by Zoey Ellis
Cailyn fought against the oncoming Haze with all her might, but she knew it was in vain. In all her years at the Compound, she had never felt the onset of the Haze as strongly as she did now. It didn't help that the deep, musky scent of Alpha surrounded her.
Since she had entered the Great Hall, something within her hadn't felt right but she ignored it, eager to get her meeting with the Emperor over with. As she stood in front of him, his heady scent had hit her. No longer bland, it had shuddered through her and almost knocked out every other sense. Her body reacted immediately. It shouldn't have happened. When she searched her blocks they had simply disappeared, every single one of them.
She glanced around the room again for any possible way of escaping, but the only available exit was the one Drocco had just told his guards to block. Her panic and fear rocketed. If she went into the Haze right now she would most certainly be a slave for the rest of her life. She thought hard, even as the trembling took over her whole body. Slick gathered between her legs and her golden sight had almost fully bloomed.
She moved against the wall, sure that Drocco was going to simply take her in hand and fuck her as viciously as she imagined, but he didn't even move. He simply watched her.
She gritted her teeth and tensed as her trembling increased. The fucking bastard was waiting—waiting for her to go fully into her Haze when she wouldn’t resist him. She needed a way out.
"You will tell me everything I need to know," Drocco said, the triumph in his voice as clear as his desire. "You can try and fight it as long as you need to, but it will happen."
Cailyn pressed her hands against the wall as she glared at him, forcing down the retort on her tongue. In her current state, she could say anything, and every single Omega in existence needed her to keep her mouth shut. As she glared at him, a plan formed. She looked around the room again, noting its shape and furniture. She only had one shot, and time was running out.
She pushed off the wall and walked towards him. He suddenly stilled, his arms uncrossing as she tentatively approached. His black eyes were wilder than she had ever seen them and his nostrils flared with every step she took.
"Yes," Drocco murmured. "Come to me, kitten. Accept your situation."
Cailyn breathed shallowly as she reached him, trying not to take in too much of his scent. Lifting her hands, she dug her nails into his neck and clawed down. She scratched him down to his shoulders, digging in hard until small trails of blood burst forth in their wake. "Do not call me kitten!"
Drocco didn't even flinch. In fact, he smiled. “Your claws are ineffective, kitten, just as I’ve always told you. You're even more a kitten now than you were before.”
He grabbed her wrists and lowered his head to sniff her and breathe along her arm.
She watched, becoming transfixed with the look of pleasure on his face at this simple action.
"You are almost in your Haze," he murmured. He glanced at her, a smirk on his lips. "In a moment you will agree with everything I say, you will do everything I say, and you will think I'm the best thing that exists."
Cailyn snatched her arms out of his hands and backed away. He watched her, his smirk deepening as she took a breath and focused her mind.
One thing about using the Talent was that it forced crafters to train their mental ability to ignore sensory distractions. Once in her Haze, she would barely be able to even think clearly, let alone use the Talent, so anything she was going to do had to be done now. Calling forth the magic in the room, including the energy within Drocco's exposed blood, she backed into a corner of the office and weaved together a sophisticated magical shield that stretched from one wall to the other, locking her into the corner. It solidified, and she let out a breath as she released her mental hold. She stepped forward and placed a hand on it. It was strong and sturdy and would most likely last for as long as her Haze did.
She slumped to the floor in relief. At the sound of stomping footsteps, she looked up to see Drocco slam a hand on the glistening barrier between them. His face distorted. "What have you done?" he bellowed. "You have the Talent? Undo this now!"
She stared at him, pressing her mouth together so she wouldn't speak. Without her blocks, she was susceptible to his demands, but she would work hard to not say anything.
He flew into a rage, punching the barrier over and over as he roared in fury.
