That Fated Night - The Fallen Jewel of Li Vicus

In the world of the global elite, the name Li Vicus was a synonym for perfection. For five generations, they had cultivated a lineage of "Pure-Blood" Alphas and Omegas who sat on the thrones of academia, politics, and law. At twenty-six, Seth Vivian Li Vicus was the family’s crowning achievement: a world-renowned Professor of Archaeology and a scholar whose intellect was whispered to be a century ahead of his time.

Seth stood at the center of the Grand Celestial Hotel’s ballroom, his midnight-blue suit tailored to perfection. He was the "Scholar-Prince," cool, untouchable, and famously disciplined.

But as the clock ticked toward midnight, a terrifying heat began to radiate from the base of his spine.

No. It’s too early. Seth gripped the edge of a mahogany table, his knuckles turning white. High-level Omegas like him were supposed to have absolute control. But the air in the room, thick with the pheromones of hundreds of Alphas, had triggered a violent, unexpected "Flash Heat."

"Seth?" His childhood friend, Lu Han, appeared by his side, eyes widening. "Your scent... it’s blooming. If the press smells a Li Vicus in heat at a public gala, the scandal will destroy the family's standing."

"The key," Seth hissed, his breath hitching. "Give me the suite key."

Lu Han pressed a card into his hand. "Suite 909. Top floor. It’s soundproofed and scent-locked. Go, before you collapse!"

Seth moved through the crowd with a ghost of his usual grace, every step a battle against the fire in his veins. By the time he reached the ninth floor, his vision was a blurred mosaic of gold and shadow. His glasses were fogged, and his skin felt like it was melting.

9... 0... 9. His trembling hand swiped the card. Click.

He lunged inside, slamming the door and locking it with a frantic turn of the bolt. The room was shrouded in darkness, save for the flickering lights of New Year’s fireworks through the window. It smelled of ozone, expensive bourbon, and something primal—the scent of a thunderstorm before it breaks.

"Lu... Lu Han?" Seth gasped, sliding to his knees as his internal temperature skyrocketed. "The suppressants... please..."

"I don't keep suppressants in my room," a deep, predatory voice vibrated from the shadows.

Seth froze. That voice didn't belong to his friend. It was a voice he had heard in boardroom recordings and televised summits. It was the voice of the man who headed the only family powerful enough to challenge the Li Vicus: Caesar Silva Yale.

The silhouette by the window moved. Caesar, thirty-five and radiating the suffocating authority of a True Blood Alpha, stepped into the light. He had already discarded his jacket, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

"Professor Li Vicus?" Caesar’s eyes glowed with a dark, oceanic blue as his Alpha senses locked onto Seth’s sweet, floral scent. "I knew you were a genius, but I didn't know you were bold enough to break into a Yale’s private suite while in heat."

"Mistake..." Seth managed to growl, his  pride fighting the urge to submit. He tried to stand, but Caesar’s aura hit the room like a physical weight, pinning him to the floor.

"A very expensive mistake," Caesar whispered, walking toward him with the slow confidence of a wolf who had already won. He knelt, lifting Seth’s chin. "The Li Vicus family has spent twenty-six years polishing you into a jewel. I wonder... what happens to that shine once you've been claimed by a Yale?"

Seth looked up, his eyes misty but defiant. "You... wouldn't... dare..."

"Watch me," Caesar murmured, his lips inches from Seth’s neck.

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