Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
MAYA
I follow Poe through the palace hallways, grateful he’s the one escorting me today because he is the least likely to notice that I haven’t said a single word all morning.
The events of last night feel like a simmering heat under my skin, just on the wrong side of burning. I remember all of it. And if I don’t, I refuse to consider what even more embarrassing details that I might have forgotten.
I’d woken up this morning, physically refreshed but an absolute emotional wreck. The joy and need that had driven me into Cillian’s arms were as real as anything else. I really felt them, even if I only acted on those impulses because of a drug that robbed me of any restraint or reason.
My body still hums with remembered sensations—Cillian’s hands on my skin, Logan’s murmured encouragement, the three of us entangled in a way that felt both wrong and terrifyingly right.
The drug had unlocked something primal in me, something I’m not ready to acknowledge in the harsh light of sobriety.
Slick still dampens my panties, even as my skin crawls.
A traitorous part of me wishes I could just live in that moment. Without the weight of decisions and regret, a drug robbing me of the ability to feel anything but pleasure.
The bitter truth settles in my chest like a stone: I’m becoming entangled in their web. Every touch, every shared moment weakens my resolve. I need to remember why I’m still here—not to find connection or pleasure, but to survive, to escape, to make them pay for trapping me in a cage.
Poe stops just outside the harem, glancing back at me with a look of concern.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks.
I nod instead of answering. Because if I open my mouth, there is no telling what might come out of it.
Neither of us moves to open the doors.
“I’m happy to tell that asshole to fuck off and take you back where you belong,” he insists.
I give him a wan smile, wishing I could let him do just that.
Thane waits just on the other side of these doors, held up in the harem atrium by Perkins, who refuses to let him any further without the assigned escort.
The harem mother has apparently already lodged multiple complaints about the presence of an inquisitor in her domain, the last of which was sent to Logan as a voice message at maximum volume.
With a bitten off curse, Poe reaches for the doors. “I’ll wait right here. That damn doctor has exactly one hour before I come looking for you.”
I give him a wan smile as I step through the doors. His concern would be touching if I could allow myself to trust it.
An image of Cillian’s face as I took him down my throat flashes through my mind, a performance made possible by the blush that blissed me out too much to question my own urges.
The distraction of it is enough to steel my spine.
There isn’t anyone here worth trusting.
Dr. Sionis Thane waits for me in the center of the room. His dark suit and coat are completely incongruous in the antechamber full of pastel-colored tufted furniture with flowered wallpaper and gilded molding.
Thane stands in the center of the harem’s antechamber, a dark smudge against the pastel decor. His eyes lock onto mine with predatory focus.
“Lady Maya,” he greets with a bow so perfect it feels like mockery. “How gracious of you to join me.”
Perkins hovers nearby, wringing her hands. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. This is an absolute travesty. The harem is a sanctuary, not a place for interrogations.” She shoots Thane a venomous glare. “I have lodged a formal complaint and will continue to voice my objections.”
“It’s fine, Perkins,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “You can return to your duties. I’ll handle this.”
“But—“
“Please.” I touch her arm gently. “I’ll be fine.”
Once Perkins reluctantly retreats, I turn to face Thane. My smile drops from my face as I give him the deliberate once-over of a haughty Omega bonded to a powerful Alpha when presented with a lesser male.
“Let’s get this over with,” I say, in lieu of a greeting.
His eyebrows go up for a split second, obviously surprised at the show of disdain, before his expression returns to the neutral mask.
“We’re all confidence today, I see.” Thane gives me a predatory smile. “Proximity to the throne must suit you.”
Confident is the last thing I feel. But the fear that once paralyzed me at the sight of him feels distant, dulled by the shame and confusion of last night’s drug-fueled encounter. What’s one monster when I’m living with four of them?
“What do you want from me?” I demand, once Perkins has left the room.
He raises an eyebrow. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You obviously came here to get to me. I want to know why.”
Thane laughs, the sound sharp and cold. “My dear, you flatter yourself. Do you truly believe I’m here solely for you?”
I glare at him. “Oh, I see. I must have imagined that attempted kidnapping.”