Cailyn shifted back until she was as far away from him as possible. She should have included a sound barrier so that she wouldn't be able to hear him, but at least she couldn’t smell any more of him than was already in her small area. His every yell of anger bolted through her, putting her on edge, but there was only so much she could do in this state. The ideal scenario would be if she could still signal her contact or somehow get out of the Palace. She sat up straight, suddenly realizing something. She stood, ignoring the idiot Alpha still pounding the barrier. Trying to focus her mind, she began to create the portal against the wall. She had to go slower so that she could get the casting correct. Since she did not use speech or even actions, her mind needed to be sturdy for the spell to work and her Haze was so close that she wasn't sure if it would. A rectangle of light shone on the wall for a moment and then faded away.
Drocco’s yelling behind her changed, became more urgent, but she ignored him. His own blood made up the barrier; he wouldn't be able to get through and it was unlikely any other weaker Alpha would either. She had basically protected herself from everyone in the building. She doubted the Lox Talent-crafters would be able to get through. She knew for certain that every Omega in her Compound was more skilled than Talent-crafters in the Eastern Lands.
She tried the portal again, but this time it didn't even gleam. Her mind was becoming a complete muddle and she could barely think past the scent of Alpha that still filled her every inhale. She dropped onto the floor, moaning as the familiar thrum of need trembled through her whole body. This was it.
***
It was warm. She lifted her dress up to her waist and pulled her arms out of the wide-neck top. She panted and squeezed her legs together as her pussy throbbed. The smell of Alpha was everywhere, and yet no Alpha lay with her. It wasn’t right.
She settled with her feet tucked under her, watching the Alpha across the room as he paced and watched her back, rumbling growls coming from him and a vicious snarl on his face. His black eyes were beautiful. They were like ink affected by magic—shiny, deep and bottomless—and they looked at her with a fierce desire that sent goosebumps over her whole body. Other Alphas were in the room, but she only watched him. Although the other men were also unbonded Alphas, her golden sight showed her the one with the most potential for breeding. And it was the one with the beautiful black eyes that had the richest, strongest glow. He was perfect to breed an unbonded Omega. The men continued to talk, but she purposefully ignored their words, only focusing on the Alpha with the black eyes. His voice drew forth her slick, preparing her for him. She hoped that if she waited patiently, he would come for her.
However, as the hours went by, the other men left and he did nothing but pace and watch her. She made a noise of disgust and leaned forward onto her hands and knees. Her body ached with unspent release and she stretched, curving her back and lengthening her legs. Her slick ran down her thighs, and she couldn't hold off for the Alpha anymore. She lay on her back and widened her legs, slipping her fingers between them. A thunderous roar erupted in her ears and froze her still.
"Don't you fucking dare!" He was there, his face pushed up against the barrier as he stared down at her, his black eyes intense with fury.
She moved her fingers away, whimpering. His primitive behavior increased her desire for him and more slick flowed from her. His eyes flicked down her body and back up to her face. He said something else but she couldn't focus on anything but his glow. She needed an Alpha like him. He was the only one that would be able to quench the need building in her and nearly wrenching her apart, but he was choosing to leave her to suffer. What had she done
wrong?
After a while, he stopped speaking. He watched her, pressed up against the barrier, and she watched him. She wasn't sure how many more seconds, minutes, or hours went by but soon the need was too strong. She inched her fingers down between her legs and began to pleasure herself, ignoring the howling Alpha who would not do what he was supposed to.
CHAPTER SEVEN
DROCCO
Drocco paced his office as he watched the Omega, simmering with a violent blend of rage, desire, and desperation.
Of course, the historian had to be a fucking Talent-crafter as well as an Omega. She had been right under his nose and he had been too distracted by her beauty and willfulness to suspect a fucking thing. He didn't even put together that her scent had changed as soon as she entered the Great Hall. Clearly, the charms his Talent-crafters had installed had worked. If his mind hadn’t been so blurry, he would have noticed, and restrained her as soon as he had the chance. Instead, she was secured behind a barrier made of his own blood, torturing him.
