CHAPTER SIX
DROCCO
Drocco paced inside the magical box he had been placed in, his anger bubbling within him.
Surrounding the magical walls that made up his cell was a room so large it could be considered a small hall. His cell had been erected in the center, far from any of the walls. The lack of windows made the room darker than normal, though daylight streamed in through a thin strip of stained glass that ran along the top corner of the ceiling.
His cell consisted of four walls of glistening magic, with a bench in the middle for him to sit on. He had already tried to penetrate the walls, but the excruciating pain that blasted through him every time he touched it made it difficult for him to make any progress. He kept his eyes on the double doors of the room, waiting for someone to come through—hoping it would be Cailyn, but knowing that it was unlikely.
He had hoped that she had really wanted to stay with him, that she had been forced to return to this compound—it burned him that that hadn’t been the case at all. She had actually wanted to check that what he said to her was true, even though he’d sworn it! He growled as he paced, making laps around the bench as he considered how ludicrous her argument was. She made the decision to leave after returning from their time together in her lodge. It had nothing to do with the Mothers and all to do with her needing to find out more than what he told her, to investigate further. Part of him recognized that this was simply part of her character. After all, she had wanted to meddle into the circumstance around Malloron's slaves in his castle after having only been there a few months. But she had to learn now that her place was beside Drocco, and anything that jeopardized that, even her own inquisitiveness, was a danger to them both. She had to learn that nothing the Mothers said to her matters now, she was not part of them anymore—she was part of him. He tried everything he could to make her realize that on her own, he had relied on the Alpha/Omega connection to try and help her come to terms with that gently, but either she was still rejecting and refusing it, or the connection was not as strong or as powerful as he believed. Either way, there would be no more gentleness from him. No more trying to win her around. She would be returning with him and she would be by his side as his Omega should, even if she hated him for everything he was going to do to the Omega Mothers. He would simply have to accept that he and Cailyn would never have what his grandmother and grandfather experienced.
As the light in the panel around the ceiling turned dark, the candle lamps that adorned the walls flickered to life. Drocco stood watching them, his mind turning to his child. His only worry about the whole encounter was what they said. What if there was some truth to it? How could he really know? He didn’t trust anyone in this entire place to tell him anything about his child and her welfare. The one thing he did know was that he would kill anyone that dared to get in the way of him and his daughter—his heir who would be just as beautiful as her mother. The Omega Mothers would not be fucking taking her as long as he breathed.
After a time, the double door creaked open. He tensed, alert for what was to come.
A small figure in a white robe stepped in. A Mother. She turned to close the door and then strolled over to his cell, to stand opposite him. It was the eldest Mother who had appeared first after he arrived.
They stood staring at each other for a long moment, Drocco taking in as much as he could of her as she probably was of him. Before him stood a small, elderly woman, with silver-gray hair that could have once been brown, and gray eyes that could have once been blue. Although her skin was aged, the strength and steeliness in her gaze suggested that she was quick and intelligent. He guessed she was not an easy Omega to try to sway—not that he even intended to try. He would rather kill her.
"You are the eldest." He said it as a statement not a question, because it was clearly true.
The Mother inclined her head. "Azia. I am indeed the eldest."
"They listen to you." Again another statement.
"They do."
Drocco eyed her, more suspiciously this time. This was likely the Mother that was the cause of it all.
"You may view me as being cruel," Azia said. "But you do not understand anything about being an Omega."
"I understand that you have imprisoned them all here without them truly realizing what they are missing."
"I know what they are missing," Azia stressed. "And I do not deem it important enough to bring about the end of our dynamic. I know that Cailyn has probably told you what Omegas suffered in the past. I'm not here to debate that with you; I do not care if you believe it or not. It makes no difference. I lived it. I don’t need to justify my reasons to you, and I do not need your approval to do what is best for my Omega sisters."
"Omegas do not belong to you," Drocco said fiercely.
"They do not belong to you either!" Azia's eyes flashed. "You seem to think just because you are an Alpha that you deserve them. You do not! You do not deserve Cailyn. You did not treat her like she was precious when you found out what she was, even though she was your true mate." She held up a hand as Drocco was about to respond, fury burning through him at her audacious tone. "I completely understand that you may have come to some kind of understanding with her now, and I respect that you have made that progress. But I have no faith that your Alpha warriors, and any of the other Alphas in the known Lands will treat any of my Omega sisters with any kind of respect. I don't even believe that you will be able to keep your daughter safe."
At that Drocco roared, the heat within him reaching a peak that he could not control. "You think I will allow anyone to touch my daughter?"
