Grounded (1)

Arren had just woken up and was starving. As a result, the Duke served him a light meal. He hadn't yet recovered from his unexpected heat, and hard foods were inconvenient at the moment. His father left him to rest after he had finished eating. He also didn't stop his father, as he knew he had a lot of things to deal with.

To be honest, he was a little groggy and sleepy. That was the side effect of just being injected with suppressant shots. Previously, a single dose of suppressants was insufficient to completely suppress the heat. It would only help to calm down the pheromones for a few hours before taking a new dose. Heats or ruts typically last three days at most, with an unexpected heat lasting only one day.

Though, as technology advances, the effectiveness of heat or rut suppressants is sufficient to last for months. Some variants claimed a year of effectiveness, and anyone didn't have to worry about their heats or ruts. It was eventually proven to be false. While some studies for a longer duration of suppressants or a complete solution to remove this trait of people were conducted, it was purely speculative, and many experts in this field were pessimistic.

Heats and ruts were actually necessary for everyone, no matter how much some despised them. Researchers also discovered that using suppressants for an extended period of time has a negative impact on the body. It was still recommended to go through normal heats or ruts on a regular basis.

They claimed that suppressing pheromones too much each time one was in heat or rut would cause the pheromones to become wilder for the next cycle, and so on. It meant that their next heat or rut could be twice as painful as a normal heat or rut.

Arren closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard. He was exhausted and upset. When it all became clear, he was also terrified. He was slapped by the realization that he was not in this world to take a vacation, and that it was far more dangerous than he imagined. He thought if he just stayed away from the main plot, he was at least safe from the turmoil and chaos. He had forgotten that his unique identity was enough to make him a part of this inescapable storm.

He sighed in resignation. Well, he can simply minimize his presence and save himself as long as he stays away from the main characters. But for the time being, Arren opened his eyes, a glimmer of remorse glistening from within. He had to find out who the damn bastard was.

He immediately noticed the folder that his father had left. Spade sent the file that his subordinates had brought to him, and the Duke only needed to verify it on his own. The investigation went smoothly because of him; while the Duke could do the same thing, it was much faster with his assistance. His identity came in handy at times like this.

Arren placed it beside him and intended to open it only when he was alone. He knew that when he found out who drugged him, all sorts of profanities would come out of his mouth. While his father was very tolerant of his son's behavior, he believed that no parent would want to hear filthy words from their children. His father was the same way; as long as he didn't hear it directly from Arren, he was fine with it. Arren was very bold but not enough to speak profanities in front of his father. That was why he held it in.

With a sigh, he lifted the folder and opened it. As he flipped the folder, a screenshot photo from a video was on the first page. It was dark, and he didn't recognize the person at first, but the attached photo just below it helped him figure out who it was.

His eyes glinted as he shouted, "Fuck? That damn Ashton?" He couldn't help but shout the bastard's name. He clutched the folder as Arren stared at the picture of Ashton.

It wasn't surprising, to be honest. This Alpha was fucking annoying, and Arren was disgusted and uneasy just looking at him.

Arren never really cared who he hung out with. He didn't have many friends, but everyone was more like acquaintances. He never put too much trust in them while also not bothering them. He already had a better understanding of different types of personalities because he was constantly surrounded by different types of people.

While Arren appeared approachable and did not shun anyone regardless of status, he was also aware of who he should spend the most time with. He still made a steer clear line to a lot of people, just like that Ashton guy.

There were many people like him in his friend's circle. He never spoke much to them, and Arren mostly avoided them, especially when he was alone with them. He was sociable, but that didn't mean he was naive or innocent; quite the contrary. Years of playing and hanging out with what you might call "bad influences" taught him a lot about life. It also sharpened his perception of who was qualified to be his friend.

Arren stared closely at the photo as he raised his eyebrows, and pursed his lips. He was not that familiar with this Ashton, and their interactions were minimal. He didn't even notice the Ashton guy was with them that night.

Yes, Ramon invited him last night, and if he remembers correctly, it was his 22nd birthday. Ramon was one of those people he spent the most time with.  So, of course, he'd come. It had also been weeks since his last party because he had been so preoccupied with school that he felt he needed a break. He arrived late, and they had already begun, so Arren didn't have much time to notice everyone.

He creased his brows. Was Ramon one of Ashton's accomplices?

"No," Arren shook his head, dismissing this suspicion.

Ramon's status was also slightly lower than his. He was the third son of Marquis Strellia, and also a beta. As a result, he was not the heir, but rather the third in line. Ramon, too, was uninterested in the title, preferring to live carefree and without difficulty. His identity was sufficient for him to live peacefully for the rest of his life.

They met in high school and their interests matched. Arren was escaping from the upper nobility, and Ramon didn't care much for it either. Ramon, on the other hand, was a typical debauchee, which is why the Marquis didn't have much hope for his son and just let him be.

The beta enjoyed the attention, and many of Arren's acquaintances came from Ramon's circle. Arren couldn't think of anything in terms of motives. The marquis was also a member of the royal faction and a close friend of his father, so he couldn't be involved.

It couldn't be ruled out though that he was harmed at Ramon's party so Arren could already imagine that this friend of his would be miserable for the time being. The marquis didn't have much of a good temper, unlike his father.

He continued to read the file; Ashton's background wasn't large, but it was also not small. His father was a general in the army. Arren wasn't familiar with him, however. It was to be expected. He wasn't familiar with anyone in the upper nobility, let alone the army. The file only stated that the general was under the command of the north border, and Arren only skimmed through the information, which was riddled with terms he didn't bother to read.

To summarize, they were still looking into whether or not the general was involved in his son's actions. The army and the nobility were separated by a thin line. Only the Emperor has the authority to command the army, but some nobles were raised from military families through years of service. It was still prohibited for nobles to interfere with military affairs or raise their own army; otherwise, they would be accused of rebellion.

While nobles were permitted to have private guards, they were limited in number based on their rank, and the imperial court had the right to know the total number of these private forces. Even though it was a peaceful era and The Present Empire had a five-hundred-year history, the imperial family needed to maintain certain control lest those with darker ambitions threaten their power. One had to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. Even the most powerful empires will crumble if they become complacent.

Arren didn't learn much more as he read on. The investigation was still at a stalemate, and aside from capturing Ashton, his father didn't learn much. It was only the first day, after all, and they have plenty of time to look into it further.

But as for that Ashton, Arren narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes as they gave a sly glint.

The beautiful omega looked up at the ceiling, murmuring, "Should I give him a taste of his own medicine? Nah... was it being lenient? What to do?" The playful voice with an ominous tone was the only sound in that small room.

But Arren didn't have a chance to experiment with what payment he should collect from Ashton's debts because, as soon as he was released from the hospital, his father immediately grounded him in their house.