Текст книги "Scars of his warth"

Автор книги: Zoey Ellis

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Scars of His Wrath

Copyright © 2024 by Zoey Ellis. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The right of Zoey Ellis to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent’s Act, 1988. All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part, by any means, is forbidden without written permission from the author.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by any way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Cover photographer: Michelle Lancaster

First Edition: April 2024

CONTENTS

Author Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Eastern Lands Map

Also by Zoey Ellis

About Zoey Ellis

SCARS OF HIS WRATH

Bound by fate to the man she's sworn to defy.

Revered for her magical ability, Naya is the most treasured omega in her parents' empire. Her birth marked the arrival of peace in the land, and her people eagerly await her reign.

But Naya is haunted by a tragedy.

Finding her mate is the key to banishing the shadows plaguing her. Yet no matter how hard she searches, Naya can’t find the one who ignites the profound attraction her mate is destined to arouse.

Then one night, she is stolen.

Akoro, an alpha dominated by vengeance and violence, takes her to a distant land where her powers are useless. A cold-hearted king, he demands she help him conquer her empire.

Naya vows to safeguard her people, but she is horrified when Akoro awakens the primal craving that confirms he is her true mate.

Devastated, she endures his cruelty and growing obsession with her, certain they could never be together.

But Akoro has scars of his own.

His secrets might help her oppose him, but as she digs deeper, the desire between them erupts into an irresistible, heated torment.

Scars of His Wrath is book 1 in a steamy dark romance series set in a dark fantasy world. This book ends in a cliffhanger and contains dark romance situations. Please see author's note for warnings. For fans of faithful alpha anti-heroes, omegaverse, and captive romances.

AUTHOR NOTE

Scars of His Wrath is a Dark Romance set in a Fantasy World and contains potentially triggering situations including dub-con, torture, and violence. Please visit my website for the full list of warnings/triggers.

CHAPTER ONE

Someone else was in her forest.

A thick, muscular arm was visible from several feet away, partially obscured by a twisted, black tree trunk and the early morning mist that still lingered, desperate not to dissipate under the brightening sun.

Naya leaned forward, peering into the clinging mist to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. The tree obscured most of his body, but based on the bulging shoulder alone, the rest of him had to be enormous. An Alpha.

Naya leaned her weight onto her palms and jumped from sitting cross-legged to a tip-toe crouch. Swift, quiet.

No one should be in her dark, gnarled refuge.

How did he even get here? The forest wrapped around almost half of the palace and was only accessible from the Omega village in the lower west grounds. Far on its other side stretched a patch of desolate, grass land—Naya’s favorite spot—and beyond that, a steep, rocky decline led to the rushing Ashens River, so wild that even the empire’s strongest boats couldn’t cross. The forest was closed off from wanderers and strangers, and if anyone attempted to enter it, its trees tangled and wound their branches so tightly it was impossible to traverse farther than a few feet.

Naya could only travel through it because of her ability with magic. At fourteen she started sneaking into the forest, and she’d never seen another person this far in, which was how she preferred it.

Quietly crouched down, she observed the stranger for a few long moments. He didn’t move. She scanned the surrounding area to see if he was waiting for someone, but the forest was silent and motionless like always. On this side of it, the trees were less compact and easier to see between.

Veins scattered along the stranger’s arm. She could see him from behind, his back leaning against the tree. From his relaxed stance, she assumed he thought he was alone. The Omega village that sat between the forest and the palace housed families—it was illegal to enter the village unless you were a resident, and something about the way he held himself made her doubt he was. The forest wasn’t suitable for hunting, so why was he here?

The strangest thing was that she hadn’t heard or felt him arrive—no footsteps, rustling leaves, or voices. If he’d used magic, she would have detected it. The magic that existed in the forest was vastly different from the magic across the rest of the Lox Empire. Ancient and largely undisturbed, its brooding weight had personality.

