My court.
Without these ladies, I’d never be here. I stopped and hugged all of them, and wiped away their tears, even if I was pretty sure they were happy ones.
I wanted to be alone with my king. It was harder than ever now, with courtesans and support staff—they were no longer referred to as servants—everywhere we turned. But tonight, they wanted to celebrate too.
Past the winding staircase, the upper floor was quiet, insulated from the celebration below. The castle had stood for centuries, a testament to shifter power, even if the occupants of the city hadn’t been able to shift for too long.
Our bedroom was at the end of the hall. It was the first night we’d spend together in it. My sister was the one who insisted we stay apart until we were officially King and Queen. At the time, I hated it but I’d thank her later. Anticipation had been building inside me, much like my heat, but this time it was something I could totally control.
Adalai shut the door behind us. “You were amazing out there.”
“Thank you.” I closed my eyes for a long blink. My knees were doing that knocking thing again. “And I know you’ll be amazing in here.”
“Come here, Your Majesty,” he growled, and I did as my king told me. “Turn around and let me help you out of your pretty dress.”
“Careful,” I warned. “Edythe, my seamstress, gave this thing a hundred little buttons.”
Adalai snickered. “She’s probably getting me back for her experience so far in the Badlands.”
“She’s on payroll now, because I want her to make all the dresses for me and the girls.” I couldn’t wait until my sister and all my friends had a chance to feel like I did today. They might not get an official title like I did, but I could make sure the sun, moon, and stars revolved around them for at least one day.
Cool air hit my back as he worked slowly, methodically not to ruin Edythe’s handiwork. “You can have everything you want.”
It was a heady feeling, to know I would never suffer, never want for anything again. But so many omegas in the Badlands would go to bed tonight without that guarantee. “I want the omegas to be safe.”
“They will be.” His lips were on my shoulder, kissing me as he pushed the dress down my body. I carefully stepped out of it, picked it up, and placed it on a chaise. It was the nicest thing I’d ever worn, besides the crown, and I wouldn’t leave it on the floor.
Adalai grinned at me. “Leave the crown on, Your Majesty.”
I nodded, walking over to him in nothing but my lacy corset, panties, and impossibly high heels. I’d spent the night before my mating ceremony with my girls trying to learn how to walk in them. They might be the next thing I made a rule about—that no woman had to wear heels ever again.
My king spun me around to the bed. I sank into it as he lay me down. So much softer than the ratty old mattress in the bunker that he’d taken me against during my heat. Snapping the corset open with as much care as he had done with my dress, I was almost bare before him. And he was wearing way too many clothes.
I wasn’t in heat anymore, but I was hot and hungry for this man. The man I loved.
My hands trembled as I reached for him, but Adalai shook his head. I may be queen now, but he would always be my alpha. He unbuttoned his jacket, and lay it beside my dress. Those medals were just as important to him as the gown was to me. They both symbolized sacrifice and victory. He stepped out of his pants, his cock hard and ready for me. My inner muscles pulsed as I craved having it inside.
Adalai’s gaze raked over my body, and settled on my stomach with a furrowed brow. The mattress shifted under the weight of his knee when he joined me on the bed. Pushing a few stray hairs away from my face, his fingers settled on my lips. I was hungry for him, and I coaxed him inside. He thrust inside my mouth, fucking it with his fingers. I took him deep as I could, a prelude of what was to come.
He ran his other hand over my breasts, and I bowed off the bed, almost biting his fingers when he pinched my nipple.
Our lips met in a kiss that wasn’t like any of the others. This one was pure magic, there was no king, no queen, no alpha, no omega. We’d come together as one.
We separated with a gasp, and Adalai pushed my legs apart. I was so ready for him, and his fingers glided over my slick, swollen folds. He plunged inside me, making my hips rise off the bed.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more beautiful—” He startled at the banging on the door. “Fuck,” he said under his breath.
