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CHAPTER ONE
Someone else was in her forest.
A thick, muscular arm was visible from several feet away, partially obscured by a twisted, black tree trunk and the early morning mist that still lingered, desperate not to dissipate under the brightening sun.
Naya leaned forward, peering into the clinging mist to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. The tree obscured most of his body, but based on the bulging shoulder alone, the rest of him had to be enormous. An Alpha.
Naya leaned her weight onto her palms and jumped from sitting cross-legged to a tip-toe crouch. Swift, quiet.
No one should be in her dark, gnarled refuge.
How did he even get here? The forest wrapped around almost half of the palace and was only accessible from the Omega village in the lower west grounds. Far on its other side stretched a patch of desolate, grass land—Naya’s favorite spot—and beyond that, a steep, rocky decline led to the rushing Ashens River, so wild that even the empire’s strongest boats couldn’t cross. The forest was closed off from wanderers and strangers, and if anyone attempted to enter it, its trees tangled and wound their branches so tightly it was impossible to traverse farther than a few feet.
Naya could only travel through it because of her ability with magic. At fourteen she started sneaking into the forest, and she’d never seen another person this far in, which was how she preferred it.
Quietly crouched down, she observed the stranger for a few long moments. He didn’t move. She scanned the surrounding area to see if he was waiting for someone, but the forest was silent and motionless like always. On this side of it, the trees were less compact and easier to see between.
Veins scattered along the stranger’s arm. She could see him from behind, his back leaning against the tree. From his relaxed stance, she assumed he thought he was alone. The Omega village that sat between the forest and the palace housed families—it was illegal to enter the village unless you were a resident, and something about the way he held himself made her doubt he was. The forest wasn’t suitable for hunting, so why was he here?
The strangest thing was that she hadn’t heard or felt him arrive—no footsteps, rustling leaves, or voices. If he’d used magic, she would have detected it. The magic that existed in the forest was vastly different from the magic across the rest of the Lox Empire. Ancient and largely undisturbed, its brooding weight had personality.
But she’d felt no sign of it being disturbed, and if she hadn’t happened to glance over, she wouldn’t have known he was there. Maybe Papa was testing her? It wasn’t difficult to figure out where she might be in the vast forest.
From her favorite spot, she could look down over Ashens, the capital city, which sprawled in every direction in its chaotic growth to become the powerful pulse of the Lox Empire. She loved watching its moods but she no longer visited the city. For six years, only the forest had seen her with any frequency. She’d returned to it multiple times a day, battling relentless thoughts, whispering dreams, and a shame so potent, she needed to be alone in order to breathe.
Except now she wasn’t.
A hollow clang startled her out of her thoughts, sending a jolting shock racing to her heart. She snapped a look at the city. The palace tower was nearly visible from here; its noon chime rang out loud and clear. Naya straightened to her full height. The dewy early hours always quietened her thoughts, suspending her in a timeless peace, but it never really was timeless. And now she was late.
Exhaling a harsh hiss through her teeth, Naya pushed her feet in her shoes and straightened her tunic. Before reporting this man to her parents, she needed to ask him exactly what he was doing here. If it was a mistake, maybe she didn’t need to report it at all—it wasn’t as though she were in any danger. But her parents would be concerned to know a someone was in the palace forest, especially with the Omega village so close. It was protected for a reason.
She turned and strode toward him, but then abruptly stopped.
He was gone.
* * *
“Highness!”
The loud whisper hissed down the corridor, harsh and sharp, but Naya ignored it. Quickening her steps, she nodded in greeting at the staff she passed.
The footsteps behind her quickened to match. “Princess Naya!”
Naya kept her pace. She’d never run from anyone or anything before, least of all her aide, and she wasn’t going to start now. She just had to stay far enough ahead of Gilly so she couldn’t slow her down and make her later than she already was.
Weaving through corridors to the lower wing of the palace, Naya finally slowed when she reached the quiet, empty corridor tucked out of the view of the rest of the palace. Along one wall was a row of small rooms; each held a table with two chairs. These pairing rooms were designed for potential Alpha and Omega couples to meet.
Naya smoothed her tunic and took a deep breath, forcing down her jittery nerves. Closing her eyes for a moment, she willed away her anxiety before opening the door to the room.
“Your Highness.” Gilly finally arrived, her chest heaving and the graying bun atop her head wobbling. She stared at Naya, her face pinched in disbelief. “Why are you avoiding me? Your parents need you in the Great Hall. I informed you of this yesterday.”
Naya tilted her head toward the closed door. “This was arranged before that, Gilly.”
Gilly looked at the door then glanced around the corridor, realization spouting in her eyes before returning Naya. “But this can be rearranged at any time, Your Highness. The meeting in the Great Hall is the seasonal audience, and it’s already started. It’s extremely import?—”
“So is this,” Naya insisted. “And it was arranged before that. I’m not going to stand here arguing, Gilly. You can either give me a few moments to do this or you can tell my parents where I am and that you don’t know when I’m coming.”
Gilly exhaled, pressing her fingers into her palms, her face a mix of worry and fear. The emperor and empress were not a couple anyone wanted to disappoint. Naya would never normally put Gilly in this position, but she wouldn’t allow her appointment to be canceled. It was too important.