But she’d felt no sign of it being disturbed, and if she hadn’t happened to glance over, she wouldn’t have known he was there. Maybe Papa was testing her? It wasn’t difficult to figure out where she might be in the vast forest.

From her favorite spot, she could look down over Ashens, the capital city, which sprawled in every direction in its chaotic growth to become the powerful pulse of the Lox Empire. She loved watching its moods but she no longer visited the city. For six years, only the forest had seen her with any frequency. She’d returned to it multiple times a day, battling relentless thoughts, whispering dreams, and a shame so potent, she needed to be alone in order to breathe.

Except now she wasn’t.

A hollow clang startled her out of her thoughts, sending a jolting shock racing to her heart. She snapped a look at the city. The palace tower was nearly visible from here; its noon chime rang out loud and clear. Naya straightened to her full height. The dewy early hours always quietened her thoughts, suspending her in a timeless peace, but it never really was timeless. And now she was late.

Exhaling a harsh hiss through her teeth, Naya pushed her feet in her shoes and straightened her tunic. Before reporting this man to her parents, she needed to ask him exactly what he was doing here. If it was a mistake, maybe she didn’t need to report it at all—it wasn’t as though she were in any danger. But her parents would be concerned to know a someone was in the palace forest, especially with the Omega village so close. It was protected for a reason.

She turned and strode toward him, but then abruptly stopped.

He was gone.

“Highness!”

The loud whisper hissed down the corridor, harsh and sharp, but Naya ignored it. Quickening her steps, she nodded in greeting at the staff she passed.

The footsteps behind her quickened to match. “Princess Naya!”

Naya kept her pace. She’d never run from anyone or anything before, least of all her aide, and she wasn’t going to start now. She just had to stay far enough ahead of Gilly so she couldn’t slow her down and make her later than she already was.

Weaving through corridors to the lower wing of the palace, Naya finally slowed when she reached the quiet, empty corridor tucked out of the view of the rest of the palace. Along one wall was a row of small rooms; each held a table with two chairs. These pairing rooms were designed for potential Alpha and Omega couples to meet.

Naya smoothed her tunic and took a deep breath, forcing down her jittery nerves. Closing her eyes for a moment, she willed away her anxiety before opening the door to the room.

“Your Highness.” Gilly finally arrived, her chest heaving and the graying bun atop her head wobbling. She stared at Naya, her face pinched in disbelief. “Why are you avoiding me? Your parents need you in the Great Hall. I informed you of this yesterday.”

Naya tilted her head toward the closed door. “This was arranged before that, Gilly.”

Gilly looked at the door then glanced around the corridor, realization spouting in her eyes before returning Naya. “But this can be rearranged at any time, Your Highness. The meeting in the Great Hall is the seasonal audience, and it’s already started. It’s extremely import⁠—”

“So is this,” Naya insisted. “And it was arranged before that. I’m not going to stand here arguing, Gilly. You can either give me a few moments to do this or you can tell my parents where I am and that you don’t know when I’m coming.”

Gilly exhaled, pressing her fingers into her palms, her face a mix of worry and fear. The emperor and empress were not a couple anyone wanted to disappoint. Naya would never normally put Gilly in this position, but she wouldn’t allow her appointment to be canceled. It was too important.

Before Gilly could answer, marching footsteps rounded the corner.

Gilly retreated behind Naya as three people approached, their steps in sync.

"I tried to tell you this was serious," Gilly whispered. "Please go with them, Your Highness. Your parents insist."

Uncle Torin, her father's commander, led the small group. He was a lean pillar of stone; gray and stern and immovable. An effective commander for her father, but boring and restricting to Naya—especially when she was growing up. Her father’s Talent-crafters flanked him on each side. While some leaders in the history of the Known Lands had groups of Talent-crafters to wield magic for them, her father needed only two. The powerful twin Alpha sisters wore identical clothing in the Lox Empire colors; one always in red, the other always in black. They were even more devoid of personality than Uncle Torin, but no one could question their skills.

