by Zoey Ellis
As his horse picked up a comfortable speed, he glanced down to see her staring straight ahead, her jaw tight, and her body rigid. “What is your name?”
She didn’t answer, and annoyance flared in his chest. Grabbing her chin, he turned her face up toward him. “Your name?”
“I owe you nothing,” she said, yanking away from his grip.
Releasing a growl, Thorec dropped the reins and lifted her up, turning her to face him. She yelped, gripping onto his arms to steady her balance as he sat her down and arranged her legs around his hips. “You will give me an answer!”
The female pressed her lips together as she glared at him. “I demand you release me.”
He almost chuckled at her audacity as he grabbed the reins again. “There is no chance of that happening, little Omega.”
“So I’m your prisoner now?”
“Yes.”
A scowl returned her lips. “You Alphas think you have the right to dominate and control everything that you put your hands on—”
“You are lucky my hand is all you got,” he shot back, his voice gritty. “Do you think most Alphas would have ignored that pretty slit of yours? So soft, and fragrant, and wet?”
The Omega inhaled sharply, and her hands flew to cup between her legs as if that could do anything to erase the feel of her, the scent of her from his mind. “You took my panties,” she mumbled, accusingly.
“Yes. They were in the way.”
“I would like them back.”
The corner of Thorec’s mouth quirked up. “They are evidence.”
When she didn’t reply, he glanced down at her, and she stared at him with such malice, his cock jerked. “Until you give me the answers I want, you will not be released.”
She scowled, lowering her head as she fumed. They continued on for a few more moments before she spoke again, her voice softer. “Ria. My name is Ria.”
Thorec made a noise at the back of his throat. Pretty. It suited her. “How did you get into the mountains?”
She glanced up at him guardedly. “I found a way in.”
“Past that guard? I find that doubtful. I trained him myself.”
Her grip on his arms loosened a little as she adjusted to the gait of the horse underneath them, and his eyes were drawn to the sway of her breasts under her tunic. “There are other ways into the mountains,” she responded. “You cannot guard them all.”
She could only be talking about the wilder entry points into the mountain range, but in her flimsy little tunic, it was unlikely that she had used those routes. It appeared as though she’d traveled from a warmer climate, then something suddenly occurred to him. He released one hand from the reins to grab her jaw, lifting her face up until her eyes were back on him. “Are you a Talent-crafter?” News that Omegas used magic to conceal their hormonal Omega traits to hide their scents had spread across the entire empire when the Omega Empress was inaugurated. The whole idea of hiding one’s dynamic was atrocious as far as Thorec was concerned. Alphas could only be Alphas if Omegas were their true selves—they shouldn’t hide what they were. But if Omegas could use magic to create portals and weapons, it would make sense that this Omega had used a portal to enter the mountains.
Wariness bled into her gaze at his words, and her mouth tightened slightly.
“Magic doesn’t always work near the Ariyon mountains,” he said, answering the question in her gaze. “Their natural energy makes it unreliable. What were you doing there?”
“Nothing that concerns you, Alpha.”
“You may call me General Thorec.”
“I will not be in your company long enough to call you anything.” She wrinkled her nose, almost offended at the idea.
“You will be unable to use magic to escape from me if that is what you are planning,” he said sternly. “The mountains disrupt magic over this whole area, and my base is protected to prevent the use of magic.”
Her eyes flickered away from him as she digested what he said. “And what do you hope to do with me?” she asked, her voice low.
Thorec remained silent as he continued to guide the horse. His cock still throbbed, reminding him of his intentions to get between her legs; however, this was no longer the world before the Omegas had been found. The emperor himself had made agreements about Omegas, and Thorec should report he has one. Something in him rejected that idea, but if she was a Talent-crafter, how could he not? When the Lox had claimed the Eastern Lands, magic had been outlawed. It was only recently that the emperor relaxed those laws for Omegas, but only for those recognized to the empire. He glanced down at her again and released his hold on her jaw. “Have you come from the palace?”
