FILE: AURIEL OSBORNE

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Auriel Osborne gently touched his round stomach. It was already close to his due, just one month left and he admits, he’s feeling nervous. His two children before this was born an Omega and a Beta respectively. The pressure of producing an Alpha for his husband has been around ever since he found out he was pregnant again. He knew, if he failed to give birth to an Alpha son, his marriage will be done for.

Although this marriage was arranged by the Council, even if it was something that he was forced to, after giving birth to two children, his heart became soft. Even when he still resented his fate. Especially with how Mitchell is mistreating him.

“Master Auriel, it is already late. You should turn in for the night,” the butler who had been silently watching spoke.

“But Major General Mitchell has yet to return home. Going to bed without waiting for him is not proper,” Auriel replied.

The butler only gave Auriel a complicated look before he let out a sigh. He once again glanced at the clock, noting the time stated. It was already an hour and a half past midnight. According to the servants from the main residence, Mitchell Vitalis has already returned.

That’s right. Despite being married, Auriel was not living in the main residence. The residence he’s currently living at, despite it being a large mansion and despite it being lavishly decorated, it was nothing more than the side residence for the House of Vitalis.

Knowing that Auriel is currently at a sensitive time, the butler didn’t dare to inform him, fearing that Auriel might get worked up and accidentally enter premature labour. Inwardly, he could only curse Mitchell for being heartless. Another hour passed and finally, Auriel could no longer stay awake. In the living room sofa, he finally shut his eyes as he succumbed to his sleep.

The butler didn’t immediately act and instead, waited for another ten minutes before finally making his move. He walked over to Auriel’s sleeping figure and gently picked him up as to not wake Auriel. His movements were flawless as if he had done these hundreds of times. He was patient as he walked slowly towards Auriel’s room and carefully placed him on the soft bed without waking him up.

After he had finished tucking Auriel in, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he continued to gaze at Auriel’s sleeping figure. His eyes were filled with longing and hidden desire. The butler knew that having this kind of feelings to a married omega is not proper and yet, he couldn’t help himself. The moment he laid his eyes on Auriel who stood on the aisle on his wedding day, he, the servant of House Vitalis, had fallen in love. Although he knew he will never be able to openly love Auriel, he was content with watching over him silently like this. That is until he found out what his master, Major General Mitchell had done behind Auriel’s back.

“Master Auriel… how good would it be if you did not get paired with Master Mitchell? That way, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this,” he muttered in a soft voice. The regret could be heard in his tone as he let out a heavy sigh. He stood there for a while, savouring the quiet moment when he could finally see his beloved’s serene expression. Only once he felt that he had overstayed his welcome did he move his feet and left the room.

The next few days were just a repeat of the days before, with Auriel waiting for Mitchell until late in the night, to the point that he fell asleep on the living room sofa. And it was the butler who dutifully carried Auriel back to the room so the other could have a proper rest. But one night, Mitchell came to the side residence, cheeks red and his body reeked with the smell of alcohol. It must be said that alpha has a high tolerance for alcohol, so despite how he looked, Mitchell was still sober.

Everyone present knew that fact and yet, for some reason known only to Mitchell, he acted drunk. And while acting drunk, he began to grumble, then criticized Auriel for failing to give him a proper alpha son to be his heir. Auriel could only lower his head as Mitchell continued to berate him but this only made Mitchell feel even more displeased. He felt that whenever Auriel did this, it was for the purpose of making him look bad. So in his anger, Mitchell’s verbal abuse turned physical by shoving Auriel roughly.

Luckily, the butler was able to stop Mitchell before Mitchell could land the second hit. It was only unfortunate that the harm was already done.

The shove, paired with the stress and pressure that Auriel had been experiencing these past few months had forced him into premature labour.

A/N: This is only a teaser to a member's only series. It's one chapter being split into 4 parts.