Chapter Text 章节正文
Alexander 亚历山大
Alexander clenches his jaw in frustration as Henry is taken from the room. Today had not gone how he had originally thought. How long had his mother kept this plan from him? The betrayal of being kept out of the loop for a decision that will change the course of his entire
life
stung deeply; he thought them to be closer than this. He thought he had proven himself worthy of council and helping to
make
the plan, not to just be a piece of it. He pushes the pain of it down and schools his face into something attempting to resemble calm.
当亨利被带离房间时，亚历山大沮丧地咬紧下巴。今天的情况和他原先想的大相径庭。母亲对他隐瞒这个计划有多久了？被排除在将改变他一生的决定之外，这种背叛深深地刺痛了他；他以为他们之间的关系比这更亲密。他以为自己已经证明了自己有资格参加理事会，帮助制定计划，而不仅仅是计划的一部分。他强压住内心的痛苦，努力让自己的表情变得平静。
“Last time I checked you weren’t my son, Richards. Out you go.”
"上次我查到你不是我儿子，理查兹。出去吧
The Captain lets out a low growl, “And what of the omega’s punishment? Surely that must be decided before anything else. We must make an example of him now so he knows his place and cements
obedience
to his remaining countrymen.”
船长发出一声低吼，"那欧米茄的惩罚呢？当然必须先决定这个问题。我们现在必须杀一儆百，让他知道自己的地位，并让他的同胞们更加服从。"
“Don’t you have better things to do than obsess over
my
omega, Richards? Your squadron was looking a little disheveled when I passed by earlier -”
"难道你没有比盯着我的欧米茄更重要的事情要做吗，理查兹？我刚才路过的时候，你的中队看起来有点凌乱--"
“Oh shove it you nepotistic brat.”
"哦，滚开，你这个任人唯亲的小鬼"
“How original! Truly have never heard that before, I think you missed your calling as an orator.”
"真有创意真是闻所未闻，我想你错过了你作为演说家的机会。"
“Silence!” Ellen’s Alpha voice rises to an uncomfortable peak, cowing both men into immediate submission.
"安静！"艾伦的阿尔法嗓音提高到了令人不舒服的顶点，让两个人立刻畏首畏尾。
“Behave in the manner of your rank or it will be stripped from you. Both of you.” She glares at the men before settling on her son. “Richards is within his rights to demand retribution. The men will be ruthless if they think he’s been publically slighted with no support from command.”
"按你们的军衔行事 否则就剥夺你们的军衔你们两个都是。"她先是瞪了这两个人一眼，然后把目光落在儿子身上。"理查兹有权要求报复。如果这些人认为他在没有指挥部支持的情况下被公开轻视，他们会毫不留情的。"
“Maybe his men wouldn’t be ruthless if they actually respected his authority and ability to lead, and didn’t obey him just out of fear of his cruelty.” Alexander shoots back, nerves churning in his gut at the thought of what sadistic plan Richards has for his omega.
"如果他的手下真正尊重他的权威和领导能力，而不是因为害怕他的残忍而服从他，也许他的手下就不会那么无情了。"亚历山大回击道，一想到理查兹对他的欧米茄有什么虐待狂计划，他的神经就汹涌澎湃。
His. Oh gods above, Henry is his. That insanely stubborn, angelic looking, fierce as all hells omega is his responsibility. A young prince who has made it abundantly clear what he thinks of Alexander and the predicament he has found himself in - not that Alexander can truly blame him. The fire lit within the pretty omega is admirable and lights a different fire within his inner Alpha. A fire he worries is growing too big, too fast.
他的上帝啊，亨利是他的那个顽固不化、貌似天使、凶猛无比的欧米茄是他的责任。这位年轻的王子已经非常清楚地表明了他对亚历山大和他所处困境的看法--亚历山大并不能真正责怪他。这位漂亮的欧米伽内心燃起的火焰令人钦佩，同时也点燃了他内心阿尔法的另一把火。他担心这把火烧得太大、太快。
“Enough, Alexander! One more word and I will give Richards whatever he demands.”
