Page 9 of Scars of His Wrath

Naya set her mouth into a thin line. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I refuse to hurt any more of my people. They’re relying on me.”

“We all are, Nay.” Mama brushed her hand along Naya’s cheek, her own eyes shimmering. “But your way has a lot of flaws. We’re just trying to make sure you don’t needlessly suffer.”

Papa wound a thick arm around Mama’s waist and drew her close until she was pressed against his side again, tears trickling down her cheeks. Leaning down, he nuzzled her head and squeezed her tight, comforting her.

Naya watched them. This was exactly what she was talking about. She’d grown up watching her parents comfort each other in times of distress. They did it instinctively, without even knowing they were doing it most of the time. When she was younger, she’d loved seeing it. And as she got older, the more she watched them, the more she realized the importance of the instinctive support they provided each other. Would they be effective rulers without that? It was unlikely. So how was she expected to be? Even setting aside her duties as a ruler, who wouldn’t want what her parents had?

Papa drew Mama in front of him and enveloped her in both of his arms, and as he did so, caught Naya’s eye. She crossed her arms and lifted a brow. Papa immediately caught the implication and scowled at her, but still pulled Mama close.

A knock at the door drew all of their attention.

It was Gilly. She bowed deeply, greeting the imperial couple, before addressing them all. “High Chief Kardos has arrived, your Imperial Majesty,” she said to Papa. “He said to tell you he is going straight to the training grounds.”

Papa nodded. “It sounds like he has some aggression to work out.” He exhaled. “And so have I.”

Gilly turned to Naya. “Princess Kaari arrived with the high chief, Your Highness. Would you like me to show her in?”

“No,” Naya said, her chest weighed down by the implications of their conversation.

“Talk to her,” Papa said, his words so abrupt it came out like an order. “She doesn’t come to watch her father and me spar. She comes for you.”

Ma reached out a gripped her hand. “See your friend, Naya.”

CHAPTERFOUR

The cool, quiet of night had a way of smoothing the jagged edge of her emotions.

It was one of the reasons why she often went to the forest after dusk. Maybe it was the dark shimmer of magical awareness that had awakened, existing just beyond the physical senses; hidden yet palpable. Naya was younger, Mama explained it in a way that made sense. Animals that roamed in the day versus the ones who roamed in the evening each fulfilled a different purpose; it was the same with magic. Naya moved briskly behind the houses of the dimly lit Omega village, her robe wrapped tightly and her hood covering her head. At this time of night, everyone was inside but she didn’t want to risk anyone seeing her.

The palace village, informally called the Omega village, was built to house and protect Alpha and Omega families and unattached Omegas. History had been filled with unimagined horrors for Omegas, so much so it was assumed their population had been annihilated. The village was their safe haven and had been carved into the forest so that it was private and self-contained—and the sole access to the forest.

The problem was that Naya couldn’t walk through the village without being stopped. Eager and excited, the villagers always wanted to talk to her and gift her things or just say hello. She hadn’t minded it when she was younger, but after what happened six years ago, the swarms of people trying to speak to her was enough that Papa had to issue a decree; no one was to bother her unless she spoke to them first. That didn’t stop them from gathering or throwing gifts at her when she visited.

Naya didn’t like ignoring them, so the simplest solution was to cover her head whenever she went through the village and travel in the early morning or late evening.

Tonight, everything was silent and still, her path bathed in the silver light of the moon, a perfect orb in the inky sky. Although there was no wind, bitter iciness grazed her cheeks and nose, signifying the change of season.

When she reached the other side of the Omega village, she paused at the edge of the forest—her favorite magic. Whenever she reached out to it, it was sleepy and languid most of the time, like an irritated old man who just wanted to stretch in the sun and didn’t want to be disturbed, but with the right encouragement, it could ripple with excitement, ready to play like a child. Since she was the only one who ever interacted with it, the magic felt like a family friend; safe like her Papa, protective like her Gramma, and comfortable like Mama, with unexpected playful bouts like little Lili.

Focusing, she sent out her awareness, feeling for the delicate magical threads that connected the tightly woven branches before her. Exhaling, she extended her will, sending it funneling along the branches. When she stepped forward, they contorted, writhing and rattling, parting so she could walk into the safety of the forest. Naya wove through the shadowed trees, branches parting for her whichever direction she turned, and then reknitting themselves behind her as though she’d never disturbed them.

When the trees began to thin, she tugged back her magic and ducked under and around the extended branches, careful not to snap any. Reaching her usual hilltop spot on the edge of the trees, she paused and steeped herself in the comforting familiarity of the environment; the rich mustiness of the earth, the cool night dew, and the somber, gnarled bark that stood sentinel around her.

It was too cold to sit, so she pulled her robes tighter, crossed her arms to keep the heat in, and looked out over the bold landscape of Ashens. At this late hour, the city finally slept, which looked eerie at night—frozen and ominous. It was hard to believe she’d been in this exact spot, looking over the bustling cityscape only this morning, before her life lurched in a direction she hadn’t expected.

Naya had spent the rest of the day turning her parents’ words over in her head, trying to consider them from every angle. She couldn’t agree with them fully, and their interference made her feel as though her life was slipping through her fingers even more wildly than before, without any chance to regain control.

That was why she didn’t speak to Kaari. They hadn’t spoken for years. When she’d tried about a year after the tragedy in Saderthorne, Naya couldn’t stop shaking and the memories crushed in. Suddenly she was on the floor convulsing and unable to breathe, and she’d been so mortified, knowing she’d probably scared the poor girl. After that Naya had avoided her. As the eldest daughter of the Southern Lands’ High Chief, Kaari shouldn’t have to put up with Naya’s bizarre attacks. They may have been close when they were growing up, but no one wanted a strange friend who saw strange things and couldn’t function like a normal person. Besides, being forced to chat with Kaari today would have felt like another clamp of her parents’ will on her life.

Naya sighed, her breath streaming out in a long, unfurling fog. Part of the problem was that she hadn’t been prepared for the talk with her parents. If she had, she’d have told them about what Gramma, her grandmother on her mother’s side, had said to her when she was twelve. She had influenced Naya’s preference to find her true mate long before Saderthorne.

She still remembered the conversation they’d had after Naya had come into her dynamic. Gramma had been quiet during her celebration, but afterward she came to Naya’s bedroom to help her get ready for bed.

Naya had chatted incessantly about all the things she’d learned about Omegas that day, until she realized that Gramma hadn’t said a word.

“What’s wrong?” Naya had asked, climbing into bed.

Gramma waited until she was lying down and then sat on the edge of her bed and tucked the blanket in around her. “I’m just thinking of the best way to give you my gift.”

---