CHAPTER NINE
DROCCO
Drocco stormed into the training grounds in a frenzy. He had almost killed her. His own future mate! She had infuriated him to the point of such anger, he had forgotten his own strength. She was so small, she wouldn’t have survived if he had squeezed her throat much longer.
He grabbed his double-ended, multi-blade sword and his favorite double-sided battle axe before heading toward the grounds.
The healer that had examined and treated her said she would recover to full strength within a few hours with treatment, sleep, and minimal distress, but that didn’t appease him. He had caused it, and the idea of that cut him deep. He had lost control, which he hated, and nearly lost the one thing he was desperate to keep. What if he did it again?
Torin saw him coming and sent the warriors he was training away before Drocco arrived.
“No, Drocco,” he called as he approached. “They are here for training, not for you to take your frustrations out on them again.”
Drocco roared and swung his axe. It dropped with a heavy clang on Torin’s shield.
Torin darted back. “Drocco! Calm down.”
“I want to train!” Drocco bellowed, twisting his sword above his head before slicing it toward Torin. Torin danced out of the way, spun around, and jabbed at Drocco with his sword. Drocco dodged and parried with his sword.
“Stop Drocco,” Torin said, harshly. “You have no shield and you are too angry for training.”
“I am the Emperor, I train whenever I want!”
“Yes, you are the Emperor.” Torin lowered his shield and his sword, leaving himself dangerously vulnerable. “Do you want your men to see you like this? You want them to see you so out of control after all the success you have achieved for finding an Omega?”
Drocco froze, his chest heaving. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the warriors Torin had sent off gathering at the edge of the grounds.
The entire Empire had rejoiced upon hearing that Drocco had an Omega in the Palace. Many had detected Cailyn’s scent lingering in the Great Hall, and more had reveled in her scent after she had been taken from the office where she’d had her Haze. The word had spread quickly, and soon many territories and cities that had been previously reluctant to join the Lox, were swearing fealty, sending the heads of their family members as proof of their loyalty.
Drocco had kept up the pretense—boasting in the triumph and celebrations like he was supposed to, but he and Torin knew the truth. Finding the Omega had been luck, and in fact, she had tricked him for a long time. He had been furious that she had been right under his nose, even as he had berated his warriors about being vigilant for spies. His anger had fueled his main goal, which was to get Cailyn to tell him where the other Omegas were. After that—after she had been through the appropriate punishment—they could start their real relationship. However, nothing with Cailyn had gone how he had expected it.
“You’re not on the same kind of battlefield anymore, Drocco,” Torin said, after a long moment of silence. “This political battlefield is all about image and perception. Everything you do will be watched, and your army has expectations of you.”
Drocco growled in the back of his throat. “My army has no right or inclination to question anything I do.”
“You promised them Omegas,” Torin said. “Now you have one for yourself.”
“So you’re saying they are angry that I benefit and they don’t?”
“No, they are encouraged by this and happy for you,” Torin insisted. “But eventually they will want your success to lead to their own.” Torin eyed him. “This isn’t the first time you have come from your bedroom furious and ready for blood. If it becomes clear that you cannot handle her, word will spread. You will lose some of your warriors.” His voice lowered. “If you are having trouble with the Omega, you can assign someone else to break her.”
“No one touches my mate,” Drocco thundered.
Torin stared at him, shock in his eyes. “You are claiming this one as your mate?”
“Of course I am.”
“I didn’t realize,” Torin muttered. He glanced away and then peered back at Drocco. “You realize that as a spy and a Talent-crafter she is everything the Lox despise—”
“Torin,” Drocco said, a clear warning in his tone. This was exactly the same vein of conversation he had just had with Cailyn.
“I’m just saying you don’t need to select the first one—”
Drocco swung his sword so quick, Torin barely had time to react. Even though he jerked backward, the tip caught his chin. The Beta stumbled back and the warriors at the edge of the grounds started in surprise.
“She is my mate,” Drocco growled, as Torin cradled his chin. “I have been sure since I first scented her, perhaps even before then. You will never discuss this with me again. Understood?”
Torin nodded, a stunned curiosity in his eyes as blood dripped from between his fingers.
Drocco glared at him, his fingers twitching on his sword handle. Cailyn had looked upon Torin twice—one of those times while in her Haze. Was he the kind of man she would seek to fuck? A man he could cut down easily before she could even make that choice?