"够了，亚历山大！再多说一个字 我就满足理查兹的一切要求"
Alexander looks to Richards and sees his battle hardened face twist into a grimace masquerading as a smile. He turns back to his mother and bows his head.
亚历山大看向理查兹，只见他那张饱经战火洗礼的脸扭曲成了一个伪装成微笑的狰狞面孔。他转身回到母亲身边，低下了头。
“Good.” Ellen lets out a sigh bringing a hand to her face to massage her temples. The men’s antics clearly getting to her. “What do you suggest, Captain Richards? There can be no permanent injury or scarring, and his virginity is my son’s to claim.”
"很好"艾伦叹了口气，用手摸了摸太阳穴。男人们的滑稽动作显然让她很不舒服。"你有什么建议，理查兹上尉？不能留下永久的伤痕 他的贞操是我儿子的"
The young Alpha’s stomach turned at his mother’s callous phrasing. He knew this to be technically true, but the way she said it completely erased Henry from the process even though it was his bodily autonomy in question. Is this how she saw his father and Leo back home?
年轻的阿尔法听了母亲冷酷无情的措辞，胃里一阵翻腾。他知道这在技术上是正确的，但她说这话的方式却把亨利完全排除在了这个过程之外，尽管这是他身体自主权的问题。她是这样看待他的父亲和里奥的吗？
“Public humiliation is what I want.” Richards turned to make direct eye contact with Alexander. “The best way to deal with a chatty omega is to…muzzle him in a way.”
"当众羞辱就是我想要的"。理查兹转过身，与亚历山大直接对视。"对付健谈的欧米茄的最好办法就是......在某种程度上给他戴上口罩。"
Alexander growls while Ellen pitches in with a “Get on with it Richards.”
亚历山大咆哮着，而艾伦也在一旁说："理查兹，快去吧。"
“I want that Briton brat on his knees, in the mud, with my cock shoved down his throat. I want to skull fuck that boy raw so he’ll always know his place, quiet and in service of his betters.”
"我要让那个英国小子跪在泥地里 让我的鸡巴插进他的喉咙" "I want that Briton brat on his knees, in the mud, with my cock shoved down his throat."我要把那小子生生操死" "让他永远知道自己的地位" "安静地为上司服务"
The Apex Alpha within Alexander
rages
at the image but his voice is deceptively calm, sucking all the energy out of the room. “I swear on all that is holy and sacred I will rip your knot from your body and make you choke on it if you touch a hair on his head. You will
never
lay a hand on him, you hear me? He. Is.
Mine
.”
亚历山大内心的 Apex Alpha 对这幅画面怒火中烧，但他的声音却故作镇定，吸走了房间里所有的能量。"我以神圣的名义起誓，如果你敢动他一根汗毛，我就把你的心结从身上扯下来，让你窒息而死。你绝不能碰他一根汗毛，听到了吗？他是。是我的
Richards, enraged, takes clear steps towards the younger Alpha but is stopped in his tracks when Ellen lets out a sharp whistle. The remaining guards stood at attention, their arms set towards their General.
理查兹被激怒了，他迈开大步向年轻的阿尔法走去，却被艾伦一声尖锐的哨声制止了。其余的卫兵都立正站好，双臂朝向他们的将军。
“I suggest you take leave now, Richards. I will personally see to your retribution, you can tell your men that to satisfy them if need be.”
"我建议你现在就离开，理查兹。我会亲自看着你得到报应 如果需要的话，你可以告诉你的手下，让他们满意。"
The High General’s face was stone as she watched the man be led out of her command center like a dog on a leash. The air in the room was still as Alexander waited for his mother’s ire to be turned onto him.
