But Faseer, the advisor, stared back at Aura when her gaze shifted to meet his. He seemed oddly fascinated, attention tripping over her face as if memorizing it. Hawkish features made him seem severe and uncompromising. And there was something cold in his eyes that sent a creeping chill up her spine. He noticed the small movement and a mocking smirk twisted his thin lips.
“A pleasure,” he murmured, gaze lingering on the neckline of her gown that was just low enough to reveal the upper curve of her breasts.
Looking away, Aura tried to ignore the suddenly rapid beating of her heart as a spike of fear moved through her. There was no reason for her to be afraid. But even though Faseer had not spoken an ill word, she trusted the instinct to be wary of him.
Castor noticed Faseer’s lingering attention and his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
“Tell her why they’re here,” Rolan said, heedless of the sudden tension. “We haven’t even made the official announcement yet.”
Castor hesitated for a moment as their gazes briefly met. Frustration burned in his eyes, irises the dark blue of a rising storm. “Princess Sirena and I will secure the new alliance between Vigil and Pandora with our upcoming marriage.”
Aura already expected the words before he spoke them, but they still hit her with the force of a blow. He truly was planning to marry this woman and insisted on keeping Aura around to witness it.
She desperately wanted to hate him. But whenever her gaze strayed to his face, the only thought that consumed her was how much she wanted him.
“Congratulations.” Her voice came whisper soft.
King Rolan broke the silence that briefly descended with a jovial laugh. “It’s only too bad that you aren’t Omega, Sirena. Omegas have always given me the strongest sons.”
Aura understood that most of the population was considered Beta, but the King spit the word out as if it were a curse.
A murderous look descended on Castor’s face, but Sirena had the grace to smile and respond to the King’s comment with an even tone. “I shall do my best to provide Prince Castor with the heirs he requires, even as a Beta.”
“I have no desire to take an Omega mate, father.” Castor picked up his fork and glared down at the plate in front of him. “You are well aware of that.”
“And I hoped you’d grow out of that nonsense by now. You have responsibilities, boy.”
“I don’t need an Omega to be of service to the Crown.”
“You do, unless you’re trying to piss on a thousand years of tradition. Your grandfather would be rolling over in his grave.”
“Grandfather was a degenerate. I will not succumb to base urges, like an animal.”
Aura watched the back and forth as her cheeks flamed. It was impossible not notice that the gazes of both Sirena and Faseer lingered on her as Castor went back and forth with his father. They both talked about Omegas as if they were things, rather than people with their own feelings and desires. She couldn’t help but wonder if Castor’s claims of being above his Alpha urges was borne less from a desire towards enlightenment and more from a fear of what it would mean to succumb.
Because she had seen him as the wild Alpha and that role came more naturally to him than any she had seen him play since.
“Have you tried the apple tart? It’s delicious.”
It took a moment for Aura to realize that the question was directed at her and was asked by Princess Sirena. She looked up to see that violet eyes were trained on her, not hostile but searching as if hoping to find some hidden secret in her expression.
“I’m done, actually,” Aura replied, staring down at the nearly untouched plate in front of her. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Oh, don’t be put off by their Alpha posturing,” Sirena said with an airy wave of her hand. “They’re like animals who need to lock horns every so often to see who is in charge, metaphorically speaking. You shouldn’t be concerned until they come to blows.”
Aura couldn’t help but spare a glance at Castor who leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and glared off into space. King Rolan had dug into the food in front of him with gusto, making small satisfied sounds after selecting a particularly delicious morsel.
She picked up her own fork and took a small bite of meat, if just to appear normal and unbothered. “I’m fine, really.”
Faseer leaned closer, smiling in a way that revealed teeth just a little too sharp. “One would think you’d be used to it by now, as an Omega in the King’s harem. Perhaps her royal highness would be better served asking you for advice.”
His voice slid across her skin like a serpent’s tongue, equally unnerving and unpleasant. Aura fought the shiver that tried to work its way up her spine. “I’m sure I have no knowledge to offer Princess Sirena that she does not already possess. Especially with you here to advise her.”
He gave a small half-bow from his seat. “I am here in her father’s place to make the necessary arrangements. A royal party from Vigil will, of course, attend the ceremony. But in the meantime, I consider Princess Sirena’s interests, and to a greater extent those of Vigil, to be of paramount importance.”
There was a hint of threat in his words that Aura did not understand, but still raised her hackles. Determined to ignore the man who inspired so much fear without apparent reason, Aura turned back to Sirena. “But you are here for a negotiation, to advocate for yourself, right?”
Sirena hesitated, as if she didn’t quite understand the question. “I’ve wanted some time to become acquainted with my future husband. Some finer details are still being negotiated, although I truly want no part of the bureaucratic side of things.”
“That’s why you have me, to keep your best interests and see to the intricacies.” Faseer held his hand up when a servant came around with a decanter, preventing his glass from being refilled. “You can simply enjoy picking out floral arrangements and a menu for the reception.”
His tone sounded condescending to Aura’s ears, but the Princess seemed unbothered by it, if she even noticed it at all.
