Chapter Sixteen
Rhydek
I should not have left her alone.
The thought hit me the moment I stepped into my quarters. It settled low in my gut, heavy and unwelcome, as the door closed behind me and I took in the silence.
Not the usual silence. Not the expected, controlled quiet I was accustomed to.
This felt… wrong. Empty in a way that it shouldn’t be with another person living there now.
My gaze swept the room, instincts sharpening. There were no signs of disturbance or unknown scents. No indication that anything had happened.
But something was off.
“Taryn.”
I called her name but received no response.
My jaw clenched, teeth protesting as my kethra flared. Even if she was resting, or irritated with me, she should have responded.
I crossed the room in two strides, pushing the control for the door to the nest. I had never kept it closed before, but with an omega, it was an extra barrier in case something happened.
I stepped through as soon as it slid open enough for my shoulders to fit, not sure what I expected to find, but it wasn’t what I found.
She was there, curled on the far side of the mattress, buried beneath layers of fabric she had dragged from storage. The pillows were scattered, the blankets twisted, the entire thing disrupted from how it had been when I left.
My chest tightened with the worry that I had caused this. I knew omegas didn’t do well alone. Their nature made them social creatures who needed interaction, physical touch, and reassurance that they were needed.
That they were wanted.
They also needed a place where they felt safe and comfortable. Taryn had tried to make herself a nest…
And failed.
My instincts were torn. An omega creating a true nest in an alpha’s bed was a sign that she had accepted him, but the sight of such a haphazard one set me on edge. It screamed that there was something wrong.
I moved closer, keeping my steps light so I wouldn’t disturb her.
The room was beginning to take on her scent, but it wasn’t the sweet tartness it had been before.
There were no signs of illness, but something was different.
Flatter. Like the enhancing notes had been erased and left the main scent hollow.
The only time I had experienced anything similar was with warriors who had seen too much battle and lost the will to live. I’d been there myself after Shaira, but honor had forced me to keep going.
My tail flicked as I rounded the bed, my heart pounding. None of her showed beneath the bedding, but I could hear the sound of her breathing. It wasn’t deep or even enough to think she was asleep.
I shouldn’t have left again without letting her know when I would return. I hadn’t thought about her being alone when she woke and not knowing how long it would last. She had no purpose here yet. No routine to rely on. No connection to anyone other than me.
But I had snuck away as she slept because it was easier.
Because my control had slipped after a long night lying beside her, to the point that I had to leave or risk acting on impulse.
Being near her made my instincts harder to suppress, but that would be no excuse for taking advantage of her vulnerability.
My claws pressed into my palms, opening cuts that hadn’t had the chance to heal. I had chosen ease over responsibility, my weakness had led to her distress, and I deserved to suffer too.
Taryn shifted, a soft sound escaping the mound of blankets. My hand moved on its own, reaching, but paused and dropped to my side again.
I had no right to touch her, even if she was my korravalryn. She hadn’t wanted this.
She hadn’t wanted me.
I didn’t know how to help her while maintaining control. I was the cause of the problem, yet somehow, I was supposed to be the solution as well. There was no one else to turn to.
She had followed her instincts without understanding them, sensing the blankets should make her feel better, but she hadn’t given in fully to her omega side. There had been no one to guide her.
My claws dug, bringing blood to the surface, tail lashing behind me.
I couldn’t fail at this.
With two failures from the first gala, it was more important than ever that the three new matches succeed, otherwise the alliance remained at risk.
Even with four bonds there wouldn’t be much assurance the Humans wouldn’t betray us the moment their problems were corrected, and four omegas wasn’t enough to make a difference.
I had to do better.
Standing at the edge of the nest, I took a deep breath and thought over everything I had been told of omegas and what I had learned of Taryn. She needed… something.
Not space, or isolation. That would make things worse.
She needed something to anchor her, here, in Korvashan.
Something to engage her mind so she didn’t linger on what had been taken from her.
She was intelligent, and with everything in her life shifting, she needed a new pillar to provide support.
But I couldn’t be that for her.