“I take advantage of opportunities whenever they are presented to me.” He walks in a slow circle around me, appraising.
I resist the urge to spin to face him as he circles behind me.
“Like the opportunity I have today to have you assist me in my investigation. You can’t imagine my eagerness when the king offered your… services .”
The emphasis he places on the word services makes my skin crawl. “I’m here as your escort, nothing more. And one word from me will have Perkins boxing your ears and tossing you out on your ass.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Thane stops directly in front of me, expression appraising. “And I assume that scowling Alpha who left you at the door would jump to your defense as well.”
“Something like that. You’ve already used up a quarter of the hour Poe is allowing before we’re done.”
“Ah, those protective Alpha instincts are so droll.” He studies my face muck too closely for comfort. “Are the other members of Logan’s pack equally protective?”
My jaw clenches hard enough to crack teeth. “Of course.”
“Even the beta?”
I hesitate before responding. Revealing anything about Cillian feels dangerous, and not just because the bond creates a protective instinct.
So, I pump myself up with as much hot air as I can manage and channel every impression I’ve ever seen of a haughty royal.
“Is this how you intend to spend your hour?” I ask disdainfully. “I have to remind you that it isn’t only your time being wasted.”
“Of course, I would hate to keep you from more important duties.” He gestures for me to proceed him deeper into the harem.
His voice lowers as I pass. “I am surprised by your manner, though. Where is that delicious fear I sensed at our last meeting? You seemed quite terrified of me then. I hope this doesn’t mean I’m losing my touch. ”
The implied threat is impossible to mistake. “I remember all your tricks, doctor. There are worst things to fear than pain.”
His smile widens, revealing teeth too perfect and too sharp. “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”
T hane seems less interested in interviewing the women of the harem than he is in wasting my time.
I follow him through the winding corridors, maintaining a careful distance behind him that he shortens by slowing down whenever he notices me falling behind.
The tour feels pointless—he barely speaks to the Omegas we pass, instead studying the layout with clinical precision, noting security features and exits.
His attention to these details sends chills down my spine.
The harem betas we encounter cast sidelong glances my way.
Some bow deeply with a murmured “Lady Maya,” while others watch with undisguised suspicion.
Their reactions make my isolation even more palpable—I’m neither one of them nor truly royal, just an unknown and unwanted presence in their sanctuary.
I’m slowly coming to the realization that I really don’t belong anywhere anymore.
“The facilities are quite impressive,” Thane remarks, running his fingers along a marble countertop in one of the common areas. “State of the art security. Comfortable accommodations. A beautifully gilded cage, though a cage nonetheless.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I reply stiffly. “I don’t live here anymore.”
“No, you have a more...exclusive arrangement.” His smile makes my skin crawl. “How fortunate for you that designation dictates destiny.”
I don’t like the thrum of foreboding I feel, as if he is trying to say something without actually saying it. If palace politics are like a game of chess, Thane is playing a gambit that I can’t even name, much less learn how to counter it.
When we finally return to the entrance hall, Poe is waiting, his posture rigid with barely contained fury. His eyes flick between Thane and me, searching for signs of distress.
“Your time is up,” Poe states flatly.
Thane checks his communit for the time with exaggerated care. “I believe we still have seven minutes remaining.”
“I said your time is up.” Poe steps forward, positioning himself between us. “Maya’s services will no longer be required for your investigation. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever. Regardless of what promises the king may have made.”
Rather than appearing offended, Thane seems amused. “Such devotion. One might almost think this is more than a political arrangement. I suppose love can bloom even in the most unlikely of places.”
“What I feel is none of your concern,” Poe replies coldly. “Maya belongs to Pack Logan, and we protect what’s ours.”
“Of course you do.” Thane bows slightly in my direction. “I’m sure our paths will cross again soon.”
As he walks away, my shoulders sag with relief. Poe notices but doesn’t comment, simply gesturing toward the door.
“Let’s go.”
I start walking toward the apartment, but Poe catches my arm.
“Not that way. You have another coalition meeting.”
“What? Now?” The thought of facing more aristocratic Omegas after this ordeal makes my stomach turn.