高级将领面如死灰，眼睁睁地看着这个人像被拴住的狗一样被带出指挥中心。亚历山大等待着母亲的怒火转嫁到他身上，房间里的空气静悄悄的。
“
Sakkharon
, my sweet boy.” His mother coos, startling him more than if she yelled at him. “Come here darling.” The High General moves to sit at the table and pats the chair next to her.
"萨卡隆，我亲爱的孩子"他的母亲 "咕咕 "地叫着，把他吓了一跳，这比她对他大喊大叫还要吓人。"过来，亲爱的。"大将军走到桌边坐下，拍了拍她旁边的椅子。
Alexander freezes at the endearment, unsure on how to handle his mother’s affection, but follows her order before he can overthink the situation. Once seated, his mother takes his hands in hers, gently massaging them as an uneasy silence settles between them. His gaze lingers on the large map before him, zeroing in on the replica of Henry’s home. A home they were now meant to rebuild as mates. The weight of the situation quickly becomes too much and the soldier lurches out of his mother’s grasp and begins to pace.
亚历山大被母亲的爱称弄得愣住了，不知道该如何应对母亲的爱意，但在他来不及多想之前，还是听从了母亲的命令。坐下后，母亲握住他的双手，轻轻地按摩着，两人之间陷入了不安的沉默。他的目光停留在面前的大地图上，盯着亨利家的复制品。他们本应作为伴侣重建家园。情况的严重性很快就变得不堪重负，士兵从母亲的怀抱中挣脱出来，开始踱步。
“Alexander–” "亚历山大
“No.” The young Alpha’s voice steady, despite the raw panic settling into his bones making them vibrate.
"不"年轻的阿尔法声音沉稳，尽管原始的恐慌让他的骨头都在震动。
“How can you just drop this on me? In front of him! In front of Richards! I am your soldier yes, I belong to the Empire yes, but I am also your
son
. I deserved to know.” Alexander’s pacing increases, his words coming out faster than his mind can form them.
"你怎么能把这个扔给我？当着他的面当着理查兹的面我是你的士兵没错，我属于帝国没错，但我也是你的儿子......我理应知道。"亚历山大踱步的速度加快了，说出的话比他头脑中形成的还要快。
“An entire city? I have never been still. The march is in my blood and now I am meant to give it all up? Not to mention being mated to an omega who would rather slit my throat in my sleep than accept my bite? Gods above, not that I could blame him. You saw the marks on his face, I don’t deserve such beauty after I treated him so callously in my anger at being bested by him. He makes me feel
weak
, mother. And I have no idea how to handle that.”
"整座城市？我从未静止过。行军是我的血液，而现在我却要放弃这一切？更不用说还要和一个宁可在睡梦中割断我的喉咙也不接受我的咬噬的欧米茄交配？上帝在上，我不能怪他。你也看到他脸上的伤痕了，我不配拥有这样的美貌，因为被他打败后，我对他冷酷无情。他让我感到软弱，母亲我不知道该如何面对"
Ellen is still in her chair, ever poised and in control as she waits out her son’s rant. “I wanted to even the playing field for you both, that is why I withheld my intentions on you retrieving him. This will help him to trust you. A mutual point of contention is a powerful bonding agent.”
艾伦仍然坐在椅子上，始终保持着镇定自若，等待着儿子的咆哮。"我想为你们俩创造一个公平的竞争环境，这就是为什么我不打算让你把他找回来。这将有助于他信任你。共同的争执点是一种强大的粘合剂。"
“Manipulation is your tactic? Wonderful way to start a relationship. No wonder the fights you and father had, if this is how you view partnership.”
"操纵是你的策略？开始一段关系的好方法难怪你和父亲会吵架 如果你是这样看待伙伴关系的话"
“What yourself Alexander. I will let this one slide as it has been a trying forty eight hours and I know fear is taking over your tongue but you will remain respectful.”
"亚历山大，你说什么？我就不追究了，因为这四十八个小时太难熬了 我知道恐惧占据了你的舌头，但你要保持恭敬。"
Alexander laughs in frustration and a bit of delirium. His mind flashes to Henry laughing at his feet and feels a pull of kinship. Perhaps his mother has a point.
