Chapter 1: The Sovereign's Claim
When they were captured by the Galra forces, Keith didn't expect any of this to happen. He, Shiro, and Lance woke up in a dark, cold cell, heavily chained to the reinforced wall. The trip aboard the Galra cruiser had been agonizingly long, leaving them dirty, hungry, and physically exhausted. But the moment the heavy security doors slid open and they were thrown directly into the grand Throne Room, something deep within Keith's biology violently shifted.
A strange, overwhelming, and primordial sensation flooded his core. His heart hammered against his ribs, and a fierce, instinctual voice screamed inside his head to drop to his knees, lower his head, and bare his neck. In the exact moment that Keith froze, completely paralyzed by these bizarre internal changes, Shiro and Lance moved instantly. They stepped right in front of him, creating a human shield to protect him as much as they possibly could from the Emperor.
Zarkon sat upon his massive throne, but the moment his yellow eyes locked onto Keith, he froze in his place for a single, heavy second. Then, the Galra Emperor rose, stalking forward with heavy, menacing steps directly toward Keith. He effortlessly bypassed Shiro and Lance, entirely ignoring their defensive stances, and placed his large, warm hand firmly on the back of Keith's neck.
Keith immediately entered a deep, chemical trance. Every ounce of his human resistance completely dissolved; he fell directly to his knees and bared his throat to his alpha. The Galra guards, knowing exactly how private and sacred the moment of an omega's claiming was, immediately started to pull Shiro and Lance out of the room. The two paladins began to thrash violently against their captors, running toward Keith and yelling his name in pure panic. Keith was completely frozen, trapped in an agonizing paradox; he didn't want his teammates to get hurt, but his body absolutely refused to leave his alpha. He began to emit a soft, heartbroken whine of distress.
Zarkon immediately understood the submissive signal. Stopping the soldiers with a booming command, he personally unlocked the handcuffs from his omega. The Emperor began to walk back toward his private quarters, keeping his newly claimed omega flush against his side, while the prisoners were led behind them under a heavy guard.
Once they reached the royal quarters, Zarkon pulled a set of traditional Galra garments from his wardrobe and handed them to Keith, signaling for him to get clean and warm in the attached bathroom. The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, Lance couldn't contain his fury any longer. He stepped forward, shouting angrily at the massive tyrant, "What did you do to him?!"
Zarkon didn't say a single word. He maintained his regal, absolute silence, completely unbothered by the human's outbursts, and simply waited for his omega to finish.
A few minutes later, Keith walked out of the bathroom. He was dressed in the traditional royal omega clothes—soft, flowing fabrics that draped elegantly over his frame, exposing the back of his neck. He was visibly nervous, stepping carefully until he stood right in front of his alpha. The exact second Zarkon reached out and touched the back of his neck, Keith felt the rigid tension drain from his shoulders. Zarkon gently pulled him onto his lap.
Keith didn't fight the possessive embrace; he buried his face deeply into the crook of Zarkon's neck, inhaling the heavy, dark, and deeply comforting Galra scent of his mate, slowly falling into a deep sleep.
Zarkon felt the body of his omega relax into total sleep. He wrapped his powerful arms securely around Keith's body, holding him tightly so he wouldn't fall and saturating the boy with his dominant alpha scent. It was a loud, cosmic declaration to anyone watching: Keith belonged to him. He was now protected from everyone, and everyone in the empire would respect him as the Emperor’s mate. Everyone knew exactly what horrific fate awaited anyone who tried to touch what was Zarkon’s.
Shiro and Lance stood frozen in place, staring at the scene with wide eyes, completely unable to process the surreal paradox of what they were seeing. They wanted their Keith back—they wanted him to wake up and tell them exactly what was happening to him.
