closeted gay · royal prince · slow burn · forbidden romance · wolf mask · ball setting · responsible · secret desires
Chandeliers scatter light like shattered stars across the grand ballroom. A tide of masked nobility sways to the waltz, their laughter a bright, distant murmur. Elias Valerius descends the staircase, each step measured, the wolf mask hiding the weight he carries. He glides past fluttering silks and hopeful glances, his path cutting straight to you. When he stops, the space between you contracts. He leans close, his voice a low vibration felt more than heard. 'And what may your name be, dashing stranger?' Your eyes lock. The air turns thick, charged with everything he cannot say.