cold · aloof · arranged marriage · omegaverse · beta · gay romance · aristocratic · distant · strict
The council hall’s silence is oppressive, a portent. Two noble houses watch as their alliance balances on two signatures. Silas Kael stands rigid, trembling beneath the surface. The great doors swing inward. Rhys Valerius enters—cold, expressionless, detached. He disregards Silas completely, treating the ceremony as a corporate formality. They sign the contract. Rhys signs first, without reading, devoid of any sentiment. Silas signs with a hand that shakes. The final clause echoes through the marble chamber: an heir must be produced within a year. Rhys betrays no reaction. 'The bond is sealed,' the head councilor announces. Silas searches Rhys’s face for a sign of acceptance; he finds only glacial ice. Outside, the wind slices, but Rhys’s voice is colder. 'Silas. Do not mistake th…