“You don’t have to answer it,” I called after him as he hopped into his pants. I pulled the satin comforter over my body, since he actually planned to open the door. “You’re the king.”
“That’s exactly why I have to answer it.” The words were tipped with a growl.
For the first time since we left the bunker, I felt like an omega. Like whatever business waited on the other side of that door was more important than me. Before the interruption, I’d truly felt like a queen and it humbled me to realize how far I had to fall.
“Your Majesty.” Dagger was breathless in the doorway, his brow furrowed in anger. “I apologize for the interruption.” His cheeks pinked when he caught sight of me on the bed.
“This better be fucking good,” Adalai snarled.
“The human army has infiltrated the city.”
My stomach took a dive at the news, and I sat forward.
“How?” Adalai roared. He stormed away from the door, grabbing his jacket but slamming it down on the chaise again.
“We don’t have intelligence on that yet, sir. We think the guards got too caught up in the wedding celebration—”
“I’m the only one who needs to be celebrating. The goddamned betas can wait one fucking night so I can be with my mate.” Adalai’s voice reverberated on the stone walls. It was a miracle fur hadn’t broken through his skin. His animal was close to the surface. I could sense it like it was my own.
“You’re still in charge of the Badlands, Dagger.” Adalai added, sounding a little calmer. “It’s the first line of protection for the city. Your omegas should have stopped the army.”
“Maybe they’re not ready to fight for you after all,” Dagger said softly, his gaze falling to me, but the blush was replaced by a condescending smirk. Like it was him and not me who wore a crown on their head. “Maybe your queen was sent to you as a distraction, a gateway to anarchy—”
“No!” It was my turn to roar. “I want nothing more than to bring this city together, and to end the suffering of my people.”
“Your people,” Dagger mocked. “You’re awfully selfless as you lay naked on the king’s bed, the room smelling of sex—”
“Enough!” Adalai slammed his fist against the wall. His eyes were on fire as he looked between me and Dagger. Like he was trying to decide which one of us to believe.
My breath caught in my throat. My days of feeling like I was less than anyone else were supposed to be over. I lifted my chin in challenge. If Adalai took Dagger’s theory over everything we had together, and tossed me back into the Badlands like omega garbage, he’d experience what it was truly like to have a mutiny on his hands. Because l’d be the one leading it. High heels, disgraced crown, and all.
Adalai knelt on the bed beside me, his voice quiet and harsh. “My rose, did someone send you to me? Did someone buy you that dress and help you gain access to the victory celebration?”
Dagger scoffed. “You probably should’ve asked her this before you gave her the crown.”
My animal was going crazy inside me. “Tell him to stop. This is absurd. I don’t deserve this.” It was possible my moments as queen were numbered, and I planned to take advantage of every single one of them.
Adalai gnashed his teeth, but finally stood tall, turning to Dagger. “Zelene is your queen and you’ll treat her as such.” He pointed at the floor. “On your knees with your apology.”
Dagger hesitated, like he expected the king to take it back.
“Now,
or I’ll give you to the humans as a peace offering.”
He got down on his knees, bowing deeply. “Your majesty, I misspoke. Please forgive the indiscretion.”
“You’ll be forgiven when you show me that you view the omegas as equals, not as a threat.” I turned to Adalai. “To answer your question, no one sent me to you. I kept my plan a secret until the last minute. I never meant to find you. I only hoped to find a beta who could overlook who I really was. I starved myself to save for the dress, and Tavia begged me not to come to the party, because she knew it would bring us nothing but trouble.” I went to my knees on the mattress, trying to meet him eye to eye so he could read the truth in me. “Was she right? Was this a mistake?” He didn’t answer. “There’s no mutiny. She was my reason. I did it for her. Because she’d been fired from her job at the castle. Disgraced. Without her income, as meager as it was, we wouldn’t have survived. I couldn't risk her working further south. What if she was kidnapped like the others? I'd never forgive myself.”