He watched her come to yet another orgasm, her hips jerking into her hand as she lay on her side, her sighs and moans and undecipherable utterings sparking savage instincts and urges he had never experienced before. His rock-hard cock strained against his trousers, painful and needing release. The sight, smell, and sound of her made every part of him come alive, particularly that part of him.
He had tried everything to get the barrier down, but it remained solid. At his initial yells and roars, his warrior guards had entered, fearing for his safety. They tried to assist him, but ultimately any man who entered the room became incapable of thinking intelligently. The Omega’s scent was so powerful that they became too distracted by her to do anything. He had already sunk his dagger into three of his men’s throats and ripped it through their trachea for watching her too long. After that, only Torin was allowed in the room, and he had the sense to keep his back turned to Cailyn at all times.
"You haven't eaten in three days, Drocco," Torin said.
Drocco kept his eyes on Cailyn. "Neither has she."
"You already know that the Haze blocks out her appetite for food—many of her bodily functions have ceased."
Drocco turned to him, his simmering emotions bubbling up. "I will eat when she eats. Have you come with any solutions or are you just here to nag?"
"She isn’t the real Miss Lefroy."
Drocco turned back to the writhing Omega on the floor. "Who is she?"
"I don't know yet. She seems to have come out of nowhere."
Drocco clenched his fists so hard, a shooting pain ricocheted up his arms. She had fooled him all this time. "Is she a spy from the Western Lands? Is she under orders from Malloron?"
"I don't think so. She hasn’t been taking information or reporting to anyone while she's been in the Palace," Torin said. "The Talent-crafters have confirmed that she hasn't been creating portals or using her Talent on any of the documents in the research room."
"That doesn’t mean she isn’t working for him," Drocco snapped.
"It is unlikely," Torin said. "She has been watched since she arrived. She doesn't behave like normal Western Lands spies behave."
Drocco exhaled harshly. That didn't mean anything. The fact that she used the Talent at all suggested she was sympathetic to Malloron's rule and influence, most Talent-crafters were.
"I would like to suggest that you don’t make any assumptions about her before you are able to question her," Torin said, evenly.
Drocco turned to him again, his eyes narrowed. "You presume to tell me how to deal with this situation?"
"You are in your rut, Drocco," Torin said slowly and clearly. "A true rut for a real Omega. You are handling it well, but you’re not thinking properly and we have already lost three men to that fact. There is much to learn from her."
Drocco closed his eyes and took a breath to calm his annoyance. Of course, that was true but why was Torin explaining the obvious? He opened his eyes. "This is the first real Omega that we have seen in the decades, Torin. Rut or no, I will be learning all that she knows."
"You are aware that she may know where the other Omegas are?"
"Do you think I’m a fool?" Drocco bellowed.
Cailyn whimpered and turned to look at him from the floor, her dress twisted around her marvelous body exposing a smooth breast. He stared at her, quickly losing interest in whatever he had been about to say to Torin.
"I'm just saying that this could be the exact push towards solving the mystery that the Lox need. Discipline is needed and I'm not sure that you will be able to withstand your own impulses. Our grandfathers told us about the preparation they went through before meeting their first Omegas. You have had none of that," Torin said. "I'm simply pointing out the importance of this. If you overpower her in your eagerness to—"
"I have not forgotten my duty to my army, Torin." Drocco interrupted, dragging his eyes from Cailyn. "But this Omega came directly to me. She is mine. Any impulses I have will be her burden to bear and she will take them like she is supposed to."
Torin held his eye. “Have you considered that maybe, if the barrier lasts longer than her Haze, she might create a working portal and escape before you get access to her?”
Drocco roared, a raging burn tearing through him at the very idea. He advanced on Torin, wild and ready to strike. “You had better make sure that doesn’t fucking happen!”
“Then let me bring in the crafters,” Torin said, unmoved by Drocco’s state. “Let them come in to help us get the barrier down. Let them help you to keep her. They are the only ones that can make sure she doesn’t get away.”