Drocco caught his train of thought and threw down his weapons before he could do anything stupid.
“May I make a suggestion, Drocco?” Torin asked, quietly.
Drocco grunted his consent.
“It has been a while since you looked at your reports. There may be something you have forgotten about Omegas that would help you.”
Drocco exhaled as he thought. An idea formed in his mind and he dipped his head in a sharp nod and glanced at the warriors. “Carry on.”
Drocco headed straight to his carriage house and told them to prepare to leave immediately. He sat and waited as they rushed about, a deep agitation within him about what he had almost done to Cailyn. Much of it was because she fought so hard against her instincts. It was almost as if she didn’t want to bond with him, and the thought of that angered him even more. Her body and her responses to him during their mating told a completely different tale, however, even though there were moments when she seemed like she was settling, she was simply distant. Her mind was somewhere else and not focused on him. It was displeasing.
As a spy, she should surely realize he had to torture her to get information. He had to break her, and he had to do it with his knot. That was the trick to breaking a prisoner—enforcing pain on the one thing that made them who and what they were. Omegas were the only dynamic that could be truly knotted, and so that was where Cailyn had to suffer. Of course, it didn’t help that it had to happen after he fucked her. Her body was exquisite in every way, her sweet, dripping pussy was made for him, and yet neither of them could fully enjoy the experience past their base needs. When she orgasmed now, it was nothing like the beauty of the first time because she knew what was coming next. It tainted their mating, and that was even more of a reason to get the information out of her so they could move on.
It didn’t sit well with him when she cried. In fact, he fucking hated it. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been in utter agony too every time he had to pull out of her. But he had made sure he fully lathered her in the healing cream before he left to treat himself. If he hadn’t been sure it would repair her completely, he would’ve had to find a different method to break her.
He had been surprised at how resilient she had been, proud of her even. He had only made her come in his mouth that first time as a reward for holding out so long to give him that information, but then he found he couldn’t stop sucking her. It was the only time she was unreserved and without fear. It was the only time she had touched him outside of her Haze—gripping his hair and scratching his scalp. He loved the way she writhed and wriggled, the way she spread her legs and humped her hips so nastily to feed him, not even to mention how good she tasted. He couldn’t get enough. When that unique blend of her slick and come saturated his face, dominating his every inhale… nothing else was important. He had suspended the interrogation so that could continue for a little while. He hadn’t even fucked her, even though the desperation rose violently every time.
“We are ready, your Imperial Majesty,” muttered his driver, bowing low before him.
Drocco climbed into his carriage instructing them to head to the Records Keep. Torin’s suggestion had been reasonable but not if he was to believe Cailyn. Much of what she had said about how Omegas had been treated had been left out of all the reports he read. Even his grandfather hadn’t mentioned it, and he had been a ferocious Alpha who had deeply loved his Omega. If Omegas were responsible for their own disappearance, it changed everything. If they hated Alphas and didn’t want Alphas in their lives, that presented a problem on a level that he had not been prepared for. After she had revealed that, he had scoured every piece of information his grandfather and father had left him. There had been subtle hints, but nothing definitive. What if Cailyn was the one mistaken? What if her capturers had brainwashed her? How could he know what information to believe? Regardless of her belief of the Omegas torturous existence before their disappearance, he couldn’t discount every single record. He needed further information.
He stared out of the window, wondering if something was wrong with Cailyn that his healer couldn’t see. She was certainly an Omega by all physical accounts, but he couldn’t understand why she was so headstrong. Maybe the blocks had had a lasting damaging effect on her personality. He needed to know more.
The clerks and keepers gathered at the entrance of the Keep to applaud and cheer him when he arrived.
Drocco strode straight to the head keeper, who began gushing at him immediately. “Congratulations, your Imperial—”
“I need a private word with whichever keeper is most knowledgeable about Omegas and the Alpha/Omega connection.”
The head keeper nodded graciously. “That is myself, your Imperial Majesty. Please follow me.”
He led Drocco through the Keep, the clerks still applauding, only stopping to bow as Drocco passed. The keeper led him up a smaller staircase near the back of the first floor to a bare room that held only a table, two chairs and a wide window on one of the walls. His guards waited outside when he entered.
“This room is private?” Drocco asked, looking around.
The keeper nodded. “Nothing said in this room can be heard elsewhere, your Imperial Majesty. It’s one we use for the reporting of sensitive information.”
