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In the darkness of the tent, where she was left for hours to suffer, she refused to cry. But once, when she stared at the mottled patchwork of bruises and burns, her mind swimming with haziness, tears stung her dry, gritty eyes. If her parents found her body.…
A flash of light interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see the beast standing opposite her.
Their eyes remained locked for a long moment.
She met his with the fire of her love for her parents and her home—with the knowledge that she would die protecting them, keeping this monster away from them for as long as possible.
The silence between them heightened.
"We will kill your people first.”
Naya jerked against the wall, his gruff words sharp against the soft comfort of her thoughts.
"We will not engage your army. They are too small to be everywhere at once. We are not.”
Her frail mind lumbered to work, trying to make sense of what he was saying. How big was his army?
“Our army is more than four times the size of yours, and almost all Alpha.” His words stilled her thoughts. “Your army is lazy and complacent. They praise themselves without ever having had a real battle. They will be defeated almost instantly.”
Naya couldn’t help the shuddering breath she sucked in, every inch of her body protesting against the words he growled out.
“The majority of your people will die before your army even realizes we have arrived. Neither will see us coming.”
The little moisture her body had managed to produce spilled onto her cheeks. Her people didn’t deserve that, and neither did her parents, Lonn, all the Alphas she’d trained with, the Omegas, the people of South Saderthorne.
The beast stepped forward, his eyes hard on her, continuing the violent attack of words. “If you choose not to help us, your corpse will lead that charge. Decayed, carved up, with your cunt fucked raw and ripped open, your womb mutilated, and your limbs hollowed. Your corpse will show your empire that their most prized possession could not be saved. Their most powerful Omega was too weak to withstand the Sy Dynasty. Their terror will ease our way.”
He stopped a few feet away. “You will help us”—his voice thrummed out and surrounded her, filling the tent, thick and deep—“or you will become the symbol of defeat across your Lands. No matter where your people try to flee, your defeated corpse will haunt them.”
Naya forced herself to maintain eye contact, but she couldn’t stop the trembling in her limbs. He knew. All this time he knew what she meant to her people. He knew what it would take to wipe out their morale instantly. That was probably why he took her in the first place.
“What does that matter?” she croaked. “You will kill me whether I help you or not.”
"You are more useful alive."
“Why?”
His nose flared. "I have no intention of killing you unless you force me to.” He straightened, clasping his hands behind his back. “We need to move from this area within the next day. If you do not agree to my terms, I will kill you and used your corpse as described."
Thoughts lurched through Naya’s weakened mind, slipping past before she could grasp the point she knew she was missing. "What terms?"
"You tell us all we need to know to prepare for the invasion. In return, we will not needlessly kill your people when we arrive."
“You threatened to stand on their graves,” Naya said bitterly, forcing the words through her dry, cracked lips.
“We will. Of the ones who die. But not all of them have to die.”
"What will you do with them?"
"They will be expelled. Your empire will be the new home for my people. Your people will be free to find a home elsewhere."
"Do you think they will just surrender to you? They will resist you with everything they have."
“Which is not much," he said sharply. "Once your army is gone, your people will have no choice. Some may fight us, yes, and we will kill those who resist, but we will not eradicate them all like we initially planned."
Naya closed her eyes, trying to stanch the effect of his words and his overwhelming presence had on her muddled mind. He was talking about the women and children… Omegas and their families. After everything Omegas had been though, she had to protect them if she could. And yet the idea of helping him sent raw and sickening disgust into every corner of her body. It was a traitorous thought. He’d been smart to offer the lives of the people in exchange, but he didn’t understand that there was no way she would ever betray them. She couldn’t. But she had to do something, knowing that everyone would be cut down without mercy if she didn’t agree. He’d already proven his cruelty.
If she stayed alive, there was at least a chance to escape and warn her father. Maybe she could learn who these people were, where they were, and what chance they really had of launching a successful invasion against the Lox Empire. And if she learned enough, she could help her father prepare for what was coming and destroy the beast. The thought of torturing him in return was enough to fuel a blaze of motivation within her.
