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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

T he afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of the council chamber as Naya entered, her borrowed palace silks rustling softly against the marble floor. She’d expected a routine briefing about the integration progress, but the sight that greeted her made her steps falter.

The entire council stood as she approached—Prillu with her diplomatic composure, Tshel’s weathered face creased with emotion, Ranin’s usually stern expression softened with something approaching awe.

Even Nrommo, who’d viewed her with suspicion since her first day as Akoro’s prisoner, rose from his seat with obvious respect.

“Princess Naya,” Prillu said, her voice carrying a formality that hadn’t been there in weeks. “We’ve asked King Sy to allow us this moment to speak with you directly.”

Naya blinked, surprised. Akoro hadn’t mentioned it.

Tshel stepped forward, her red robe swaying. “You did it, Naya. You found the Solution.”

Naya smiled, warmed by the tears in her eyes.

“You risked your life. You channeled forces that could have destroyed you to save people you never met.”

Naya’s throat tightened unexpectedly. “I did what was necessary?—”

“No,” Prillu said firmly. “You did far more than necessary. You went beyond any reasonable expectation of duty or alliance.” She paused, her usual composed facade cracking slightly. “My sons now have no more to fear for the rest of their lives. I… You don’t know how much relief that gives me.”

“My granddaughter lives in the outer district,” Ranin said. “She would have died if that storm had reached populated areas.”

“My nephews,” Nrommo added, his battle-hardened voice surprisingly gentle.

“Three boys who’ll grow up safe because of your courage.

” He inclined his head in a gesture that, coming from him, felt more significant than any formal bow.

“I misjudged you, princess. I saw a foreign captive where I should have seen a good heart, a protector.”

Oppo approached, a smile on his face as he took her hands in his. He began speaking and Tshel translated.

“My mate and daughter are alive because of what you did,” Oppo said quietly, his voice thick with emotion that made his words tremble.

“You didn’t just save the region, princess—you saved my world.

Oshrun, Nnimi, every Omega in that canyon who would have died if the storm had hit.

” He paused, swallowing hard. “You gave me back my family when I thought I’d lost them forever.

You made it possible for my daughter to grow up safe, for my mate to lead her people into the light instead of hiding in shadows.

” His dark eyes, so much like his brother’s, blazed with fierce gratitude.

“There is no debt I wouldn’t pay, no service I wouldn’t render, to honor what you’ve given us. ”

Heat blazed across Naya’s face and her throat ached with an unspent sob. The full council continued to thank her with expressions and gifts of gratitude. These were people who’d devoted their lives to serving their kingdom, who understood better than most what true sacrifice looked like.

“The alliance with the Omegas is unprecedented,” Nanaek said.

“It will bring benefits we never imagined possible, but what you did transcended politics. You saved lives. Preserved families. Protected a future that might not have existed without your intervention. The council made an announcement to the people this morning alongside the news about the Solution.”

“The party is still going on,” Tshel said, laughing. “I think it will be a month-long celebration.”

Naya laughed, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

“We wanted you to know,” Tshel said simply, “that whatever happens next, whatever choices you make about your future, you will always be welcome here. Not as a diplomatic guest or political ally, but as someone who proved herself willing to die for ssukkǔrian lives.”

Naya smiled. In her mind she could see Akoro’s fierce pride blazing in his dark eyes.

“Thank you,” she managed. “All of you. That means more than you know.”

“We would be honored if you could stay for the Omega integration,” Nanaek added tentatively. “Just to introduce me and Prillu and facilitate a line of communication.”

Naya opened her mouth, but was unsure what to say. She and Akoro hadn’t yet had a conversation about exactly when she would go home. They’d managed to avoid it so far. But if she stayed for a little while longer, surely it would help Oshrun?

“It will just be a few days,” Prillu assured her. “Maybe a week.”

Naya smiled, nodding. “Of course.”

The formal atmosphere dissolved as smiles broke across weathered faces. For a moment, the council chamber felt less like a seat of power and more like a gathering of people who’d found something worth celebrating.