The Omega held his gaze but didn’t answer.
“Where have you come from?” Thorec asked, though his tone made it more of a demand.
She set her mouth in a thin line. “I’ve told you all you need to know.”
“What I know is that you are a trespasser and potentially an illegal Talent-crafter. You haven’t told me why you were in the mountains in the first place. Surely you would have heard that they don’t take too kindly to intruders?”
“They’ve never been so sensitive before,” she said. “Only since the Lox have turned up, claiming everything in sight as their own, have the mountain people become wary and suspicious of everyone who enters.”
“How could you know that?” Thorec asked. “That was the first time you’ve been there, whether you’ve used magic or not.”
Her head shot up. “How do you know that?”
Thorec recalled what he had witnessed when he arrived. “You asked to speak to someone who spoke the Common Tongue.”
She stared at him blankly. “So?”
“So they were speaking the Common Tongue.”
The Omega blinked her pretty eyes. “They were?”
Thorec nodded. “They speak a different dialect—I think because they are so segregated from the rest of the empire. But you have to listen carefully to understand. You offended them.”
The Omega was quiet for a long moment. “I didn’t realize that,” she murmured, almost to herself. “My information about them was... incomplete.”
Thorec frowned as he looked down at her. This female became more interesting by the moment. “Where did you get this information from?”
As suspected, she didn’t answer, but Thorec’s mind was trying to pull together all he knew about Omegas. He didn’t know where or how they’d been discovered, only that they resided in the Lox Palace in Ashens under the security of the empress. They were introduced to the empire gradually, and usually took part in… those fucking pairing rituals to find a mate among the warriors of the Lox army. Thorec’s stomach tightened. “Answer me. Do you have an Alpha?”
The female’s gaze hardened. “That is not your concern.”
A surge of violent annoyance crashed against Thorec’s hard-fought-for control. “It is of great concern,” he bellowed.
She flinched at his volume but didn’t break eye contact.
“If you have an Alpha, he is fucking irresponsible,” Thorec ground out, his annoyance continuing to rise. “You shouldn’t be roaming the Lands unattended.”
“Unattended?” Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. “I cannot be unattended because I’m an Omega?”
Thorec leaned forward, his blended annoyance and possessive desire bounding wildly in his chest. “Yes. Because that enticing scent of yours will make every Alpha who smells you want to fuck you raw. This cannot be news to you, little Ria. Surely you have some intelligence beneath all that beauty?”
To his surprise, a fetching pink glow spread over her honey-colored skin, and even as her eyes narrowed at him, he didn’t miss the swallow in her throat.
Grabbing her jaw again, he checked her neck for a claiming bite, and a bluster of relief rose after discovering there was nothing signifying she had been mated. “You will tell me now if you are betrothed,” he ordered, pulling her eyes back to his. “I want to know if you
took part in any of the pairing events at the palace.”
“No,” she muttered. “I am not betrothed.”
The agitation in him calmed immediately. Good.
“And I will not be held by an authority I don’t recognize,” she continued, her eyes shone brightly. “So if you intend to hold me, I intend to escape.”
Thorec relished the thrill that shot through his body. This woman was tiny in comparison to him, and yet she had the nerve to challenge him. She had to be one of the most exciting finds the mountains had ever produced. Squeezing her jaw slightly, he leaned in, his voice a deep rumble. “Fucking try it.”
Their gazes locked, and the unsaid battle in their glares sparked a potent, unbridled desire in Thorec. His hand moved of its own accord. Releasing her jaw, he lowered his hand to between her legs, pushing away her hands to reach for her delicate folds once again—thankful her tunic was pushed up as she sat perched on his steed. He was acutely aware that there was no scent or mind-fog this time—no uncontrollable instincts to spur him on. He simply needed to touch her.
