The hunting event was about to begin.
Horses stamped and snorted in the cold air.
Hunters checked their bows and spears.
The energy was sharp and excited.
Ace stood apart, his mood dark.
His father’s order was clear.
Apologize.
In front of everyone.
His jaw was tight just thinking about it.
Near the edge of the gathering, a small cluster of Omegas stood together.
They were not hunting.
They were part of an old tradition.
Jade stood with them.
He looked out of place in his simple green tunic, but he listened politely as a young Omega girl showed him a small, woven charm made of red thread and a silver bell.
“It’s a tradition,” the girl explained, her cheeks pink.
“We give these to our lovers and family members before the hunt.
For good luck.
Then, whoever brings the greatest harvest from the hunt offers it to the Omega.
It’s called winning the Winter Goddess’s favor.
The Duchess wins every year.”
Jade took the charm gently.
He turned it over in his pale fingers.
The little bell made a soft, clear sound.
“It’s a wonderful tradition,” he said.
His smile was quiet but real.
It reached his eyes.
The Omega girl flushed deeper, looking pleased.
All around, other Omegas were giving their charms.
To fathers, to brothers, to sweethearts.
Laughter and shy smiles filled the air.
Ace watched, annoyed, as a few Omegas approached him.
They tied charms to his bow, to his saddle, to his wrist.
He got many.
He was a prince, handsome and wild.
It was expected.
Alex received just as many, but his were tied with more solemn respect.
He thanked each person with a small, formal nod.
Ace’s eyes found his parents.
Lady Roseline was tying a charm to the hilt of Duke Aster’s hunting knife.
Her fingers were sure and gentle.
The Duke looked down at her, and for a moment, his stern face softened into something private and warm.
She smiled up at him.
Then Aster’s gaze lifted and found Ace.
The warmth vanished.
The order was in his eyes.
*Now.*
Ace sighed.
He didn’t want to do this.
Not here.
Not with everyone watching.
He felt like a scolded puppy.
He walked over to the cluster of Omegas.
They went quiet when they saw him.
Jade was still holding the little charm, looking at it.
“Jade,” Ace said.
His voice came out rough.
He cleared his throat.
“I…”
Jade looked up.
His expression was calm, blank.
“What do you want this time?”
Before Ace could force the stupid apology out, another voice cut through the air.
“Jade.”
It was Alex.
He walked over, his black cloak sweeping the snow-dusted ground.
Everyone’s attention shifted to the heir.
Jade looked at him, his head tilting slightly.
Alex stopped in front of Jade.
Then, to the shock of everyone watching, he bowed.
A deep, formal bow from the waist.
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd.
“I apologize,” Alex said, his voice clear and steady.
“On my brother’s behalf.
Forgive me for not disciplining him properly.”
Jade stared.
He looked genuinely surprised.
Ace froze.
His face heated with a mix of anger and shame.
*He* was supposed to apologize.
Not Alex.
Alex shouldn’t have to bow for *his* mistakes.
“Why are you apologizing?” Jade asked softly.
Alex straightened.
He met Jade’s crimson eyes.
“Because what he did was because of me.
Ace got angry for my sake.
He is an idiot.
Impulsive.”
Ace made a faint, offended noise.
“Hey…”
Alex didn’t even glance at him.
He kept his focus on Jade.
“But he is a good kid.
And as his older sibling, it was my responsibility to teach him right from wrong.
I failed in that today.
The fault is mine.”
The silence was heavy.
The hunters, the Omegas, the nobles—all were listening.
Jade looked from Alex’s serious face to Ace’s stormy one.
Something shifted in his eyes.
Something that looked like… understanding.
“The apology is unnecessary,” Jade said finally, his voice quiet but firm.
“Ace is my younger brother, too.
You both are.
And older brothers…” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
“…are supposed to protect the younger ones.
No matter what.”
He reached into the pocket of his tunic and pulled out a simple charm.
It was made of plain blue thread, no bell.
It looked old, maybe something he brought with him.
He stepped up to Alex first.
He reached for the sword at Alex’s hip.
Alex didn’t move, just watched as Jade’s slender fingers carefully tied the blue thread around the sword’s scabbard, securing it with a neat knot.
Then Jade turned to Ace.
Ace took a step back.
“H-hey, what are you doing?
I have plenty.” His wrist was already decorated with three colorful charms.
Alex raised one sharp eyebrow at him.
The look said everything: *I just cleaned up your mess.
Behave.*
Ace shut his mouth, scowling.
Jade stepped closer.
He didn’t look at Ace’s face.
He looked at his hunting bow, slung over his shoulder.
Gently, he untied one of the fancier charms from a richer Omega and let it fall.
In its place, he tied his simple blue thread.
His fingers were cold.
They brushed Ace’s wrist for a second.
Ace stiffened but didn’t pull away.
When Jade was done, he stepped back.
He looked at both of them, the Valebane brothers, now both marked by his plain, blue charm.
He smiled.
It was a small, gentle smile, but it felt different from his earlier polite ones.
It felt… real.
“May the Goddess protect you both,” he said softly.
Then he turned and walked back to the cluster of Omegas, leaving the brothers standing in the snow.
Ace looked down at the blue thread on his bow.
It was cheap.
Simple.
It looked wrong among the others.
But Alex was looking at his own, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The hunting horn sounded, loud and long.
The hunt was beginning.
As Ace swung onto his horse, he glanced back one last time.
Jade was watching them go.
His hands were tucked into his sleeves.
His expression was unreadable again.
But on Ace’s bow, the blue thread seemed to burn against the dark wood.
It wasn’t an apology.
It was a reminder.
You are my younger brothers, too.
And for some reason, that thought was more terrifying than any plot or scheme.