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He sat alone by the window, unable to slow his racing heart.

Should this not have been a simple decision? Perhaps some time ago, it would've been.

How long had it been since he'd been taken? The burning of the royal grounds seemed like ancient history. Memories of the escape and his capture felt like a dream. Was it only a month ago that it'd all happened? Or had it been longer?

When he tried to imagine leaving he felt a painful tug in his body, like he was anchored in place. He felt Phoenix's raw energy and Griffin's incredible intensity, and he wanted them. He just couldn't imagine stepping away from them. It felt like it would devastate him and leave him with a gaping hole in his soul that could only be filled by their presence and what they had to give him. But was that just in his mind?

He couldn't say. His old life, his oldself, felt like a fading ghost. He could barely see it anymore. Everything was obscured by them, and now by the child they had put into him.

Perhaps Pym was right, and perhaps he had to act without thought. To follow him out, to trust that he was correct and that once he was released from the bond, he would know he had made the right decision.

A full moon had risen in a clear sky blanketed with stars. From somewhere far away, low rumbles echoed like a coming thunderstorm. Lars knew it wasn't the weather. Artillery was raining down on some distant battlefield. The country had been captured but the war still went on, flaring up like hot spots in a fire.

Lars heard boots out in the hallway and knew his Alphas were finally here. He rose.

"Good," said Phoenix. "You're ready. We're going."

"Wait," Lars said.

Phoenix stopped and looked back over his shoulder at him. "What?" he asked. It was obvious that he was not happy with being told to do something by his Omega.

Griffin stood in the hallway, arms folded over his chest. His uniform was clean and pressed, his golden collar polished to a mirror sheen. Phoenix, too—both their uniforms were in perfect order today, and Lars found himself admiring them. Had he always felt the two of them were this gorgeous? No, of course not. He used to be terrified of them. Disgusted, even. They'd been monsters...

"Do you... care for me?" Lars found himself asking.

Phoenix threw his head back and laughed, like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "We leave now," he said. "Follow."

"Answer me," Lars said.

"There is nothing to be answered," Phoenix shot, walking away.

Griffin jerked his head, silently gesturing for Lars to follow them.

He felt like a fool. Just what had he been expecting to hear them say?

The building was lifeless—everyone had gone home or went to sleep. They descended the stairs to the first floor and entered the large banquet room, which was dark and empty. There was a light on inside the kitchen, and Lars followed the Alphas there.

The kitchen was equally vast, with lines of stove ranges and steel-topped counters necessary for preparing the kinds of massive feasts held at the hall. In the back of the room was a service elevator that was being guarded by two soldiers whose uniforms were emblazoned with the emblem of the Feral Fangs unit. They saluted and used a key to unlock and call the elevator.

He and the Alphas descended and emerged into a dank basement level, the cramped hallway lined with exposed piping and wet concrete floors. Four more Feral Fangs soldiers stood guard along the hallway, including two wolves. Those in human form were heavily armed and looked as if they were prepared to jump into a full-on battle at any moment. The soldiers saluted.

"They're waiting for you, gentlemen," one of them said. Lars recognized him—he was the man who Griffin had promoted to captain on the day he was captured. He unlocked and opened a door for the three of them to enter.

Inside was a storage room that had been transformed into a makeshift conference room. A group of around a dozen men and women all around the same age as the brothers sat around a table in the center of the room, and they all rose to their feet when Phoenix and Griffin entered. There were all high ranking Xyletian military officers—Lars could tell from the ranking badges on their collars. He noticed something else, too. All wore armbands with the crescent moon over mountain peaks sigil—the symbol of Adosh. He recognized two of the men—Captain Luna, and another whose name he didn’t know. They were who Phoenix and Griffin had given secret messages to.

"We've all taken great risks," Phoenix said. His domineering voice filled the room, demanding the respect and attention of everyone present. "And we've made great sacrifices to protect our cause. A moment of silence for the fallen, the sacrificed, and all those who deserve vengeance."

Lars watched as all bowed their heads. Just what was this?

"Let us commence the meeting." Phoenix took a step back and bowed deeply. "My elder brother, Crown Prince Griffin Greer of Adosh. Restore honor, return to order!"

"Restore honor, return to order," they all shouted, bowing as Griffin took the seat at the head of the table.

Lars stood in stunned silence.Elder brother.Crown Prince of Adosh.

"Sit," Griffin said to him, gesturing to the seat next to him. Lars fell into the chair, and Phoenix took the seat on the opposite side of his brother.

Griffin looked around the table at the faces of those who were gathered. "Brothers and sisters. Children of the conquered. We've worked and suffered and fought to rise to our positions within the Empire. Now, the time we've dreamed of our entire lives has finally presented itself. My brother and I have taken an Omega—the prince of Ekdol himself, Lars Lyandri. And he is with child."