath.

It did nothing.

The heat inside him only spread faster, crawling through his chest and down his spine, settling low in a way that made his muscles tense.

"Captain Ezra?" Aurien asked softly. "Are you... drunk?"

Ezra opened his mouth to answer.

Nothing came out.

"Your eyes look... hazy," Aurien continued, concern deepening. He leaned closer before Ezra could stop him, brows knitting together. "And you smell..."

He hesitated.

"Sweet."

That was it.

The warmth surged violently, rolling through Ezra’s body all at once. His knees nearly buckled, his vision blurring at the edges as he fought to stay upright.

Aurien’s touch, gentle and well-intentioned, only made it worse.

Too close.

And getting too much.

’Stop,’ Ezra told himself desperately. ’Get it together. You have to get it together.’

But his body didn’t listen.

It never did.

Then he felt it.

A sudden, unmistakable sensation that made his stomach drop straight through the floor.

Something wet.

Now that was impossible to ignore.

Ezra’s breath hitched sharply.

’No,’ he thought, panic detonating in his chest. ’No. That’s—’

For a split second, he wished it was anything else.

He almost wished it was urine.

Anything explainable.

But the truth didn’t give him that mercy.

It slammed into him, brutal and undeniable.

’I’m in heat.’

The denial shattered completely.

Ezra jerked upright so fast that Aurien stumbled back in surprise.

"I’m fine, Your Highness," Ezra blurted out. The words tumbled over each other, rushed and uneven. He swayed, catching himself just before he fell again. "I just— I need to go."

Aurien reached out instinctively. "Captain Ezra, wait—"

"I need to fix... something," Ezra finished quickly, forcing the words through a throat that felt too tight to breathe.

His heart was pounding out of control.

Aurien reached out again on instinct. "Captain Ezra, wait. Your face is burning. Should I call someone? Or maybe my brothers—"

"Your brothers are looking for you," Ezra cut in quickly.

The lie slipped out easily, fueled by pure panic.

"I was just with them," he added, forcing himself to meet Aurien’s eyes for half a second. It was all he could manage. "They were asking about you."

Aurien hesitated, clearly confused.

"I’m sorry for bumping into you, Your Highness," Ezra said, the words rushed but sincere. "Truly. Please... don’t follow me."

Aurien opened his mouth. "Captain Ezra, I don’t understand—"

Ezra didn’t let him finish.

He turned and ran.

He didn’t care how it looked.

Didn’t care who saw him bolt down the corridor like a guilty man fleeing the scene.

His steps were uneven, breath coming shallow and fast, his heart pounding so loudly it drowned out every other sound.

He cut through hallway after hallway, turning sharply at every corner, eyes darting as if someone might grab him at any moment.

’I need somewhere to hide,’ he thought frantically. ’Anywhere. Somewhere quiet.’

The warmth inside him only worsened with each step, coiling tighter, heavier, demanding his attention in a way he couldn’t ignore.

There was no denying it anymore.

Ezra was in heat.

And he had no idea how long he could keep it hidden.

Not in a palace full of Alphas.

And not when the only person he could ask for help...

Ezra squeezed his eyes shut as he ran.

’No,’ he thought, dread pooling in his chest. ’I can’t ask him.’

Ezra didn’t stop running.

If anything, he pushed himself harder, even as his legs trembled and his breath came out uneven.

Every step only heightened his awareness of his body, of the warm slick soaking into his pants, of the humiliating sensation he couldn’t stop leaking as he ran.

’This doesn’t make sense,’ his thoughts spiraled. ’I take my suppressants. I never miss them. I’m careful. I have been careful for years.’

So how?

How could this be happening now?

The question chased him down the corridor just as relentlessly as the heat inside him. His pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out everything else.

’I didn’t do anything wrong,’ he thought, panic tightening his chest. ’I didn’t—’

He rounded another corner and nearly collided with a wall, skidding to a stop.

There.

A door.

Slightly ajar.

The room beyond it was dark, unlit, and it seemed quiet.

’There’s no one around as well.’

Ezra didn’t hesitate.

He slipped inside and shut the door behind him, hands shaking as he slid the lock into place. The sound echoed too loudly in the silence, but no footsteps followed.

No voices called out his name.

For now, he was alone.

Ezra sagged against the door for a moment, forehead resting against the cool wood as he tried to catch his breath.

’I just need a minute,’ he told himself. ’Just a minute to think.’

The room was sparsely furnished. A bed. A small table.

Curtains drawn tight. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time.

Perfect.

He knew this palace had unused guest rooms with how big it was.

This might be one of them. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His knees gave out before he could overthink it.

Ezra crossed the room and practically threw himself onto the bed, landing hard on the mattress. The sheets were cool beneath him, a small relief that made him let out a shaky breath.

He curled in on himself instinctively, clutching at the fabric beneath his fingers.

’I can’t go back out there,’ he thought, fearing blooming anew. ’Not like this. If I really am in heat, an alpha could smell me...and...’

Ezra didn’t even want to think about what could happen if he’s discovered.

His heart was still racing, his body still burning, but at least the door was locked.

At least no one could see him now.

Ezra squeezed his eyes shut, breathing through the panic as he lay there in the dim room, trying desperately to figure out what had gone wrong.

And how much time he had before things got worse.