Page 31

He worked the brush in steady circles on his nnirae, the rhythm allowed his mind to drift, sifting through years of choices.

Taking the crown at the people’s insistence, disbanding the other dynasties, ending the nomadic lifestyle, creating the no-Omega law to prevent wild magic attacks, recreating Onn Kkulma, stabilizing the districts, establishing trade routes that brought prosperity… .

Then came more recent decisions. The discovery about the oncoming nnin-eellithi storm, choosing to relocate, the discovery about how to get to the Lox Empire, invasion plans, years spent preparing to conquer the Known Lands with relentless anger about the part they played in his land, taking Naya…

The brush stilled against his mount’s flank.

Taking Naya… that had not been truly been necessary to invade.

His council had advised him against it, but she was the heart of their culture.

Taking her had been smart, plus he knew she was the key to figuring out what the Lox Empire cared about.

And he’d been right. Naya inadvertently revealed how much they care about the Omega village and Omegas in general.

But getting that information had cost him her—his own Omega.

“Akoro.”

He glanced at his brother. Oppo had risen from the boulder and was standing, staring at something. He turned to see someone standing at the edge of the sand drift looking around the camp.

Naya.

Every rational thought fled as primitive recognition blazed through his system. She’d returned. Relief so intense it bordered on pain flooded through him, followed immediately by desperate hunger to hold her, to confirm she was his.

Impossibly she looked even more beautiful than yesterday, dressed in a long rust-colored tunic that complemented her hair. The other men in the camp stilled, noticing her, and then carefully moved away as Oppo had probably advised them to do.

Akoro straightened. She caught sight of him, and headed directly toward him.

She moved with purpose, her spine straight, shoulders squared—nothing like the desolate woman who’d walked away from him yesterday.

This was the princess he’d first encountered in her forest, commanding and self-possessed.

The sight of her composure stirred something dangerous in his chest, part admiration and part the predatory need to strip away that careful control until only the woman who’d shattered in his arms remained. He loved this look in her eyes.

Oppo shifted to stand beside him.

When Naya reached them, she stopped just beyond arm’s length. Close enough that he could catch hints of her natural scent, but too far for him to touch. Something about her posture made him not reach for her, though everything in him roared to cuddle her into him the way she loved.

Her brown eyes met his briefly—a flicker of something unreadable passing between them—before she turned her attention to Oppo. The dismissal stung, though he kept his expression neutral.

“I have something for you,” she said to his brother, reaching into a small pouch at her waist.

Akoro’s muscles coiled with instinctive tension.

What the fuck could she possibly have for Oppo?

The spike of jealousy that shot through him was immediate and irrational, a possessive snarl that he forced down before it could reach his expression.

She was his mate, speaking to his brother.

There was nothing threatening about the interaction.

Yet every Alpha instinct he possessed rebelled against her attention being directed anywhere but toward him.

“What is she saying?” Oppo asked.

That’s right. He forgot that Oppo couldn’t even understand her. “She says she has something for you,” Akoro said, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the questions clawing at his throat.

She withdrew something that looked like parchment, though softer, more delicate, and held it out to Oppo.

His brother stared at it with visible confusion, glancing between Naya and the mysterious material.

His gaze flickered to Akoro, uncertain. Akoro studied his brother’s face, then gave a sharp nod.

Oppo clearly had no idea what Naya was doing.

Oppo took the parchment-like material with careful fingers.

“I’ve been with these people for a few days,” Naya said, something bright flickering in her expression. “But there is one person who is my favorite. She made me this.”

Akoro translated, watching as Oppo slowly unfolded the material. The afternoon heat pressed against his shoulders, but something strange crawled up his spine as he observed his brother’s movements grow increasingly careful, almost reverent.

When Oppo opened it fully, he went completely still. Color drained from his face, his breathing turning shallow and quick. “Nnimi?” he breathed, his voice cracking on the word as he looked back up at Naya, shock blazing in his dark eyes.

“Yes,” she said, a grin spreading across her face.