They stopped in front of Naya.

"Your parents request your presence in the Great Hall." Uncle Torin’s concrete expression indicated he didn’t approve of having to collect her. “I’m sure your aide has explained.”

Gilly almost broke her neck nodding.

"I have a short meeting that was already scheduled,” Naya said, calm and professional. “I’ll follow on after."

"We’ve been sent to escort you," one of the twins said.

Her voice was measured, but Naya noticed the twins’ stance, the way they tensed when she refused to go. Had her parents really sent them to drag her to the Great Hall? Uncle Torin was one of the most impressive warriors in the Lox army. His exceptional skill had taken Naya years to best, but she’d finally beaten him. And it was the same with the twins. Her father had insisted she improve her control of magic by sparring with them magically, but she’d bested them too. Granted, if her parents wanted to drag her anywhere, Commander Torin together with the twins would be the most effective option, but she could still resist them if she wanted. It would be an extreme action, but so was sending trained warriors to collect their daughter.

She refused to allow it to stop her.

The twins were there under instruction, but Torin was their commander and the person she needed to convince.

She stepped forward and lowered her voice so only Uncle Torin could hear her. "I have no problem with you escorting me, Uncle. But it will be in a few moments. They can wait a few moments.” She pointed at the door to her left. “I’ll just be in there for a little while. You can stand right here, I have nowhere else to escape to."

Uncle Torin glanced at the door, and a flash of something resembling warmth broke through his stoic exterior. His chest heaved and the tension went out of his body. “This isn’t a good use of your time,” he said, lowering his voice to his scolding tone. “You know that. Your parents need you to be focused on the right things.”

“This is the right thing, Uncle.” She tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “And I am an adult, I can decide what things I need to focus on. You shouldn’t be sent to collect me like I’m an unruly rebel about to destroy the empire. You and the twins have more important things to deal with. They shouldn’t be using you for this.”

Torin’s mouth crooked in the flicker of a smile, but it was quickly smothered. “They are worried, Naya. Parents never stop being worried.”

Naya’s eyes slid to the door. “They can worry for a few moments more.”

Torin sighed. He moved to stand outside the door and the twins flanked him. "If I have to come in there to drag you out, it will not go well," he warned.

Naya smiled sweetly. "You won't need to."

Gilly watched them, jittering with indecision for a long moment, before she finally sighed and stood next to the commander.

Naya walked to the door and took a breath to refocus. Pulling on her innate senses, she called on magic and carefully, she unraveled the magical blocks surrounding her body. They faded slowly, like body armor reducing into fine dust and drifting away. As soon as she no longer felt any trace of them, she placed a hand on the door handle and allowed a fragile hope to bloom. If this worked.…

Opening the door, she stepped inside.

An Alpha sat on the opposite side of a table in the middle of the small room, elbows leaning on the table, his head jerking up at the sound of the closing door.

Lonn.

With a sharp gaze, low-cut hair, and a down-turned mouth that rarely smiled, Lonn was one of the most talked about warriors in Naya’s father’s army. Having developed a fierce, brutal combat style, Lonn had won almost all his sparring sessions and impressed even the most fastidious of Lox generals. He had been given more responsibilities, and it was rumored he would soon become the youngest general on record if he kept impressing his superiors.

But that wasn’t how Naya first knew him.

As the firstborn child of Emperor Drocco, the most celebrated warrior and leader in the Known Lands, Naya had grown up training harder than any other warrior in his army. He’d bought her first sword at age five and spent years teaching her how to put it to good use. By the time she was nine, she was sparring with the likes of Lonn—young teenage Alphas just starting their training for the Lox army. But Lonn had been different from the rest. He never went easy on her once. His blows landed as heavily as when he fought everyone else, and Naya never won a match unless she’d earned it. At first she hated sparring with him, but her improvement had been swift. Soon she looked forward to finding ways to best him, and did so repeatedly. But they’d never had a single conversation.

