Chapter 20
When she entered the strategy room after lunch, Prillu walked in with her and positioned herself behind the table.
Akoro stood further down the table on the right-hand side. Prillu gestured to the chair opposite her at the table. There was no one else in the room this time, just a wooden tablet and sheets of parchment on the table.
”Explain your titles,” Prillu said as Naya sat down.
Naya blinked. ”My titles?”
”Yes.” Prillu her large eyes watching every movement Naya made. ”You have a very impressive set of titles. Explain them.”
”All right, but I think they are self-explanatory.”
”Maybe to you.”
”I am Princess Nayara Andaus?—”
“Your family name is Andaus?”
”Yes.”
”Continue,” Prillu said.
“First daughter of Drocco and Cailyn Andaus.” Naya paused, her mouth pursed. ”I think that is self-explanatory.”
”But you are also the firstborn, are you not?”
“Yes. Heir to the Lox Empire?—”
”Are you the heir because you are the firstborn?” Prillu asked.
”Yes.”
”Is there any instance in your culture where the heir is not the firstborn?”
Naya thought for a moment. ”This line hasn’t existed long enough for me to say. I am heir because of my abilities, but I don”t think it would be a problem for one of my siblings to be heir if they were more suited.”
Prillu tilted her head, her eyes still guarded. ”You”ll never know that for sure, will you?”
Naya frowned. She didn”t like where these questions were going. What did it matter if another one of her siblings were destined to be heir? ”The tradition for the Land, before the Lox Empire, is that the heir is always the firstborn,” Naya said, trying to get the conversation back in the direction it started in. ”That is not necessarily going to change for my rule. When I’ve had discussions with my parents, the reason for me being the heir is not primarily because I am the firstborn, so I would assume that doesn”t matter to them as much as competency.”
Prillu nodded. ”Continue.”
”Guardian of Omegas.”
”What does that mean?”
”Historically, Omegas have needed protection. It is part of my duty to guard them against that in the future.”
”Your mother is seen as the mother of all Omegas, that is the term used to describe her among the people?”
“Yes.”
”So I don”t see what you do.”
”My mother is the empress. She helps Omegas feel safe. It doesn”t mean she is responsible or able to address every single issues regarding Omegas across the Known Lands, especially as time moves forward. Not everyone who is an adult now understands what it was like then.”
”And you do?”
“I have studied it.” Naya shrugged. “It’s not a pretty history. But by understanding what happened, I can help to educate and help prevent it from happening again.”
Prillu held her gaze for a long moment before returning back down to her parchment. ”Carry on.”
”Keeper of Peace.”
Prillu simply raised an eyebrow as a question.
”When I was born, unprecedented peace was enjoyed by our people, first between Alphas and Omegas, and then between the Lox Empire and the Lands of Eiros. Many of the remaining resistance against my father at that time also ended. It was a time of peace, prosperity, and joy. Obviously, everyone wants that to continue.”
”Would you say that your family and people believe you are successful in that?”
A slight tremble began in her hands, and the echo of screams resounded in her ears. Naya tried to remain focused. ”Yes.”
Prillu”s eyes narrowed. ”It doesn”t seem you are convinced.”
Naya swallowed. She might as well tell them now before they found out more than she wanted them to. Maybe they would realize that she was not the perfect solution to destroy her people. ”I don”t think the people trust me as much as they would like to.”
”Why?”
”I”ve made mistakes.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
Naya forced herself to stay relaxed and not glance at Akoro. “The kind a very young person makes when they’re figuring out that they have a lot of responsibilities.”
“And you think your people don’t understand that?”
Naya resisted rolling her eyes. “I think my people are more scared of me than they are in awe of me.”
”We haven”t seen any evidence of that,” Prillu said firmly.
Naya shrugged. ”I”m telling you what I believe to be true. You’ll have to decide for yourself what you think is.”
Prillu scribbled on the wooden tablet for a while before looking back up. ”So what are your duties? You have duties as a princess, but it”s not noted anywhere what exactly those duties are.”
