Chapter 5
Ariana
I woke up naked, in a strange bed and an unfamiliar room. The mattress was soft, made of incredibly plush feather down that befit the luxury a member of royalty was used to. I curled the covers up around me as I looked around the room. It was simple. There was a glass window framed in a thick wood lattice and beneath it were a table and two straight-backed chairs. There appeared to be an attached restroom and a closet. Inside it were a number of simple dresses like the one that had been given to me the day before.
The one that had been ripped from my body by the king. The man who was meant to be my alpha.
I swallowed anxiously, searching the room for his presence. There was almost a sense of disappointment that settled deep in my heart when I realized that I was alone. My stomach growled and I finally pushed the covers out of the way to grab a piece of fruit. I chose a massive golden apple and took a bite, groaning as the delectable juices practically poured down my chin. I rushed to cup my other hand beneath to catch the runoff. I was so hungry that I ate the whole thing and when I was finished, I licked each finger clean. I poured a glass of water and tipped it up to my lips. Surprised to find that it was still cold, I drank every last drop.
When I finally felt sated, I walked into the restroom and washed my hands, using the lemon-scented bar of soap that had been left for me. There was a massive carved stone tub with running water, and I looked at it longingly. It had been ages since I’d taken a bath and I brushed my fingers against the hard rock, wondering if I would be able to take a chance to enjoy it.
I walked back into the room. It was L-shaped and when I turned the corner, I discovered a small library with the most comfortable reading nook I’d ever seen. I reached out to touch the spines of the books, reading some of the titles and finding a range of topics from romance to history to even prophecy stacked on the dark wood shelves.
I walked back toward the bed and into the closet. I pulled a soft ivory dress free and wrapped it around my naked body. I stepped into a pair of fur-lined slippers and sighed in pleasure at the soft warmth. I approached the bedroom door and grasped the doorknob. I tried to turn it, but it didn’t budge.
I was locked inside.
I’d traded the cold dank dungeon for a fancier cell in the castle.
With disappointment, I released my hold on the door and walked over to the window, looking out at the city instead. It appeared to be a normal day. People were walking the streets or driving their horse-drawn carts to sell their wares at the markets. There were some with food, others with cloth, and even more with weaponry of every kind. The people of Kingsworth went on their business unaware of the darker underbelly of the city. The Cult of the Blood Moon held power here. It was they who determined who stepped into power and who decided when someone needed to be removed.
They were evil. They needed to be stopped.
I had to figure out how I could use this new position as the king’s omega to do that. I sat down at the table and hissed when my backside pressed against the hard wooden surface, swallowing heavily. I was still sore from the spanking Magnar had given me at the celebration of his crowning.
Everyone watching had seen me naked. He hadn’t allowed me to hide anything, but that wasn’t the worst part of it. That wasn’t the part that made me angry.
He’d gotten to me and I’d begged him to come even with my punished backside and slick-soaked thighs on complete display.
And I’d done it.
I’d come for the first time in my life. Really fucking hard.
I loathed the fact that I wanted to come for him again. I yearned for his hands on my naked skin once more. I stood and walked back over to the bed, deciding to sit on its soft surface instead.
Ever since I’d been captured in Ravenrath, I felt like I’d been trapped in a whirlwind unable to break free. Now completely alone, sore, and satisfied, I finally had a moment to think with a clear mind and remember the real reason I was here. I ignored the fact that it was mostly just because he wasn’t here.
I wasn’t here to find a mate. I was here to learn about the Cult.
The Alpha Brotherhood had been my home for as long as I could remember. My father was its leader. I was one of the only people that knew of his identity outside the title of Ghost. I’d never known my mother. She was a beta who’d died giving birth to me. My father was all that I’d ever known, and he’d raised me as his equal.
The Brotherhood was a secret organization of people that had come together long ago to follow the will of the gods with the belief that the universe functioned in equal measure of order and chaos. Without both, the world would fall into ruin. Identities were protected. Ideals and rules were maintained and throughout the passing of time, we had people stationed in nearly every major city and even throughout the lesser wilds to see to it that our mission was upheld.
We had one enemy. The Cult of the Blood Moon.
The Cult had resisted our attempts at infiltration for a long time. Sometimes it seemed that they were always a few steps ahead of us and other times, it was as though they were several steps behind us.
We hadn’t known just how deep their roots dug into Kingsworth. Just in my time here, I’d seen that they were more powerful than we’d suspected. The omega trade was even stronger here than we’d ever realized, and I knew that this was only the beginning of what I could learn here.
Even Magnar could be a source of information.
I rubbed my upper arms with my hands and the quiet sound of the unlocking of my door captured my attention. I turned to see a servant with a food-laden tray. She entered and placed it on the table with the fruit bowl.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She nodded politely and turned away.
“What’s your name?” I asked.