"Could anyone have stopped you from touching Cailyn when you found her?" Azia shot back. "Did you fight anyone for her? Did you kill anyone? That is what you will be dealing with when your daughter comes of age or even before that, when she turns twelve and her scent begins to slowly develop."
Drocco held himself still, breathing heavily. It was true he had been wild in his rut, he could not argue that. But he had not been prepared for it. "I had no preparation to deal with an Omega in her Haze," he said, struggling not to shout. "In times past, Alphas would go through a preparation process so that they could handle their rut easier. It is something that has been well documented, something that Alphas could once again prepare for."
The Mother’s expression did not change. "And you would take that risk?"
Drocco's mouth tightened. He thought back to when Cailyn went into her Haze in the Great Hall. Even though he had removed her from the space almost immediately, Torin had reported that her scent had caused a wild orgy to take place between his warriors, the servants, and even guests, and she hadn't even fully gone into her Haze yet. But that did not mean that his daughter could not be protected. "There are plenty of things that can be done to prepare both Alphas and Omegas to reconnect," he said. "I have been intending for this to happen for decades. There is plenty of research that has been done to ensure the safety of Omegas as they are reintroduced to society. Focusing on my instincts, or the instincts of any Alpha, when they are unprepared is a worthless argument."
The Mother leaned forward. "It's not worthless for Omegas."
Drocco huffed out a breath as his eyes narrowed. "You say that you will not try to persuade me. Well, I'm not trying to persuade you either. You will not take my daughter. I would rather her live in my constant presence than have her raised by you and your twisted idea that Omegas can thrive without their Alphas."
The Mother lifted her head and clasped her hand before her. "So you will not remove the charm chain."
"I do not see how it can possibly have any effect on my child that Cailyn is unable to use magic."
"But even if I tell you, you would not believe me anyway, would you?"
"No," Drocco shot at her forcefully.
The Mothers face slacked. "Then I shall tell you this." She took a tiny step forward. "Cailyn is in need of an Alpha to settle her and the baby throughout her pregnancy, as I'm sure you know. The longer you take to remove the chain, the more distressed she and the baby will get."
Drocco's entire body tensed and he stepped forward, wishing the wall would disappear. "You will harm them if you allow that to happen," he said through gritted teeth. “Yet you claim to care for all Omegas.”
"You are allowing it to happen," the Mother shot back. "While I care for all Omegas, there are some sacrifices I am willing to make. All we ask is that you remove the charm chain. It is your choice." She turned and strolled to the door. "Remove the chain and both you and Cailyn can leave. If you truly care about both her and the child, you will do what is necessary." She turned and left.
***
Mother Azia came to see him the next day to see if he changed his mind. And the day after that, and the day after that. Her argument remained the same, as did his.
At first, Drocco argued back, but soon he was simply filled with anger and frustration at the inability to get out of his prison. The only thing that calmed him somewhat was thoughts of Cailyn when they were at her lodge. Memories of the feel of her, the scent of her, the taste of her contented him somewhat, but eventually even those thoughts led him back to the realization of what she chose to throw away when she left to come back to the compound.
Periodically a slim corridor appeared at the back wall of his cell that led through the back wall of the room to a small washroom. He searched and examined the space, trying to find a way out, but there was none. The walls of the washroom were coated with the same magic that made up the walls of his cell. The bench at the center of his cell doubled as his bed, though it was uncomfortable. The Mother brought bowls of various stews and bread whenever she entered, but Drocco only ate a minimal amount. After the revelation of Malloron’s type of hospitality, he would rather only take what he needed not to starve.
"Cailyn is not sleeping," the Mother said casually a few days later.
Drocco, sitting on the bench, immediately tensed.
"She asks for you regularly. She wishes to come and see you." The Mother watched him closely as she spoke. "But she is too distraught and too exhausted to make it to this side of the sanctuary."
Drocco snarled, unable to prevent himself from shooting to his feet as the harsh heat flared over him. "You are causing her undue distress. Let me see her."
"You know the agreement," the Mother shot at him. "Take the charm chain off."
This time, Drocco did not respond. His fists clenched and his jaw hardened. This woman was playing games with his mate and his child. She was causing potentially irreparable damage to the two people whom he held most dear in the entire Lands. It was unforgivable and she needed to fucking die.
Mother Azia seem to sense the change in him. She stepped closer to the wall, a determined look in her eyes. "What you are feeling is your raw Alpha instincts," she said, her voice low. "Those uncontrollable instincts that cause you and your kind to damage Omegas beyond repair."
