Reign to Rule

by Zoey Ellis

  Emric sighed. “I’m telling you because he told me that you cannot choose your bonded mate, and he was right. He forced me to give my Alpha a chance and I’m glad he did.” Emric rose to his feet, holding his plate and bowl, his eyes piercing Amara. “If I thought that you truly understood and accepted him for what he was, then I would be frightfully, but gladly, speaking out of turn and telling him to find a way to forgive you. But I found you in the red dungeon, and I know that you are still not considering what would happen if he lost everything, and how that would affect him or the Lands. As much as you want him to forgive you, you are still working against him. And that, I cannot understand.”

  ***

  Emric’s words haunted Amara. She had fully rationalized the reasons why she was still in agreement with the idea of the Mothers taking the children, fully explained to herself why she wanted to get more information to them, but Emric had made her seem selfish for doing so.

  He escorted her back to Malloron's rooms, where two new guards awaited, and then bid her farewell. She wandered around the rooms listlessly, unable to discard the guilt that had risen from his words. It wasn't as though he was completely wrong, Malloron had indeed taken action to support and protect her. The biggest revelation of what Emric had said was that King Malloron was not friends with Emperor Drocco. From the way in which they had acknowledged each other when Cailyn was going back through the portal, Amara had assumed that they were solid allies, she had no idea that Drocco had attacked Eiros Castle to get Cailyn back. That meant, when Malloron brought Cailyn to see her, he would have had to get Drocco to allow it.

  The idea he had done that for her made her feel strange. Maybe Emric was right, maybe she didn't know all the things that Malloron did for her. But it wasn't just about that. While Amara could not expect Malloron to change completely for her, she wasn't capable of ignoring the way he treated people like disposable objects. Many of the things that she believed in could not simply be changed overnight, but even if she wanted to, she just couldn’t agree with that. Emric was expecting her to make allowances for Malloron, but what allowances was Malloron making for her? It had to be a give-and-take. And yet Malloron had asked Emric for loyalty, obedience, and truth. Was that what he needed to trust someone? She had only ever given him one of those things.

  As the evening stretched into night, Amara made a decision. She would try to repair her relationship with Malloron until the children were born—she had to try, for all their sakes—but if he continued to reject her, she would have to find ways to protect them. After all, he was right; it wasn’t possible to choose your true mate, and since the Mothers had told her that it was all right to choose him if she wanted to, she would. She would choose him and hope that he recognized that.

  That night, she was awake when Malloron entered her nest. He pulled her into his arms as he normally did, and began purring for her. She nuzzled into him and soaked in his warmth and attention and the soothing vibration. Once the internal vibrations that existed within her had settled, she kissed his chest. He stilled as she pressed her lips slowly into the smooth skin that covered his taut muscle. She kissed along his chest until she reached his nipple, and then darted her tongue out to lick it. A gruff exhale came from the Alpha and his arms around her tightened. She licked it again, and again, loving the sound from his throat and the way one of his hands lowered to grip her ass and the other buried into her scalp.

  She kissed her way back up to the base of his neck and licked the dip in the center moaning at the taste of his skin on her tongue.

  In a swift movement, Malloron rolled on top of her, and she spread her legs eagerly as pure delight shot through her.

  “Amara.” He said her name as though he was tortured by it, and she could see from his eyes that he was conflicted. She didn't say anything, she simply wrapped her legs around him and tilted her hips. There was no way he couldn't tell that she was aroused and wanted him. It was up to him.

  She didn’t have to wait long. He slid into her with one hard thrust and she cried out in both relief and joy. It was the first time she felt his skin against hers while he was inside her since her Haze, and it was fucking incredible. He was so warm and smooth and hard and she couldn't stop running her hands all over him.

  He began slow, working in and out of her as though he was trying to savor every moment; he ran a hand over her stomach and then trailed his fingers over her breast until he reached her nipple, playing with it so gently as he filled her to the hilt and then slowly withdrew. The tingling sensations sparked through her, causing her to gasp in both shock and delight. This was what she had always wanted from him, this was what the bond required. For the first time, the bond expanded and revolved, and it actually felt pleasurable within her chest.

  Malloron lapped at her nipple, and she couldn't help but moan as he sucked her gently. She gyrated her hips up so that he filled her deeper, and then she began to fuck him from underneath. She just couldn't get enough, she needed more. He was moving too slow and she needed it, desperately.

  Malloron gripped her leg and opened her wide, as he lifted from her breast to look at her humping her pussy up on his cock. And then he chuckled.

  An incredible swoop in Amara's stomach almost took her breath away. His smile and laughter was the best thing she had heard or seen since arriving back at the castle. She stared at him and he stared back at her, but this time his eyes were soft and warm and looking at her as though she were a puzzle to figure out.

  She reached a hand up to cup his cheek. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

  Malloron's eyes widened and he gripped her hips to still her motion.

  “I'm sorry I didn't bite you back immediately,” she clarified. “I would have done it eventually. I just wanted answers.” She took a breath. “In the Omega Compound, we are taught to be independent and look after ourselves. I know I’m an Omega, but it’s not in me to allow myself to be looked after. I have a single focus about the children, because they were my biggest mission, and also because they are children. It just doesn't sit well with me that things can happen to them and I don’t do anything about it. It is partly the way we are trained, but it's also the way I am. Do you understand?”