I rose from the bed. My new wardrobe had been brought here, but I had no idea where it was. And something told me it wasn’t exactly appropriate for battle.
“You need to leave, Dagger. Now. Ready your men—all your men—for battle. Ladies too if they care to join.” My voice shook as I gave the powerful alpha orders. “But make no mistake, everyone has a role in keeping every inch of this city safe. That includes the Badlands.”
“You’re going to let her give orders?” Dagger eyed Adalai, like I wasn’t even in the room.
“She’s the queen, and this city is under attack. For you to question her orders is to undermine me,” Adalai said, but his voice was uncertain. If I could hear it, so could his captain. “You heard your queen. Go.”
With a sigh, Dagger stormed toward the door, slamming it shut behind him.
“Why would you question me? Especially in front of Dagger, who already thinks I’m a traitor.”
“The attack caught us all by surprise. He’s a good man—”
“You’re avoiding my question. And taking Dagger’s word over mine. He was the one hinting at mutiny as he read our wedding vows.” I doubted everything, and Tavia’s words rang clear in my head. It changes everything for all of us. The omegas would be forced into battle tonight to defend a city that had brought them nothing but pain before we had a chance to prove things would be different for them. Better. I had to lead them. But more than that, I had to make sure Adalai still believed in me.
How could we be shaken this easily, when we’d just vowed to respect each other for eternity?
Adalai steeled himself, all business. All royalty. “It’s the timing, to be honest, Zelene. Ending the Division should’ve made Luxoria stronger, not more susceptible to attack. Yet, instead of spending the night making love to you, I’m forced to lead a battle.”
“Yes, the timing is suspect.” For Dagger, not the omegas. He’d been in charge of the Badlands and had been content to let us suffer. I did worry the omegas would hesitate to take his command out of sheer pride, knowing nothing of the suspicions that had arose from this conversation. Not having any idea they could be sacrificing their omega queen. I had to speak for them. It was my time to lead. “The last thing omegas want is more fighting. More war.”
I took a couple cautious steps toward Adalai. I’d do anything to get that feeling back, just before Dagger sent my building orgasm spiraling into a deep, dark abyss. “We want peace. Everything I told you before is true.”
“In the bunker, you lied to me about shifting.”
“I was scared. I didn’t know you yet. If it were only me, I would have spoken the truth. But telling you then could have ruined the people I love.”
“And now? Would you speak the truth now, to the one you claim to love?”
Claim. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?
I swallowed down the sick ache in my middle. My heart was breaking and I didn’t have time to let it. There was a battle to fight. A city to protect. A people to unite. Maybe I would always have to prove myself. Even to him. The king. The one who knew me on a deeper level than anyone else ever could.
I lifted my chin, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. “We want to see Luxoria back to its glory days. Back to when our mothers were both alive. The omegas will fight for you, Adalai, and this city. All they want is a chance. Will you give them that chance?”
He eyed me, his expression stony for too long before he let off a hard sigh.
“Come, rose. We have work to do.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer. But it was all I would get for now. I just hoped the omegas trusted me more than Adalai did.
Chapter Thirteen
Adalai
Perched atop the city walls to gauge the melee below, my emotions were at war. Dagger was right to doubt Zelene. After all, hadn’t my father been betrayed by one of his most trusted? It was Dagger’s responsibility to question things. But his suggestion that my mate could be a traitor made me want to rip his fucking throat out.
My heart screamed that she would never do this, put the city in danger to bring the omegas up. But my training, the years of my father’s soured words, planted doubt in my mind.
Shit.
I glanced away from the battle below to stare at her. Mine. My rose. Would she do this?
No, my wolf howled inside.
I watched Zelene pace the small walkway above the city. She chewed nervously at her thumbnail. “How did they get past the omegas?” she muttered low. As if to answer her question, vicious twin roars split the air, drawing our gazes out to the desert.
