Page 58 of Sins of His Wrath

Akoro resisted turning his glare on her. What the fuck had taken her so long to address him? She should have intervened immediately when the soges rose from their seats. That was her fucking job.

“I only seek justice,” Otenyo bellowed at her. “As do many of the people here. If most of us would prefer this criminal punished, then I see no reason to follow an old law that no longer has any bearing on our lives right now.”

The crowd stirred again. It was difficult to tell how they truly felt about what the soge said, but he wasn’t just challenging the old laws—he was challenging Akoro.

Akoro remained as still as stone. “You wish to use one of your votes now?”

Otenyo’s face tightened. Public votes were precious to the soges—each one shaped the trade, law, and survival of their district, and they had only two a year. To call a vote now was to lose influence when it mattered most. He glanced back at Naya. “Fine. I will use one of my votes now. I know the Ssukkurian people will vote my way.”

For a moment, Akoro considered drawing his sword and driving it into the man’s neck. Otenyo had always been difficult, but this was boarding on treason. Otenyo’s willingness to discard the very laws Akoro promised to uphold was an indirect strike against the Sy Dynasty. But Otenyo wasn’t an easy man to get rid of so easily, and if Akoro killed him now, the city would suffer from the loss of a big district at a crucial time. He couldn’t allow the region to be politically unsettled right now—not when he had to focus on rebuilding his city… and Naya.

Yet he couldn't back down from the vote. The crowd was watching, waiting, their collective breath held. If he refused, it would make him appear weak, afraid. And he fucking wasn’t. Turning to face his seat slowly, he held Otenyo’s gaze too long to be comfortable for him, and then returned to his seat.

"Very well." Akoro's voice boomed across the square. “Our law states that in short notice votes, you may speak with your bodies. Those who believe we should disregard the old laws and have this Omega suffer for attracting thennin-eellithiinto our city face forward. Those who wish to honor our ancestors' laws about Omegas, turn your backs.”

For a moment, nothing moved, the stifling air itself seemed to still. Then, slowly, like a wave gathering strength, people began to turn. First one, then another, then dozens, hundreds, until almost all the crowd stood with their backs to the stage. A sea of rejection to Otenyo's bloodthirst.

Akoro didn't allow himself to show relief, but the tightness in his chest eased slightly. “TheSsukkarianpeople have spoken.” He spoke each word with precision and finality and pride. “The Omega will be returned to the forest.”

He gestured to his guards, who moved forward with servants to escort Naya from the stage. As she passed him, her small form nearly lost in the protective huddle her escorts formed around her, he caught the faintest trace of her anxiety, and it made his insides stir restlessly. She needed to be comforted, told she’d been good, tucked into him tightly. Being in his bedroom without her had been a torture he never thought he’d feel.

But he dragged his attention away. Something dangerous had almost happened, and it caught him by surprise—a position he never liked to be in. As Yashol closed the event, speaking to the people about additional organized help for the injured, he covertly watched Otenyo, who was back in his seat.

The soge’s face was carefully blank, but his eyes burned with barely contained fury. He had lost his attempt to subvert Akoro’s will and lost one of his votes, but he’d made the attempt. And that could be enough to start something dangerous.

“What the fuck was that with Otenyo?” he growled at Prillu afterward, as they made their way back inside the palace.

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “I can only guess someone was hurt in the attack that he hasn’t declared.”

Akoro stilled. “Like a spy? He had spies in the city?”

Prillu shrugged. “That or family he doesn’t want to claim. His reaction was emotional and over-the-top, considering he was willing to lose a vote.”

Akoro made a noise in the back of his throat and kept walking. That made sense. “And why did you allow it to get to that?”

Prillu dipped her head. “I apologize, my king. In the arranging of the announcement, he was reasonable and calm. His behavior caught me by surprise.”

“Then you are not fit to be working, Prillu.” Impatience and annoyance fanned Akoro’s irritation. “He openly defied me in front of the people and both of them got too close to the princess.”

Prillu slowed, turning to him. “I allowed them to get up from their seats because you needed some defiance on this matter, someone to disagree with you.”

Akoro slowed with her, frowning. “Explain.”

“If you had said that the Omega must go back to the forest without a chance to reaffirm and debate the old laws, many may have resented it. The argument that Otenyo made out loud would’ve been whispered around the city for weeks or months and provided a ripe environment for dissent. I could see it in the faces of the crowd. If the soges hadn’t disagreed, I would’ve spoken up myself to disagree with you just so you could reaffirm your commitment to rebuilding our culture again.”

Akoro thought back for a moment and then nodded his head. “The people needed to be convinced that I’m still keeping my promise.”

Prillu nodded. “Yes. That, and the imagery of two powerful Alphas threatening a small defenseless Omega girl on the stage was powerful, my king. It was a reminder of why the old laws are important to uphold. The vote was a risk, but I was confidant it would unite your people in this context, and at this crucial time.”

Smart. Akoro exhaled, allowing his agitation to soften. She had thought this through. “All right. Good work, Prillu.”

She nodded, and they both began walking again, navigating through the palace. “I admit I’m a little concerned about Otenyo, though,” she said after a moment. “He is usually smarter than that.”

Akoro growled low in his throat. “If he truly lost someone, then he was emotional and only thinking of revenge. Monitor him and his people. Make sure they return to Ntorkkan. And be ready for tomorrow. The princess has earned one of her precious days to save her empire.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next morning, Naya was irritated and tired. The night in the cell had brought dreams she couldn’t remember, dreams that woke her up multiple times. She couldn’t afford to be tired on the first of her fourteen days. It also occurred to her that she hadn’t had any dreams at all in Akoro’s bed. That irritated her even more.

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