"Do you think I don't know what you're doing to me?" Drocco bellowed. "Do you think I don't realize that this is an unnatural prison? You are causing me to feel this way."
The Mother tilted her head. "This prison is made from raw magic. There are no charms or spells attached to it other than to make it into the shape in which it holds and to provide you with passage to the washroom."
"Liar!" Drocco boomed.
"The magic surrounding you is drawing out your true self," Mother Azia continued as if he hadn't spoken. "It is drawing out the elements of your dynamic that are the most powerful. As a true Alpha, those elements are stronger than normal."
“You are the one that chose this prison for me,” Drocco snarled.
“It was the only way we could hold you,” the Mother said. “You are too strong for any other kind of magic. Tell me, were you exposed to magic for long periods of time when you were a child?”
Drocco stilled, the cold rush sweeping through him.
A silence built, during which Mother Azia watched him closely. When he didn’t answer, she said, “You were in the village we couldn't find, weren't you?"
“What do you know about that?” Drocco asked, his voice low.
“We knew the village that we couldn't find for years had to have been hidden by the Talent. It wasn’t a priority for us to find it for a long time—we had other issues we were concerned with. But when we finally turned our attention to it, it resurfaced. We examined the people of the village; there seem to be no one there capable of using magic to such a degree and no Omegas were present. So we let it be."
She slowly padded around Drocco’s cell, a strange curiosity in her eyes. “I should have known that the one Alpha who managed to succeed in conquering the Eastern Lands, the last true Alpha left on this side of the White Ocean, would have come from such a place.”
Drocco watched her closely, walking on the inside of his cell and keeping pace with her as she walked on the outside. “What is the significance?”
“You were exposed to a magically charged environment during periods of your natural growth,” she explained. “You are more attuned to it than most.”
“It makes no difference to me,” Drocco said. “I’m not interested in using the Talent.”
The Mother inclined her head. “Maybe so. But it has made a difference to your resistance level. Now I understand how you have survived so long against it—even to the point of impaling yourself on Cailyn’s spear when she attacked you.”
Drocco huffed out a breath, annoyed to be reminded of the event. “I’m glad you have managed to reach a new conclusion about something that is of no consequence.”
“It was lucky for Cailyn she chose to create a barrier using your blood when you discovered her,” the Mother said, thoughtfully. “I’m sure you have gotten through it otherwise.”
Drocco growled. This conversation was pointless and only served to remind him of unpleasant memories. “I want to see Cailyn.”
The Mother stopped, turning to face him. “Why won’t you take the chain off?” she asked, her tone suddenly quiet. “I understand that you don’t believe me when I say it is harmful to the child, but how does it hurt to take it off. What are you afraid of? Are you worried that Cailyn will be able to use the Talent again? Are you afraid she will attack you? Because she won’t. She is desperate to be with you.”
Drocco held himself still, not allowing her lies to penetrate him too deeply. If Cailyn was truly desperate to be with him, she wouldn’t have left. “The fact you want me to remove this chain so desperately,” he responded, “tells me that you cannot penetrate its effects. That means you cannot harm Cailyn or my child while she wears it. You cannot use magic to twist her mind or turn her against me again.”
The hardening of Mother Azia’s face told him he was right, but she said, “That is not true. We have already used magic on her when she arrived.”
“But it didn’t last long, did it?” Drocco guessed. “It couldn’t penetrate her too deeply.”
At that, the Mother scowled. “You are a fool. Any harm that is going to come to Cailyn will be by your hand, never by ours.”
“You have already harmed her! She was distraught at the idea that she had a family that existed in the Lands that she didn’t know about. She was deeply upset that her mother was alive when you told her she didn’t have one. Those lies caused her much harm.”
“Maybe so,” the Mother snapped. “But they could never be as bad as what an Alpha can do to his Omega.”
Drocco eyed her, silent for a moment. “You had an Alpha.”
The Mother tensed. She turned and continued to walk slowly around his cell. “Yes.”
“What did he do to you?” Drocco asked evenly, keeping pace with her again.
The old woman pressed her lips together and kept her gaze straight ahead of her. The silence grew, and Drocco eventually realized that she was not going to answer. Perhaps it had indeed been horrific, but she had to realize that her experiences could not be used as an example of what might happen to others. Not now.
“Times are different now to when Omegas were in the known Lands before,” Drocco said. “Whatever you experienced… it’s not the same. Alphas are not the same.”
“You are wrong,” the Mother hollered, turning on him suddenly. “You are all the same. Just because you can talk with reasonable common sense, it doesn’t mean a damn thing when your instincts overtake you.”
