by Zoey Ellis
“Your footwork is too clumsy,” Torin said, after nodding briefly at Gadil. “You need to be able to spring back from him when he advances.” He turned to the other Alpha, Joric. “Your grip on the blade is too tight. You need to hold it loosely enough to give you the flexibility to change the direction of your jab if he moves in an unexpected direction.”
Both Alphas nodded, their expressions serious.
“Spend the rest of the day working on the necessary techniques to improve these elements,” Torin said, turning away. “You are dismissed.”
As he walked away, he could almost feel their surprised gazes on him. He hardly ever stopped training early, but he would be of no use to them when he was so distracted.
He navigated to his rooms and changed out of his training robes, his mind still on the small, blonde Omega. Something about her fascinated him more than she should, and he was struggling to let it go. He could convince himself that it was because she was prettier than all the other Omegas, but that was only a part of it. She was, of course, extremely pretty, but she also had an innocence about her look and behavior that stirred a part of him he didn’t even know existed. Even though she had refused his offer of an escort at the event, he had watched her almost obsessively, which was the exact kind of behavior he witnessed Alphas doing, and yet, he couldn’t leave her to be swallowed up by the rest of the Alphas in the room. He had to protect her.
The revelation that she was an Omega spy had shocked him deeply. How could a girl that innocent-looking, that awkward and shy, be a spy? It seemed improbable. All those nights that he had visited the kitchens when she was working, times he’d walked past her in the corridors when she was cleaning the candle holders, he’d been trying to figure out what to say as an excuse to speak to her, and all she’d been doing was spying. He wouldn’t have ever believed it.
He pulled on his boots hard in annoyance, and began to tie them up. He wanted to know what she had been sent to do. It wasn’t only a matter of pride, it was also what possible mission the devious Omega Mothers had seen fit to give a girl like her. The problem was, he would never be able to find out unless she told him. Drocco would not allow Torin to question her, not when he had accepted and forgiven his own Omega for all she had done. And even if he did, Drocco would want to know why Torin was so interested. He asked once before and Torin hadn’t been able to answer. He still could not answer. He hadn’t been drawn to anyone the way he had been captivated by her, and to find out she was an spy had been a severe disappointment. And as an Omega, she was out of his reach. He wasn’t an Alpha and no matter what Drocco said, she wouldn’t ever truly be his.
He left his room and made his way to Drocco’s office, trying to firm his mind on the business matters of the day. Unfortunately, when he entered the office, Empress Cailyn was there, as was her beautiful assistant.
“Torin,” Drocco greeted. He sounded somewhat agitated and relieved, and Torin suppressed a smile. It was likely the empress was trying to persuade him to do something that was completely reasonable and logical, but something he didn’t agree with. “What was the response from the Alphas about the pairing event?” he asked.
Torin slowed to a stop in front of his desk. The empress stood on one side of it, and her assistant stood slightly behind her, but while the empress looked directly at him, her eyebrows slightly raised, Victoya kept her eyes staring at a suspicious nothing on the ground.
“It was successful for most,” Torin responded. “Some have already selected definite mates, and others are requesting to talk again with some of the potential mates they met at the event.”
“As I predicted,” Cailyn said firmly to Drocco. “Some of the Omegas are asking the same.”
“I am not arranging another event,” Drocco growled, standing from his seat. “It was too stressful for you last time. They had a chance to meet once and that is all that should be needed.”
“Of course it’s not,” Cailyn scolded. “No one is going to know their mate from one meeting.” She shot Drocco a pointed look. “You didn’t. I was blocked. Just as all the Omegas in the hall were. You would not have had any idea that I was your mate if you didn’t have the chance to scent me properly.”
Drocco prowled towards her. “You are wrong,” he growled. “I knew the instant I met you that there was something about you I wanted.”
“But you are true mates,” Victoya piqued up.
Torin shot a look at her, surprised she was interrupting their conversation.
“You knew because she is yours,” she said, a tremble in her voice as Drocco focused his attention on her. She smiled at him, and a hot blade of annoyance sliced through Torin once again, just like at the event. He stilled himself, trying to decipher what the feeling was.
“Not every Alpha and Omega in this palace are going to be true mates, Your Imperial Majesty,” she continued, glancing between the couple. “But they have to have the chance to be able to truly scent each other.”
“And how can that be done effectively?” Drocco asked, his voice booming around the room in his frustration.
The blonde Omega flinched at the bass in his voice, and Torin forced himself not to step toward her as the urge to comfort her arose within him.
“If my Alphas scent an Omega’s true scent they may claim her without even truly considering if they are true mates or not,” Drocco pointed out. “That is the whole reason they had to remain blocked in the first place.”
“An Omegas scent is different when she’s not in her Haze,” Cailyn explained. “It shouldn’t make them uncontrollable if they’ve had training.”
Drocco’s eyes moved from Victoya to Cailyn as he thought. Then he turned to Torin with that familiar look indicating he wanted his opinion.
“I agree that the Alphas need to be able to see the Omegas again,” Torin began, “but the Omegas need to be willing to take a risk if they want to be scented by their true mate. They will have to remove their blocks. There is no other way.”