Drocco eyed him for a moment. He would have rather spoken to a man he could kill after to protect the information he was about to disclose, but the head keeper seemed too useful. He would have to be careful. Finally, he nodded.
The head keeper smiled at him. “What can I help you with?”
“I need to know how to correct Omega behavior to its original and traditional state.”
The keeper frowned in confusion. “Correct Omega behavior?”
“Yes, so she is submissive and eager to please.”
“There are no such correction methods recorded, Emperor.”
Drocco exhaled and began pacing the small room. “How does an Alpha keep his Omega from being willful and disobedient?”
The keeper’s frown deepened. “The Alpha/Omega connection is known to be a mutual one. Omegas have no reason to reject it.” He hesitated. “Is your Omega being… uncooperative?”
“Yes,” Drocco bit out. “She refuses to reveal the locations of the other Omegas.”
The head keeper nodded. “Maybe she doesn’t know.”
“Possibly,” Drocco said, unwilling to reveal what Cailyn had told him.
“Tell me about how she behaves,” the keeper asked. “Does she talk to you about anything else?”
“No.”
“Do you… mate?”
Drocco narrowed his eyes at the man. “What kind of question is that? Of course we fuck.”
“No offense, Emperor, I’m just trying to ascertain her mood,” the keeper said, gently. “Is she happy to have been found?”
“No.”
When Drocco didn’t elaborate, the head keeper took a moment to think. “What is her opinion of you?”
“Not good. She is very resistant to me. She fights against her urges to mate and tells me I am not her Alpha.” A twinge of anger stirred in him at the thought of her rejection.
“She doesn’t want you as her Alpha?” the head keeper asked, shocked.
“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Drocco said, harshly. “Her body tells me one thing, her mouth tells me another. I can actually see the physical strain on her when she opposes me, yet she still does it. Frequently. She will not accept the truth of what is natural to her.” He looked at the keeper. “Is it true that she cannot be forced to soul-bond?”
“Yes. It is well recorded that Alphas who try to bond with an Omega without her reciprocating, suffer an unpleasant existence until they die. The soul-bond has to be mutual—the claiming bites should happen at the same time, or at least the Omega’s bite should happen first.”
Drocco exhaled harshly. He had hoped that piece of information was incorrect. “What kind of unpleasantness do the Alphas experience?”
“They become a victim to their Omega’s emotions,” the keeper explained. “And, since Alphas are not supposed to be overwhelmed by such emotions, it distorts their outlook and they become tormented.”
“Fuck,” Drocco muttered.
“Over time, they become crazy. Their lifespan is shortened and they lose their sense of everything that makes them an Alpha.”
“Does the same thing happen in reverse?”
“No,” the keeper said, shaking his head. “Omegas can deal better with the Alpha’s emotions, though it is more satisfying for the Alpha if he returns the bite.”
A silence fell over the room as Drocco considered what the keeper said. Biting Cailyn first was completely out of the question. He had to make her bite him first. “What about in her Haze? Will an Omega soul-bond during her Haze?”
“It is unlikely,” the keeper said. “During the Haze, her primary goal is to mate and breed. The idea of blood in her mouth is highly unappealing.”
Drocco exhaled, thinking deeply again. There had to be a way to force her to accept him.
“Does she nest?” the keeper asked, after a long moment.
“For herself.”
The keeper frowned. “What do you mean?”
“She has formed a mock nest but it’s for her alone, not for both of us.”
The keeper crossed his arms, chewing his lip as he thought deeper. “Have you tried to enter it?”
“No,” Drocco said, tersely. It annoyed him that he had allowed her the comfort of her pseudo nest and she hadn’t even recognized the kindness. “I fear it’s the only place she feels safe to sleep, and I need her rested for the typical questioning.”
“Typical questioning?”
Drocco nodded. “She takes it well but I know her suffering isn’t good for our future connection.”
“Suffering?” The head keeper’s eyes widened. “She is hurt during the questioning?”
“Of course.”
“You cause her pain?”
Drocco shot the man a hard look. “Until she answers my questions, she is hurt repeatedly and continuously. It is the way of the Lox.”
The head keeper gasped and paled.
Drocco slowed his pacing, turning to watch the man’s reaction. He looked utterly horrified. He swayed on his feet and then clung to the back of the chair before him for support. “What is it?” Drocco asked.
