He’s the first one who hasn’t been driven wild by my scent. The first one who seems to seeme, not just the omega. Curiositywars with the instinct to eliminate the threat. I lower the pistol slightly, keeping the aim centered on his chest.
“Why?” I demand, my voice a raw, harsh sound. “Why am I here?”
He shakes his head, his jaw set. “I can't tell you anything.”
I don't have time for games. I shift my aim down and fire.
The shot echoes through the vast space, followed by his sharp cry of pain as he crumples to the ground, clutching his leg. Blood blooms dark and fast on his fatigues.
“I can make this last a very long time,” I say, my voice dangerously calm as I walk toward him. “I can shoot your other knee. Your elbows. I can keep you alive while you bleed out, piece by piece. Talk.”
Tears of pain and terror stream down his face, mixing with the dust on the floor.
“Okay! Okay!” he sobs, his voice breaking, and the first smidgen of guilt creeps in, entirely unbidden.
I force it aside.
“Pedro called us all in. Every man here has suffered from Hypso’s unforgivable evil.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. Unforgivable evil? What does he think war is? A picnic? Fuck him.
“What is the end goal?” I press, my voice sharp. “Why me?”
“A message.” He gasps, writhing on the floor. “A declaration. Your country needs to know the atrocities your governmentcommitted. Your country needs to pay. And what better way to get revenge than with their perfect princess?”
Atrocities?
Both sides have done awful things in the name of this war. I’m not saying it’s right—it’s most definitely not—but the Noths don’t deserve to have the moral high ground. They have bombed entire cities, attacked trading outposts, sunk our ships…
I look down at the beta, at the pathetic, broken man on the floor. He’s given me what I need.
I raise the pistol, aiming for his head. He flinches and squeezes his eyes shut.
A part of me—the princess part—recoils.
But the survivor in me holds the weapon steady. I can’t leave any loose ends.
But then I hesitate. Killing him is easy. Leaving him here to suffer is a message, too. Let his people find him. Let them see what happens when they come for the princess of Hypso. I lower the gun.
“Tell your masters,” I say, my voice cold as the grave, dripping with derision, “that I'm coming for them next.”
I turn my back on him and walk away, my steps sure and purposeful. The pain isn’t gone, but the worst of it has been replaced by a cold, burning fury. I’m no longer just trying to escape. I’m on a mission. I need to get home, to get to my parents—the king and queen. I need to tell them that the Noths just raised the stakes in this war.
But they made a sad miscalculation.
They thought they’d kidnapped an omega, but I’m so much more than that.
And I’m going to enjoy proving it to them.
13
BRYLEE
Twenty thousand fourhundred eighty-two steps.
I’m not certain when I started counting to track the time, but my feet are dragging. This gray dress I’m in is coated in sweat, and the gun in my hand feels weighted with lead.
I guess it kinda is.