亚历山大沮丧地大笑起来，有点神志不清。他的脑海中闪现出亨利在他脚边大笑的情景，感到一种亲情的牵引。也许他的母亲说得有道理。
“What is the goal for this city?”
"这座城市的目标是什么？"
Ellen smiles and presses a kiss to her son’s cheek.
艾伦微笑着在儿子的脸颊上亲了一下。
“That will be up to you and your omega prince.”
"这取决于你和你的欧米茄王子"
_______
Henry ducks his head and blushes violently, while Alexander continues.
亨利低下头，脸涨得通红，亚历山大则继续说道。
“Let me show you I can be sweet to you. I want to erase the pain my hands have caused you with gentleness and pleasure.” Alexander brings up Henry’s hands to his lips and places a featherlight kiss onto his knuckles. “Will you allow it, Henry?”
"让我告诉你，我可以对你温柔体贴我想用温柔和愉悦消除我的双手给你带来的痛苦。"亚历山大把亨利的手举到唇边 在他的指关节上轻轻一吻"你愿意吗，亨利？"
Alexander’s question, spoken so gently and with care, makes him deeply sad. Despite the Alpha’s desire to give him one, Henry only has the illusion of choice. The asking for permission is meaningless here, but he nods anyway. The wine that once gave him energy to talk back has deflated, leaving a sour note in his mouth he hopes the other man couldn’t taste.
亚历山大的问题说得如此温柔体贴，让他深感悲伤。尽管阿尔法很想给他一个，但亨利只有选择的错觉。请求允许在这里毫无意义，但他还是点了点头。曾经让他有力气顶嘴的酒已经瘪了，在他嘴里留下了酸涩的味道，他希望对方尝不出来。
“Words please, Henry.” The focus in Alexander’s eyes, startlingly similar to the focus that Henry had been witness to when he was first captured, looks back at him, reading into every soft movement of the prince’s expression.
"请说，亨利。"亚历山大眼中的专注，与亨利第一次被俘时目睹的专注惊人地相似，他回望着他，读懂了王子表情中每一个柔和的动作。
Henry turns away from the man’s gaze, unwilling to make it easy for him to be read.
亨利转过身去，不愿意让人轻易读懂他的目光。
“Can we move from the floor? Back to the table maybe?” Henry’s movement was significantly limited with his back to the wall while Alex’s large form cages him in and he wasn’t ready to be sat on the bed with Alex just yet. He needed neutral territory.
"我们能从地板上下来吗？回到桌子上好吗？"亨利背靠墙壁，行动明显受限，而亚历克斯的庞大身躯把他牢牢地困在里面，他还没准备好和亚历克斯一起坐在床上。他需要中立的领地。
“Of course.” Alexander helps Henry to his feet and guides him back to his chair with a wide hand spread across the small of the omega’s back. It feels like a brand on Henry’s skin.
"当然。"亚历山大把亨利扶起来，用一只宽大的手掌放在欧米茄的小背上，引导他回到自己的椅子上。这感觉就像亨利皮肤上的烙印。
Alexander sits next to him, their legs once again touching. Soft brown eyes flit to and from Henry’s face and the prince’s hands still clasped in his own. Calloused fingertips trace small circles into a palm and it causes Henry to shiver.
“You really haven’t ever been kissed?”
The blush on Henry’s face deepens as another wave of embarrassment emits up from deep within. “Why would I lie about such a thing?” He grits out, breaking his hands free from the other man’s hold and wrapping them unconsciously around his middle.
Startled by the effect of his words, Alexander quickly continues, “I didn’t ask because I didn’t believe you. I ask because beauty like yours deserves to be treasured and I find it hard to comprehend that not one of your kingdom’s Alphas managed to capture your affections enough for an innocent kiss.”
