I couldn’t tell her too much. Couldn’t share who I was, who Wulfram was to me. If she found out how his plans revolved around the two of us, she would never allow me to stay.
And I wasn’t sure I could live without her now.
“I believe Wulfram is driven to madness, much like your father King Milian was, in his search for meaning.”
“My father wasn’t King Milian,” she choked out. “He just called us all his daughters. But we weren’t his offspring.”
“Not all of you were,” I agreed, keeping my voice low. Did she not know this about herself? It was vital knowledge, and one of the reasons why Wulfram was intent on taking her. “King Milian engaged in talks with Wulfram long ago, to sell some of his harem in exchange for gold to feed Verdan’s army. Wulfram was to receive ten broken Omegas, one of them reported to be his biological daughter.” I took a deep breath. “The youngest, named Roya ta Milian. Wulfram came looking for you after Milian fell, but you were hidden in the Guild by then. He’s worked for six years to find a price the Guild would accept for you.”
She was trembling next to me, and I petted her, suppressing a purr. I would not manipulate her emotions, knowing how little she trusted Alphas.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t let him take you.” She could never know it, but I had already sacrificed everything I had to ensure that very thing.
“I’m not afraid,” she hissed. “And I don’t need your protection. I’m enraged! The Guild knew all along who I was, what I was… They knew I wasn’t broken; they knew everything. How?”
I took a deep breath. Her companion was from the Guild, and I knew down to the copper what their vows were worth. When she was a child, Milian had sold her to Wulfram for a pittance, without a second thought. Once the Guild discovered she was not a broken Omega, even though she was a member of their own cadre, the new Guildmaster had sold her again.
“You seem to trust Thorn. Are you sure he is worthy?”
“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I thought so.” Her scent changed then, going ever so slightly bitter.
I hated to have given her another worry, but a banging on the door brought larger problems than her mental state.
“Get dressed and come above,” Thorn shouted through the door. “The storm did our sailing for us, but not to Mirren. We’re making port on an island in less than an hour.”
The ship rocked and wobbled while both of us dressed. Roya sent me out first so she could use the chamber pot, and I met up with Thorn in the hall.
“Sleep well?” he asked, his voice calm.
“It was the best night of my life,” I answered baldly. “I regret nothing.”
“You’d better hope she regrets none of it, boy.”
I swallowed, only just noticing the silver blade that gleamed at the base of my throat. This man was as fast as a striking snake, and just as deadly. “She’s going to need strong Alphas,” I said. “If you’re not planning to be one of them, you should leave her with me.”
“Alphas?” Something in his voice told me I had surprised him.
“Yes.” Was he playing at ignorance? “Surely you know that Omegas do not mate only one Alpha. They never have.”
“The books went missing,” Thorn mused. “There is so little knowledge about them.”
I nodded. “Wulfram has a friend who hoarded them. Others in his clutch, his tribe, also collected any knowledge about Omegas they could find. I was fortunate to have access to many of their texts, more than the ones I brought with me.” Thorn’s half-covered eyes glimmered with suspicion again. “They all tell the same truth: Omegas have multiple mates. A primary consort, and at least two others.”
“I know Queen Vali has five mates, but that’s an unusual circumstance. The battle…” He stopped when I shook my head.
“No, I’m telling you—it’s not unusual at all. In fact, I never found a single legitimate history that mentions an Alpha and Omega pair. It’s not a choice they make; it’s a biological need Omegas have to be well protected, especially during their most vulnerable times, their heats. Their lure will call many Alphas to them. Then they accept or reject them, and the chosen Alphas are all mated during the heat.”
“Roya doesn’t know this. Neither did I.” He pulled me away from the door, where Roya might overhear us, and we went above deck. The wind blew his hood back, and his eyes were turbulent. The scar that stretched from his hairline all the way to his chin was white in the light of the moon. “Did you… Last night, did you two mate?”
I fought not to react, praying he had as little idea as Roya who I was. Why I had been brought to Verdan City. “No. I saw to her needs, that was all.”
He was surprised again, but if I hadn’t been studying his face, I would have missed the slight flinch. “I misjudged you then. Not many would have refrained.”
“On a bunk in a storm? With no nest, no washing water, no way to care for her afterward, feed her…” I was aghast. “I may be young, but I’m not selfish. She is meant to be my… Well. I care more for her than that.”
“Again, I misjudged you, and I apologize.” He bowed slightly, and the simple act made me want to puff out my chest.
“Roya said she’s never going to mate anyone,” I growled, wondering why I cared if this man respected me at all. “Between Milian with his band of rapists, and you with your corrupt Guild, I’m not sure she’s seen any honorable Alphas to tempt her to change her mind.”