When she started training more exclusively with her father, she hadn’t seen him much, but his career trajectory—and the undercurrent gossip that speculated about his romantic affairs—was part of the frequent rumors that whirled through not only the palace but the rest of Ashens.

“Naya.” He rose from his chair, his height and bulk making the room shrink.

Naya hadn’t paid much attention to his looks before. At the age of nine, he was just another sweaty young man she had to beat. But that was before she’d officially come into her dynamic as an Omega. Even though everyone knew she was an Omega before she was born, her hormones had developed at age eleven, just like everyone else.

Lonn had certainly developed too. His eyes swept over her, curious and thoughtful.

“Lonn,” she responded. Breathing deeply, she took a step and held the back of the chair in front of her. Without her blocks and in a room this small, they’d be able to scent each other properly. But after a few moments, the bud of hope withered. His scent was earthy and rich, somewhat comforting and warm—it was all wrong.

She lifted her eyes to meet his and frowned at his expression. He didn’t look surprised to see her. “Were you expecting me specifically?”

The selections for pairing meetings were anonymous unless one of the pair had made a request. Due to who she was, she’d wanted all of her pairings to be anonymous.

He gestured to the chair opposite him. “I was invited to attend a pairing with you specifically, yes.”

“By whom?”

“Your parents.”

Confusion flooded her for a moment. When did her parents start interfering with her pairing attempts?

“Are you going to sit?”

Naya stared at him, wondering if she should bother to stay. She decided to be honest. “Is there any point?”

The Alpha froze, then lowered back down to his chair, his eyes locked on hers. “That sounds like you don’t think we’d be a good match.”

Naya shrugged. “We’d know by now, wouldn’t we?”

At that, Lonn broke eye contact, leaning forward to shift back in his chair.

The pairing rooms were specifically designed small so the couple could scent each other immediately. True mates would instantly recognize each other’s scent. It would cause an instinctive reaction of arousal that couldn’t be faked. Those couples were in each other’s arms within moments of scenting each other. If Lonn was her true mate, they’d both know.

“Being a good match doesn’t rely on being a true match,” he said finally, returning his gaze to her.

“I’m sure that’s what my parents believe too.” She sat down. “But even if I agreed, I think our union should be more about our connection with each other and less about what we represent, don’t you?”

He considered her, his face a carefully controlled mask. “What do you mean?”

“We hardly know each other,” Naya pointed out. “But you’re in this room because you’re an impressive warrior rumored to become the youngest new general. And I’m here because I’m the imperial couple’s daughter. It seems more like a match that would please my parents and the empire than us. It’s not exactly encouraging, is it?”

To his credit, the Alpha’s blank expression didn’t flicker. “Unions have been made on less, Princess. One of my fellow warriors bonded with an Omega he had a pairing with last year. They weren’t true mates but he thought she was pretty and pleasant. They are incredibly happy now and having their second child.” He watched her closely. “Isn’t it better to have that than to have nothing?”

Naya almost recoiled at the suggestion. She opened her mouth to challenge him and stopped. What was the point? There really wasn’t much more to say. He was happy to settle with a choice that would please the emperor and elevate him to a status he would never otherwise reach, while she only cared about finding her true mate. Lives depended on it.

“Besides,” Lonn added, “it’s not as though we have nothing in common. You are now famously unbeatable on the battlefield.” A proud gleam entered his eyes. “And so am I.”

A knock fell on the door, then it creaked open.

“Your Highness.” Gilly’s strained voice came through the crack, quiet but pleading. “I beg of you.… The Commander is⁠—”

Naya stood. “I’m coming now,” she called over her shoulder. She looked back at Lonn, offering a small, apologetic smile. “It was nice to see you again.”

The Alpha leaned forward, elbows back on the table, his eyes following her, but he said nothing as she hurried out of the room.

CHAPTER TWO

The Great Hall was the single biggest space in the palace, which made it suitable for gatherings, meetings, and grand events. It was also the perfect venue for Papa to show off. The walls were decorated with his favorite old weapons, artwork of his favorite weapons, and sculptures of his favorite weapons.

