Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I shrug. “No.”
“They said something about you stealing women and girls from the kingdom. They’re afraid of you.”
“As they should be.” I admire the way her curves are visible beneath the gossamer gown I designed and created especially for her luscious body. The fabric is so sheer, it hides nothing, yet wearing it gives her the sense of being covered. While I’m no longer actively in rut, my lust for her is still profound.
“So you did? Take the women? And… girls?”
Her horrified tone makes me stop comparing her nipples to leeberries and glance up at her face. “Of course not. I’m not a thief. Nor am I unnecessarily cruel. Whenever I required… female company—” her eyes narrow and I hasten to add, “—before you arrived, my pet—I made sure to find a willing participant.”
The Omega is jealous. How adorable. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she turns her back on me and pretends to be interested in the lake.
I continue, “I am glad that is no longer necessary. Now, I have you.”
There’s a long pause. I consider telling her that every other female I had before her pales by comparison. Not because they were bad but because she is spectacular. A genuine Omega. The first to send me into rut. The first I have knotted. The first I wish to keep.
“Are you pouting, my pet?”
She ignores my question. “If you didn’t take them… who did?”
“In all likelihood, it was the Stone King. He was obsessed with the idea of finding a mate. A queen. An Omega. We Alphas do love our Omegas.”
She mutters something I don’t catch.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” She sounds petulant. My palm itches to spank her, but I do enjoy her little flashes of defiance. Always a good excuse to punish her later. “If you knew it was the Stone King, did you do anything to stop him?”
I examine my claws. “The Stone King’s power was based on rot and decay. Pyreda has natural defenses to such magic. He only would have been able to successfully lure females to him via some form of deception. In other words, they would have made a deliberate choice to leave.”
Moving away from the window, she comes over to face me, her arms crossed over her chest. “That’s a fancy way of saying you didn’t do anything.”
“In all honesty, I did not know he was luring females away.” I might have, if I had heeded the missives from my subjects, but Renee doesn’t need to know that. “He was obsessed with the thought of finding a mate. A queen. An Omega. As long as I’ve been alive, there have been rumors of hidden Omegas—Ulfarri Omegas—who went underground to avoid being taken by Alphas against their will. He would have been targeting them.”
“And you let him.”
Getting out of my chair, I rise to my full height, towering over the tiny Hoo-man. The shadow my wings cast swallows her whole body. “Pyreda is unconquerable. Only a demon can rule this land of smoke and fire. My power is absolute.” Ulf, I sound like my father.
Renee scoffs, unfazed. “It’s obviously not, if you let women get deceived by some shitty king.”
Bristling, I glare down at her. “The Stone King is dead, and his search for Omegas died with him. Not to mention, it would be impossible to control all my subjects' actions.”
“But you could do your job as ruler. I can’t say I’ve seen you do any form of governing while I’ve been here. Nor do I see any councilors or other staff doing it for you. Why be king if you’re not gonna rule?”
I sink back into my chair to disguise my rising temper. “The world is harsh. Cruel. Unforgiving. Only strength will save you. My father taught me that coddling and indulging your subjects leads to ruin. They grow weak, incapable of fending for themselves. Worse, they get demanding, greedy… I won’t have Pyreda filled with petulant children.”
“They didn’t seem like petulant children to me.” Renee wrinkles her speckled nose. She refers to her markings as freckles. “Just scared. Scared of the threats you won’t protect them from, and scared of you.”
“As they should be.” I dig my claws into the ancient carved armrests, fighting to keep my voice level.
The Omega’s eyes are curious, unafraid. Who does she think she is, to make such accusations? Does she have no idea how close I am to pouncing on her? “Do you at least keep an eye on your subjects?” she asks. “Make sure they have enough food? Keep them safe from that volcano?” She gestures to the window that frames Mount Vracor. It hasn’t smoked or rumbled since I accepted her as my gift. But it’s far from dormant. Even now, I feel the fire in its belly, churning like my own emotions.
My father would never have tolerated this sort of interrogation from anyone, not even his mate. He would have had Renee sobbing and begging by now.