A Tainted Claim (Beholden Duet Book 2)

by Zoey Ellis

  Ana‘s brows lifted. “What you mean? Do they talk often?”

  “I’m not sure. The last time I saw them both was when they came to visit me.”

  “When was that?”

  Leoma pouted as she thought. “A couple of days ago, I think? It was completely out of the blue, and I couldn’t figure out why they’d both come.”

  Ana stared at her. If Sterling and Redcrest were so against each other, why would Ryden and Heloise be making visits together? “What did they say?”

  “They just asked me how I was doing in my lessons and what I’d been studying. Heloise asked me if I’d been paying attention to court events, my understanding of politics in the court assembly, how I was doing in my lessons, and what I knew about House Redcrest and if I had any allegiances there.” Leoma shrugged. “But I don’t know how I would when I’m not allowed to speak to anyone,” she grumbled. “Then Ryden asked me if I was excited about my upcoming pairing and we talked about that for a bit.”

  Ana chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t understand why they would be asking that, especially out of the blue.” She squinted at Leoma. “Have you been paired yet?”

  “That is what I’m preparing for,” she said. “It’s going to be announced in the next few weeks—I think they were just trying to help prepare me. At least, that’s what Heloise said.” She shook her head and sighed. “I fear I may have made a fool out of myself with Duke Ryden, though. He’s extremely handsome.” She leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know how you’re able to even think around him. He’s the perfect Alpha!”

  Ana smiled at her, but a dull gloom sobered her mood. This was exactly how Ana came across to others; innocent, ignorant, and gullible. Leoma was so sweet, but she didn’t know much. She didn’t even realize that her aunt and Ryden being together was unusual. Ana wouldn’t have thought so a week ago either, but it clearly was. Why did everyone treat Omegas this way? She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. “It is exciting when you know you’re about to be paired,” she admitted.

  “It is!” Leoma said, grinning wide. “I hope it’s someone as nice as Ryden.”

  Ana patted her hand. “I’m sure it will be.” She rose from his seat. “Thank you for seeing me, Leoma. It’s been lovely to talk to you again.”

  Leoma blushed. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored.”

  Multiple thoughts dominated Ana’s mind on the journey back to Ryden’s mansion. Ryden seem to sense her thoughtfulness because he didn’t try to engage in any kind of discussion or physical touching like he had on the way there. Ana was relieved about that because she was too tired to pretend.

  Dusk had come and gone while they were at Sterling, and the velvety sky was streaked with the fading scores of lingering sun that somehow made her think of her nights with Maddoc. Immediately she pushed him out of her mind.

  “You look tired, Ana,” Ryden said, his voice low. “I hope you haven’t been exhausted by today’s visits.”

  Ana shook her head. “I will be capable of being married to you tomorrow, Ryden.”

  He didn’t respond for a long moment. “This will be difficult for a while, Ana,” he said. “But you will eventually come to terms with what is being asked of you.”

  “Don’t you mean what is being asked of our children?”

  “Ana,” he growled. Something about the way he said it reminded her of Maddoc, and surprisingly her core clenched.

  Ana stilled at the feeling. Was that a reaction to Ryden? Or the memory of Maddoc? She stared up at the sky, remembering two nights ago and his eagerness to fuck her as soon as he entered the room. She didn’t even recall seeing the night sky while in that room with him; she’d never had the chance, even when he had her bent over the window—

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Ryden’s voice brought her back to the smoothing jerking motion of the carriage. She swallowed, tucking the illicit thoughts away. There were more important things to discuss. “Why did you visit Leoma a couple of days ago?” she asked calmly.

  In the semidarkness, she wasn’t able to determine his expression, but something subtly changed in his posture. “Who told you that?”

  “Does it matter?” Ana asked.

  “Yes, it does.” Ryden said irritably. “I don’t want rumors spreading that I, a Redcrest duke, casually visits members of House Sterling. It will cause problems.”

