Willow watched him walk with Ayla, and her blood simmered.
The rogue king as she had now come to know him was walking with Ayla, his head bent toward her, looking too comfortable together. His mask was off now and Willow thought him the most handsome man she had ever seen in her entire life.
This had to be a colossal joke.
Not him too.
Why did everyone gravitate toward her? She was nothing fucking special. She was a bastard Omega, the lowest there ever was and even the most dangerous man in the realm was walking her around camp like she was made of gold.
Willow’s fingers curled into her palms until her nails bit into her skin. She could feel the hatred curl in her veins.
Why did he bring her along? What did he want with her?
She had foolishly thought they were having a moment. Surely the night he had comforted her by the river and then rescued her from her father meant something. She had thought they would...
She scoffed.
Ayla, as usual, was here and it was all ruined.
"You are going to burn a hole in her skull." A voice cut through her thoughts.
Willow spun around to see a man standing behind her. He was tall, brown-haired, with gray eyes that gleamed with amusement and he looked exactly like the rogue king.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, I get that look a lot." He smiled, gesturing. "He and I are identical twins, but no, we most definitely have nothing in common."
He leaned forward. " I am Alistair."
He looked very familiar too and not because he looked identical to the rogue king. There was something about him...
"I know you" Willow said.
"I figured you did, considering I worked in Alpha Kieran’s court for a time." He tilted his head, watching her the way a cat watches a cornered mouse. "Did you know your father brought me in? He was working hand in hand with us the whole time to hide his secret."
"He was what?"
So not only was her father a fucking liar and murderer, he was also a traitor to the realm.
Just as you are now, she thought. The apple really does not fall far from the tree.
"You look very shocked at the news. Why? Did Lucius not tell you?" Alistair’s smile widened.
"Who?"
"Lucius? The rogue king? That is his name... you really need to keep up, Willow."
She stared at him.
"I guess there are many great things he keeps to himself." Alistair circled her slowly. "For example, you. You were not part of the plan."
"What are you talking about?" Willow frowned.
"He was probably just being vindictive." He shrugged. "Trying to get at your father, for even thinking for a second he had the upper hand in anything. I worked so hard to get into Alpha Kieran’s court, and my brother swoops in, takes my place, sends me back to the border and then returns with you."
His gaze swept over her, and Willow felt her skin crawl.
"Ayla, I can understand. We need her and what she has to offer but I do not understand you."
Willow’s jaw tightened.
"What do you mean, you need Ayla?"
"Has no one told you?" He threw his head back and laughed.
The sound grated on her nerves. In the pack, no one would dare mock her like this. She was the Beta’s daughter and this man...this spare stood here laughing at her like she was a joke.
Her gaze drifted past him, to where Lucius stood with Ayla. The way he looked at her and the way he bent toward her like she was the only thing in the world worth his attention.
What could she do to make him look at her like that?
"Forget it." Alistair’s voice cut through her thoughts, amusement in his voice. "You will never be as valuable as her."
Willow’s eyes snapped back to him.
"What does he need her for?"
Alistair looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing whether she was worth the answer.
"Ayla is the Omega Dualis," he said finally.
"What the hell is that?" She asked.
"You do not even know your history. During the great purge, the last Omega Dualis was vanquished. She died most pitifully, killed by poison alongside her three mates. An Omega Dualis holds the power of life and death in her. We may never know the full extent of their powers."
Willow stared at him. He was serious? Ayla?
She burst out laughing.
"Oh," she managed between gasps. "I thought we were playing a game of jokes. You almost had me for a second there."
Alistair did not laugh. He simply watched her, his gray eyes unblinking.
"Do I look like I am joking?" he asked, his voice harsh.
The smile slipped from Willow’s face.
"You cannot be serious. Ayla? She is nothing. She is a servant. She is... she cannot even shift. She is a wolfless Omega. You people have the wrong person."
"I never pegged you for a dumb blonde, Willow but I guess I was wrong." Alistair tsked in disappointment.
"I wonder..." he tilted his head to the side, his eyes glittering. "When she finally masters what she is, you will be safe? You know, considering you made her life a living hell for the longest time?"
Willow stood frozen, as she watched him walk away.
Her eyes found Ayla again.
Ayla is powerful, she thought.
It was not fair. None of this was fair. She had done everything right. She had been born legitimate, raised proper, trained to be a lady and still, somehow, Ayla had taken everything.
Everyone chose Ayla even the moon goddess herself.
Just then, a horse neighed and Willow’s head snapped toward the sound. A lone rider was approaching the camp.
She watched as the rider drew closer and when he dismounted, her heart plummeted to the pits of her stomach.
It was her father.
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