  Malloron's eyes never left hers. His warm brown gaze had intensified as she spoke, but she couldn't tell whether he truly understood what she was saying or not. As the silence between them lengthened, the joy she was feeling dipped at the idea that maybe he truly could not understand her or what she was saying. Maybe he didn't care. Maybe he was incapable. Either way, it would put her at a disadvantage if she was the mate of an Alpha who didn’t understand her.

  Then she noticed him moving closer to her. She stiffened, her body already clenching around his cock, her legs wrapped around his hips, but as his arms scooped her up, cradling her torso as his lips descended on to hers, she relaxed.

  He kissed her as though it was the first time. Slow, explorative, and tender, as though he had never tasted her before. Her tongue grazed against his and she drifted into a comfortable glee as he claimed her mouth, his kisses becoming more urgent and powerful as he delved deeper. Then his hips began to move, withdrawing that incredible cock of his before slamming back in.

  His movements were urgent as his kisses became rough and she ran her arms around his neck and stroked her fingers through his hair as he continued to dominate both her mouth and her pussy. He groaned as he worked them both into a heated frenzy, the wet slam between their bodies becoming louder and harder, her legs opening wider as she accepted him in, her back arching as her eyes rolled from the pleasure of how deep he was reaching inside her. Malloron clung to her like a man possessed, gripping her hard and not allowing the sensations all over her body to jolt her mouth away from his.

  As her peak hit, a wickedly wild, carnal, shuddering whirlwind gripped her entire body; he growled into her mouth sending a cascade of orgasms rocketing through her. He finally lifted his mouth from hers and fucked her through it, holding her legs open as he
caressed and pinched her body.

  When her orgasm finally faded, she was crushed underneath him, but her heart soared when she felt the pleasurable pain of the stretch between her legs that signified he knotted her. Finally. She kissed his chest again, as her panting faded, glad that she at last had him the way that she wanted him. One of the vibrations inside her changed, going from a revolving flutter to a soft rumble, and she closed her eyes, taking comfort in it, hoping that she and her Alpha had begun to repair their relationship.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MALLORON

  Malloron pulled together threads of magic to create a portal, trying to ignore the joy and sense of satisfaction that had transformed his mood from the encounter with Amara. He shouldn't be feeling that way because he shouldn't be listening to her.

  Of course he wanted to believe her, but words were tricky things. They could be taken back when someone's mood changed, they could be used to deceive, as he was completely familiar with. Amara tried to explain who she was, but he already knew who she was. That wasn't the issue, the issue was whether she would commit to him, knowing that they were at odds with each other in many ways. The issue was whether she realized that he could not change himself to be with her, because he was a king. There were certain expectations and behaviors that he had to fulfill in order to rule. She may not like it, but she had to accept it and trust him anyway. And she couldn’t.

  As the portal stabilized, Elion stepped through. He moved slow, still suffering from the effects of the battle between Malloron and Brecc’s Talent-crafters.

  “I'm glad you’re alive, brother,” Elion greeted.

  Malloron said nothing. He gestured to the couch in the meeting room they were in. It was more casual than the ones he usually met merchants in, but he wanted to give Elion one final experience of the nicer side of the castle before he was killed for treason.

  He sat on the couch opposite and waited for Elion to start.

  “Do you have any wine,” Elion said, grinning nervously.

  “I told you I’d give you a chance to explain,” Malloron said fiercely. “This is your chance. I have plenty of other things I need to do, so get on with it.”

  Elion took a breath. “You were too young to experience what our childhood was like,” he said. “When I was born, our mother was happy and beautiful. She played with us all the time, she read us stories, and she was involved in every aspect of our lives. She used to have us take over the kitchens during the lazy afternoons and cook our own meals. And even though we couldn’t always create food that was fit for eating, it was a hell of a lot of fun. Father was also much happier. He didn't speak to us as frequently, but he did smile a lot more and allowed us to get away with more too.” Elion paused for a moment before continuing. “After you were born, we noticed that things began to change. Mother was not as happy as she had been, and Father seemed to be constantly angry. He found ways to blame us for everything and they argued frequently. A lot of the time we thought it was because of us, and although Mother tried to assure us that wasn't the case, Father never once confirmed or denied it. We became anxious to please him, to reassure ourselves that the discord in the family was not because of us.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Instead of doing that, he repeatedly told us that you were the only thing that was good about the family. He made you out to be some kind of special child that would go on to do amazing things and save the family from dishonor in the Lands. He also ensured that we hardly spent any time with you. By the time you were eight, a lot of resentment had built.” Elion raised his palms. “I know that none of that was your fault, but we were young too.”

  Malloron leaned forward, also resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t give a shit about what caused your behavior toward me when we were children,” he said in a growl. “I want to know why the fuck you betrayed me by giving our family documents to Brecc. You were the one who warned me about the other rulers. You were the one who was upset when you saw what I did to the temple. You have pretended all this time to have some kind of concern for the royal family when all the time you were helping them to try to destroy me. Why?”