  “You say that as though it’s not true, like gossip to be discarded.”

  “I never said that.”

  “Then why even bother argue about it. If you don’t want such rumors to spread, then don’t do it.”

  Ryden growled again. “We talked about your tone with me, Ana.”

  Ana said, leaning forward and seeking out his eyes in the darkness, “I will treat you with the utmost respect that any Omega can give an Alpha, Ryden. I will be the perfect Omega and honor you for the rest of my life. But not if you lie to me. There is never any reason for an Alpha to lie to his Omega, is there?”

  In the darkness, the tension in Ryden’s body relaxed. “No,” he said. “That is not the kind of relationship I wish to have.”

  “Then explain it to me. Are we at odds with Sterling, or not?”

  “We are,” Ryden said, his voice low. “I was visiting the houses to find a solution to our outlaw problem, and it made sense to visit House Sterling to see if there was a possibility of us coming to some kind of truce. Obviously it didn’t work. Sterling is extremely aggressive in the way they deal with every other house. Leoma just happened to be there and Heloise invited me to visit with her. I think she thought she could use her to distract me so I would tell her what we were planning.”

  Ana pressed her lips together. That sounded like Heloise.

  “I didn’t mean to be defensive about it,” he added. “I was just unprepared for your question. A lot of effort was made to ensure no one was aware of the meeting, beyond me and the person I met with. Unless Heloise told you, there is a security issue.”

  Ana sighed. “No, it was Leoma who told me. I don’t think she realized she wasn’t supposed to talk about it. She was excited to meet you.”

  “I’ll send a message to ensure she knows not to talk about it. It was during quiet visits like that that I formed the alliance with Goldfrost and Thorneshaw. If everyone talked about them, we wouldn’t have an alliance.”

  Ana nodded and leaned back against the carriage wall, the gentle jolting of its movement along the road rocking her. Secrets upon secrets. This was clearly the way of life as a royal, but she didn’t like it, especially if it caused her to question her true mate. Maybe it was a silly thing to think, another remnant from the innocence that she had been steeped into for so long, but she had never seen any such deception between her parents. All she wanted was what they had. Granted, she didn’t see them every single moment of every single day, but she’d been witness to their relationship her whole life, even during some of their private talks. She knew they had disagreements, but never any arguments or suspicions that would cause them to pull away from each other. She wondered if, at the beginning of their relationship, they had had any experiences like what she was having with Ryden. It would be helpful to ask them, but even if she could, she wouldn’t know if they were telling her the truth. There was something strange about the way they lied about the Alpha and Omega stories. If the Atara in the books was not her mother, why would she be so keen to hide them?

  Ana hadn’t taken the time to fully think about it because so much had happened. And now she had left her home, Milly, her library, and all of her favorite books, including the Alpha and Omega stories that she only just discovered and had been looking forward to reading. Maybe they would give her answers about her lack of feeling for Ryden.

  “Is there a way to collect anything from the palace?” she asked Ryden.

  “Such as clothes?”

  “No, belongings. I need some books from the library.”

  Ryden shook his head. “If
it’s an emergency, we will find a way to get it for you, but books can wait. After our wedding you will be moving back to the palace at some point, so you may not need to take them at all.”

  “What about Milly?”

  Ryden frowned. “Who is that?”

  “My lady-in-waiting.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ana, but we can’t use your father’s staff. You can select a new lady-in-waiting as soon as things are settled.”

  Ana bit back the words she wanted to say, trying to ignore his implication that Milly was untrustworthy. Milly was the only one who’d been honest with her, and if she truly couldn’t have Milly as her lady-in-waiting anymore, what would happen to her? Her status had already lowered from the death of her husband; her high-status job at the palace was the only thing keeping her afloat. Ana had said she would do whatever she could to help her, but now she couldn’t.

  But Ryden’s words did highlight a fact she couldn’t ignore; the palace was no longer her home, and no matter how much she might think of it as such, she would never be stepping back into it with the same status she had when she left.