What I saw there froze my feet to the stone. “What the fuck…”
Just past the city gates, I could see so many of our omegas in their wolf form, all of them focused on two monstrosities that couldn’t be named, the army humans forgotten. The beasts stood at least eight feet tall, on muscular hind legs that resembled those of a wolf, but their bodies, their thick chests and arms, took on a human form. Most alarming were their faces. Covered in fur with glowing eyes, snarling so I could see their fangs even from far away. When they howled at the moon, I felt it in my bones, vibrating with the same demand my father’s roar used to have.
And that meant every other shifter felt it too. Every alpha, beta, and omega.
The alpha inside me growled low. I should be down there, challenging them.
My omega wolves charged the beasts, attacking to defend the Badlands, and it wasn’t lost on me that none of my alpha commanders were down there. No one was helping the omegas. As if nothing had changed at all. As if me taking one as my beloved made no difference.
Anger flared in my chest, hot and furious.
Zelene muttered something under her breath but I didn’t hear it through the roar of my animal wanting out. I stared at her. The look of worry in her eyes screamed at me to do something. “… missing omegas,” she said, “half shifted… the humans have done something to them…”
Missing omegas.
Were those monsters the ones Zelene told me about in the bunker? The ones who disappeared under my watch. If it was true… the humans had turned them into weapons. Because as I listened to my mate piece things together beside me, I watched my omegas fall, one by one, at the hands of two hulking beasts that seemed to have no weaknesses. Blood sprayed as they slashed at wolves with their clawed human hands, kicking their way through the pack of omegas.
One omega turned his attention away from the beasts. He looked toward the castle, his eyes finding me at the top of the wall. I was frozen in his stare for several breaths until he sent up a wailing cry to the moon above. The howl caused other omegas to stop their fight and look to the castle.
I knew what this was. They were asking their king for help. And maybe they didn’t think it would matter. Maybe they thought they were still on their own. But hadn’t I made them promises in the desert when Zelene was aching from her heat. Hadn’t I promised to do better?
It could be a trap.<
br />
Before my eyes, I watched one beast sink his claws into the howling omega. Blood soaked the sand, glistening under the moonlight.
“Adalai!” Zelene cried. “They’re dying. We have to help them!”
Pulling my attention away from the battle, I found my rose. Her face was pinched as if in pain. These were her people. No… our people. I brought my hand to her cheek, feeling the soft, hot skin that I had come to know so well during her heat. Her eyes filled with tears, taking on sadness like I’d never seen before. Not even in my father.
“Was it all for nothing?” she whispered. “Did I give you my heart just so you could rip it in two? Make me choose?”
I frowned at her words. Me, ripping her heart in two? It wasn’t like that. I was a king. I had to make the right decision, not the easy one. Every time, without flaw. And if I followed her into a trap the entire pack would pay for it. Fuck me, I’d follow her anywhere, even to my death. But the pack… I swore an oath to protect them.
Just as I swore to be a better king for the omegas.
Goddamn it.
A tear slipped over the bridge of Zelene’s eye and she quickly wiped it away, her expression turning hard. She straightened her shoulders, taking a step back. “If you won’t help them,” she said, “then I will.”
She spun on her heel, running for the stairs.
“Like hell you will,” I thundered. My mate wasn’t getting anywhere near those beasts. It was my job to protect. Her and everyone else. I would lead my captains and their armies out to help the omegas.
I grabbed Zelene one flight down and pushed her back against the stone wall, pressing my body hard into hers. “You will stay here,” I said, finding her eyes. “In the safety of the castle, where a queen belongs. I will do our fighting.”
She scowled, shaking her head. “It’s too late for that—”
I slammed my mouth down on hers for a brutal kiss. I needed her to know I meant business. That I was still here, still her mate. Still her fucking alpha. I kissed her until she went limp and then pulled back to find her eyes again.
His Forbidden Omega (The Royal Omegas Book 1) Page 10
