“I know who she is,” she continued. “I know there’s a considerable sum offered for her return. The entire town is buzzing about the bounty.”
Kaelen’s jaw tightened, fingers curling into his palms.
His voice dropped into a low growl. “Do I need to worry about you turning her in too?”
Solmaz slowly settled into the chair behind her desk, flicking her bountiful curls over her shoulder as if she had all the time in the world. Every gesture was measured, as if she were indulging him.
“Do I look like someone who deals in such mercenary affairs, Prince?”
Kaelen exhaled, tipping his head in feigned consideration. “No,” he admitted. “But I do know you value order in your domain. And mercenaries—especially the desperate kind—tend to upset that balance.”
Solmaz took a sip of tea, her gaze hooded but sharp. “A few sellswords sniffing around hardly threatens the fabric of Zohara.”
Kaelen leaned forward, resting an arm on the desk. “A bounty of one hundred and fifty solaris does. That kind of coin doesn’t just attract opportunists—it calls the ones who don’t care how much blood they spill to earn it.”
His voice dipped lower. “And the kind who doesn’t respect the sanctity of a place like this.”
A flicker of something passed through her eyes. Interest, perhaps, or amusement. With her, it was always difficult to tell.
“And you expect me to do what, precisely?” she mused, waving a delicate, ring-clad hand through the air. “Command them to leave with a flick of my wrist? The Emir of Zohara wants this city to flourish, to rival Bashkor in trade and commerce. Chasing away lucrative transactions would hardly serve that purpose.”
Kaelen smirked knowingly. “Considering the Emir of Zohara pays you tribute for protection, I doubt this is beyond you.”
Solmaz stilled for the briefest moment, lashes lowering just enough to obscure her expression. The arrangement between her and the Emir wasn’t common knowledge, but he’d made it his business to understand the power structures of every city within a stone’s throw of Asadia.
“Careful, Prince Kaelendrin,” she murmured, her voice honeyed, rich, but limned with steel. “Knowing things one shouldn’t has a way of making one . . .vulnerable.”
He sipped his tea, smiling lazily. “I prefer to think of it as an advantage.”
Solmaz studied him as she leaned back. “The bounty is one thing. But it’s not what you should be focusing on—not if your purpose is to protect the princess in the long run.”
For the first time, Kaelen caught a shadow in her gaze. Not just calculation—but something sharper.
He didn’t like what he saw. “What are you trying to say?”
She hesitated, fingers trailing slow, deliberate circles along the polished wood of her desk.
“Whispers travel quickly,” she said at last, her voice dipping lower. “Especially in places like this.”
She glanced around, despite their solitude, before continuing, “Highborn Omegas have been disappearing. Not just here, but across the nine kingdoms. It’s subtle enough that no one’s panicking yet—but bold enough to make those in power uneasy.”
Kaelen’s gut tightened. “Highborn Omegas,” he repeated. “Disappearing?”
Solmaz gave a slow, grim nod.
“Peasant Omegas vanish all the time—tragic, but rarely news. But noble-born Omegas?” Her mouth tightened. “That’s a different matter. Someone is bold enough to steal them from under Alpha aristocrats’ noses. And it’s beginning to cause a stir.”
A chill slid down Kaelen’s spine. His mind flew to Reiya, marked in ways she didn’t even realize.
“And you think whoever’s taking them also put the bounty on the princess?”
Solmaz didn’t answer immediately. She only studied him, her gaze steady, unreadable.
“What do you think?” she asked softly.
The silence that followed sat heavy in his chest.
He leaned back slightly, hands curling against his knees to steady himself. They had suspected Castiel’s betrayal wasn’t isolated. But hearing Solmaz confirm it—hearing how far it stretched—was worse than unsettling. It was infuriating.