Henry only tightens the hold on himself. Of course there have been Alphas who have caught his attention. But that was all it was. Attention. Fleeting moments of fancy that had to be squashed as he already knew he was destined to wed a chieftain’s son in the North when he reached twenty-one years of age. It was customary for royal omegas to suffer heats alone before being bonded off, to leave no doubt of the omega’s commitment to purity. More importantly for the omega’s intended, for their desperation to be knotted when the time comes is an incredibly appealing incentive to secure lucrative matches.
And oh how Henry has suffered. He hates the craving for touch and smell and the fever that makes it feel as though he has thrown himself into a funeral pyre. Shame consumes him when the whimpers and screams leave his throat raw and voice ragged for days after. But what he hates most is the sick satisfaction he knows the Alpha’s of his inner community feel that he has remained chaste to bring them honor, that his worth has only grown through his sacrifice.
“I am an unbonded royal omega, promised to a neighboring chieftain’s son. If I was not wholly pure when given to him there would be yet another civil war so the court’s Alpha’s tended to avoid me.” Henry gives a sad little laugh. “The only Alphas I’ve ever really interacted with without a direct chaperone are of my own family.”
For once, Alexander doesn’t have a retort and they sit in a contemplative silence.
After a few minutes Henry’s arms unravel and find new placement on his knees where he picks at the fabric. An unrecognizable jolt passes through his lower stomach remembering how these are the clothes Alexander has dressed him in, that Alexander has seen more of his skin than any other man before.
The Alpha has turned his attention to the fire, the flames painting his tan skin in an infuriatingly attractive glow. In any other circumstance Henry would be weak at the knees for the man beside him. Many of the Alphas around him had similar builds. Similar muscles and skills. What they didn’t have were the dark curls, sharp angular jaw and eyelashes that have absolutely no right to be as long as they are. Henry swears they leave their own shadow on the Alpha’s face in the light of the fire.
“What are you thinking about?”
Alexander’s voice jolts Henry out of his thoughts and another blush paints his face. If Alexander notices, he’ll blame it on the heat.
“Honestly? How annoying your eyelashes are.”
A loud laugh coughs its way out of the Alpha’s mouth, catching both of them by surprise.
“Excuse me? How can eyelashes be annoying? Are they known for their annoying tendencies?”
Henry allows himself a light laugh, “Oh notorious.”
“You’re one to talk, your majesty. That mole on your lip is infuriating.”
“Oh is it now? That I have heard before.”
With each quip the pair moves closer together, their scents gently intertwining. Alexander, sensing the shift in mood, slowly turns to face the young omega. His hands reach toward his intended, one tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind an ear and the other snaking its way around a firm waist. A small gasp escapes from Henry’s lips at the move, his heart beat beginning to pick up.
“Henry.” "亨利"
“Alexander.”
“Can I please kiss you now?” Alexander whispers, voice and demeanor as gentle as Henry has ever seen it and despite all that has happened the last forty eight hours–he chooses to believe the tenderness to be earnest.
The prince nods, lets out a shaky breath and leans in but the Alpha stops him.
“Words, Henry. Please. I need to hear your consent or it will haunt my dreams knowing I have taken your first kiss from you.”
Henry does no such thing. He grabs the soldier's face and presses faces together, lips puckered and firm. Alexander lets out an undignified noise at the action but quickly recovers, gently pressing coaxing Henry’s mouth into a softer shape, molding their mouths together as if they have done this thousands of times over.
Henry feels as though his heart could fly right out of his chest and into the hills. He moves to step back but the Alpha isn’t quite done with the kiss. A large hand moves to the low of his back while the other snakes up to gently cradle the side of Henry’s face. One kiss turns to many, still somewhat chaste with no tongue involved, but it still leaves the pair breathless.
Alexander breaks their connection and speaks lowly into Henry’s pinkened mouth, “What did I say about words, anaticula?”
Feeling bold and oddly free Henry replies, “Hard to form them when lips are otherwise occupied.”