Page 69 of The King's Omega
Her mouth twitched with suppressed fury. “Yes, King Milian. But my mate and I were poisoned. I suppose now we know by whom.”
Rigol had been poisoned after all. My heart stuttered. “Is King Rigol alive?”
Every eye in the courtyard flew to me, and Milian pulled me close, his grip on my arm bruising. “Now, now. Of course he is, for now. I know you said your finest wish was to see Rigol die, and what kind of mate would I be not to give you that gift for a wedding present? We’ll sign the terms of surrender with Queen Selene, and then I promise you a front row seat at Rigol’s dying moment.”
It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the courtyard. My vision dimmed as I grew faint. They would kill Rigol. “W-when is his execution, my lord?”
He didn’t answer, turning back to Selene, but I could see the answer in all the vacant, hopeless expressions. It would be soon. How could I stop it? Who could I convince to help me to…?
“Bitch.” The curse interrupted my thoughts.
“Lorn?”
His bloody lips twisted in a snarl. “You betrayed us.”
I wanted to say no; wanted to shout that I hadn’t, that I would never hurt these men, hurt my country.
Tarn’s face was too battered for me to see if he also believed I was responsible for poisoning Rigol, that I had joined Milian to overthrow the true king of Rimholt. Axe’s expression was flat, revealing nothing. I squeezed my lips together to hold in my protestations of innocence… I would rather die than let these men assume I had betrayed them.
But I couldn’t die. I had to live to free them. I knew the secrets of the castle. I might be a mere servant, but I was also the King’s Omega. Rimholt was mine to save, even if everyone within its borders condemned me as a traitor.
Milian observed me, almost too closely. I let my lips curl into a sneer as I answered Lorn’s accusation. “Betray you? I was a child, raised in poverty. When the king found me, he ordered Vilkurn to torture me. You, Lorn, punished me. And Rigol…” I let out a shaky breath. “When I wouldn’t lie with him, he tried to force me, then stole and injured my kitten.” I sniffed haughtily. “Why wouldn’t I want to watch him suffer? I hope he experiences the pain I felt when he took my little Mittens from me.”
I crumpled into Milian’s shoulder, forcing myself not to peek and see if any of them had caught my clue.
Then Selene was there, her fingers digging into my shoulders. Her false Omega scent had vanished again, replaced by the stench of rancid oil. Her herbs had run out, I assumed. “I’ll take her to your rooms, Your Majesty. Then you and I can go over the terms of Rimholt’s surrender.”
A harsh laugh rang out. “You are not the queen, Selene,” Lorn mocked. “You’re just his mate. He never granted you a crown… unlike Milian’s little traitor whore there.”
At Milian’s nod, a soldier stepped forward and punched Lorn in the gut. He groaned in pain, and I did my best not to react. Selene continued as if there had been no interruption, though her fingers trembled. “King Rigol is lucid from time to time, and he’ll sign the document to make me his queen, the legal heir to Rimholt. I swear it.”
“You did not secure the crown?” Milian released a powerful, rage-filled Alpha bark that drove every Beta around him, including Selene, to their knees. “You’re not the queen?”
“My lord,” she gasped. “It is only a matter of time.”
“Empty promises.” Milian sneered at her. “What leverage do you have?”
“His generals… and his brother, there.”
“Brother?”
“The large one, Asher. He’s the old king’s bastard son.”
“I’ll need to kill him too, then.” Milian mused. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. “Put him in the dungeon—all three of them. If Rigol hesitates, we’ll remove pieces of them until he signs. We can execute him once the ink dries. Execute the Executioner! Ha!” He shot me a look.
“How droll!” I squeezed out. “My husband is such a wit!”
Selene watched me, her eyes never blinking. “I’ll give Rigol a bit of the antidote now to bring him around.”
“Antidote?” Milian hissed at Selene as we entered the main door. “You did not use a more permanent poison?”
Selene held a hand to her cheek. “The man was paranoid, especially after you had his father killed the same way. I had to take it myself, at each meal, and drink the antidote afterward. It’s ruined my complexion.”
“Nothing could ruin you.” Then Milian swept Selene into his arms and kissed her brutally. She liked that, apparently. I kept my gaze on the floor.
“You really mated with this one?” Selene hissed after they stopped pawing each other. “How did you get her to open to you?”
“It’s a work in progress.” Milian pulled me behind him. “Show me our rooms. I need a little time with my Omega.”