It was an overbearing space that displayed his pride in his training and the battles he’d won. Naya had loved feeling like she was entering a battle gallery, where each blade told a story of a past so different to her life experience, but as she got older, she realized how much death this room represented. She’d asked Papa why he had decorated the space that way. He told her to watch the rulers and lords and citizens who entered and to monitor their reactions. Naya learned quickly that the decoration was a form of intimidation which turned the average person amenable and honest.

Uncle Torin escorted her to the door at the back of the hall, behind the platform that held the imperial thrones. Inside the hall was quiet with muffled murmurs, and the air was thick with a sour, sweaty kind of tension.

She climbed the steps to the thrones.

Papa sat on his towering throne, the power of the empire contained within him. Wide and tall even while seated, his dominance hung heavy in the air. He’d told Naya plenty of times that he took these seasonal audiences very seriously and saw them as a reflection of the state of his empire. Mama sat next to him on her matching throne. Warmer than her husband, she tended to help citizens relax under the pressure of the weaponry surrounding them, but during negotiations, she was sharp and equally as formidable as her husband.

Naya settled in the throne between them and lifted her gaze to look over the hall. Her heart dropped.

Despite how quiet it was, the enormous hall was almost full. Usually during these seasonal meetings, citizens from across the Lox Empire came to discuss problems and issues, but it was still unusual for the Great Hall to be so full. Unease crept into her. Something must have happened. Maybe that’s why she’d been summoned? As if she hadn’t already fucked things up enough.

Auntie Vic stood to the right of the thrones holding a long scroll. As High Steward, she oversaw all administration, accounts, and events related to the palace and the imperial couple. She was the smiley light to Uncle Torin’s stoic gray. It was almost impossible to believe they were a fated couple. Next to her, a scribe leaned over a piece of parchment, writing down the outcomes of each issue discussed.

Auntie Vic saw Naya and cleared her throat. “Princess Nayara Andaus, daughter of Drocco and Cailyn Andaus⁠—"

Naya shook her head, and Auntie Vic cleared her throat again. “Welcome,” she said simply. “The citizens in the region of Saderthorne have requested your assistance.”

Nayara glanced at Papa, trying to calm the trembling in her stomach that was turning nauseous.

Auntie Vic lifted a hand and beckoned to the crowd. “Mr. Vargis, please come forward with your request.”

A man pushed to the front of the crowd. Everything about him looked crumpled, from his shabby tunic to his expression. From his paler skin tone, she surmised he was a villager from the southern area of Saderthorne, a territory that bordered the wastelands.

A cold dread clawed up her spine, a sinister whisper in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn’t have come, and it turned her veins to ice.

“Greetings, Imperial Princess.” Even his voice was crinkly and uneven, as though it had been scrunched down and stretched wide. Held in the grip of her own horror, her breath slowly being pressed out of her, she couldn’t respond.

He cleared his throat, his face crumpling even more, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “As you know, Your Highness, our town was destroyed six years ago.” He gestured vaguely behind him and Naya’s dread clamped down on her lungs, her eyes flitting over the crowd.

So many villagers from south Saderthorne stood with him—they were the ones filling the hall.

“We were forced to relocate to the two other cities in Saderthorne and leave our village behind.” He paused and then stuttered out the next few words. “I-I’m sorry. I know you know this already.” He took a breath. “It has been… more than difficult. There wasn’t space for us, and we had nothing of worth to offer those we imposed on. It caused a lot of upset and anger for the city folk. Can’t blame them. And most of us were raw, still suffering from the heartache of losing our children, family, friends... our entire way of life.” The man’s voice faltered, and many heads bowed, grief connecting each person in the hall.

