ANA
"Mother."
The queen lifted her head from where it rested on the king’s bed. Her face was haggard and exhausted, and for a moment Ana worried for her health. She sat in a chair next to Father's bed, holding his hand.
Ana." Her mother smiled when she saw her. She stood and reached for her, pulling her in for a hug. "I didn’t think I’d see you again. How did you escape? Are you doing well?"
Ana hugged her back, looking her in the eye when she withdrew. "I am, despite the actions you and Father took against me."
The queen's face dropped. She lowered back down to her seat. "Nothing we did was to harm you, Ana. I hope you understand that."
"You were going to have me marry a man who I wasn’t fated to. You forged the match so that I wouldn't question marrying him. How could you do that?"
"Would you have preferred to be an Omega that never had a fated mate?" Her mother said, her brows drawing together. "Do you know what kind of life that would be for an Omega?"
"But I did have one."
Confusion flickered in her mother's gaze and then died. "Who?"
Ana crossed her arms. "Don’t pretend that you didn’t know, Mother. You knew I had a fated mate."
Her mother swallowed. "I suspected that it could be someone…. The only person ejected from the assembly. But I had no way to contact him, and even if I did, I wouldn't want him for you.”
“It wasn’t your choice.”
“It was,” her mother said sharply. “We had a responsibility, Ana. We had to make sure you were matched so that you could take the throne. The scholars couldn’t find any mate for you, and that was terrifying to us. We had to do something.”
Ana shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why was it terrifying? Why wouldn’t I be able to continue if I wasn’t matched with a fated mate?”
The queen inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, tears glistened, but Ana ignored them. She wouldn’t be manipulated any longer. “Your father wanted us to start explaining things to you much earlier, but I couldn’t.” She glanced at the king, lying still on the bed. “I just thought if we could get past your wedding to Ryden and then….” She gestured to the other chair next to her. “I will explain everything now.”
Ana glanced at the door where she knew Maddoc was waiting. She’d had to be stern that he not enter while she spoke to her parents, so that she could find out the truth, but she knew he wasn’t happy about it. He’d only reluctantly agreed because his healer, Agnes, wanted to look at his shoulder, but he said he would be coming back to get her immediately. She sat down, her eyes on her mother. “I don’t have long.”
“Our family have a long and distinguished history with the crown,” her mother began. “But that is not an accident.”
“I heard.” Ana muttered.
Her mother ignored her. “We are Redcrests, and we have been on the throne for at least eight generations now. Our ancestors have done terrible things to the other houses so they could remain the dominant house that provided kings and queens to the throne. They abused the structure of the royal assembly; I don’t know why. I assume it’s because of greed. The crown aligns itself with Redcrest and sometimes Thorneshaw, but it eventually it became clear to the other houses that Redcrest had a stranglehold on the throne. But by then there wasn’t much they could do.”
“Why didn’t you and Father do something?” Ana asked. “You could change things, turn everything back to how it was supposed to be.”
“I would have loved to do that, Ana,” the queen said, her smile wistful. “But too much animosity has built between the houses now. Serious life-changing incidents and events have affected the houses. It’s not a matter of apologizing and moving past it. Once a Redcrest no longer holds the throne, the house and its families will be made to suffer. It doesn’t matter that we are not the people who committed those crimes in the past, we will still be made to pay. Sterling, in particular, is waiting for their chance to eradicate us, and they have the power to do it once we no longer control the throne.” Her mother gave her a knowing look. “I’m sure if you’re aware of some of things we did to them, you can guess how they may choose to retaliate?”
Ana chewed the inside of her cheek. “So it’s important to all the Redcrest families that a Redcrest remains on the throne.”
“Yes, it is crucial. Unfortunately, I could only have one child.”
Ana took a sharp breath in, her eyes snapping up to her mother’s.
“And that child had to be our heir.” The queen held her gaze, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Your father and I, and the entire house of Redcrest were so relieved you were an Omega. The only thing left to ensure was that you had a fated mate.”
“Why? I could have ruled with a husband. I still would have been the heir.”
The queen shook her head. “No. Because two of the houses also have Omegas. If they found their fated mates and you didn’t, they would argue that their Omega has more right to the throne.”
Ana exhaled.
