The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!-Chapter 33: Pink Blossoms.

Eleven years ago...

"Helios... where are we going?"

Helios’s hand tightened gently around Ezra’s as he pulled him along, his steps quick and purposeful. Ezra had to jog just to keep up.

"You’ll see," Helios said, glancing back with a grin that was far too pleased with itself.

Ezra frowned slightly. "But what if someone sees us?"

"It’s nighttime," Helios replied easily. "Don’t worry. Even if someone does, who are they going to tell? We run this place."

That wasn’t what Ezra meant.

Being out after curfew wasn’t the issue. Not when Helios was a prince. Rules bent easily around him.

It was the hand.

Helios was openly holding his hand.

They were practically running through the compound like this, fingers clasped together as they darted through the dark, heading somewhere Ezra didn’t recognize.

The night air was cool, quiet, and far too intimate for Ezra’s liking.

This was the first time Helios had acted like this. So excited. So secretive. Like he was bursting to show Ezra something important.

"I promise," Helios said, slowing just enough to glance back at him. His golden eyes were bright, almost glowing in the dark. "It’ll be worth it once you see it. So don’t worry."

As he spoke, Helios laced their fingers together fully, warm and sure.

Ezra’s breath caught.

He stared at their joined hands, his face heating despite the cool night air brushing against his skin. His heartbeat picked up, loud in his ears, far too noticeable.

’I guess... there’s no need to complain,’ he thought, heart thudding a little too fast. ’It’s dark anyway. No one will see us.’

Still, he couldn’t stop the shy smile that crept onto his face as he let Helios pull him forward, his grip tightening just slightly in response.

’He’s held my hand before,’ Ezra realized, fingers curling instinctively. ’But this feels... different.’

He swallowed.

Was it because he had just presented?

It could be. The physician had explained it all so clinically, as if it were no more than a change in weather. Puberty. Growth.

And then, quietly, the second gender. The thing Ezra had tried not to think about too much since hearing the word.

Omega.

’I still can’t believe I’m an omega,’ Ezra thought, something heavy settling in his chest.

Ezra was devastated when he found out, it took only Helios to stay with him the whole day, assuring him to be able to even get him to get out of his room.

Helios had promised him things the night they both found out. That it wouldn’t change anything.

That Ezra could still be a knight.

That he would make sure of it, no matter what anyone else said.

Not that people could say anything, because he would make sure that nobody found out.

Ezra believed him. He always did.

And yet.

His body would never be the same. He would never be as naturally strong as an Alpha.

Never as enduring.

Never as powerful.

And certainly never like Helios.

Helios, who was an Alpha, and a prince blessed by the God governing this very kingdom, gifted with strength Ezra could only train endlessly to imitate.

’I would’ve accepted being a beta,’ Ezra admitted bitterly to himself. ’Anything but this–’’

"We’re here!"

Helios’s sudden excitement snapped Ezra out of his spiraling thoughts.

Ezra blinked and looked up.

They had stopped in front of a massive hedge.

Tall and thick, the leaves woven together so densely it looked more like a wall than a plant. It loomed over them, green and silent, blocking whatever lay beyond.

Ezra stared at it for a second.

Then another.

"...Uh," he said intelligently.

There was nothing remarkable about it.

No glow. No carving. Not even any flowers. Just a very tall bush.

Still, this was Helios’s surprise.

Ezra straightened slightly and plastered on a polite smile. "Wow," he said, doing his best to sound sincere. "This is... amazing."

"Pfft."

Helios burst out laughing.

Ezra stiffened, confusion flashing across his face. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, brows furrowing. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no," Helios said between laughs, wiping at his eyes. "It’s just... you should see your face right now. You look like you’re trying very hard to be impressed."

"N-No, that’s not—" Ezra started, flustered.

"It’s okay," Helios cut in, still grinning. "This isn’t what I wanted to show you."

Ezra paused.

"Oh." Relief washed over him immediately. "That’s... a relief."

Helios laughed even harder at that, the sound echoing softly through the quiet grounds.

"Your loyalty is appreciated, Ezra."