Naya lifted her shoulders. ”I don”t have that many duties, to be honest. If there’s anything to do with Omegas—any announcement or event, I normally organize and arrange it. If I’m not, I make sure I attend. Any Omega business that my mother is unable to see to, I take that on. I visit all of the regions in the countries and familiarize myself with the micro cultures that exist within them. That’s obviously a big job….” Her voice faded, unsure how much to say. In truth, she hadn”t done much of that in the last six years.
”Being a ‘keeper of peace,’” Prillu said. ”Does that mean peace with other nations? It seems that there is no need to keep the peace with them if there is no conflict.”
”It can mean that,” Naya said. ”But it also means peace between Alphas and Omegas, peace between the different nations and regions; it means peace between the Imperial Empire and its people… It can be many things. But it is about upholding a life that reduces potential conflict between people.”
”And as part of those duties, do you intervene in disputes?”
”Sometimes, depending on how big the dispute is. Our laws are still trying to catch up with some of the issues that happen out in the lands. But peacekeeping can be very rewarding, as I”m sure you understand.”
Prillu stared at her for a moment, her face guarded. ”Do you ever use force to keep the peace?”
”Sometimes it”s necessary,” Naya said. ”But more often, it is about protecting the land and its people from itself.”
”What do you mean?”
”Natural disasters can sometimes take a toll on people,” Naya said, her throat tightening. ”Sometimes it requires thinking quickly and finding a solution that is the most peaceful, even though it is a hard and difficult situation. In those circumstances, there is no one to blame and yet people find blaming others cathartic.”
Her eyes lowered as her mind was dragged back, smoke drawing to her nostrils, acrid choking feeling. She took a deep breath, aware that Akoro as probably watching every single action.
“As the first born daughter of the emperor and empress, there haven”t been any unions between your family and the other families that rule in the Known Lands, is that right?”
”Not yet, no,” Naya said.
”But you are familiar with them? Would you say you’re friends?”
Naya lifted a shoulder half-heartedly. ”We have known each other since we were born because our parents have to engage with each other for trade and other things. I wouldn”t necessarily say we”re friends.”
”It is rumored that you and the first daughter of the Southern Lands High Chef are close.”
Naya lifted a brow. ”You want me to confirm a rumor?”
Prillu’s head tilted and she pressed her lips together, but she took the bait and didn”t press for an answer. ”Have you given birth to any children?”
Naya frowned, a sudden jolt shooting up her. ”What? What kind of question is that?”
”As the zmola kindly explained when you first met the council, we need to know everything about you and your life. That is part of what we need from you. Often, older daughters of a royal family don”t always declare when they”ve had children out of marriage; it is suppressed for fear it may mar their reputation. In our experience, it”s not uncommon that, at your age, you could have potentially given birth to children secretly.”
“And what exactly is the experience you have with that?” Naya asked harshly.
Akoro growled and stepped toward the table. “Answer the question.”
Naya glanced at him, annoyed. His eyes were locked onto hers, and he held himself tense, as if anticipating she might cause trouble.
”No,” she said tightly to Prillu. ”That isn”t how things are done in my family.”
”How are they done?” Prillu asked. ”Again, at your age, a pairing or marriage or mate would have been decided by now.”
Naya glanced again at Akoro. So he hadn”t told his own people that she was his true mate? Interesting.
“You are twenty-five,” Prillu continued. “Are you or your family not concerned? Or does being an Omega mean everyone is less worried about the abundance of children in your empire?”
Naya narrowed her eyes, observing Prillu for a moment. then lifted her chin in understanding. “You have your children young in your culture.”
Prillu jolted, surprise bleeding into her large eyes.
“I assume by fourteen…” she watched Prillu’s expression change, “no sixteen, your females are expected to give birth. Maybe Omegas are given some leeway to have them later?”
“Answer the question,” Akoro growled again.
Naya swallowed, trying to ignore the heat of his glare that hadn’t let up. “We don’t have children that young, at least, it isn’t expected. My parents have been preparing me to rule. If I’d happened to find my Alpha, they would’ve been delighted, but the priority was the empire. As I said to your… zmola, ruling a land this size isn’t easy. They wanted to make sure I was ready. And only after that were they going to look forward to me building a life with an Alpha and family.”
Prillu nodded. ”So there are no current plans for you to marry?”
