A bitter laugh tumbles from my lips. "Alternative arrangements? They want us to just give up, to walk away from the fortune that's rightfully ours. The dragons sit on wealth beyond imagining, hoarding it while good people struggle. Why should we accept poverty when abundance exists just beyond our borders?"
"Because the cost is too high," Cornelius says quietly. "We've sent hundreds of warriors over the years. Perhaps a dozen have returned, and those who did came back broken, burned, traumatized, even ending up dying, their minds unable to digestwhat they saw. The dragons can’t possibly be mindless beasts guarding treasure, Frederik. They're intelligent, organized, and they don't take kindly to invaders. Maybe it's time to consider that everything you’ve thought is wrong, that the riches you seek don't exist or aren't meant for us."
"I wasn’t wrong," I insist, my voice rising. "I know those prophecies better than anyone. I studied them. Listened to them. I was promised prosperity if I took one of their Omegas as my wife. I did that. The prosperity must be coming from somewhere else, from the dragons who hoard wealth that should be shared. I'm so close, I can feel it. One of these expeditions will succeed, and everything I've sacrificed will finally mean something."
Margot exchanges a glance with Cornelius, and I can see the concern passing between them. They don't understand. They weren't there when the fortune teller looked into my future and saw wealth and power beyond measure. They didn't feel the certainty in her words, the absolute conviction that taking that Omega would change everything.
My wife's face flashes in my memory. Beautiful and fierce, with eyes that challenged me even as she submitted to our bonding. She never wanted to come to Valoria, never wanted to leave her home. But I took her anyway because I was promised it would lead to greatness. And then she died, and the promised prosperity never came, and I was left with a daughter who looked too much like her mother and reminded me daily of everything I'd lost.
"The ceremony will be held at sunset on the seventh day from now," I say, forcing my voice back to something resembling composure. "We'll follow traditional mourning protocols. The kingdom will wear black for a month in honor of the lost princess. And when Solace is captured, we'll have a publicexecution so everyone can see that justice prevails, that no one murders a royal and escapes punishment."
"And if she's not captured by then?" Helena asks carefully.
"Then we hold the ceremony anyway and declare her an enemy of Valoria," I say. "Post notices in every town, every village. Anyone who aids her will be considered a traitor. Anyone who brings information leading to her capture will be rewarded. I want every person in this kingdom looking for her, understanding that harboring a murderer comes with severe consequences."
The advisors nod, making notes, preparing to carry out my orders. I sink back down onto my throne, dragging my royal robe over my lap to cover me, the only fabric that wasn’t shredded by my shift. "Leave me," I say quietly. "All of you. I need to think."
They file out one by one, Margot lingering at the door as if she wants to say something more. But she must see something in my face that makes her reconsider because she simply bows and leaves, closing the heavy doors behind her with a soft thud that echoes through the empty chamber.
I look around, angered by the position I’m now left in. The hunt for dragon gold is all that remains of the promise I was given, the only thread connecting me to the hope I felt when I first took the crown. If I give up now, if I admit defeat, then everything truly was for nothing. My wife's death, Kaia's loss, all the warriors who never came home, all of it meaningless.
So I'll send more warriors. I'll offer greater rewards. I'll push harder, reach farther, risk more. Because somewhere out there is the prosperity I was promised, and I will claim it even if it costs me everything else. Even if it costs me my soul, I will have what I'm owed.
The fortune teller promised me riches beyond measure, and I will collect on that promise no matter what it takes.
Alessia
Ifeed Kaia another piece of fruit, watching her eyes flutter closed in pleasure as the sweet juice bursts on her tongue. She's loving the attention, absolutely basking in it as she lounges against the pillows piled high on our bed. I can't stop myself from leaning in to press a kiss to her shoulder between bites. She hums contentedly, her body completely relaxed
Solace is passed out at Kaia's feet, curled up like the wolf she is even in human form. She's been resting for hours now, exhausted from the journey and from everything that's happened since they arrived. Zara sits beside her, running her fingers through Solace's dark hair with surprising gentleness. There's something tender in the way she touches the Beta, careful not to wake her but unable to resist the contact.
"You're fond of her," I observe, selecting another piece of fruit for Kaia.
Zara glances up at me, her expression softening in that way it only does when we're alone together. "I love her spirit, yes. The way she faces fear without backing down, the way she loves so fiercely that she'd follow her Omega into certain death. That kind of devotion is rare and beautiful."
I smile, pleased by her admission. I've known for hours that Zara was developing feelings for Solace, but hearing her say it out loud makes it real. "Go take a bath or something together. Let her wake up to your undivided attention. I think she'd appreciate that."
Zara's eyes slide to Kaia, concern flickering across her features. "Our focus is you. You're the one in pre-heat, the one who needs care and attention right now."
"And you can love more than one," Kaia says, her voice firm despite the lazy contentment in her posture. She opens her eyes to look at Zara with surprising intensity. "Solace needs someone in her corner. Someone to see her as more than just my protector or my Beta. She deserves to be wanted for herself. I'll be fine here with Alessia."
Zara laughs. "Only because you're being fed and pampered, but fine. I shall take your Beta for a walk, let her rest properly in an actual bed."
"OurBeta," Kaia corrects immediately, shaking her head. "She's ours. All of ours. Don't you dare think of her as just mine anymore. The magic chose her too, and that means she belongs to all of us equally."
The possessiveness in Kaia's voice makes my chest warm with affection. This Omega, this fierce beautiful woman, has already accepted what we are becoming. Not a triad but a quad, four souls bound together by magic and choice and destiny. She'sclaiming Solace for all of us, making sure we understand that the Beta isn't just her companion but our mate.
Zara's expression shifts into something that looks almost like wonder. She slowly reaches down to tap Solace's shoulder gently. "Solace. Wake up for me."
Solace stirs, blinking sleepily as consciousness returns. When she sees Zara hovering above her, confusion flickers across her features before settling into wary alertness. "Is something wrong? Is Kaia okay?"
"Kaia's fine," Zara assures her. "But I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk with me. Perhaps see more of the castle, get some fresh air, maybe soak in one of the baths. Give yourself a chance to properly rest."
Solace looks to Kaia for permission, that instinct to check in still so strong. Kaia waves her off with a smile. "Go. I'm not going anywhere, and Alessia will keep me thoroughly entertained."
"That I will," I promise, already selecting another piece of fruit to feed her.
Solace slowly sits up, running a hand through her hair to smooth it down. "Okay. A walk sounds nice, actually. Lead the way."