“Maybe we can arrange it so that they only meet in small groups,” Cailyn suggested.
“I don’t have time to do that,” Drocco grumbled. “And neither do you.”
Cailyn laughed and moved around the desk to him. “What did you expect, Drocco,” she said her eyes shining as her palm brushed his cheek. “Did you think that getting Omegas for your Alphas would be that easy.”
Drocco muttered under his breath, a scowl on his face but his eyes firmly on his Omega’s smile.
“I don’t mind helping,” Victoya said to them both. “The Omegas are asking me anyway, and I know which Alphas they want to speak to again.”
Drocco sucked in a breath and pulled his eyes away from his Omega. “Torin,” he said, while circling his arms around Cailyn. “You will coordinate from the Alphas’ side.”
Torin frowned. “I do not mean to disrupt whatever plan you have in mind, but I am also extremely busy. I’m not sure that I will be able to—”
“It’s not urgent, Torin,” Drocco interrupted. “If it has to be done around your normal duties, that is acceptable, and if it takes longer than my empress expects it to, then that is acceptable too.” His voice deepened to a stern rumble as he looked at Cailyn, but his face softened as she stared up at him. He didn’t even bother to look back at Torin as he said his last line. “Work with her assistant to arrange it.”
Torin turned to look at Victoya and as her eyes landed on him at the same time, a jolt of desire and anxiety shuddered through him. He pushed the feelings aside and nodded at her briskly. “I’d be happy to discuss this after midday. The emperor and I are heading into Ashens this morning.”
Victoya dipped her head in a slight bow, and the sunlight made her hair almost glow around her young face. “I will come to your office after lunch, Commander.”
Torin frowned. She knew where his office was? He hardly used it for meetings. He turned to Drocco, who already had his Omega in his arms and his lips muttering in her ear. “I shall wait in the carriage for
you, Drocco.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the room, eager to escape the strangeness that embraced him whenever he was in the presence of Victoya.
***
“You haven’t shared all your thoughts with me.”
Torin withdrew from his contemplation and glanced at Drocco across from him in the carriage. “Everything is in place for the training centers, Drocco. There’s nothing more to discuss.”
The carriage jostled them as they made their way back across Ashens to the palace from the last of the training centers. There hadn’t been much to the centers—they were currently empty, damaged buildings that remained as a result of the Lox’s invasion, but once they were set up and fully equipped, Torin felt they would serve the Lox well. The idea to create the training centers had been his, and he felt strongly that it would help to increase and reinforce the Lox, after the number of warriors they lost recently, as well as stabilize the Lox Empire and help its people come to terms with the changes to the Eastern Lands and their new emperor.
“There is much to discuss.”
Torin turned to Drocco. He sat with his arms crossed, his gaze firm on Torin.
Torin straightened. “What’s bothering you?”
“A little while ago, I told you you were due an Omega,” Drocco said. “I notice you didn’t pick one at the event.”
Torin’s brows shot up in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. “How was I to pick one? I am a Beta. I would not be appealing to an Omega in a room of Alphas, Drocco.”
“That isn’t the point,” Drocco responded. “If you want one, you take one that appeals to you.”
Torin turned back to the carriage window, his jaw clenched. It was easy for Drocco to say, but instincts played a bigger part in any decision like that—of all people, he should know that to be true.
“It doesn’t mean she will be suitable,” Drocco added, “but you need to make it clear to the other Alphas and the Omegas that you are expecting to be paired. They need to know you are a contender.”
“I am not expecting to be paired,” Torin said evenly.
Drocco exhaled gruffly. “So you have decided you won’t have an Omega?”
Torin opened his mouth to say yes, but then the image of Victoya shot into his mind. At the event, after he had chased away Roclan, she had looked up at him with those stunning hazel eyes so wide and clear, her scent so layered and enticing, that he had almost grabbed her and pulled her into his arms there and then. She had almost made him act completely out of character—and his self control was something he prided himself on, something Drocco relied on him for, and something he knew the Empire needed.
“If you don’t want one, I understand,” Drocco said, his tone somewhat lowered. “But if you intend to have one, or even if you’re unsure, then you need to make it clear now.”
Torin slowly turned back to him, a frown gracing his expression. “What is your concern?”
“The Alphas need to know that you are owed an Omega as much as they are,” Drocco stated. “It is better if they are told sooner rather than later.”
“You think some of them will have a problem with it,” Torin confirmed.
“I don’t think anyone will begrudge you what you are due,” Drocco admitted. “You already have the recognition that you are an integral part of this army and Empire. It is known that you do not stand separate from any Alpha on any matter. But I want to be sure they know it extends to matters of pairings also.”
Torin nodded. It was a logical point of view and one he hadn’t fully considered. The warriors had always respected him and given him praise for his training methods. Wen the Lox first formed, only one had ever challenged him about his dynamic being a Beta, and Torin separated his head from his body before the sneer had even finished leaving his mouth. As the Lox had grown, there had been others who had seemed unsure of his position, until they’d seen first-hand proof of Torin’s abilities. As the Lox grew, the Alphas came to respect him, and Drocco’s appointment of him as Commander further solidified his trust in Torin and his expectation that Torin was treated as one of them.