Ezra laughed under his breath and dipped into an exaggerated bow. "I live to serve," he said lightly, unable to stop the grin that tugged at his mouth.

Helios snorted. "You’re ridiculous."

Still, his grip tightened just a little, a brief squeeze that made Ezra’s chest do something strange. Helios didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he did and chose not to comment.

"The surprise is beyond the hedge," Helios said, eyes bright with barely contained excitement.

Ezra raised a brow. "Beyond it?"

Helios only smiled wider.

He lifted his free hand and hovered his palm over the leaves. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the hedge shivered, the leaves rustling as if stirred by an unseen wind.

Slowly, impossibly, the greenery parted, folding back on itself to reveal a narrow opening glowing softly from within.

Ezra sucked in a breath.

’That’s new.’ he thought, awe rushing through him. ’I’ve never seen him use that kind of magic.’

Helios didn’t give him time to overthink it. He tugged Ezra forward, guiding him through the opening.

The moment they stepped inside, Ezra stopped short.

"Wow."

It slipped out of him, actually genuine and breathless.

The space beyond the hedge was nothing like the orderly gardens of the palace.

Flowers bloomed everywhere, their petals glowing faintly as if lit from within.

Trees rose overhead with leaves in shades of gold, blue, and deep violet, their branches gently swaying though there was no wind.

But what stole Ezra’s breath completely were the flowers beneath their feet.

Pink blossoms carpeted the ground, glowing bright and soft all at once, like fallen stars scattered across the earth. Ezra knelt without thinking, fingers hovering just above them.

"They’re beautiful," he whispered.

Helios watched him, expression unreadable but soft. He pulled Ezra a little further inside, away from the entrance, as the hedge quietly closed behind them.

"I come here when things get too loud," Helios said. "No one else knows about this place. Not even my brothers."

Ezra looked up at him, startled. "You’ve never brought anyone here?"

Helios shook his head. "Only you."

Ezra felt his ears heat instantly.

’Only me,’ he repeated in his head, heart beating faster for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely.

Helios turned to face him fully then, still holding his hand. His golden eyes reflected the glow of the garden, warm and steady.

"So," he asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice despite the smile. "Do you like it?"

Present...

’After five years...’

Ezra stepped fully into the garden beside Helios, the familiar glow wrapping around him like a memory he hadn’t realized he was still carrying.

’It’s still here,’ he thought, something warm and painful settling in his chest. ’Still the same.’

And yet, not quite.

’I think this is still my favorite place in this kingdom.’

"I added a few new plants over the years," Helios said, gesturing ahead as he led Ezra deeper inside. "I thought they would complement the pink blossoms."

Ezra followed his gaze to the center of the garden, where the old wooden table still stood, weathered but sturdy, with the same two chairs placed just right.

He remembered sitting there before, legs swinging because they didn’t quite reach the ground, listening to Helios talk about everything and nothing.

The pink blossoms carpeted the earth as they always had, glowing softly, petals catching the light whether it was night or day.

But Helios was right. There were new plants now. Tall flowering stalks that shimmered faintly, vines with pale leaves that reflected the glow back onto the ground.

They didn’t overshadow the blossoms.

They framed them.

Helios stopped and turned to him, his expression open in a way that made Ezra’s chest tighten. "Do you like it, Ezra?"

The question was simple.

But very nostalgic.

Ezra met his eyes, golden reflecting pink and light and years of things unsaid. His chest felt heavy, full in a way that made breathing feel strange.

He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected the memories to come back so vividly, or the feelings to follow right behind them.

’You shouldn’t,’ he told himself. ’You promised yourself you wouldn’t.’

But the garden smelled the same. Looked the same. Felt the same.

And Helios was still Helios.

Ezra smiled, soft and honest, before he could stop himself.

"Yes," he said. "I do."

Helios’s shoulders relaxed, just a little, as if he’d been holding his breath.

"I am glad you think so."

Ah.

Ezra looked away, fingers curling loosely at his side.

After so many years. After all the effort he had put into forgetting. Into burying it. Into convincing himself that it was childish, foolish, something he would outgrow.

Even after five years apart.

Ezra’s feelings still remained.