  Ana had always thought she would embrace change. Less than a week ago she had been looking forward to marriage and all the challenges and changes it would bring. But now the thought left her with a sick feeling in her stomach, and she couldn’t pinpoint the reasons why. Her head had an understanding of how things were supposed to be, but her heart and her body had different ideas that conflicted with everything else, especially after her experiences with Maddoc. She would simply have to go to the library when she returned to find out what was wrong with her feelings for her mate.

  For a moment she considered asking Ryden directly, but how would anyone start that kind of conversation? She would be effectively telling him that he wasn’t as attractive to her as Maddoc, since the outlaw was her only comparison.

  Ana gritted her teeth as she looked at the window, annoyed at how much Maddoc was still affecting her. She wished she’d never seen him or knew about him, but the memory of him entering the room, his overbearing smugness, and the way in which he handled her body and slipped inside her, telling her how hard she made him, caused such a deep tingle in her stomach that spread along her body until her aching nipples tingled yet again and she was wet between her legs.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but your wedding dress has been picked for you,” Ryden said. “It should be at the mansion when we get back.”

  Ana nodded, keeping her face toward the window to avoid looking at him, as the shame of her instant arousal for the man she hated made tears come to her eyes. “That is fine,” she said quietly.

  4

  ANA

  Ana stood in front of the mirror staring at her reflection. The handmaids from Ryden’s mansion had done a good job. Not as good as Milly, of course, but at least nothing clashed with the color of her hair.

  Tiny gems sewn into the deep emerald wedding gown shone and sparkled with every move she made. The style bared her shoulders, and the long sleeves elegantly tapered and sloped in a style that was highly fashionable in court. The tight corset accentuated her curves, while the skirt puffed out in multiple layers down to the floor. A beautiful train with a lace edge, at least four feet long, spread out behind her in an oval shape. Her crown had been collected from the palace and nestled onto her head. It’d taken two hours to arrange her red-copper locks into a delicate and elaborate hairstyle, showcasing her crown.

  In the mirror she looked like a princess on her wedding day, but the confusion and revelations of the last few days dampened her elation and excitement.

  This was all wrong.

  “Are you ready, Your Majesty?” one of the handmaids asked.

  Ana took a deep breath. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

  The handmaids helped her exit the door where the flower girls were waiting. As Ana turned into the corridor, they positioned themselves either side of her long train.

  Since arriving at the Royal Sanctum, the ceremonial building where all royals married, Ana had practiced the route from her room to the altar twice. Ryden had stationed numerous knights along her route, as well as some knights to walk alongside her, which was a fair precaution, but all it did was add further strangeness to the day.

  Usually when Ana had visited the venue, the serenity of the place settled her mind and uplifted her heart with a hopeful and romantic mood. Behind the main building was a beautiful garden, and situated at the end of it was the altar, an open structure where couples exchanged their vows. The walk through the gardens signified the shedding of one’s old life and the embracing the rigor and beauty of a royal life together. It was a sacred place to wed, and Ana had been looking forward to her wedding day for years; the day she would finally echo the marital vows of her ancestors and every queen who had come before her. But the venue had lost some of its magic. Maybe it was the knights who surrounded her, maybe it was her lingering concerns about Ryden, or maybe the absence of her parents weighed heavily on her. Either way, the idyllic beauty she’d imagined for her day wasn’t there.

  However, as Ana reached to the top of the stairs where she would begin her walk to the altar, it was hard not to be in awe of the sight of the grounds before her. The altar’s legendary gardens spread out, vast and luscious in its abundance, color and greenery. Tables and chairs set with satin emerald and white lace were decorated with flowers. The tables dotted the main area where the invited guests were waiting. A private woodland bracketed the gardens on one side, and on the other was a public viewing area where the Allandis people had gathered to watch, cheering when they saw Ana. Next to the altar, an orchestra played, the melodious strings soaring through the air and finally tugging on her spirits.