The Omega grabbed his thick forearm in alarm, attempting to push his hand away, but as soon as his fingers brushed her clit, she bloomed into the most beautiful sight Thorec had ever seen. Her face softened into an expression of bliss, a long moan reverberated in her throat, and a shudder twisted through her little body.
Thorec growled and pressed firmer against her, playing with her clit as he watched the pleasure transform her face. Her breathing deepened as she writhed and twitched, jutting her hips forward for more of his touch. Fuck. The scent of her slick called to him, beckoning him to lick and suck her until she came in his mouth. He withdrew his slickened fingers and watched her lean against his arm, his bicep cradling her head, as he put his fingers in his mouth.
The taste of her was like a rejoicing throughout his entire body. Every nerve in his body burst alive with desire, innate recognition, and such a fierce need to claim that could only be attributed to one truth; this Omega was his.
Chapter Two
RIA
Ria already hated the general and his annoying, brazen arrogance. But even more she hated the preening satisfaction that blossomed in her at the sight of pure pleasure on his face when he pushed his slick-drenched fingers into his mouth.
She didn’t know what he had done, but a primitive part of her had awoken when he’d touched her in the valley—a part of her she didn’t recognize. That part of her had reveled in the heady scent wafting from him; it enjoyed the demanding and authoritative nature of his voice, and longed for him to spread her wide and fuck her any way he pleased. She was ashamed of how overwhelming the desire for him had been—how powerfully it had pushed all reasonable thought out of her mind. It had only been a sliver of dignity she’d managed to hold onto that she hadn’t growled at him to move faster when he’d dragged off her panties.
Even with her scent muted again, that primitive part of her seemed to have lingered, because she couldn’t ignore the way he continued to affect her. Both he and his horse were enormous enough to make her feel secure, and he caged her in as he held the reins. His stimulating scent still kept her highly aware of him, and his grey eyes locked on to her fiercely, awarding her attention she didn’t even realize she wanted… It felt right, even though it couldn’t be. He was a Lox Alpha, one of the generals, and ultimately, her adversary. He’d behaved exactly as an adversary would—throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, as though he had every right to, and holding her as his prisoner, just like Alphas have always done with Omegas. He was getting in the way of what she needed to do, and she should not be succumbing to any sort of satisfaction in his arms.
“You taste delicious, my brave challenger.” The husk in his voice made a shiver tickle up her spine. When she glanced up, the Alpha was leaning over her, pleasure still etched on his face, though there was something different about his eyes now. “I shall indeed enjoy you.”
“I am not a delicacy,” she said sharply. “You frequently touch me without permission, Alpha. Do you even see anything wrong with that? Do you think it is your right to touch an Omega however you want, even with the Omega empress in place?”
The Alpha’s expression shifted, although she couldn’t tell what had changed. “I don’t recall you fighting me when I was taking off your panties.”
She clenched her fist, ready to punch the smirk off of his face, but she doubted he would even feel anything. She couldn’t fight or escape him while her access to magic was disrupted. At the moment, the loss of her magic scared her more than the Alpha—it was her security, her comfort, and the only way she could protect herself.
Ria closed her eyes against the sight of the Alpha as she rested her head on his thick arm, ignoring the violent protest that stormed within her that he’d stopped touching her. It was a dangerous trap—one her own body was creating, but it wasn’t as though she wasn’t aware of it.
She’d known that she would eventually come across some of the Lox’s Alphas, but this one was dangerous. He had all the typical traits of an Alpha; enormous, bulky, and arrogant. He also happened to be good-looking in a rough and rugged way, and there was something about the way he moved, his growly voice, and the wariness in his grey eyes that was… well, incredibly sexy. The stern way he behaved with the mountain people revealed he was hardened in a way she hadn’t seen often. It wasn’t surprising with older Alphas for them to be even more bone-headed, rude, and stubborn than their younger, rasher counterparts, but with this general, there was something else…
Ria firmly pushed the thoughts away. She didn’t know this Alpha, and she wasn’t going to try to understand him. It didn’t make any difference to achieving her goal.
