Just another traveller, she told herself. A chance glance.
But even as she stepped into the glow of the Xians’ fire, her heartbeat refused to steady—each thud a quiet warning, echoing with a meaning she couldn’t understand.
Chapter Fourteen
REIYANA
The next morning unfolded in a quiet haze. Reiya arranged the Xian family’s goods at the stall while Vhalis Thorn stirred to life—awnings unfurling, carts creaking open, and early customers chatting over steaming cups of tea.
She was adjusting a pair of embroidered slippers when a flicker at the edge of her vision pulled her back. She turned, and therehewas—the same Alpha from last night, striding through the market, dust curling beneath his boots. The noise around her thinned, as if the air itself braced for him.
Every instinct tensed as he stopped in front of her table. His dark brown eyes flicked to hers, a large hand trailing across the belts she’d just arranged, brushing over the leather pouches. He sifted through them slowly, deliberately, pausing from time to time to lift an item to his nose and inhale deeply.
Then, his hand foundherbelt—the one she’d spent hours embroidering with care, the soft earthy tones and floral motifs stitched not just for decoration but with a secret wish for a fresh start. His fingertips traced the design, and her throat closed around the silence.
Slowly, he lifted it, bringing it to his nose, eyes fluttering closed.
Her world narrowed to the Alpha and the belt in his grasp. Hisnostrils flared when he caught her scent on the leather. He stared at her from beneath his lashes, eyes dark and intent, as if he’d known who andwhatshe was all along.
A cold shiver skittered down her spine. Her nails pressed into the stall’s edge, knuckles whitening. He didn’t speak, he didn’t need to. That look—piercing, assessing,hungry—stripped through every layer, reaching for the Omega she hid beneath fabric and dust.
The instinct to flee or submit roared beneath her skin, but Reiya forced it down. Her trembling hands steadied.
She would not break—not here.
“This one,” the Alpha rumbled in Isseric, his voice was gravel grinding against steel.
Her throat felt dry, the words barely escaping. “Twelvedunis, please.”
The Alpha reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. The clink of metal rang sharp, each coin bouncing lightly against the wood before settling into a small heap.
Her fingers trembled as she counted them. Among the dunis, local currency of brass and copper, gleamed sixsolaris—the most valuable coins accepted in the Nine Issoirean Kingdoms.
He gave her more than three times the sum she’d asked. She glanced up to tell him, but he’d already turned away, his broad shoulders disappearing into the flow of the market, the belt in his grip.
Xian Jun’s voice broke softly behind her, meant only for her ears. “That’s Jodhar. The caravan elder, Tasim, hired him and his team for protection.”
Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs. She swallowed, working moisture back into her dry throat. “He’s the leader?”
Xian Jun nodded, grim and watchful. “This isn’t his first time guarding the caravan.” His gaze drifted toward where Jodhar had vanished into the crowd. “He’s ruthless. An Alpha through and through. Some would rather not have him here, but on this road . . .” His voice dipped lower. “Men like him are the difference between reaching the next outpost or not reaching it at all.”
Reiya’s grip tightened on the belt in her hands. Her skin prickled,the phantom weight of Jodhar’s gaze lingering like an echo she couldn’t shake.
“Better get used to him,” Xian Jun added. “He’s with us until Dune Crest.”
“Dune Crest?”
Xian Jun nodded. “From there, we’ll head east to Vey’tar Oasis while the rest of the caravan continue westward to Bashkor.”
“How long before we reach Dune Crest?”
Xian Jun considered for a moment. “About two weeks, give or take—depending on how long we stop at the outposts to trade and rest.”
Two weeks,and she’d escape the Alpha.
She chewed her lip, unease gnawing at her. Jodhar wasn’t just any Alpha—he was trouble.
And trouble always had a way of finding her.