“Just don’t take too long with your negotiations,” Sirena said with a small smile. “You can’t expect Prince Castor to wait forever.”
“The waiting is his own fault for not heeding my advice. If he gathered his own harem, there’d be no waiting at all.” King Rolan spoke through a mouthful of food, apparently uncaring as bits of it shot out of his mouth. He turned to Aura and placed a clammy hand that was bloated with age on her lower arm. “For example, I think I’ll have you in my chambers tonight, my dear.”
Aura choked on the forkful of tart that she had just placed in her mouth, a gasp of surprise momentarily sealing the food in her airway. She strained for air as her eyes watered, coughing with wet gasps as she tried to clear the sudden obstruction. It was still possible to breathe, but only just, and she sounded like someone moments from succumbing to the coughing sickness that often ravaged the Citadel.
She distantly heard the sound of multiple people rising from their chairs and coming towards of her. But even though he was seated on the other side of the table, Castor was the one who got to her first. He wrapped solid arms around her waist and thrust up with his fist. Only once was enough for the unchewed morsel to be expelled from her throat, where it then shot across the room to strike the far wall.
Once it was clear that she wasn’t going to choke to death, Aura had to contend with the fact that she was back in Castor’s arms. He held her for a beat longer than was necessary, before finally releasing her so she slid back in the chair, body weak and boneless.
“Are you quite alright?” King Rolan asked as he struggled from his seat.
“I’m okay,” Aura said on a harsh croak, even as her throat burned. “Really.”
“Get over here and help us,” Rolan commanded of the nearest servant, gesturing with an imperious hand. “Take her back to the harem pavilion and call for a doctor.”
Guards came close to offer assistance but Ca
stor stood in their way. “Calm down, father, before you strain your heart. I’ll see that she’s returned to the pavilion and appropriately recovers.”
Aura felt herself gathered up from the chair and into strong arms. Even though her eyes were open, they watered too much for her to clearly see her surroundings, but she became distantly aware of the fact that they were walking.
It was only moments later that she realized Castor carried her in his arms and that none of the others followed them.
She was once again alone with her Alpha.
Chapter Seven
The harem was deserted when Castor shoved open the doors, propelling Aura forward ahead of him after finally placing her on her feet. He had navigated the darkened hallways with sure steps, making the walls spin around her as he hurried with long-legged strides through the twists and turns.
Every place where his skin met hers, the hands that gripped at her shoulder and under her bent knees, the press of her cheek against his chest as he held her securely against him, was a flash point of electricity and desire.
When he laid her gently on the bed and took a step back, Aura could finally breathe again. But he didn’t leave the room and instead stood staring down at her with massive arms crossed over his chest. His gaze roved over her, as if assessing her for injury. She forced herself to take deep breaths in and out, as if proving to him she was fine would get him to go away faster.
Aura had been able to forget just how large he was until he loomed over her, filling her vision with his form until it was all she could see. She desperately wanted him to leave, almost as much as she hoped that he would stay.
And the mark burned, a painful fire that only he could extinguish.
Castor finally spoke, voice a low rumble. “Has my father visited you in the harem, or had you brought to his chambers?”
“You left me here. What does it matter to you?”
It was clear from the strain on his face that Castor had only a thread of control on his anger that was moments from snapping. “Answer me.”
His control had impressed her in the beginning, as other Alphas in the Forbidden Zone descended into madness and he remained able to manage himself. But now she understood that his control was not borne of exceptional willpower, but instead a deep-seeded need for self-flagellation and a denial of himself that bordered on self-hatred.
He couldn’t accept what he was, so how could he possibly accept her?
“Your father hasn’t touched me,” she snapped, glaring up at him. “And neither has anyone else, at least not yet.”
“What do you mean, anyone else?”
Perhaps Ianthe hadn’t spoken to him after all. The increased number of guards must have been Legion’s doing.
But Aura wasn’t feeling charitable, sick of his high-handedness. He may have saved her life, but he’d also made her a captive. “Do you really not know what happens here?”
A low growl escaped his lips before Castor realized what he was doing and caught himself. “Explain.”
“I’ve been told that other men visit the harem, not just the King.”
His voice was cold enough to freeze water into ice. “What men?”
“I have no idea,” Aura snapped, nearing the end of both her patience and her ability to tolerate his posturing. “There are a dozen other women living in this gilded cage. Feel free to ask any of them.”
“I’m asking you.”
“You’ve dumped me in a place where the women exist only to be used, if not by the King then by others. Perhaps I will ask to be taken to the King’s chambers tonight, at least he isn’t ashamed of wanting me. Now, please leave.”
For a moment, it almost seemed as if he would simply take that and do what she asked, leaving her alone there in the darkness and silence. His gaze shifted towards the door, profile cast in the shadows. But something seemed to come over him, as if the knowledge that someone else, even his own father, might touch her was too much for him to tolerate.
He was on her in an instant, crushing her body into the mattress as his full body weight came to rest on top of her.
