She kept her breathing smooth, trying not to show her shock. It was best to act as a blank slate until she knew what this person wanted, but apprehension pricked the hair along her upper arms. She'd read about wars and battles, particularly what happened to women during disputes between rulers. It was difficult to be emotionless when she was in so much pain and pinned to a wall.

The figure made its way around the table, and her horror twisted into a raging indignation inside her stomach as the small glow of light illuminated them.

It was him.

Her fear conceded to a rapidly building anger and her eyes darted to his forearm and his knee, both of which were bandaged. But he didn't look particularly well rested. In fact, he looked even more agitated than when he was chasing her. Good.

She didn't say anything, just watched him. He crossed his arms and did the same. The dim orange light cast a shadowy glow on the left side of him, and even standing motionless, he looked just as wild as he had in the forest.

His hair hung loose, thick and wavy, framing his face. A heavy beard spread across his jaw and around his mouth. Loose rings of metal gleamed from both of his thick wrists, and dark clothes helped him blend into the darkness around him. But it was his eyes that captivated her. Fierce and piercing, with a dark glare that burned.

He didn't look like the kind of man who could be reasoned with.

Silence hung around them as they studied each other. He held a large dark stone in his hand that had scattered lines of glimmering blue light all over it, but it didn’t look familiar.

His eyes darted to her wrists and feet, as if wanting to ensure that she was secure, before skipping back up to meet her eyes.

The thick definition of his body implied he was warrior, one who trained enthusiastically. Such a man would fit in among the dedicated Alpha Lox warriors, and yet Naya sensed an additional intensity that simmered beneath the surface of his movements. An untamed, aggressive energy with the way he carried himself—a raw, impulsive force. Something about that appealed to her. This was a man used to fighting—a man unfamiliar with losing. A beast of a warrior who could not be controlled by disciplined training.

So when he took a step forward, she tensed, her whole body preparing to fight, instinctively calling on magic even though she’d just established she couldn’t control it.

He stopped a foot away. "Stop doing that.” His voice rumbled throughout the room, rich and heavy. “Magic cannot help you here.”

She didn’t recognize his accent and didn’t know how he knew she was trying to access magic, but it was better if she gave the orders. "Take me home. Now.”

He watched her mouth as it moved and then looked back up at her eyes, but said nothing.

"My father will not pay any ransom. The best chance you have of surviving when he comes for me is to release me now and pray he doesn’t find you."

The man watched her mouth before returning his gaze to her eyes again. "I am not concerned.” Deep and raspy, his voice beastly like the rest of him.

Dread churned in her stomach. Why was he so confident? "Where am I?”

His huge, crossed arms flexed. "In my world.”

Goosebumps sprinkled along her arms, tugging at something deep within her.

Ignoring his attempt to intimidate her, she forced herself to speak. “What do you want?"

He stepped forward again, a cold fire burning in his eyes. "I am going to invade your green world." The certainty in his voice sent another rash of goosebumps crawling up her arms. "I will conquer your villages and cities. I will kill your emperor and his army, and I will destroy any of his allies who choose to challenge me. Your palace will be torn down, your history erased, and I will kill your people. They will be slaughtered. My people will stand on their graves in our rise to greatness.”

Conviction gleamed in his eyes, and Naya’s heart plummeted to her stomach.

The beast pressed his palms on the wall, caging her as he leaned in. “And you, Princess, are going to help me."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Naya's anger boiled.

If this beast of an Alpha thought she was going to help him conquer her own empire, he had to be suffering from severe delusion. Yet it wasn’t delusion she’d seen in his eyes—it was surety. As though her helping him was a foregone conclusion. It infuriated her.

She’d glared at him and spoke with the punctuated force of the deadly rage that writhed in her gut. “That will never happen.”

Surprisingly the Alpha’s face smoothed, his eyes narrowing before he turned away. Naya watched his back fade into the darkness. A bright light blinded her for a moment, then he was gone.

It felt like hours had passed since then, but with no windows there was no way to tell. In that time, she’d examined every word he said, and fear had embedded itself within her anger.

This Alpha knew who he’d taken. He knew her father and was very aware he commanded the Lox Empire and Alpha army.

From what he’d said, he believed he was a ruler in his “world” but where was that? Had one of the other rulers of the Known Lands negotiated with a stranger to attack the empire? Did he command people? How many? Did he have an army? He seemed to think he could compete with the Lox, and she knew of no one foolish enough to make that claim aloud, let alone directly to her face. Did that mean he was formidable or foolish? She didn’t know enough about him to decide.

So the question remained… did he have the ability to do what he threatened? Papa’s army was a significant force, but all battles depended on the strength of each opponent.

This situation could be nothing.

Or it could be the end of the Lox Empire, her parents’ reign, and her life as she knew it.

The flickering lantern light diminished further as time passed. It was impossible to tell if anybody else was in the room with her, but Naya didn't care.

Her dread at the beast’s words wouldn’t fade, numbing her limbs and turning every thought to horror. Normally, she wouldn’t take such a ridiculous threat seriously, but the way he’d captured her had been carefully planned. He’d known where to find her and that she’d be alone, even though her refuge in the forest wasn’t common knowledge in the empire or even in the palace. Had someone betrayed her? Naya drew in a halting breath and released it slowly. Her father’s allies had maintained peace with him for years and wouldn’t risk outright war. She couldn’t rule anything out, but what was the benefit of taking her hostage? They’d know it wasn’t smart. They’d know what she was capable of. They’d know her kidnapping would make them targets; not just by her father and empire, but also his allies. It would be foolish for anyone to attempt it. And yet here she was.

Another question was how the beast had managed to get her to wherever she was now. She hadn’t sensed a portal, but she’d clearly been transported. Did he have some kind of control over magic? The question settled an uneasiness low in her stomach. Manipulating magic wasn’t an easy thing to do for non-Omegas. If he could manipulate her use of magic, then escaping would be difficult. It would also make it harder to protect the empire because magic wasn’t a big part of Lox culture. Before meeting Mama, Papa had never been keen on it and even afterward, he’d discouraged non-Omegas from using it because those who did went insane. As a result, magic was an under-utilized weapon by the empire.

If this beast attacked with a formidable army and the ability to wield magic, her father would be unprepared⁠—

Naya swallowed and wrenched that thought from her mind. She couldn’t let the idea that her father might be in real danger overwhelm her. Her father dealt well with surprises; he would manage as he’d always done.