“What is that?” Akoro asked him. “What is Nnimi?”

Oppo remained frozen, his entire body locked in unnatural stillness. Akoro watched him, confusion and jealousy twisting through his chest like competing storms. The moments crawled by in suffocating silence.

When Oppo finally lifted his head, the sight of tears gathering in his dark eyes sent shock cascading through Akoro.

Throughout all their experiences—the discovery of their family’s crimes, the brutal nights leading up to the Battle of Sy, the years of rebuilding that followed—his brother had been steady, unshakable.

Indecisive and quiet, yes, but never moved to the point of tears.

Yet now, raw grief carved into every line of his features.

“Is—is Oshrun there too?” Oppo’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper. “Did you meet her? Are they all right?”

Naya looked at Akoro expectantly, and he again remembered the language barrier between them.

“He wants to know if someone called Oshrun is there,” Akoro said. “Did you meet her? Are they both all right?”

Naya nodded, turning back to Oppo. “Yes, she is there. I met her. They’re both well. Both beautiful.”

Oppo exhaled sharply at her nod, relief and anguish warring across his features, but his eyes still turned to Akoro for the translation. Akoro’s jaw tightened, irritation flaring at being reduced to a translator between his brother and his mate.

“Who are these people?” he demanded of Oppo, but before his brother could respond, Naya spoke.

“I have a proposal,” she said, her demeanor sobering, her brown eyes serious and direct. “An opportunity that could benefit everyone.”

Wariness and hope warred in Akoro’s chest. He couldn’t determine if the strangeness of what had just happened was related to him and Naya or something else entirely. The sight of his brother clutching that drawing, tears threatening to spill, sent unease crawling through his veins.

“Go on,” he said.

Naya took a deep breath, and when she spoke, her words were clear, careful and prepared.

“The people who have been sheltering me want to discuss an alliance. They are kind people who value their privacy and safety. They have capabilities that could help protect your city from the approaching storm, but they need assurances about their safety and autonomy.”

Akoro frowned. An alliance? People with power he didn’t understand, hidden in terrain he couldn’t navigate, offering help with the very crisis that had consumed his council for years. The timing felt too convenient.

“What is she saying?” Oppo asked, urgency threading through his voice. “Tell me what she’s saying.”

“She’s talking about something else now.”

“What?” Oppo pressed, leaning forward. “Is it about Oshrun and Nnimi?”

“No. I don’t know.” Akoro shot him a sharp look, irritation flaring at his brother’s persistence. “I don’t know who they are.”

“Ask her?—”

“Just wait, Oppo,” Akoro said sharply. “Let me speak to her first.” He paused, studying his brother’s face. Oppo’s breathing remained uneven, his knuckles white where he gripped the drawing. “Are you all right?”

Oppo nodded, though shock still glazed his features. Something bright flickered in his dark eyes, hope mixed with desperation in a way that made Akoro’s chest tighten.

“Who are these people?” Akoro asked Naya.

“That’s part of what needs to be negotiated,” Naya said. “They’re willing to meet with you, but only under specific conditions. They want me to facilitate the discussions.”

“Why did they take you?” The question emerged as a growl, territorial fury spiking through him at the memory of her disappearing in that blaze of light.

Naya hesitated, something flickering across her features. “They thought I wasn’t safe,” she said finally.

Understanding began to crystallize in his mind, pieces clicking together with relentless logic.

Mysterious people with advanced magical capabilities, living hidden in the Isshiran Sands where no one could find them.

People who knew enough about his family’s history to require assurances about safety and autonomy before revealing themselves.

People who worried for Naya’s safety and possessed the knowledge to sever someone else’s nnol ttaehh mael .

“Omegas,” he said, amazement flooding him. “You’re talking about Omegas.”

Naya’s slight nod confirmed it. “Yes. They are not what you think—what anyone in the region thinks. They’ve been in hiding, living in a community that has survived generations, thriving out of sight. They believe circumstances may have changed enough that they might safely rejoin society.”