  Elion swallowed, his eyes lowering. “I miss them, Malloron. I miss our brothers and sisters.”

  Malloron’s face contorted. “What?”

  “You were practically brought up as an only child,” Elion said. “But I grew up with them. My love of the Visant family is tied to my memories of my childhood with them. Of course I want the royal family line preserved, but I also wanted my siblings released from the tormented life that you have chosen to give them. I'm not saying that they didn't deserve it,” he added quickly. “But it has been years. They have paid their dues and served their time.”

  “So you betrayed me so that they could be released?” Malloron said in disbelief. “You gave Brecc precious and irreplaceable documents just to get those fucks out of their deserved prisons?”

  “I wasn't giving him anything that precious to start with,” Elion insisted. “I knew that you would be able to protect yourself and the throne against anything that he would have derived from what I was giving him. But I forgot that Mother had started to distribute Grandfather’s research into different books. Brecc saw a couple of pages that she had sewn into one of the books I gave him, and he used my desire to have our brothers and sisters released to make me get him more.”

  Malloron shot to his feet, agitated. So that was how the random page had ended up in the Visant spell book Eighty-four. “Why was Mother distributing it?”

  “She was trying to hide them gradually. She said she didn’t want anyone to have knowledge of what Grandfather had done to her,” Elion said. “She didn’t want any other Omega to be subjected to his research.” He watched Malloron as he paced the room. “I thought that might mean it had been powerful, but I didn’t know exactly what she meant.”

  “Did she tell you where she distributed them?”

  Elion shook his head. “Not all of them. But I should have checked before I gave anything to Brecc.”

  Malloron breathed heavily as he clenched and unclenched his fingers, hardly able to believe that Elion had taken steps that led to the destruction of the Visant family for the sake of his brothers and sisters. It was unbelievable.

  “I was counting on the fact that you were proficient in the Talent to challenge anything that Brecc would do with the information,” Elion said miserably, his head low. “Whenever I brought it up, you seemed convinced he could do no harm.”

  “I didn’t know he was collecting Grandfather’s fucking research!” Malloron barked.

  Elion nodded. “I know.” He looked up. “But you also sometimes mentioned that even if you weren’t able to rule, you weren’t the last of Visant blood, so I hoped that meant you would release them eventually. But I realized that would never be the case.” He watched Malloron as he paced. “And when you took Illora, that cemented my decision to get them out.”

  Malloron spun around to face him, growling deep and long. It seemed Elion would never get this fucking dead Beta woman out of his head.

  “I decided that even if we had to leave the Western Lands, I wanted to be with the family I was happy with when I was younger.” His voice lowered as his eyes held Malloron. “I know we did horrible things to you, Malloron, and I apologize on behalf of us all for that, but they are my brothers and sisters. You could never understand that kind of connection.”

  “Oh, I understood it,” Malloron bellowed. “I understood it until you all broke it. Repeatedly.”

  Elion nodded again, his expression somber. He rose to his feet. “What would you like me to do next?”

  “What did Brecc promise you when you gave him this information?”

  “He said he would get all our siblings released.”

  “And did he?”

  Elion’s hesitation told Malloron all he needed to know. If his brothers and sisters were smart, they would get out of the Western Lands undetected while it was in chaos. If they we
ren’t…

  “I want you to locate all the books that Mother had sewn Grandfather’s research into. Every single one you can remember.”

  Elion inclined his head in agreement. “And then?”

  Malloron turned toward the door. “And then you are no longer useful to me, Elion.”

  ***

  “Your Majesty,” Emric called, as he hurried up to Malloron in the corridor. “The citizens are starting to riot. Have you thought any more about addressing them?”

  “Not yet, Emric,” Malloron barked, irritation burning through him. “I've yet to decide on what to do about the rulers.”

  “I understand, Your Majesty,” Emric responded. “How would you like me to deal with the riots? We have a big army now, perhaps I can try to subdue the crowds, or maybe some can be arrested as an example to the others?”

  Malloron slowed to a stop, Amara's words resounding in his ears. Nothing can thrive and be healthy in a hostile environment. “No,” he said. “Where are the riots happening?”

  “Right outside the castle city gates, Your Majesty. I hear that some are also breaking out in some of the other countries but of course our main priority is Eiros.”

  Malloron inhaled deeply as he thought. “It is not just Eiros that I rule now, Emric. Provide those outside the city gates with water, food, clothing, and bedding. Instruct our soldiers to patrol the areas in pairs—one warrior and one Talent-crafter. Do the same for the riots in the other countries.”

  Emric stared at him. “But Your Majesty,” he stuttered. “How will I know what is going on in the other countries?”

  “Put together a team of assistants to support you, people you believe will do a good job and place them in the different countries. Contact the merchants we have deals with there. Find out from them what is happening and then provide the assistants with whatever they need to correct the behavior. This is not permanent, only a solution for now. The priority is to ensure that the countries do not collapse before we are able to come to some kind of arrangement with the rulers… if we are able to come to any at all.”