”I never said that,” Naya responded. ”In fact, just before I was viciously taken, we were in discussion about an arranged marriage.”
Akoro slowly walked around the table, his eyes locked onto her. Naya forced herself not to shrink away.
”Is that with one of the princes of the Lands of Eiros?” Prillu asked.
”No, they were never considered,” Naya lied. ”But my parents strongly recommended an Alpha and I met with him. He is the most likely one.”
Akoro stepped closer, his face a carefully controlled mask, yet the tightness in his crossed arms gave away an annoyance. ”Who is he?”
”He is someone in my kingdom,” Naya said.
”Who?” Akoro asked again.
”He serves under my father, you won’t recognize his name.”
”A warrior?” Prillu asked.
”Yes,” Naya said.
Akoro didn”t question any further but his eyes didn”t soften and his body didn”t relax. If he wanted to know more, he didn”t say, but it didn”t seem as though he was satisfied with that response.
“Is he your—” Prillu squinted at her parchment. “—true mate?”
Naya took a long drink from her goblet, thinking quickly. If Akoro hadn’t told his people she was his mate, that meant he didn’t want anyone to know, which was telling.
”Maybe,” Naya said, carefully putting her goblet down. ”We had a pairing meeting and?—”
”What is a pairing meeting?”
”It is when an Alpha and Omega meet in a small room to scent each other and see if they are compatible.”
”And?”
”It went well,” Naya said, a little too boldly. It didn”t seem like Prillu noticed but Akoro made a dangerous, ugly sound at the back of his throat.
”What position is he in your father”s army?”
”He”s about to become a general.”
”And he is of similar age to you?”
”He”s older than me. He’s been training for a long time and is extremely talented and dedicated to the empire. We have a lot in common.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Akoro had moved even closer until he was right next to her, that molten glare burning into the side of her face.
Prillu nodded, scribbling on the tablet. ”Your siblings,” Prillu began, ”they are less documented in your records than you are. Why is that?”
”My birth coincided with the return of Omegas to the land,” Naya explained. ”With so much attention on me, my parents chose to only reveal what was necessary in public documents and keep the majority of my siblings’ information away from the public eye.”
”Do any of them have the skills you have?”
”All of them are warriors if that”s what you mean,” Naya said. ”They are comfortable with a blade. My sisters, who are both Omegas, are comfortable with magic, but they aren’t skilled as I am yet.”
Prillu nodded, continuing to jot down information on her tablet and then shuffled the sheets of parchment on the desk. “You said your sisters are both Omegas. I only have record of one.”
Naya cleared her throat. “Yes, sorry, that’s right. I have one sister.”
“Why did you say you had two?”
Naya tried to relax her body but couldn’t stop her shoulders from tensing. “I had another sister. She died when she was seven.”
“Why isn’t she noted in the family records?”
“She is. You must have looked at the succession records. Of course she won’t be in there, but she’s logged on the family tree.”
“What happened to her?”
Naya opened her mouth but found she couldn’t say anything.
“Princess Naya?” Prillu asked, after the silence had stretched too long.
A sound came from Naya’s mouth that she couldn’t control—a half groan, half whimper. She cleared her throat again. “I-I can’t answer that.”
“The zmola has been clear. You will answer all questions?—“
“No.”
Akoro growled again. “You will?—“
Naya stood up, pushing her chair away. “I cannot answer that!” Fury engulfed her, and she found herself shouting. “You can strangle and torture me all you want. I will not answer any more questions about my sister!”
A rough growl erupted from Akoro’s chest and he grabbed her by the throat.
He stared at her, his lips curling into a snarl, but Naya stared back at him, fury collecting tears in her eyes. She didn’t care what he did, she wasn’t going to talk about Lili with Prillu or him or anyone else.
Their glares held, and Naya held her breath as her tears spilled over her lashes. Akoro applied pressure and rubbed her neck with his thumb. She went limp, the fight swooping out of her.
Naya’s eyes widened when she realized what he’d done. “How dare you!” she hissed, clawing his hand away from her. Alphas could settle Omegas by squeezing their necks in just the right way. It made them go limp and submit to the safety of the Alpha, especially when they were distressed. But she wasn’t going to fucking submit to him.
“Prillu, ppi hhe rits,” he growled.