The mountain people of Ariyon had proved more sensitive than she’d anticipated. She admired their right and desire to be completely secluded from the rest of Ariyon and the Eastern Lands, but they’d perceived her as a threat, not understanding that she held no ill will toward them. It was the Lox who had made them so agitated, so suspicious and unwilling to listen. She couldn’t blame them—the Lox had a way of enraging people. She had to go back and apologize, then find a way to get the answers she needed.
At the sound of baying animals, she inched her eyes open to see that they were passing several farms and fields. She knew that Ariyon had some farming land, as well as some villages. Based on her memory of the map, she had an idea where she was. All she needed to do was escape before the general took her into his magically blocked base. As long as she didn’t end up in there, she would be fine.
Closing her eyes again, she reached out and felt for magic. Thankfully it was present, though it blinked in and out of existence in some areas beyond her reach. She slowly exhaled a breath of relief. Although its unusual behavior was worrying, the main thing was that she was able to draw on it and use it in whatever way she could to escape. She has to be ready for the right time, and she could tell it was approaching.
As they slowed, Ria kept her mind alert and prepared to draw upon magic, even though she was in an incredibly awkward position on the horse.
Finally, the horse came to a stop, and as the Alpha called out to someone nearby, Ria took advantage of his distraction.
Calling strands of magic, she weaved a portal, directing it low to the ground next to the horse, and before anyone could draw the general’s attention to it, she slipped underneath his arm and pushed herself off the horse.
The Alpha bellowed, and his fingernails scraped her ankle, but he was unable to grab hold of her. Falling awkwardly, she braced for impact just in case the portal disappeared suddenly, but the cold rush all over her body told her it had worked.
The hard, dusty ground hit her on the other side, but she jumped to her feet as quickly as she could. Because of the inconsistent magic in the area, she’d only managed to create a portal that would take her a few feet away. Looking around, she saw the Alpha was already sliding off his horse, his grey eyes stormy as he landed on the ground, a
nd he was glaring directly at her.
Ria turned and ran as hard as she could away from him, but she knew he was already running after her—she heard his heavy boots eating up the distance between them. Calling on magic again, she focused her mind as she ran and weaved another portal directly in front of her. When she jumped through it, it took her another few feet away, lengthening the distance again between her and the Alpha.
The general roared as she landed and continued running; his voice was like a war cry. He was excited by this chase, and as much as she was confused by the emotion, his excitement was infectious. Annoyingly, her slick gathered as she ran, and she fought hard to ignore the hardening of her nipples. What the fuck was happening to her body? She didn’t have time to think about it, but she knew the fluttering in her stomach wasn’t caused by fear alone.
She angled toward the nearest field, heading to the farmhouse on one side of the land. Hopefully, the presence of greenery and animals stabilized the magic there, and she could create a portal that could maintain a longer distance.
Glancing over her shoulder, she realized she couldn’t hear the Alpha. She held her breath as she continued to run, listening carefully for any sound of him, the gruff exhales of his exertion, or the heavy clomping of his footsteps. But there was nothing.
She turned to look and was surprised to find that he was to no where to be seen. That couldn’t be right. Glancing around her as she continued running, she knew he wouldn’t have given up. If he’d stopped chasing her, then he probably headed somewhere to capture her—although from the little she knew of him, that didn’t seem like his style. Besides, she could feel him watching her.
Slowing to a stop, she eyed the farmhouse. Maybe heading there was a trap. What if he’d somehow arrived ahead of her? Quietening her mind, Ria felt for magic. To her dismay, the entire area was patchy.
“Shit!” If she couldn’t find a way out of there immediately, there was no doubt the general would catch her. Annoyed, she reached out as far as possible and found a large mass of magic several yards away behind a rundown building near the farmhouse. She could definitely create a portal to get out of Ariyon entirely from there.