However, Torin wasn’t one of them. He was a Beta. And there was no telling what the Alphas’ response would be when it came to him taking an Omega, especially if she was one that one of them wanted. The only reason he had interfered with Roclan’s handling of Victoya was because she said she wasn’t part of the event… at least that’s what he told himself before anger overtook him at Roclan’s rough handling of her.
“If you are unsure, just pretend you want one until you know,” Drocco said, impatiently. “I’d rather this be established now while it’s all still new.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Torin said. “If I pick an Omega that is the true mate of another, that will not make me look like a contender. It will make me look weak and highlight the fact that I am not due a true mate.”
Drocco frowned. “That is unlikely to happen,” he said sternly. “True mate pairings are rare. And even if you did happen to pick an Omega who was the true mate of another, it could be handled quietly, without the whole army knowing.”
“All of the Alphas want the world to know about their Omegas,” Torin said dryly. “If I pick one, her Alpha will want to talk about her and share stories of her. It will be known that she was once chosen by me.”
Drocco exhaled in annoyance. “You are putting too much emphasis on this. We just need to make it clear that you are looking for an Omega.”
“I’m not sure if I am yet, Drocco,” Torin said. “I already explained to you that I’m not interested in losing the woman I want to another.”
Drocco nodded, a thoughtfulness entering his expression. “It is a difficult situation, Torin. But it does not mean that scenario will happen to you. Take some time to think about it while you arrange the smaller meetings.”
Torin dipped his head in a nod and turned to the window. He was grateful to Drocco for considering him, but nothing could change the fact that he would not be what any Omega wanted or needed, not when thousands of Alphas stood by waiting in hopes of securing one.
“And what about Cailyn’s assistant?” Drocco asked.
Torin snapped his head back to him. “What do you mean?”
Drocco leaned forward. “You seemed interested in her before—when you thought she was a scullery maid. Have you lost interest?”
“I never said I was interested,” Torin responded guardedly. “I said she did not seem like a spy. And she still doesn’t.” He peered at Drocco. “Do you know why she was here before?”
“No,” Drocco said curtly. “And it doesn’t matter. She was pardoned.”
“I know.” Torin was unable to help the irritation that placed his tone. “But I saw her numerous times as a scullery maid and I cannot figure out what kind of mission she was on.”
Drocco lifted brow. “So she is still of interest to you?” he asked, a smirk on his face. “Maybe you should pick her.”
Torin almost scowled at him. “My interest in her is tied to the fact that I did not recognize a spy when I saw one. It is about the security of the Lox, and my capabilities to protect you and the Empire.”
Drocco’s smirk softened. “You are not the only one to have been fooled by an Omega spy, Torin. It is not a reflection on your capabilities as commander, just like it’s not a reflection of my capabilities as emperor. I would even wager that if you noticed her before knowing she was a spy, she is more intriguing to you and suited to you than you think.”
Torin blinked in surprise.
“Either way,” Drocco continued, “she is like a sister to Cailyn, and she has been pardoned. You are not to investigate her.”
Torin’s mouth tightened but he said nothing. He couldn’t argue with Drocco about that—he was simply keeping his word to the Omegas that he would pardon their spies as long as they hadn’t caused damage or harm to the Empire. But he knew he would struggle with the lack of knowledge until he knew exactly what she had been doin
g in the palace. He didn’t do well with mysteries, and patterns of behavior helped him to understand people and how they might behave. He didn’t understand the Omega at all and it set him on edge.
When they arrived at the Palace, Torin had lunch with three of the generals to discuss the repairing of the training centers and then headed to his office to meet Victoya.
She was already waiting outside the door to his office when he arrived, and he nodded at her curtly before gesturing for her to enter. As usual, she wore a buttoned tunic that ended at her curvy calves and sandals donned her slim feet, but today her long hair had been swept up into a messy ball at the back of her head. Her sleek, bare neck made her look even more delicate, and Torin kept his eyes averted as much as he could. He didn’t look at her properly until they both sat opposite each other at his desk.
“I know you are busy,” Victoya said, surprising him with her firm and resolute tone. “But I don’t mind organizing this myself. All I need—”
“You will not be doing anything on your own,” Torin instructed, struggling to keep his voice calm. Why did these Omegas think they could do everything without assistance? The empress was afflicted with this attitude as well. “The emperor assigned us both to this task and I do not shirk my responsibilities.”
“I know, Commander,” she said respectfully. “But I don’t feel that this can be done in your spare time around your other duties like Emperor Drocco suggested. The need for the Omegas to meet the Alphas again is strong.”
“It is the same for the Alpha,” Torin confirmed. “I agree that it needs to be arranged soon.”
“So all I need are a few Alphas who can help support me with the meetings—”
“No.” Torin surprised himself with the force of his answer. “You do not seem to understand that you could potentially put yourself at risk too.”
Victoya lifted her head very slightly, her chin defiant. “You said that about the event and I was fine. No Alpha approached me for the rest of the evening.”
Torin leaned forward on the desk. “That’s because I followed you around the Great Hall and ensured any Alpha that tried to approach you knew you were to be left alone.”