Prillu looked between the two of them for a moment and then hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
”I will not talk about Lili,” Naya said, forcing the words through her trembling lips as she still tried to get his hand off her neck.
”You will,” Akoro warned. ”But first I want to know about this man. Have you fucked him?”
Naya frowned up at him. ”What man?”
”In this pairing meeting!” Akoro barked, every ounce of his thick muscle contracting. ”What happened in the fucking pairing meeting?”
Naya snarled at him. ”It”s none of your business. It’s between an Omega and her mate.”
Akoro’s eyes looked like they could burn the flesh off her skin. ”Explain to me this true mate.”
Naya blinked, her face going slack. How could he not know about true mates? Did that mean…
”Tell me!” he bellowed.
”Do you not have Omegas here?”
”We do.”
”Then why don”t you know about true mates?”
”You are not permitted to ask questions,” Akoro snarled, his hand squeezing tighter. ”You answer my questions. That is what you are here for. Explain to me about true mates.”
Naya took a shaky breath. ”It is the person you are compatible with. The one who you are most attracted to and who will take care of you and… keep you… safe….” Her words were swallowed by impending tears. She couldn”t do it. She just couldn”t continue to repeat what Gramma had said knowing that it just wasn”t true. It sounded so stupid to hear herself say it directly to the “true mate” who tortured and harmed her.
”And you feel this way with this man?” Akoro asked, his eyes wild.
She blinked the tears away. ”He is the only mate I’m going to have.”
Akoro pulled her in to him, his face a blazing open furnace about to erupt. “I’m going to ask you this one more time. If you do not answer, our entire agreement is off.”
Naya blinked, her tears tracking down her cheeks as she took a breath. ”I-I thought you needed?—”
”I need this more,” he growled.
Horror gripped her, suddenly realizing the madness of this conversation.
He spoke clear and deep. ”Did you fuck this man?”
”No.”
”Is he your true mate?”
”No.”
”Who is your true mate?”
”I don”t know.”
”How would you find out?”
”Usually when you are in the presence of your true mate there is a very, very strong attraction. More than with anyone else. And… it causes an Omega to go into her Haze.”
Akoro’s eyes narrowed. ”You mean heat?”
”Yes,” Naya said. ”We call it Haze.”
”Why?”
”Because it”s like the Omega is a completely different person. Her body changes so drastically that she can only think about one thing. Even her memories take awhile to come back to her afterward. It’s like a fog that takes over.”
Akoro stared down into her face, as if trying to determine how much of what she was saying was true. ”So an Omega’s true mate is determined by the presence of her Haze?”
Naya nodded, fully knowing that it wasn’t completely true. There was absolutely no fucking way she was going to tell him that he was her true mate if he didn”t know. It made sense now why he kept coming back to the cart. He was probably attracted to her and didn”t know why. But even so, his lack of knowledge didn”t make any difference to her. He still strangled and used her, and he was still the cruel Alpha intent on destroying her empire. If she hadn’t gone into her Haze around him yet, it wasn’t going to happen now. If she could get to the end of this entire ordeal without him ever knowing, it would be perfect. She would mate with Lonn, and then none of this would matter because Akoro would never scent her the same way again.
”What is his name?” he demanded.
”Lonn.” Lonn could handle himself so she didn’t mind giving his name, and he would have the support of her father. It was smarter to say him than anyone else, and it wasn”t as though they hadn’t actually had the conversation. If she’d known Akoro was going to go feral, she would have lied about the whole thing. He’d kept his attraction very close to his chest.
“You haven’t had your Haze with him?”
“No.”
“And you know he’s not your true mate because your attraction isn’t strong?”
“That’s right.”
Akoro slowly released her, his eyes still pinned to her. As soon as she was free, she stumbled back. “Why do you want him as your mate?”
“I told you,” she said. “He is a good man who is dedicated to the empire.”
Akoro scowled at her for a long moment, then headed for the door. ”We will talk about your sister tomorrow.”
”We won”t,” Naya snapped to his back.
He turned, still in the grip of whatever instinctual insanity had taken him. “We will. And you’d better hope I can verify everything you said, otherwise you’ll have bigger problems to worry about.”