“Solen,” I cried. There was no telling what was happening to him, in his wolf form. My stomach roiled at the thought of his most trusted confidants turning on him.
I got a few offers for help, but none of them came from my mate.
One more tug on the door to make sure the lock was secure before I crashed onto the bed. Calling it that was generous. It was a cold, hard piece of metal sticking out of the wall.
I curled up into a ball, my wary eyes on the door, while I tried to piece it all together. And plan our escape. This wasn’t the only place in the castle where prisoners could be held. It was, however, the worst. Which made sense that I was here and Solen was not. Even if the king had practically outed him as an omega, I was willing to bet he didn’t have the stomach to subject his kin to the worst his title had to offer.
I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. Even if I escaped, I’d need access to the entire castle. I’d have to disguise myself, at least enough to confuse the guards who wouldn’t know the difference between the royal omegas…
My eyelids grew heavy, and as much as I resisted sleep, I knew I needed it.
***
“Solen?”
The clanging of the chain that locked me into my cell woke me. It was slightly less terrifying than the image of Solen being shot that had roused me over and over again. This woke me completely, while the nightmare played with me, making me think I could change the way things happened. Once, I broke away from the guard to take the poisonous blow, but the dart sailed through my body and hit Solen anyway. Another time, I was actually able to get Dagger and Cassian’s attention, but their eyes were hollow, and the King’s face was reflected in them.
Howls erupted in response to whoever came to visit me. I crawled off the bed, ignoring the protest of my aching muscles as I stood tall.
Floral perfume wafted into my cell.
“Zelene?” Since she’d taken the crown, she wore rose oil. She called it her signature scent, and told us how it drove the King wild. I could only hope his mate had the power to talk some sense into him. “It’s not safe for you to be down here.”
Her silhouette was small and strong, except for her round belly. That baby was coming soon.
“This is my castle. It’s my job to guarantee everyone’s safety. Being down here reminds me how much work I have to do,” she said. “And besides, I brought the best backup a queen could ask for.”
Stumbling over to the door on jellied legs, my heart swelled when I saw Tavia, Charolet, and Rielle guarding their queen in military leathers. But that wasn’t all they had to protect them. Their weapons shined like beacons of hope in the low light.
Nobody in this dungeon would mess with these omegas unless they wanted a couple of scars as souvenirs. But that was exactly what Zelene wanted to fix. There shouldn’t even be a dungeon in the castle.
“Where’s Solen?”
“He’s okay,” Zelene said.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” I had so many. Had he shifted, and were his friends coming to his aid like mine were?
“You’ll be able to see him soon,” she added with a smile that looked more like a grimace. I could be delusional and blame that on the baby.
But I needed to know what was going on, so I could get a feel for what happened next. The ladies might have a plan, but those didn’t always work out in Luxoria. “What’s happening with the uprising?”
“It’s not safe to talk here. We don’t know who’s listening,” Tavia said. As far as I could see, hands protruded from bars, trying to grab us. If they got a hold of us, there was no telling what could happen.
“I have ideas how we can escape. There are other places they keep prisoners.”
Tavia shot me a warning glare. I was already delusional, and I was saying way too much.
“You’ll be sentenced soon.” Rielle clutched my arm, steering me clear of the other prisoners. “And we’ve come to get you ready. Do exactly what we say, Ash. We know everything we need to know now.”
“What about Solen?” I asked. Adalai wouldn’t cast away a trusted general and his kin without giving him a chance to explain.
It was nighttime, and the castle had fallen still. In the distance, gunshots and screams rang out. The uprising wasn’t done.
They brought me back to our quarters, and let me take a shower. My body ached for Solen, remembering the last time I’d done this. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Military leather waited for me when I toweled off.
That was a good sign. “Did I get a promotion?”
“We weren’t given instructions on how to dress you this time. So as far as we’re concerned, it’s open to our interpretation,” Charolet said.
The royal omegas refused to go down without a fight. These ladies were more than my pack. They were my family.
“Okay, so here are the challenges that have been brought against you. Treason, and sharing classified information with those not authorized to access it.” Tavia sneered at the piece of paper in her hand. “Total bullshit.”
“It is. I wasn’t near the armory when the breach happened. I’d been relieved of my duties so I could serve on Zelene’s court.”
“Right.” Charolet took the paper from Tavia’s hand and sneered at it before crumpling it into a ball. “We’re about to find out what the king hopes to prove