“So I prayed the scholars would match you, and when your seventeenth birthday came and they hadn’t I was worried. The earlier the match, the stronger the bond. So I asked the scholars, and they said they had nothing yet, but there was still time to match you—until you were twenty-one. But I didn’t want to risk it. I did some research, followed up on some documents that I found, and I discovered that soon after the incident that happened that caused a man to be ejected from the assembly, the scholars of that year were all murdered.”
Ana’s jaw slackened. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” her mother said, shaking her head. “It was carried out quietly, and most of them were made to look like accidents. I didn’t think it was strange when I was looking into it, until I noticed that a pairing had been completed when you were five; it was never announced.” She lifted her shoulders. “There was no documentation, so I didn’t know whose names were there, but the only reason to destroy it and anyone who knows about it, is if it would affect the crown.“
“But why wouldn’t they just let it be announced? I wouldn’t have had a mate, and they would have gotten what they wanted.”
“No, it would’ve been an invitation to your mate to come and claim the throne. In the time it took you to grow up, your mate could rehabilitate himself, make arrangements with another house… anything could have happened. And no one would have wanted that. It was better for it to be announced that you had no mate, and then another Omega could be selected from a different house.”
Ana scratched the bridge of her nose as her frustration spiked. If the houses spent half the amount of time caring about the commoners as they did the throne, the kingdom would be in a better state. “So you did decide to forge my pairing with Ryden?”
“Yes, I realized that it was unlikely you would ever be with your fated mate, and it gave us the opportunity to choose. And we chose to the best of our ability."
"You chose someone who only cares about the crown," Ana said sharply. "He didn't care about me at all. To him, Omegas can be exchanged and bargained for, as long as they are quiet and obedient. He wants an Omega who has no opinion and who will let him do whatever he wants. He doesn’t care about the Alpha and Omega relationship—he doesn’t want it or believe in it. That is what you would have subjected me and the crown to."
Mother's gaze dropped. "Yes, that was one of the reasons your father and I chose him.”
“What?” Ana’s breath became shaky.
“How could we choose someone who would desire something they’d never get, Ana? We couldn’t. And we couldn’t let you discover what the real connection was like.”
“That’s why you hid the books,” Ana whispered.
Her mother nodded. “We didn’t let anyone use the library when you were in it so you didn’t accidentally come across it. Milly was told that I would be in charge of that area of your growth, and since I am an Omega, she never questioned it. We thought we had it under control.”
“But you were the biggest example of it, Mother,” Ana said, unable to stop the tears filling her own eyes. “You and father showed it to me every day. I loved the way you were with each other, and I watched you all the time. I would have eventually known that what I had wasn’t the same.”
“Eventually,” her mother agreed, with a sad smile. “When it was too late to do anything about it.” She wiped her tears. “The fake pairing, the lack of books, limited contact with others, especially Omegas, encouraging you to feel duty-bound to the crown… all of these things would have ensured success, Ana.”
Ana exhaled heavily, unable to believe the lengths her parents went to deceive everyone and maintain power for at least another generation. “I cannot believe you would do all this! And to your own child!”
“I would rather do this than have you and your father dead,” her mother said, sharply. “Or savagely tortured for years on end, paying for others’ crimes. We had to do what we needed to so we didn’t suffer at the hands of others, Ana. But I admit, it all came from my failing. Omegas are supposed to be the most fertile of dynamics, and I couldn’t give your father more children. The weight of that failure presses heavier each day.”
Ana glanced at her father. “He knew about it all, and agreed to it?”
Her mother nodded. “Recently, he wanted to tell you.”
“Why?”
“He… had doubts about you spending your life with Ryden. He wanted you to have what we have, if it was a possibility.”
Ana swallowed. “So he knew what Maddoc was to me?”
“Not as first. We just thought your mate was somewhere out in the kingdom. Neither of us had any idea that he was the man who’d been ejected. We only realized it after you left, and Maddoc wanted to chase after you and keep you. He didn’t behave like the sordid opportunist he did in court.”
“Did Father really make a deal with him?”
The queen nodded.
Ana leaned back in her chair thinking over what her mother had said, hardly able to believe that almost all of her life had been constructed to protect a lie. Lies upon lies. She felt hallowed out, empty from all the shameful and vile actions taken by the people who were in control of the kingdom. “When will it end?” she murmured.
Her mother's gaze returned her father, lying on the bed with sallow, sweaty skin. Her voice almost a whisper. "The houses have ruined this kingdom. They used to stand for so much, they used to mean something, and now they have ruined it."
