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Lars tried to hide his reaction. "Is it?"

"Would you like to see it?"

"Yes," he replied, without hesitation. "Yes, I would like to see it."

Pym jerked his head. "Come with me."

He led Lars down another floor, passing by a duo of soldiers in the hallway. They didn't acknowledge Pym, but both stopped and straightened to attention as Lars walked by them, giving him the same respect they would a superior officer. Lars stared at them, puzzled.

"This way," Pym said, opening a door.

Lars realized why the soldiers had acted the way they did. They knew who he was, and they were afraid of him. Or rather, they were afraid of what would happen if they did something to upset him, the Commander and Colonel's mate. Three men were dead because of him.

Again, that strange feeling welled up inside of him, of dark and righteous power. Three men were dead, and he felt they deserved it. That was what happened when you harmed a prince. And that was what happened when you harmed the mate of two powerful alphas.

The room they'd entered seemed to once have been a meeting hall that had been appropriated as a general storage area. Wooden chairs were strewn about, and there were lines of crates of military rations and supplies.

"Through here." Pym opened another door that led into a small, dark room. He flicked a switch, and a dim chandelier flickered on. The inside was scattered with books dumped across the floor, stacks of papers, and piles of damaged artwork.

The painting stood out immediately, like it was glowing amongst the chaos. Lars crossed the room to where it sat against the wall and crouched down to look at the image of his mother and father. He covered his mouth, trying to hold back a sob. He reached out and touched the canvas. His mother's pale skin looked exactly how it had in life and in his memories, but her hair was without the streaks of white that'd been there before she'd died. His father also looked younger, his forehead lacking the many wrinkles and creases he remembered him having. It was a beautiful painting, probably done before Lars was born. Or...

He drew in an astonished breath as he saw what was clasped in his mother's hand. The pendant—his pendant, one and the same.

It was him. At least, it was meant to symbolize him. Because he was hidden away from birth, kept secret, he couldn't physically appear in any of the royal portraits and images. But his parents had always tried to include some kind of symbolic reference to him—a bird, a white stone, or in this case, the pendant that he would always wear, the symbol of his royal lineage.

The pendant that had been taken from him.

Before Pym could see it, Lars quickly wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and stood up. "This is a beautiful painting. They were beautiful people. Thank you for showing it to me."

"Of course."

"I think I'll... I think I'll return to my room, now."

"Certainly. I'll walk you to the hallway."

Lars took one more look over his shoulder at the painting before Pym turned off the lights.

He sat alone in his room, his heart pounding as the faces of his parents burned brightly in his mind. He remembered his charge, his family duty, and felt cold tendrils creeping inside of his chest, pulling him down into a deep ocean of helplessness.

When the two Alphas returned to the room, Lars did something he'd never done before. He didn't wait for them to cast their spells on him, to seduce him with their commands and their mesmerism. He went to them.

Phoenix's eyes glowed with the usual fire, but the flames from his tongue were doused before they even had a chance to spout. Lars approached him, quietly removing the Alpha's coat. Now it washislook that guided and directed, his hands that moved their bodies and brought their lips to his. His feelings towards his captors had not changed, but at least he could take back some control over his fate.

They filled him over and over again, burying their cocks deep into him, leaving him gasping for breath and for more.

More.

More.

He pushed Griffin onto the bed, eating the pain that shocked through his bruised bones, and mounted the Alpha. He squeezed Phoenix's cock with his hand, tugging it greedily to his lips.

Hewas going to decide how this would happen.

Griffin bellowed out, his muscles rippling as another orgasm gripped his body and Lars wrung every drop from his cock. Phoenix nabbed him around the waist and hauled him off Griffin, flipping him over onto all fours. When he attempted to mount him, Lars let out a feral snarl, kicked back with his leg, and struck him in the thigh. It'd been a completely reflexive reaction, and for a second, he expected Phoenix's response to be violent. But the Alpha seemed to be aroused by it. He grinned and hung back like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.

And Lars, like perfect prey, presented his belly for the attack. He flipped onto his back and spread himself open for Phoenix, who charged forward and sank himself deep inside.

Lars growled for more. He was descending into an animalistic frenzy wilder and more unrestrained than anything he'd experienced before.