“Omegas need those instincts too,” Drocco said. “You are implying that it is one-sided.”
“Sometimes it is,” the Mother hissed, her face up close to the magical wall.
Drocco glared into her hard, gray eyes and realized that she could not be reasoned with. He had tried, but there was no point in continuing. “I made a vow to my Alpha warriors that I will find them their Omegas,” he said, his voice low. “As we speak they are searching for this compound with the most powerful Talent-crafters that exist in this time. You will be found eventually and every single Omega will be returned to where they belong—their Alpha’s side.” As he spoke, Mother Azia’s face became stony; her eyes hardening to a gray so deep, they were almost like bottomless pits. “It matters not to me, whether I survive this. I came here to get my Omega and my child—my only care is for them. But if you cause her damage, that will be avenged. Whether it’s me, or my warriors, Cailyn’s distress will be avenged. Your time here is over.”
The Mother whipped around and headed toward the doors, her robe streaming behind her. Grabbing the doorknob she turned to him, snarling. “It is time you learned the truth, Alpha. Your Omega will indeed suffer in the exact way I have tried to explain to you. I gave you a chance, just remember that.” She yanked the door open and marched though.
Shock and confusion pierced Drocco so fiercely that he could hardly breathe. The Mother had outright threatened Cailyn, but it sounded like more than just letting Cailyn become distressed by his absence. What the fuck had she meant? A fury rose in him so deep, he shook with the strength of it. Roaring, he punched the magical wall that held him in, keeping him from his mate. Pain exploded through his arm but at that point he relished it, seeking the pain in order to abate the anger tearing him from the inside out. Cailyn was already suffering and now he had no idea what else this Mother would inflict on her. He pounded the wall, bellowing out his frustrations in curses and yells. Brutal, shuddering pain gripped his arms and shoulders and the veins in his arms burst as it worsened. Soon both arms seized and he was forced to stop his attack.
He dropped onto the bench in the center, resting his arms on his thighs as blood dripped and splattered on the floor. Mother Azia had just made a fatal mistake threatening Cailyn. No matter what she intended to do he would respond in kind. Her grip on the Omegas would loosen and everything she had done to them would be undone. He had faith that Kuan and Rada would eventual find the compound, especially with Malloron’s help and under Torin’s instruction. Mother Azia would not know what hit her.
***
Drocco remain alert for the next few days, but something had changed. Mother Azia no longer came to visit him regularly. The anger he felt about his circumstances increased tenfold as he tried his hardest during every waking moment to get out of the fucking box to get to Cailyn. He pounded the walls of the cage until his arms and shoulders were bloody. Aggression consumed him. Soon, he couldn't even think clearly. That rage was the only thing present in his mind. There was no space for any other thoughts, and he did not need them.
He could no longer tell night or day; his surroundings didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered was getting out.
At one point, he became aware of people, cloaked females, in the room outside his cell. They stood observing him—wonder, fear, and repulsion in their eyes as they looked upon at him. The Mother stood with them, speaking to them and gesturing at him, though he couldn't hear or understand what she was saying. He didn't really care. He watched her, channeling his aggression at the one woman who was the cause of his current circumstance. When she stepped closer to the cage, he began punching and pounding the wall near to where she stood. The other females flinched and gathered back, away from his cell, but the Mother didn't move. She smiled at them, spoke again and beckoned them toward the door before turning to Drocco, satisfaction in her eyes.
Drocco couldn't even register the meaning behind her actions nor did he care. He continued to accept the blasting pain that hit him every time his fist struck the wall. She needed to be dead and he wanted to be the one to do it.
Sometime later, could have been hours could have been days, the Mother returned. She stood smiling at Drocco as he snarled at her, fists clench, ready to attack.
She spoke, a smug expression on her face, but he had no idea what she said. Words didn't mean anything now.
Suddenly, she threw something to him and he caught it out of surprise. Staring down at it, he realized he held a tunic. It was soft, and smelled of…
He pressed tunic to his nose, and breathed in his Omega’s scent. He moaned at the delicious potent smell of her, that beautiful scent he missed, the one that had always belonged to him. Immediately he hardened, and every fiber in his body tuned to his mate. His mate who had lied to him and been woefully disobedient. He looked up sharply, a growl in his throat, and suddenly realized his cell was open. An entire wall was missing where the Mother had stood, though she was now gone.
He marched out of his cell and headed straight for the door, his mind on Cailyn, his nose sensitive to her scent. He would seek her out and claim her once and for all.