  Ryden had already made his walk and stood under the thick archway decorated with flowers. She could just about make out his smile as he looked back at her.

  At her entrance, the orchestra’s music faded and the white-robed herald at the bottom of the stairs cleared his throat. “His and Her Majesties, royal houses, Lords and Ladies, give way for our royal bride, her Majesty, Princess Analisa of Allandis.”

  Guests from the royal houses and high society all looked upon her expectantly as the orchestra struck up again. Ana took a breath to steady her nerves. This was the most iconic part of all royal weddings—the bride’s walk across the gardens. All she had to do was make her way down the steps, through the guests, and to the altar—the guests had even parted to make an aisle for her.

  Ana began to descend down the steps keeping her head high. She took in the beauty of the sights before her and tried to draw upon the excitement of the event and ignore the signs that things weren’t perfect—such as the large number of knights positioned around the edges of the gardens or that the most important people in her life were not there. Milly wasn’t among the guests smiling in encouragement, Mother wasn’t standing at the edge of the altar in her favorite ceremonial dress, and Father was not waiting at the foot of the stairs, waiting to assist her along the aisle.

  Ana swallowed hard, pushing back the lump in her throat, and kept her eyes on Ryden, reminding herself that this was her true ascension into adulthood. She reached the bottom of the stairs and forced herself to relax as she began her walk.

  A series of loud whips followed by muffled puncture sounds disoriented her. Then, all at once, every escorting knight around her fell to the ground, each with an arrow protruding from their chests. Ana froze—a silent horror building as their bodies twitched and jerked. When the flower girls began screaming, the shrill jolted her out of her stupor. Her head snapped up to Ryden, but he was too far away. Around the gardens, knights stumbled, as if attacked by some invisible force, and many dropped down like her guards had.

  The guests realized what was happening and their voices rose in alarm as they began to run for shelter. The orchestra stopped playing abruptly, and the din from the crowd of commoners rose.

  Ana couldn’t help but scream at the horror of the
dead bodies that surrounded her. Limp and crooked, some with open mouths of horror or surprise. The Alphas on the ground were men who were supposed to protect her, and terror gripped her at the idea she was so exposed and vulnerable.

  She looked around frantically, trying to determine where the arrows were coming from or who was attacking them, but strange men suddenly appeared in the gardens. Huge, bulky Alphas dressed in layers of brown and grey, gripped swords or daggers. Each wore a black cloak with a hood that whipped around them as they attacked the remaining knights. Ana’s heart jumped into her throat. Their black cloaks were almost the same as Maddoc’s red one.

  He was here.

  Grabbing her skirts, she ran toward the altar. All she needed to do was get to Ryden and he would protect her—he’d said he could. She could see him looking at the guests and yelling but couldn’t hear what he was saying. Just as his eyes landed on her, and relief softened his face, his whole right side jerked backward and he stumbled before falling to his knees, a thick arrow protruding from his shoulder.

  Ana screamed, her fear blooming so quickly it overwhelmed her. No! Ryden couldn’t be shot. She ran harder to get to him, but the guests scattered across the gardens blocking and obscuring her way as they tried to head to an exit.

  A bellowing roar of multiple voices filled the air and the crowd slowed in confusion, giving her a chance to see an army of royal knights charge into the gardens from nearly every angle. She almost cried with relief at the sight of the royal insignia on their chests and the flag that rippled above their heads. Her father was here too! A sudden urge to find her father cut through her fear. No matter what happened between them, he would protect her, but she couldn’t leave Ryden.

  The quickening swish and clash of metal, deep grunts and yells signaled that the gardens had turned into a battleground and screeches filled her ears as the crowd became wilder in their attempt to get away, but she pushed forward unsure if she was still looking for Ryden or seeking out the protection of her father. She wasn’t even sure where she was in the gardens anymore, but when a man stepped in front of her, parting the crowd like a rock in a creek, her whole body jolted, her horror turning into pure terror.