I order thewhispsto deliver more cakes, and turn to the jumble of scrolls on my desk. I’ve collected every Omega-related treatise from the library. By the time I was born, Omegas were increasingly rare—not just in our kingdom, but all Ulfaria. My mother was one of the few remaining. My father found her during the Queen Covenant, and he had to search all the villages the length and breadth of Medela to find her. In those days, the Queen Covenant was called the Omega Covenant. Then, due to the waning Omega birth rates, it was renamed. I was the first king of Medela who faced having to take a Beta to wife. A Beta queen might have provided me with companionship and sex, but there would be no heirs to further the line—she would be nothing more than a glorified mistress. So I resigned myself to a life spent alone… until Ulf deemed me worthy of an Omega.
Why this gift after so many years of suffering, I do not know. I can only strive to be worthy of her. Thus: the scrolls. When I was young, my father made me study everything that was known about Omegas. That is how I know about rutting, knotting, slick, and estrus. That Rose would respond to my growl, domination, carnal pain, and my purr. But there is still much for me to learn.
Why was she able to broach the magical barrier between me and the rest of my kingdom? It is written that Omegas have their own gifts. All kings have power that connects them to their land. I inherited mine from my father. But my mother also had the gift of healing. Her magic complemented my father’s—increased it. Together, they were a formidable force. Until the final spell destroyed them.
I stop my thoughts before they stray too far down that dark road.
My parents are gone, but Rose is here. I must study so I can return to her. Once she has rebuilt her nest to her satisfaction, she will be desperate for me to rut her in it. The thought makes my lips curve up. The muscles of my face are aching from the unfamiliar movement. I haven’t smiled this much in a long, long time.
Awhisprustles the scrolls on my desk.
“What is it?”
The orb I’m using to watch my Omega floats closer. The image reveals the nesting room made up neatly, with columns of pillows stacked in artful piles. All the sweet cakes from the second plate have vanished, too, leaving only crumbs.
But the room is empty.
My Rose is gone.
ELEVEN
Rose
It tooka little cajoling to get Rogue to let me out of the nesting room. First, I claimed I had to go to the bathroom—which was true. Washing my face had the added benefit of clearing my head. I held my packet of smuggled sweet cakes to my nose to ward off Bestian’s delicious scent. My kryptonite.
The next hurdle was finding a window that looked out over the garden. But when I made a fuss about wanting to pick a moonflower, the little wind relented and guided me to a balcony. And what do you know, one side was covered in moonflower vines, the perfect thickness for climbing.
The suns have just set and the moons are clambering up into the sky. My gut feeling was right—we did sleep for ages. Rogue tugs at my hair and wrap dress as I stride down the path dividing the manicured flower beds. “Nothing personal,” I tell it. “I need to get home to Ma. She’s probably worried sick.”
The little wind blasts my curls back and I break into a jog, winding my way through the hedge maze. The air is heady with the scent of moonflowers and a touch of salt. The castle overlooks the coast, and the roar of the surf is faint, but ever present in the distance.
Up ahead, the wall looms in the darkness. When I reach it, I’ll have to figure out how to open the gate.
I’m almost at the end of the maze when I’m hit with a burst of cedar scent. A huge shadow detaches itself from the hedge wall and blocks my way.
“If you wanted to take a stroll in the gardens,” Bestian says in an amused tone, “you only had to ask.”
Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.
The hooded king towers over me. I squint up at him, but his head and upper torso are in shadow.
I flick a stray curl out of my face and try to act casual. “Maybe I wanted to walk alone.”
“You will never be alone again, Rose. Or have to go without.” He reaches out and plucks the bundle of sweet cakes from my hand. “You have only to ask, and my servants will bring you hundreds of these.”
“Servants?”
“Thewhisps. You are quite comfortable with one. It followed you all the way home after your first visit. Even though it had strict orders not to leave.” His tone turns sharp.
The little wind in question is cowering behind my ankles.
“Don’t be mean to it,” I say. “It helped me. I would’ve been Alpha bait without it.”
A menacing growl erupts from his broad chest. “You should never have been in such danger.”
“I wouldn’t have been if you Alphas were able to control yourselves.”
“It is the way of an Alpha to lose control around an Omega. Perhaps even more so now that Omegas are so rare.”
