Page 39 of Storms of His Wrath

The little girl's eyes widened, and she looked up at her mother with confusion. "What should I share?"

"Tell her your full name, sweetheart," Oshrun prompted, her voice carrying a weight that made Naya's pulse quicken. "Your whole, complete name."

Nnimi straightened slightly in her mother's arms, a hint of the pride Naya had seen yesterday flickering across her features. She turned to face Naya directly, her small voice clear and deliberate, working her small mouth around the big words.

"My name is Nnimiarah Oshrunetti Shoma Vos Sy."

The last name hit Naya like a crashing wave. Her breath caught in her throat, shock rippling through her as the implications crashed over her in waves. Sy. The child carried Akoro's family name, which could only mean?—

Naya's mind raced, connecting fragments of information, searching for any explanation that didn't lead to the devastating conclusion forming in her thoughts.

"Does that mean..." Naya's voice trailed off, her throat closing around words she wasn't sure she was ready to speak.

Oshrun watched her closely, amber eyes intense and evaluating, as though Naya's reaction to this revelation was a test she needed to pass, measuring her worthiness to know this most carefully guarded secret.

"It means," Oshrun said quietly, "that if you are truly King Sy's true mate, then Nnimi would be your niece."

Shock hit Naya at the unexpected revelation. She stared at the child—at her would-be niece—and Nnimi gazed back with curious innocence, unaware of the earthquake her simple recitation had just triggered.

"Oppo?" The name escaped Naya's lips in a shocked whisper.

Oshrun nodded, her expression both guarded and somehow vulnerable, a combination Naya wouldn't have thought possible on the face of such a formidable woman. "Yes. Oppo is Nnimi's father."

Naya stared at her. "How?" she managed, her voice barely audible.

Oshrun's hand continued its gentle stroking through Nnimi's braids and began to speak. "I met him in the Hha?rvelin district during a festival five years ago. He was..." A softness crept into her voice, smoothing the usual sharp edges. "He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Tall, strong, with kind eyes that seemed to see straight through to who I really was."

Her mouth quirked in a secretive smile, lost in memory. "I didn't realize who he was at first. I was there collecting information, observing trade patterns in the region. I didn't even notice he was watching me until the third night of the festival."

Oshrun's voice took on a wistful quality. "When he approached me, something inside me just... recognized him. I'd never even considered being with anyone before. It seemed impossible, given our circumstances. Yet there he was, exceeding every dream I'd never allowed myself to have."

Nnimi shifted in her mother's arms, settling more comfortably against Oshrun's chest, and Oshrun gazed down at her daughter.

"When I realized I was pregnant, he insisted on being with me throughout. He wouldn't accept any other arrangement."

Naya nodded. "For the baby's safety." She frowned, her mind catching on a crucial detail. "How have Omegas been having children here without their Alphas present during pregnancy?"

Oshrun tiled her head. "We've learned to use magic to suppress the symptoms, to reinforce the pregnancy in other ways." Her voice was matter-of-fact, but there was a defensiveness in her posture. "It causes no harm to the babies or the mothers."

Naya couldn't hide her skepticism. "Are you certain? In my land, it's well-documented that separating an Omega from her Alpha during pregnancy can lead to complications."

"We have been having children in this community for years," Oshrun replied firmly. "Without adverse effects. Our ways are different, but they work for us."

Naya inclined her head in deference. They’d had healthy, happy children, so clearly something was working. "What did Oppo say about using magic for his child instead of him?"

Oshrun was silent for a long moment. Nnimi whimpered and pressed herself into her mother, still tired. "We didn't use magic," she said finally. "He was absolutely insistent, even threatened to grab me and never let me leave his sight.” Oshrun fought the smile threatening to widen on her face. “He said he needed to be with me during the pregnancy, and honestly… I wanted to be with him.” She sobered. “Thankfully, Oppo and I... we were the first true mate pairing discovered since the community was established. There were heated debates about how to proceed, but ultimately it was decided that this opportunity was too significant to ignore."

"What do you mean?"

Oshrun met her gaze directly. "Oppo was allowed to come into the community to be with me during the pregnancy."

Shock jolted through Naya, her eyes widening. "He was allowed to come here? Into the canyon?" The revelation wasstaggering, especially considering the fear and hostility she'd seen here. "After all the distrust and secrecy, you're telling me an Alpha was permitted to enter this sanctuary?"

"I told the community I either had the baby outside of the community or he comes in." Oshrun's voice was steady, but a hint of irritation flashed in her eyes. “No Omega has had her child out of the community before, so they agreed.”

“I’m sure they didn’t like that,” Naya said wryly.

“No,” Oshrun agreed. “But while Omegas are skeptical of Alphas finding our true mates is something no one here can even dream of. So, most were sympathetic and argued on my behalf. Of course, it caused a lot of angry debates, and many demanded I should step down as Khesh. But in the end, it was fine. Oppo and I lived in a secluded section of the canyon. He saw no other Omegas, but he knew what this community was and why it existed." Her gaze grew distant. "He agreed that he would leave after the child was born. If it was a boy, he would take him back to Onn Kkulma, but if it was a girl, he would leave her with me."

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