I was Torashkar. When war came, I would be on the ground with the warriors. A Morraki didn’t earn honor hiding behind others and yelling orders. I would lead.
Plus, my heart had been given away long ago, and there was nothing left to share with another, even if it wouldn’t make things worse.
My thoughts raced through possibilities with the same efficiency I used in planning battles. I had an adversary, and I had to defeat them.
I didn’t know any other omegas besides Serenya, but her bond with Kael was still too new to separate them for long, and I didn’t think Taryn and Serenya could connect with two alphas hovering over them.
Having a friend would help, especially another Human with similar experiences, but facilitating that would take time I might not have.
Taryn wasn’t a warrior, so I couldn’t distract her with training. Plus, the training grounds were on the surface, which was harsh and exposed. I wasn’t sure a Human would be capable of withstanding the physical demands even if she had been interested.
She had enjoyed shopping in the Market, but since Serenya’s incident had taken place there, it wasn’t a somewhere I felt comfortable spending too much time. Plus, there was a limit to how much shopping a person could do.
The River Caverns were an option even though Rowena had been attacked there.
There were special pools I could show her that were isolated enough that we couldn’t be surprised by anyone, but that meant she had to be exposed.
Her nudity was a distraction, and I couldn’t afford to put us in a position of vulnerability.
My tail lashed, irritation crawling beneath my flesh. Providing for an omega shouldn’t have been complicated, yet nothing about Taryn fit the expectations I’d had when I agreed to choose one.
“Rhydek?”
Her voice was muffled beneath the bedding, but I still noticed it wasn’t right. It was flat, as if she was responding to stimulus without being fully present.
I had to swallow the lump in my throat to speak.
“I’m here.”
She pushed through the blankets, a few of them sliding off to puddle on the floor. She was wearing the golden wrap she had put on the day before, and I almost groaned at the sight of her, but the faint flicker of her kethra dulled the automatic desire.
They were dim, the color less vibrant, but not as if she controlled them.
“You were gone when I woke. I wasn’t sure when you would return or what I should do.”
It wasn’t an accusation. Not quite.
Even if I deserved one.
“I didn’t want to wake you. I’m accustomed to being with the warriors before first light, and I have to attend the council meetings.”
Her lips flattened but she gave a small nod.
“I know you have responsibilities.”
Silence stretched between us. Her expression was uncomfortable, as if she didn’t want my presence but didn’t want to be alone either, which was probably accurate.
“You can’t remain in the nessha all drazh.”
Her brow arched and her expression hardened even though I wasn’t sure she knew the Morraki term for nest or day. Being around the council and warriors had me thinking in my native language, and it took effort to remember to switch to Common for her.
“Why not?”
The challenge was immediate, prodding my instincts, but at least it meant she wasn’t completely lost. My alpha side urged me to dominate the omega, but I tried to force it back and remind myself that our situation wasn’t usual.
“It’s not good for you.”
She let out a huff, her eyes turning to stare past me.
“Lots of things aren’t good for me.”
She didn’t specify but the implication was there. My instincts were to meet her attitude, to assert control and correct her behavior the way an alpha did with his omega.
With his knot.
Instead, I forced my tone into something more civilized than the growl that wanted to escape.
“I know adjusting to a new place is difficult, but it won’t get better if you remain hidden away.”
Her lips parted as her expression drooped, but they closed again without forming words. Sighing, her gaze lower to her hands in her lap, her fingers twisting in a thin piece of hevlik hide.
“I don’t have anything else to do.”
The admission was quiet, and it hit harder than any fist I’d taken in the Pit. This was not her world, not an environment she was used to, and she was reliant on me for everything.
Anger flared alongside the guilt and frustration. Not just at myself, but at the situation.
At the fact that I cared enough for her distress to matter.
An idea struck and words spilled from my lips before I had the chance to analyze them.
“Get dressed. I’d like to take you somewhere.”
Her head snapped up, eyes narrowed again, but there was a spark of interest in them.
“Where?”
I hesitated, already regretting the idea since I had dismissed it before, but it was better than staying where we were.
“The surface.”
Her brows drew together but she didn’t reject the idea completely.
“What about the wind? And sand?”