Everything started to fall together. I stared at Neegan for a long time. He sat down at his desk and palmed the jars of poison set before him. There were three containers, more than enough for whatever nefarious plans he was setting into motion to steal the crown.
All I knew was that I was going to have to stop him. There were several empty glasses inside the passage near me, so I grabbed them. I would put a stop to his plans, and I would turn it against him.
When the hour grew too late, Neegan took the jars of poison and locked them inside a wooden cabinet in his s
tudy. He left the room and the moment the door closed behind him, I slipped inside. Using a small pin, I picked the lock and grabbed one of the containers carefully. I emptied one into a glass and placed it behind the hidden compartment. I poured the second into another jar and when I began on the third, the sound of the door opening startled me.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the king’s omega sneaking around my office once again,” Neegan whispered.
I didn’t say a word. Instead, I just turned to face him, watching as his eyes glanced from the jars and back to me.
“I have half a mind to make you drink some of that myself, but I think I’ll rather enjoy watching the king punish you quite a good deal more,” he growled as he strode over to me. His hand lashed out and grabbed the hair at the back of my head so hard that I could feel a few strands rip out from the base of my skull. I cried out at the stark unexpected pain and tried to pull away as he drew ever closer.
“The more I see you skulk around these halls, the more I think you’re hiding something, you useless omega cunt,” he snarled, and I nearly kneed him straight in the balls. He’d seen my face and now I had to deal with the consequences of that. I had to make him think I was innocent. His eyes wandered to the jars once more and I knew I had to distract him. I had to escalate this and force him to bring me to Magnar as quickly as possible.
“I’m not afraid of the king,” I challenged him verbally. He tensed, just like I expected him to.
“You’re not, are you? Well, perhaps we should ask him exactly what he thinks about that?” he answered cruelly.
“Don’t,” I grimaced.
“The moment you were captured in Ravenrath, omega, you lost the right to choose,” he answered.
“Then do it yourself,” I challenged.
“And anger the king needlessly? I think not. I am the king’s hand and that would be a betrayal of the highest order. No. I’m going to take you to him. I’m sure our royal guest will enjoy the show just as much as I will,” he murmured, and I rolled my upper lip at him in open provocation.
I struggled in his arms and he jerked me forward by my hair. He dragged me out of his office, and I lost my balance. He pulled me along and I screamed as the agony raced across my scalp with wild abandon. There was no stopping him no matter how much I kicked and screamed. Eventually, I was able to get myself back on my feet. I stumbled several more times and he didn’t even pause for a second for me to get my bearings. After several terrible long minutes full of pain and wretched misery, we arrived at an opulent double wooden door. Without delay, he pushed it open and forced me inside without a care.
He practically threw me forward and I fell, knocking my knees hard against the stone floor in the process.
“My king, I bring to you an omega that does not know fear,” Neegan exclaimed and the conversation at the table ground to a halt.
Magnar turned and leveled his gaze at me. There was subdued apprehension in his eyes, but he didn’t let it show to anyone in the room. I just knew it was there because I could feel it.
“She doesn’t?” he chuckled, turning from me to Neegan. He cocked his head like he refused to believe his words.
“No, my king. Once again, I found her sneaking around my study. I’m not sure what her intentions were. I questioned her and she refused to answer. I would have taken care of her myself, but I thought it best to bring her to you,” he smirked, glancing casually down at me and then back at the king.
“I will deal with her,” Magnar growled and if I didn’t know him better, I would have been terrified at the sound. He signaled the servants at the door. “Bind her hands behind her back. My omega is in need of a hard lesson and I’m going to do it right here so everyone can see her tears as she’s punished by my hand.”
I shivered with anxious fear. As much as I knew that he wouldn’t truly hurt me, he needed to show the royal guest and Neegan that he was willing to punish me as hard as necessary. My capture had forced it.
Whatever came next was going to be painful. I had to prepare myself for anything in order to keep the both of us safe. With a shaky breath, I climbed to my feet.
“Do your worst, King Magnar,” I spat.
He smiled viciously in my direction.
“I plan to, omega. Know that both myself and my guests are going to enjoy every last second of it,” he growled savagely. My core cramped down hard, and a rush of slick dripped down my thighs. I doubled over with pain and when it was finally over, I lifted my head to see that his grin had only grown wider. I faltered just the slightest bit and the door attendants shuffled over to me. One of them roughly grabbed my upper arm, likely bruising me with his fingers. The other took my wrists and began to wrap them with a piece of cloth behind my back. I fought, but it wasn’t long before I was bound and captive before my king.
The bond pulsed between us. His alpha surged forward, and my omega preened with anxious arousal. Neegan watched the interplay between us closely and I grinned, sliding my eyes from the king to him.
What if I could use this opportunity to make Neegan think I was his ally? Would he tell me more about his plans for Magnar if he thought I was on his side?
I snarled in Magnar’s direction.
A plan began to formulate in my mind, and I jumped into it wholeheartedly. To everyone watching, it would appear that I hated the king and to Neegan, I would make him think that I wanted him that much more.