“I thought you were looking to bond with this Omega. I didn’t realize she was a prisoner. I apologize for my assumption.”
“No, your assumption is correct,” Drocco said. “She will be my mate.”
The keeper took a deep breath, averting his eyes from Drocco.
“What is it!” Drocco barked.
“It’s just… I… I’m not sure…”
“Speak plainly,” Drocco ordered. “I have no use for people who cannot speak when needed.”
The man got a hold of himself and steadied his stance, dropping his arms to his sides. “Emperor. Your treatment of your Omega may have forever damaged your connection with her.”
Drocco growled and clenched his fists, a horrible feeling blooming in his stomach.
The man pressed on. “The Alpha/Omega connection is a delicate one. Although hormones may attract you to one another, there is more that needs to happen for a connection to flourish into the potential for a bond connection.”
“Like what?”
“Omegas are certainly submissive and eager to please in their Haze, but they have their own personalities. Our records indicate Omegas have worked in politics, trade, the arts, and the sciences. They are generally intelligent and capable of many feats when their Haze isn’t upon them. An Omega needs to feel safe with her Alpha, and once she does, she will tend to try and please him. The most successful relationships I have read about have been where the Omega is completely free of fear. This is highly important. This is what sometimes decides how an Omega chooses her Alpha. They are so vulnerable to everyone that they will be reluctant to let go of an Alpha who makes them feel safe.”
Drocco stared at him. “I have not read this anywhere. And you know I have extensive records.”
The keeper nodded. “Yes, but I fear you have collected records from Alphas, your Imperial Majesty. Alphas would not record the things that are important to Omegas, only to themselves.” His face dropped. “I mean no disrespect, Emperor,” he added, quickly. “It’s just we have more impartial records, even excerpts from Omega diaries.”
Drocco waved away his apology, and he began pacing again in deep thought. Cailyn had always felt fear from him. That was what he had thrived on—it was what he had always thrived on, from everyone. “How do I correct it?” he asked. “How do I get her to feel like I am her Alpha?”
The keeper peered at him. “What is more important to you; your connection with her or finding the other Omegas?”
Drocco stilled again. “Why do I have to choose?”
“Your next steps will be dependent on that decision,” the keeper said. “You can continue treating her like a prisoner and you may succeed in getting the information you want, but your connection with her will greatly suffer. I highly doubt you will be able to repair it.”
Drocco clenched his teeth. “Or?”
“Or you could work on your connection and make her feel comfortable enough to open up to you.”
Drocco stared out of the window as he worked his jaw. He would not be waiting around for her to open up to him, but he needed to ensure their connection was not lost.
“Tell me how to work on our connection.”
The keeper nodded, seeming pleased with his answer. “You have to follow your instincts.”
“That is what I have been doing,” Drocco snapped. “My instincts are to torture those who have lied to me. I do not suffer those that try to deceive me, keeper. It is what has made me Emperor.”
“No. Not your instincts as a warrior or Emperor. Your instincts as an Alpha.”
Drocco stopped dead, snarling at the keeper. “Are you questioning my competence as an Alpha?”
“No, your Imperial Majesty,” the keeper insisted, wincing. “But you haven’t ever had to use those instincts in this way before.”
“I’m always using my Alpha instincts!” Drocco boomed. “I am a warrior and an Alpha and a leader. I’m all of those things equally!”
The head keeper sucked in a breath and thought for a moment. “When you are in battle and you fight an opponent, you pick up many things about him as you fight?”
“Of course.”
“This tells you clues about how to fight him, what his weaknesses are. And you follow those hints and feelings, don’t you?”
Drocco nodded.
“This is how you must be with your Omega. Let go of all the things she has done and the pressure of finding the others, and just follow the clues that your body gives you. Your instincts will tell you what she needs.”
Drocco thought for a moment. “Will this correct her behavior?”
The head keeper shook his head slowly. “It sounds as though your Omega does not have a submissive personality type, Emperor. If you want that, you will have to find one that does.”
“No,” Drocco insisted. “It is her. I know she is my destined mate.”
“Then her general defiance should be a source of joy for you,” the keeper said, his voice quiet. “Not something you want to correct.”
“I have found her defiance intriguing in the past but I don’t want it directed at me. We should be one; strong and unbreakable.”
“But you haven’t given her any reason to be on your side, Emperor.”
