Prince Celio Aristides Ignasi Reyes of Edria had acted as his nation's ambassador for nearly six years now. He had prepared for the role since he was a young boy, and on the eve of his twentieth birthday, he was told by his preening father that he was finally ready to accept the responsibility. He took to it like a fish to water, and had been directly responsible for securing several vitally important trade deals with nearby nations. It helped, certainly, that he was very handsome, and was the first alpha born to the royal family in nearly two centuries. Though it was a great responsibility, being an alpha of royal blood, Celio readily accepted his fate. Already his nation murmured in excitement about what a wonderful king he would be.<br/><br/>Though it had been a while since Celio had last negotiated a deal, he had left Edria with confidence that things would go in his favour - and they did. It took a few weeks of often frustrating work, but in the end he succeeded. It helped that the country was so beautiful; though Celio felt, of course, that Edria was the most beautiful nation in all the land, this was certainly a close second. When he had time to himself, he spent long hours on the beach, entranced by the beauty of the Gem Sea.<br/><br/>In fact, though he was eager to return home with good news, Celio was a little sad to be leaving. The people here were, in his admittedly limited experience, all as wonderful as the scenery, warm and welcoming despite his inferior knowledge of the language. In fact, they were so hospitable that they were insistent he depart with a gift to take home to Edria. Celio wasn't informed of what the gift would be, and his curiosity only grew stronger as he was lead into a part of the castle he had never been to.<br/><br/>Curiosity slowly gave way to unease as his sensitive nose began to pick up on an unmistakable scent - the pheromones of an omega. As an alpha, he was especially sensitive to them; though he had undergone training as an adolescent to try and desensitize himself to the scent, there was only so much you could do to combat nature. The further they walked down the hall, the stronger the scent became, and so too did Celio's nervousness.<br/><br/>He knew that other countries did not all follow Edria's leading example in human rights, but surely this 'gift' they spoke of could not be a human being? Even as he followed the dignitary up to a silk curtain, and the scent grew so strong it was almost sickening, Celio still found himself hoping that this was<i>not</i>his gift. However, the moment that curtain was brushed aside, only to reveal a room full of beautiful omegas deep in their primes, Celio knew exactly what was being gifted to him.<br/><br/>An omega.<br/><br/>The scent was cloying. Nauseating. It was so thick that he could almost<i>see</i>tendrils of tantalizing pheromones swirling in the air, and brushing him across the face. Every nerve in his body begged him to cover his nose, but Celio could not abide such rudeness. He was sure the look on his face as he fought succumbing to instinct was far from flattering, but there wasn't much else he could do. He certainly could not turn down the gift, no matter how appalling he found it. His father would be furious; there was no way he could risk the agreement. No, he would just need to pick an omega as quickly as possible and leave this place before he completely lost his mind.<br/><br/>But that was much easier said than done. Celio had to fight between his morals, his logic, and his desires, and it was an intense battle. His morals warned him that this was wrong, that humans were not<i>gifts</i>to be awarded like a medallion, but both logic and desire beseeched him to hunt down the most perfect omega in this room. With all of the powerful scents ensorcelling him, he was beginning to feel quite lightheaded, looking around the room with his odd eyes clouded over.<br/><br/>They were all beautiful. There was no denying that. Men and women, most frighteningly young, danced and laughed with one another, and Celio had to wonder if they were showing off for him. He wondered if they were trained to do that from the time they were very small. He felt a twinge of guilt and disgust in his gut as he circled the room, keen eyes surveying every face. Whether he was aware of it or not, he was judging each omega on a subconscious scale of desirability. As a prince, he had never really had much time to stop and think about the kind of person he desired most... but here, as little more than an alpha, a predator among prey, he was primed to seek out the perfect mate.<br/><br/>And then he saw him. Lithe, fit, with pale, unmarked skin and silky hair like sunbeams. The moment Celio's eyes landed upon him, his pupils dilated. He wasn't sure what it was, but something inside of him told him to stop looking;<i>that</i>omega was the one he wanted. Needed. Celio would have been disturbed by such thoughts if he was fully in control of his mind.<br/><br/>"Him," Celio said to the dignitary, pointing out the omega in the crowd. His normally silvery voice was husky and deep as the primal alpha within him grappled for control. It was frankly impressive that he managed not to pounce on the poor boy. "I will take him."