Drocco paused in his tracks, battling the fuzziness in his mind to think through the logic of the suggestion. In his fit of rage at the barrier between him and his Omega, he had ordered all Lox crafters to be quartered, hung, burned, have their cocks ripped off by horses, and then be fed alive to wolves. Of course, it was a ridiculous order and Torin had ignored it. Despite Drocco’s annoyance, some small sanity in him reminded him that they were the reason he had discovered her in the first place. They were loyal to him and would understand what she had done. She had already tried to create a portal before her Haze fully took over. He couldn’t let her escape.
“I’ll allow it,” Drocco said, through gritted teeth.
Torin dipped his head in a nod and bowed before swiftly leaving the room, careful to keep his back to the Omega.
The Omega watched him leave, and Drocco growled at her, a surge of something unpleasant and raw rushing through him. She shouldn’t be watching Torin. She hadn’t watched any of the other Alphas that had entered the room. Her stunning deep-gold eyes snapped back to him and she fixed herself on her knees, sitting on her heels, and lowered her head.
"Kitten," Drocco began. "Undo the barrier."
She didn't look up.
"Kitten. Come to me."
Those eyes glanced up at him, caught his face and then her head rose slowly, her expression one of wonder. It mellowed him somewhat. It was though she found him fascinating and he was satisfied with that.
"Come to me."
She tilted her head, her eyes running over his face and then all the way down his body. She made a noise in the back of her throat and his cock jumped and leaked. He knew she wasn’t hearing him because she had zero interest in anything he said, and he was unable to force her to listen. He had already tried ordering her, yelling at her, teasing her, enticing her—nothing worked. She was following pure instincts, instincts to entice an Alpha to fuck her. According to the reports, that was all an Omega in her Haze was able to think about. But he still spoke to her anyway.
"Kitten." Her eyes jumped back up to his face and her brow furrowed.
He could see now that she was an Omega. When he thought about everything he had read, she had all the features. She was small, she was beautiful, she had incredibly gorgeous hair, and her shapely, soft body was perfectly suited to breeding. The only thing that did not suit the Omega stereotype w
as her continuous disrespectful attitude—that was something that he had never heard of before in an Omega. But in her Haze none of that willfulness seemed to be present.
Drocco exhaled heavily and began to take off his clothes, unable to bear the strain any longer. Her scent still lingered in the room, and although he could not smell the shiny slick pooled on the floor behind the barrier, it was still enticing nonetheless. The Omega snapped to attention as soon as he began to reveal his body. When he pulled his pants down, she actually breathed a sigh as his cock sprung forth, the tip wet and dripping.
He stroked himself slowly. "Come to me, kitten." He breathed her scent in deep. "Come to me and get what you need."
The Omega leaned forward and began to crawl to him, her hips swaying behind her as she moved forward, her eyes on his cock. He moaned at the sight and more fluid dripped from his tip. She was so alluring, it was actual torture. Why the fuck had he waited?
When she reached the barrier, she pressed her palms on it rising up to her knees. She looked up at him, her golden gaze filled with desire and hope, her mouth slightly ajar.
“Come to me,” he said, hoarsely, stroking himself faster. “Undo the barrier.”
She frowned at him and looked back down at his cock as she pressed her forehead against the barrier.
“Undo it!”
Drocco’s demand fell on deaf ears. Staring at his cock, the Omega opened her pretty, pink mouth and licked the barrier.
Fuck, he couldn’t take it. Emitting a growl of frustration, Drocco found himself standing before her, bracing himself with a hand on the barrier as he stroked faster. Ripples of pleasure threaded through him and he kept his eyes on her as she continued licking in vain, trying to reach him. His crescendo rose quickly, jagged and intense. He exploded, his release shooting toward her mouth but hitting the barrier. His body jerked repeatedly, over and over, until he finally stilled, his fluids streaming down the barrier to the floor.
Drocco breathed heavily, his ears ringing. That had been more powerful than normal, and an enormous amount of semen ran down the barrier.