"Do not blame the houses," Ana snapped. "You are the queen, you are the crown, you had control over what they do. You could have taken steps to stop them."
"The houses are supposed to work with the crown," the queen said, a bitterness in her tone. "The crown cannot function if every single house is corrupt and working against it. That is not its purpose. It is supposed to be the conduit for the work of the houses, otherwise you will have one couple who controls everybody instead of channeling the needs of the many into one focused aim to help everyone. It is the houses who are out there among the people. We rely on them for guidance about what the people need. We cannot be everywhere to know what is happening all over the kingdom," she exclaimed. "It’s enormous." She shook her head. "There is only so much anyone can do."
Ana nodded, tears coming to her eyes at the realization that she had been lied to about everything her whole life, more deeply then she even thought. The crown was not powerful; it was weak to the houses, and as long as the houses were corrupt, there was nothing the crown could do. She realized why Maddoc didn't have a problem with an invasion. It was the only thing that might interrupt the abuse of the houses. And that was the only thing that would give her hope.
Ana rose from her seat. "Mother, I am going away. I've left someone in the new guard who can communicate with me, but I'm leaving Allandis to be with Maddoc."
The queen smiled up at her. “I know, Ana. And I’m happy for you. Your father will be ecstatic. When he recovers, he will want to see you.”
Ana stepped closer to the bed and leaned down to kiss her father’s cheek. "I'm sure he would," she said, as she rose. "But I'm not sure if I will have anything to say."
The queen grabbed her arm. “Everything we did was for our preservation, Ana. I’m sorry that you had to go through all those falsehoods, but it was necessary.”
“No, Mother, it wasn’t.” Ana patted her arm, and turned to the door. “Maybe if you had put more value and faith in me, I could have helped. After all the studying I did, I probably know more about Allandis law and history than most.”
Her mother squinted at her. “What do you mean?”
Ana turned back to her. “All you had to do was disown the crown and the Redcrest name, and no danger would have followed us. But you didn’t think about that, did you? Nothing was more important to you than the crown. Even me.”
* * *
The sight of Maddoc waiting for her in the corridor saved Ana from descending into the heavy depressive mood that infected her from the conversation with her mother.
He immediately pulled her into his arms, as if he could feel her distress, and she couldn't help the sobs that overcame her. He pulled her close, comforting her from the disheartening, brutal, and bloody truth behind the royal assembly. Her life had never been her own—it had never been real, not until Maddoc entered it. He’d been a destructive force that she’d hated at the time, but he was the only honest and authentic element.
She cried for the life she had and for the loss of who she thought her parents were. She cried for the omegas who would be manipulated in the same way, and for the children who would take on the burden of their parents’ actions. But most of all, she cried out of relief that she was free of it. She had Maddoc, and she finally understood that he was her Alpha. He had already shown her the life he was prepared to provide for her, the life he had planned for them, and nothing could be more comforting than that.
"I do not like to see you cry," Maddoc rumbled, dissatisfaction in his gritty tone.
Ana wiped her tears. "I’ll be all right. I just can't believe how terrible people can be; the people I love, the people who are supposed to stand for something."
"I learned that early," Maddoc remarked. "But we don’t have to be concerned with them anymore, Ana. We are starting something new. That is not our reality anymore."
Ana nodded, smiling. "I know. And I'm glad for that."
Raine approached them in the corridor. “I arranged for a carriage to take you to the nearest body of water,” she said. “I suggest you leave soon. I don’t want anyone causing trouble for you.” She shot Maddoc a disapproving look. “Do not do anything but rest when you get home.”
Maddoc glared back at her, as though affronted she would tell him what to do.
Ana looked between them and laughed.
“Don’t give me that look,” Raine said warningly to Maddoc. She turned to Ana. “Agnes said the poison in his shoulder could have been fatal if she hadn’t treated him today. He needs to look after himself.”
Ana sobered, looking at Maddoc. “Why didn’t you see her to heal you?”
“I didn’t want to take her from your father. I know he is important to you.” He held her gaze. “And I was not lying in court when I said I don’t want him dead, Analisa. I want him alive for what is to come. He shouldn’t escape it.”
Ana lifted her head in understanding. He wanted Father on the throne for the invasion. “But why didn’t you tell me that he was alive and being treated?”
Maddoc held her gaze, holding her tight as if afraid she might escape. “I never intended for you to see your father again after our three nights. I thought it would be easier if you grieved for him.”
