Kieran pressed the '1' button in the elevator to bring them to the first floor. Doing this day trip made him nervous. In this world, everyone was a threat, especially for a rare omega without a collar.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"Don't leave your side," Teru recalled his earlier words.

The doors pinged open to reveal the grand lobby which included crystal ceilings, marble floors, blinding lights, high-end furniture, exotic plants and animals gifted by other countries, etc. Its atmosphere was certainly over-the-top, but the king demanded the capital's government building to scream 'this is the most lavish place in all of Avania.'

Teru wanted to stare at these things, but Kieran had also instructed him to keep his head lowered and not look around; making eye contact with other vampires would raise their suspicions. Some alphas would even think Teru was challenging them. So far, he was doing a good job at focusing on the overly polished tiles in front of him.

Currently, the lobby wasn't bustling with people – this time of day was slower since lunch breaks were mostly finished.

But that still didn't mean the coast was clear.

They passed by a group of vampires. Judging by their uniforms, they were simple office workers. Even with their whispering, Kieran could hear every gossiping word they were saying about them. How bold.

"Did you see what he did to the head servant's eyes?"

"I heard he killed a kitchen crew member the other day by deep-frying his heart."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"Is that the omega? Someone was talking about it, but I didn't know it belonged to the oldest—"

Kieran shut them up quickly with his death glare. They all trembled under the murderous gaze of his crimson eyes. He memorized the names on their uniquely colored employee tags - since each department had a different color code - so he could deal with them individually later. No one deserved to utter a word about his partner.

"You did what?" Teru said in a hushed tone, staring up at him.

Damn. He heard. This wasn't the place nor time to discuss this.

"Head down," Kieran hissed.

A sleek black car waited for them near the entrance. Although there weren't many vampires outside, too, he didn't want to take any chances. News that there was a human omega living in the capital was the latest top story in the community, perhaps even the whole country. If he took his eyes off him for just a second while on public streets, someone would steal him away; it didn't matter if Teru was marked or not.

Kieran wrapped his hand around Teru's exposed nape. He should've made him wear a turtleneck sweater, instead.

The chauffeur already had the door open, politely gesturing to enter the tinted-windowed car. "Sir," Viktor welcomed in his Russian accent. This beta vampire has been the prince's personal driver for decades; the man knew his preferences, favorite spots to visit, and so on.

They sat in the backseat with an adjusting wall between them and Viktor to maintain privacy. Once on their way, Teru finally asked, "Is that why you were covered in blood that day? When my heat...your rut..."

Teru's face became redder than spilled blood from mentioning that time. Quite frankly, it embarrassed Kieran a little, too.

Yet, it was the greatest fuck of Kieran's life.

"Yes. I had my reasons."

"I'm not judging you. I just...get scared when you come home like that."

His words took Kieran aback. How could this timid human not judge a vampire covered in blood? Teru wasn't going to interview him with a series of questions about the gossip? It was strange when he was used to everyone scrutinizing his every movement, making him a prisoner of his own noble title.

Kieran met Teru's sincere yet worried eyes. There was no criticism on his face. Could this be his true personality? It seemed more humble than the alpha originally thought.

What's more, Teru said 'home'...

Something about the word made him warm despite the cold weather and his dead-like body temperature. "Then I'll try not to do that anymore."

Teru seemed to accept this.

On the way, the curious omega pressed his face against the glass. He was in awe as he observed the flashing lights, angry taxi drivers, and the enormous buildings looming above.

...Until they reached Times Square. Seeing the iconic intersection made Kieran peeved beyond imaginable. He used the limousine phone to call Viktor. "I thought I said not to take this route."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the other roads to our destination are closed. There was a slave riot this morning."

Kieran mentally cursed and hung up.

In the center where people once took photos of the popular tourist attraction was a large stage. A line of filthy humans stood on the elevated platform, all recently captured from the Eastern coast. They were low-quality betas consisting of men, women, and children, weeping about their imminent end.

An auctioneer paced around the stage, showing the goods to the vampire crowd below. Once a human was bid on, they were forced down the stairs to join their new owner while a new line of people filled the stage. Unlike Nashville, this city's beta auction took place outside for all to see, maximizing the disgrace and downfall of human civilization.

Teru's demeanor went from amazement to disgust. "Why...why is this okay? They are packs...families." Tears pooled around his eyes.

This was why Kieran didn't want Teru to see.

As their car drove past the group of despairing soon-to-be blood slaves, literally only yards away, they both watched a young couple desperately holding onto each other, not wanting to let go. A guard yanked the woman away from her partner's arms and shoved her into those of a male vampire, her buyer. Their cries drowned out the city sounds around them.

This was a normal sight for Kieran. For as long as he could remember, he never felt a shred of empathy.

Still, he couldn't help but imagine Teru up there with all of those vampires feasting their eyes on him, wanting to do the worst possible things to him. Kieran suddenly wanted to destroy everyone in the crowd that would consider putting a bid on what was his, even if it was a made-up scenario.

For a split second, Pride felt empathy for the humans outside. It was a fleeting emotion.

"That is how the world works. The strongest have always preyed on the weak. Humans were given a choice to remain strong and work together when it counted, but they failed. This is their consequence."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is their consequence."

Teru knew this would be the last time for all of them to stand outside so freely before they were chained up, forced to work, and be killed.

The rose-tinted glasses he wore while looking at the city became grey. Unlike minutes before, the towering structures and noisy sounds were now overwhelming. And the citizens...Teru realized more than half of them were blood slaves, adorned with a red collar, tethered to their owners. Their throats were black and blue from biting bruises. How did he fail to notice them?

Being locked away in Kieran's penthouse had sheltered him too much. Millions of others had it so much worse than him. He felt guilty about his pampered lifestyle. He now understood what Kieran meant when he said his gender had helped keep him alive. If Teru had been a beta, he'd be long drained by now.

Seeing the stage brought him back from his ignorant thoughts. This was reality.

"How do I become stronger?" he wanted to know.

Kieran considered what to say for a minute. "Understand what makes you weak. Don't become prey to it."

"Then what makes you weak?"

"Nothing," the alpha answered immediately, looking out the window. Teru wanted to call him out – everyone had a weakness. But, the car slowed down with squeaking breaks. They had arrived at a skyscraper next to the river. He attempted to sound out the giant glowing letters above the doors.

M-A-L-L.

"Male?"

"Mall," Kieran corrected. "I've reserved a few stores just for us for two hours. We'll take this opportunity to buy you what you need."

They slowly drove to the backside of the building to a private entrance. If it were not seeing the auction, Teru would've had the enthusiasm to go shopping. His head drooped from the heaviness of grief eating at him for the packs who were forced to separate today. How was he supposed to enjoy himself or anytime in the future, knowing what was really going on so close to where they sleep?

Kieran gently lifted his chin. "I don't understand why you're sad," reading his emotions. "You don't know those people."

Teru reapplied his inner mask. "I'm not sad." He turned his head away, hoping he was convincing enough for the vampire to drop it.

The car door opened.

"Sir," the chauffeur said. "We've arrived."