Drocco remained silent as he digested this.
“I suggest you consider if your preference for submissiveness is something you actually desire,” the keeper said, “or if it’s a stereotypical ideal that has been pushed onto you from past generations. You should not need to change anything about your mate’s natural personality to be happy with her.”
***
Drocco stared unseeingly at the research room from the chair he used to sit in to watch Cailyn. He sat there a lot in the past week since he had visited the Records Keep. He hadn’t spent any time with Cailyn in his bedroom and had only entered to bring her food in and put it on the table. He hadn’t wanted to see the bruises on her neck or deal with her remarks and tears. However, she hadn’t been eating. Bowls and plates of food had been left untouched, and he knew he couldn’t wait much longer to do something about it.
The head keeper had brought up some interesting points that gave him pause.
Drocco’s grandfather had been a formidable Alpha warrior who had revered his Omega and talked about her constantly as he became older and lonely. He said he had the perfect connection with her, and that she was what all Omegas should be—submissive and agreeable. Drocco had taken this to mean that all Omegas were indeed like that, and that any perfect Omega would be such. His father had died long before Drocco had any interest in asking about Omegas, so his grandfather and Torin’s grandfather had been the only direct sources he had. But how much of his grandfather’s explanations were the ramblings of an old man gone mad from his lost connection to his Omega? How much of Drocco’s understanding was tainted by his awe of such a great warrior and powerhouse of an Alpha? He couldn’t know.
In truth, much of the research he had collected had come from Alphas, some of whom had lost their Omegas. What if they only remembered Haze-affected Omegas because that’s what they were pining for? The Omegas had become a myth; beings that relied on the word of man to confirm their existence and nature, and yet the word of man was flawed and unreliable.
His eyes skimmed the room remembering Cailyn’s initial rudeness. He had been excited by that and had looked forward to dominating her. She had made him laugh with her displeasure at being called kitten… and he had laughed again at her boldness to lift her juicy pussy to his mouth to get what she wanted. Certainly, her boldness wasn’t actually a turnoff. But he needed a woman who would obey him, not argue and retaliate against him at every turn. Regardless if Cailyn was on his side or not, she did not respect him as an Alpha or an Emperor. How could she desire him as her Alpha if that basic respect was lacking? It needed to be corrected.
Drocco stood and began to pace. Clearly, the way he had been going about it had not yet worked but he refused to be at the mercy of her feelings. He needed to find another way. Doing what the head keeper suggested wouldn’t be difficult—he was an Alpha after all—but he was suspicious of how it might affect him. He had almost become addicted to having his mouth on her clit and if he followed his instincts, would he become weak? He would not be tamed by Omega pussy.
He glanced around at his research. He must be able to figure out a way to correct a wayward Omega using his Alpha impulses without losing himself in the process and without pandering to her emotions. He began to look through his research, reading the information objectively and connecting the ideas between various reports. He discovered Omegas strengthen their Alphas, not weaken them. He should be fine. Within a few hours, he had refreshed his knowledge and developed the stirrings of a plan.
If following his instincts didn’t work… A tightness gripped his throat at the alternative. Giving Cailyn to another Alpha to mate with so he could find another Omega was not an option. He had yet to experience her laugh or her smile or her kisses, and he knew deep within him that there wouldn’t be another Omega as beautiful, one who would taste so good, look at him like he was incredible, or flick their hips on his rough thrusts like they couldn’t get enough. It didn’t matter what other Omegas they found, he would always want Cailyn. He had wanted her before he had discovered her true dynamic, and that was with her defiant nature. It made sense now why that was. She was his. And he had to make her see that, even if by force. She had to bond with him—he needed it and she needed it.
A few hours later, Drocco stood outside his bedroom with a platter of fruits from Cillford cut into small pieces and a range of clothing folded over his forearm. He had spoken to Torin and given orders to be followed regarding his investigation and the Empire. He then issued a blanket order that he not be disturbed. He repositioned the guards to the other end of the corridor so the room felt more private—the door had a triple lock mechanism that meant he could both open and lock it from the inside anyway. Food and drink were to arrive via the guards, but they were never to knock.
He steadied himself, discarding thoughts about finding the other Omegas, about his Empire, about Malloron, and about her betrayal. He abandoned all concerns about everything but the Omega beyond the door. He had his plan, and he needed to follow his instincts for it to work. Twisting the handle, he entered the room.