The memories descended with ruthless precision. The cloying stench of burning flesh returned to her inhale, blinding white light blazed once again into her eyes. The desperate pleas and cries and wails from those ripped apart deafened her. She could see their bodies, strewn all over the dusty ground, multiple pieces twitching, smearing the dark red, congealed puddles underneath them, yet they still screamed, their brains not yet realizing they were already dead.

And then there was Lili.

The horror clawed at her, threatening to engulf her. Naya wanted to scream and relieve the hot shame scalding every nerve, but she still couldn’t move.

After a moment, the man swallowed and continued, “We have finally settled into new homes, and are we coping. But the wasteland is still expanding, Your Highness. Dangerous magic spreads in the south and it is moving quickly.” The villager blinked, his eyes drifting to both the emperor and empress, before snapping back to Naya. “We fear for our new homes and the remainder of our families. The city folk are less fearful—they brush it off. They say if it was a problem, then you would already be there dealing with it. But with the greatest respect to you, my future queen, they haven’t experienced what we have. We are nervous.”

He stepped forward visibly trembling. “We humbly request that you return with us to consider solutions for this problem.”

Naya closed her eyes and focused inward, like her healer taught her to. Slowly she calmed her shaky and erratic breath until it was smooth and long. She opened her eyes. “I’ve already tried that.”

Her mother’s head turned toward her.

The villager shifted his weight, clearing his crinkled throat. “Uh. We know. But we have no other ideas to stop it, Your Highness. It is spreading faster now. From one of the cities, we can now see white bolts of wild magic on the horizon most nights. With your connection to magic we thought…. We would be grateful if you could try again.”

Try again? Was he insane? Naya swept her gaze over the crowd and then picked a spot on the opposite wall, over the heads of all the people, and said nothing, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

“Please,” the villager rasped, scratching through the silence.

Naya swallowed, inhaling smoothly, and remained silent. This time, the silence extended longer than she thought it would, and both of her parents’ eyes turned to her.

“Princess Naya,” Auntie Vic said, finally. “Do you have an answer for Mr. Vargis?”

Naya didn’t remove her gaze from the back wall. “I don’t.”

Auntie Vic’s voice was halting. “Will you visit Saderthorne?”

“No.”

The air seemed to drain from the room, leaving a dry, bitterness in its wake. None of the villagers dared speak, but their collective disappointment throbbed through the room. Naya could almost feel the harsh edge of Papa’s annoyance with her, but he said nothing, and neither did Mama.

“Please,” Mr. Vargis whispered, fear further faltering his hoarse tone. “You need to help or more of us will die.”

Naya kept her gaze on the back of the hall, her heart beating so rapidly, she could feel the thrum in her throat. She couldn’t answer him. He had to know what he was asking, he had been there last time.

“Nayara,” Mama finally murmured under her breath. “Say something to him. Anything.”

Naya swallowed again and dragged her eyes down to the man. “I tried,” she said, her voice soft. “I couldn’t⁠—”

“The princess will visit you shortly,” Papa interrupted, his voice resounding over the hall.

A flare of annoyance prickled at Naya, her body tightening her father’s false promise.

“She needs time to work on a solution.” He held up his palm as the villager began to speak again. “I know you feel you don’t have time to wait,” he said, speaking over him, “but this situation must be dealt with carefully, as you well know. The princess will do all she can.”

The villager glanced between Naya and her father, his brows creased and his lips twitching like he still had more to say. But he bowed low, he took a last look at Naya and then shuffled backward into the crowd.

The hall suddenly felt even quieter, like hope had been sucked out of their very bones. Naya couldn’t bear it.

She rose from her chair.

“Sit down, Nayara,” Mama half-whispered across to her. “They come here to see and hear from you more than us now. Just being present will help their disappointment.”

“Nothing I do will help their disappointment or their losses,” Naya whispered back, her annoyance bright and jangling. “Why do you keep making me do this?”

Mama frowned, leaning back to look at her in surprise.

“I cannot help them, Mama.” She stumbled to the stairs at the back of the platform and escaped, her vision blurry with tears.