Ana breathed shallowly. “Why not?”
“They tainted my claim on you, Analisa,” he said, his voice harsh. “They worked for decades to achieve a goal that involved twisting your mind against your own nature. So much so, you didn’t recognize what I was to you. I cannot allow their rot to infect everything good we have, and hope to have.”
Ana lowered her eyes and nodded. She couldn’t argue with his point. She didn’t know if she would ever trust them again. Never seeing them again would be hard—they’d been all she’d known—but she would rather not see them at all than risk them destroying anything else in her life.
Raine placed a hand on her arm. “I’ll keep you updated with their progress while I’m here.”
Ana smiled at her. “Thank you.”
"There are some healing lakes at home that Agnes said he should use every day for a week,” Raine said. “Please make sure he goes.”
"I will." Ana said, grinning at Maddoc.
"Thank you, Ana," Raine said pointedly.
Maddoc scowled at them both.
Ana leaned over to hug Raine. “Thank you so much for joining this guard to look after my father,” she said. “I know it’s a burden and you don't know how much I appreciate it, especially with the invasion coming."
"You are very welcome," Raine said as she squeezed her back. "I was worried about being bored at home, but now, at least, I get to spend some more time honing my skills here. There isn’t much better training than the royal guard."
Ana pulled back to arm’s length to look at her. "Be careful of Ryden."
"I can handle him," Raine said, a snarl almost forming on her face. "I'm not going to let him control me just because I'm an Omega."
"That's not what I mean," Ana said. "It takes a lot to surprise him, and I think he was surprised by you today, a great deal. In fact, he seemed speechless. I don’t know how he knew you were an Omega, but he’s pretty smart. He will try to figure you out."
“That’s the only thing that worried me,” Raine said, biting her lip. "He seemed to guess I was an Omega just because of my size and looks… I don’t know how.”
“Sometimes Alpha’s can tell,” Maddoc said. “It doesn’t happen often, but you were in a high stress, pressured combat situation. He may have sensed something on an instinctual level. Ana did too, so it’s worth being careful. Maybe you need a new bracelet.”
Raine nodded. “All right, I’ll be careful."
After saying their good-bye, Maddoc and Ana made their way out of the castle and straight into the carriage. They traveled to the honey marshlands, where Ana trickled the sand into the water to create the raft.
"How are you feeling about magic now?" Maddoc asked, as they climbed on.
"I believe!" Ana laughed. “I’ll have to do some more investigations about it.” She cuddled into Maddoc’s chest as he tucked her into his lap, then reached up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for Milly. And for the library, I love it.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would.”
“I love all the Alpha and Omega stories. I’m going to read them first.” She looked up at him. “How did you get everything over to… What do you call that place?”
“It’s called the Buried Kingdom.”
Ana made a face, and he chuckled.
“That’s the name it was given when it was first found,” Maddoc said. “But we can name it.”
“Who found it?”
“Many people have discovered it over the centuries,” Maddoc said. “It is extremely difficult to detect and shrouded by powerful magic that cannot be controlled by any individual. It is well hidden.”
“It is,” Ana agreed. “But where exactly is it? Are we in Allandis still?”
“Yes, it can only be accessed by Allandis, and no other kingdom. But no one stays there because it is too separate and cut off from any of the other kingdoms.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“In general, yes,” Maddoc said. “For trading and entertainment and the intermingling of people and produce, it is too closed-off for it to be sustainable in the long-term.”
“But it is suitable for us?”
“Yes. since we have people from all over the kingdom—all different districts and different backgrounds—we can thrive in a place like that. We’ve already done it with Moonvale,” he said. “I know it will be successful. I just didn’t want to move everyone over until we were all ready. Now I have you, we are ready.”
Ana flushed, and Maddoc pressed a long kiss on her lips. “So, with the invasion coming, no one will try to take the kingdom from us?”
“No,” Maddoc said. “All records of how to get there have been destroyed. Plus if anybody did find out, or accidentally traveled there, there is only one way in and out, and they will face numerous highcloaks if they arrive.”
“So we are really going home?” she asked, leaning back and closing her eyes.
Maddoc’s purr began deep in his chest, the vibration rumbling through her body, and a pure, potent serenity glided over her, coaxing her own purr into existence.
“If you are with me,” Maddoc murmured, “you already are.”