The silk sheets beneath them bore the musky evidence of their joining—sweat and slick and the intoxicating blend of their mingled scents that proclaimed to anyone with functioning senses exactly what had transpired in the king’s chambers.

Naya lay sprawled across Akoro’s chest, her copper hair fanned like liquid fire across his bronze skin, breathing in the deep satisfaction that radiated from his pores.

His shoulder had healed enough for this—for the desperate, consuming need that had been building between them since the last time to find release again.

She could taste salt on her lips from where she’d licked the hollow of his throat, could feel the pleasant ache between her thighs where he’d filled her with possessive intensity.

The raised scars on his shoulder told the story of Otenyo’s crossbow bolt, but they hadn’t hindered his ability to grip her hips with bruising force as she rode him toward shattering completion.

“Your meetings can wait,” Akoro rumbled against her ear, his voice still rough from the sounds she’d torn from his throat. His uninjured arm banded around her waist, holding her captive against his heated skin. “Stay here. Let me taste you again.”

The command sent liquid fire pooling in her core despite the thorough claiming she’d just received.

His Alpha dominance threaded through even his most casual requests, turning simple words into irresistible compulsion.

She could smell her own arousal beginning to bloom again, mixing with his satisfied musk to create an atmosphere thick with carnal possibility.

“I promised Oshrun I’d visit today,” she managed, though her resolve wavered as his mouth found the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “The integration is reaching a critical phase.”

“Then go quickly,” he said, teeth grazing her throat in a way that made her arch against him. “I want you back in my bed before sunset.”

The possessive hunger in his voice made her inner Omega purr with contentment.

Even when allowing her to leave, he was claiming her return, marking his territory with words that promised consequences if she disobeyed.

The dark thrill of his dominance sent heat spiraling through her veins despite her attempts to focus on duty.

“I’ll return when I’m finished,” she said, though the breathless quality of her voice undermined any pretense of independence.

His hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head back until she was forced to meet his burning gaze. “You’ll return because I’ve commanded it, tmot zia . Because you’re mine, and this is where you belong.”

The words should have sparked rebellion, should have reminded her of all the reasons their arrangement was temporary. Instead, they sent molten satisfaction coursing through her bones, her body responding to his claim with instinctual hunger that made rational thought impossible.

“Yes,” she whispered, the admission torn from her lips before she could think better of it.

His smile was pure predatory satisfaction. “Good girl.”

The journey through the Isshiran Sands felt different now that Naya understood the sophisticated magic woven through every grain.

The protective enchantments responded to her awareness like old friends, creating a bubble of stable ground that allowed her to cross the treacherous terrain with confidence.

Each step sent ripples through the magical framework, and she could sense the canyon’s presence long before the hidden entrance came into view.

The narrow fissure in the rock face opened before her like a doorway into another world.

Cool air flowed from the depths, carrying scents of blooming jasmine and fresh water that seemed impossible in the harsh desert landscape.

But as she descended into the canyon’s embrace, the full scope of transformation that had occurred in her absence struck her with breathtaking force.

Where once the pathways had been empty save for small groups of women moving with careful stealth, now they bustled with confident activity.

Scaffolding rose against the carved walls where new chambers were being excavated, while teams of Omegas worked with tools and techniques that spoke of centuries of hidden expertise.

The sound of hammers on stone created a rhythmic symphony that echoed off the towering cliffs, punctuated by laughter and animated conversation in both Shtǒnma and the Common Tongue.

Children who had once played in whispered secrecy now ran through the terraced gardens with uninhibited joy, their bright clothing creating splashes of color against the red stone.

Women moved with the easy confidence of people no longer hiding, their backs straight and heads held high as they went about their daily tasks.

The very air seemed to vibrate with hope and possibility.

“Naya!” Nnimi’s voice rang across the plaza as the little girl spotted her and came racing across the stone with arms outstretched. “You came back!”

The child launched herself into Naya’s arms with complete trust, her small body radiating the kind of happiness that came from a young person’s world suddenly expanding beyond all previous boundaries.