Before Aura could gather breath to speak or scream, his hand wrapped around the fragile column of her throat, pressing down with just enough force to gain her attention, but not enough to do actual damage. She swallowed hard, a painful lump rising to push against his palm.
“I saved you from choking, just like I saved you from the Forbidden Zone.” The threat in his voice reverberated through his body and into hers. “I save you every day by keeping you safe here. And yet, all I earn from you is anger and resistance.”
Aura shoved at his arm until his hand came briefly off of her throat, although the cage of his body around hers did not budge so much as an inch. “Keeping me prisoner isn’t the same as saving me.”
“Prisoner?” His expression was cast in stone, but the tone of his voice was mocking. “If all I bring you is pain, perhaps I should rip that translation unit out of your head and set you loose to wander on the streets of the slums. I’m sure you’d be much happier there.”
She stared up into his eyes, burning with anger, and felt scorched as if her whole body were on fire. “I hate you,” she spat, meaning it in that moment.
“No more than I hate myself. But that doesn’t change the fact that you are mine.”
But the hand on her neck lightened in pressure and shifted away. His fingers tangled in her hair, catching strands between his thumb and forefinger to gently rub it, as if memorizing the texture. His head descended so that his nose pressed against the fragile skin of her neck and he breathed deeply.
He seemed to be fighting himself. The anger had not receded from his face which was all harsh lines and tension, but his hands roamed her body with gentle possessiveness, as if he couldn’t help myself.
Even his threatening growl had changed in pitch, reverberating along her skin and causing muscles to clench deep in her belly. Her body responded to him as if it had been designed solely for that purpose, her own breathing coming in harsh gasps as she lay trapped beneath him.
When his growl echoed off of the high walls and drew no attention, Aura was once again reminded that they were completely alone in the pavilion.
“Everyone will be back soon,” Aura whispered, capable of producing no greater protest than that in the face of the overwhelming desire.
But his response was simple. “Let them come.”
There were no more words between them, only emotions that threatened to overwhelm everything, particularly the fragile hold on sanity that was barely maintained. And when he growled again, it was darker and sharper than any sound he had made before. Aura’s body bowed off of the bed, as much as the cage of his body allowed, her mind suddenly filled with carnal images and a desire so profound that it consumed her.
She wanted to beg or plead, but when her mouth opened only a plaintive moan came out, her mind beyond the capacity to perform words. But even that slight expression of desire seemed to make him hesitate, as if the fact that she was losing control allowed him to regain some small part of his. He always controlled their interactions, but now he forced himself to slow and his touch became more measured.
A gliding hand skimmed down her side, undoing the ties on her shoulders that kept her dress secured so the fabric slowly fell away, revealing more tantalizing skin for his perusal. He stared down at her in the low light, gaze roving over her features and lower as a stroke of his hand exposed her chest, pushing the dress down so that it pooled around the waist.
Aura anticipated his next move, but a keening sound still escaped her lips when his mouth closed on a peaked nipple, sucking the hardened flesh hard between his teeth. A shock of pleasure shot through her, as if the electrified nerve endings directly connected her breast to flesh down below. Nothing and no one had ever made her the feel how he could with only the slightest touch.
It bordered on madness.
Her hands came up to the back of his head, shoving frantic fingers into his hair
to pull his head closer. He growled again, tone now one of displeasure, and her hands fell away to grip the bedspread underneath her as he compelled her with simply the force of his presence to submit.
His hands moved to her shoulders and tightened, forcing her down further into the mattress, as if he’d somehow become convinced that she would disappear if he did not hold on to her as tightly as he could. When his head lifted to stare down at her, she saw that the corner of his lip was curled into a snarl like an animal raising its hackles.
But then his mouth crashed onto hers in a kiss that was purely possessive. Her hands shifted to his chest, feeling the muscles jump against her palms. His tongue pushed into her mouth, the invasion a precursor to what would inevitably come next. One of his hands shifted on her shoulder, just enough that his thumb brushed across the claiming scar, setting her alight.
Without warning, connection flared between them that was more profound than simply the melding of two bodies. It was as if she had opened her mind to him, bathing in the knowledge of what it meant for him to be in this place with her. Emotions rushed over her, of fear and shame, but also a yearning profound that it suffused every cell of her being.
Aura surrendered to it as his lips continued to rove over hers, unconsciously opening her own mind and deepening the connection between them. He felt her pain and longing, just as clearly as she understood this. But both of them were trapped in a situation that had no pleasant solution.
Because Castor could not abandon his ideals and Aura would never be content with life in a cage.
For a moment, his palm rested fully on her scar. Her own hand rose to press against the much smaller mark on his chest in the perfect imprint of her teeth that was still hidden beneath the linen of his shirt.
Pain and light surged between them and a desire that could no longer be denied.
Her frantic hands pulled at his clothing, ripping at the buttons with a frustrated moan. His own hands coursed down her body and lifted the skirt of her dress to reveal slick-soaked thighs. Her hips lifted of their own volition to meet his touch as he pushed a thick finger inside of her, even though he had to be well aware of her readiness.
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