Page 2 of King

Neither of us speak because he didn’t bark this time, plus, it’s unclear who he was speaking to. He looks at me, but instead of asking again, he says, “Come closer.”

I drag my feet forward and bare my throat to him. I remind myself that this is not a true submission. I’m doing this for my mother.

He bends down and sniffs my neck. My skin crawls everywhere his breath touches. I want to claw at my flesh until the feeling is gone. But I have to keep my composure for the inevitable question that’s sure to come next.

“Who is the father?” he asks. His tone is calm, but each word is dripping with his Alpha bark.

“A fae,” I reply, fighting against the force of his power. “He found me during my heat and lay with me.”

I feel like a traitor, knowing they’ll all assume it was a selfish, heartless fae, just like any other. I once thought that of Durin, too, but I was wrong. They’re wrong as well, but they’d never believe me if I told them otherwise.

I fight desperately not to give more information than I have to. I don’t want them to know anything that might lead them to him.

Gasps and growls ripple across the camp, just as I’d expected. Some of their faces twist in disgust. Some show pity, like I’m a victim. The Prime and his Alphas, however, including my father, put on a show with their pretentious rage.

“I will gut him for taking advantage of a helpless Omega,” Bock declares to the pack. “MyOmega!”

The Alphas gather around him, growling, fangs and fists out, prepared for a fight.

What a joke. They were all willing and eager to take advantageof the very samehelplessOmega.

But luckily, Bock is no longer angry with me. He thought I’d run off and found another Alpha. Now that he knows it was a fae, his ego isn’t as hurt. My mother will hopefully be spared any punishment for her involvement.

“You were ashamed to be with his child,” my father speaks up, stepping out from the back of the group. “That’s why you remained hidden.”

He’s not actually talking to me, more like giving the Prime an excuse for my behavior. And he’s not sticking up for me like it might sound. He’s just worried about his own ego.

I’ll take the out, though. I didn’t realize I was pregnant until months later. I was completely oblivious. But they don’t know that. Anyone else would have considered the possibility after a heat. Mother would have known right away if I’d told her the truth. My father’s excuse for me is believable.

“Don’t worry, mate,” Bock says, using that horrid word again. “There’s no shame in something you had no control over. After the pup is born, you will be fit for your role as Luna. We can find a pack to take it, or you may raise it here.”

I’m immediately thankful that Bock is reasonable about most things. He won’t feel the same protective instinct over my pup as he would if it were his own. But I know he won’t be unkind to it.

He also knows what happens to Omegas who lose their pups. They can fall into a deep depression, to the point of physical illness and debilitating pain. Some never recover, eventually succumbing to their despair and refusing to ever eat again. At least he doesn’t wish that on me.

“You’ll be taken to my tent and remain there until the pup is born. When your body recovers, I will claim you as my mate. Your mother may tend to you and help you deliver. Otherwise, she is to remain in her tent in seclusion under your father’s watch.”

Dammit. He’s still angry with her. She should have brought me back, even if I was ashamed. She also should never have taken me to the market without an Alpha in the first place. Hopefully, his anger will subside quickly, and she can return to her normal duties. I feel horrible that she’s in this position because of me, even though it could have been much worse.

“Who is this fae that will soon face a gruesome death for his actions?” Bock asks, his gaze sweeping proudly over his Alphas.

The thought of them hunting Durin down sends a shudder through me. I can’t help but shrink back as I stare helplessly at Bock.

“I don’t know,” I lie, since there was no bark. “I was in heat. I barely remember anything from it.”

Bock turns to my mother, believing she was there for my heat, and remembers to bark this time. “What does he look like?”

The words tumble out of her mouth. “Tall, blue, noble.”

“Did he give you a name?” Bock demands.

Mother looks at me apologetically, devastated, as his name is ripped from her lips. “Durin.”

A shadow falls over Bock’s face, his demeanor shifting from one of authority to one of disbelief. “Durin?” he asks. “The guardian fae?”

Guardian fae?

Mother and I have been isolated for months. I don’t know what he’s talking about. It does seem to point to Durin, though. He told me about helping other species as he plots the queen’s downfall. I can see why word may have spread of him as a protector. Even if he’s not this guardian Bock is speaking of, I’ll use it. I can’t let them go after him.

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