A twist of dread skipped down Naya’s spine. Something about the way he looked at her made his words seem more like a serious warning than a threat. She had nothing else to say so just watched as he left the tent.

She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. Healers usually had some sort of empathy for their patients, but it was unlikely he’d have any power against the beast.

The next day, the women came again, but this time they secured an extra band of fabric around Naya’s thighs so she couldn’t walk at her normal stride, only waddle. And when she stepped outside, men stood guard, watching her as she was escorted back to the stone.

The beast stood where he always was, watching from the strange non-horses. After being attached to the stone again, Naya tried to fix her position so she wouldn’t burn as badly, but it was almost impossible.

The camp settled itself in their tents, and when the sun blazed to an incredible heat she grunted, trying to withstand it until it tortured her into unconsciousness once again.

The days blurred into a bright hot nightmare.

Naya found herself in two states; the sun brutal on her skin, and painful, uncomfortable darkness. There was no in between. Her days became a hazy, disoriented experience.

With no measure for passing time, each state she found herself in seemed suspended. She never knew how long each one was going to last. Hunger gnawed at her stomach until it faded away, but worse was the dryness of her mouth. She kept working it, pretending she was chewing to stimulate saliva, but the cloth-mouth feeling never eased.

When the need to urinate became unbearable, she let it go, the warmth streaming down her legs, sticking her undergarments. She tried to sleep, but it was too uncomfortable, yet more than once she found herself waking up having fallen unconscious.

Whenever she was in the sun, the beast was never far away, watching her with that tight gaze. He would kill her if this continued, but as long as it didn’t help him, she didn’t care. It would be a relief to escape him and embrace death. He didn't realize just how much she’d die for her people. She may not have been able to help them the way they wanted her to, but she certainly wouldn’t betray them.

Naya tried to make herself numb. She sunk into the darkness of her mind, refusing to feel anything so she didn’t give the beast a single fucking tear. But it was hard to ignore the pain radiating everywhere in her body. Her tight skin was sensitive and covered with burns, her mouth fuzzy and with mouth sores, and she stunk from having to soil herself against the tent wall.

Each time they dragged her from the tent to bear the brunt of the furious heat, she clung to the knowledge that her parents, their allies, and the whole of the Known Lands were all searching for her. They would find this place eventually, even if it took them months. She would be dead by then, but at least she wouldn’t have helped the beast conquer her land.

But as time passed, it occurred to her that he was keeping her alive, even if barely. Sometimes they would rub ointments on her leathery skin or force a small amount of liquid down her throat. It was usually when she was unconscious, but she became aware he was keeping her on the edge of life and on the brink of consciousness so she could experience his infliction of pain for as long as he wanted her to feel it.

In the darkness of the tent, where she was left for hours to suffer, she refused to cry. But once, when she stared at the mottled patchwork of bruises and burns, her mind swimming with haziness, tears stung her dry, gritty eyes. If her parents found her body.…

A flash of light interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see the beast standing opposite her.

Their eyes remained locked for a long moment.

She met his with the fire of her love for her parents and her home—with the knowledge that she would die protecting them, keeping this monster away from them for as long as possible.

The silence between them heightened.

"We will kill your people first.”

Naya jerked against the wall, his gruff words sharp against the soft comfort of her thoughts.

"We will not engage your army. They are too small to be everywhere at once. We are not.”

Her frail mind lumbered to work, trying to make sense of what he was saying. How big was his army?

“Our army is more than four times the size of yours, and almost all Alpha.” His words stilled her thoughts. “Your army is lazy and complacent. They praise themselves without ever having had a real battle. They will be defeated almost instantly.”

Naya couldn’t help the shuddering breath she sucked in, every inch of her body protesting against the words he growled out.

“The majority of your people will die before your army even realizes we have arrived. Neither will see us coming.”

The little moisture her body had managed to produce spilled onto her cheeks. Her people didn’t deserve that, and neither did her parents, Lonn, all the Alphas she’d trained with, the Omegas, the people of South Saderthorne.

The beast stepped forward, his eyes hard on her, continuing the violent attack of words. “If you choose not to help us, your corpse will lead that charge. Decayed, carved up, with your cunt fucked raw and ripped open, your womb mutilated, and your limbs hollowed. Your corpse will show your empire that their most prized possession could not be saved. Their most powerful Omega was too weak to withstand the Sy Dynasty. Their terror will ease our way.”

He stopped a few feet away. “You will help us”—his voice thrummed out and surrounded her, filling the tent, thick and deep—“or you will become the symbol of defeat across your Lands. No matter where your people try to flee, your defeated corpse will haunt them.”

Naya forced herself to maintain eye contact, but she couldn’t stop the trembling in her limbs. He knew. All this time he knew what she meant to her people. He knew what it would take to wipe out their morale instantly. That was probably why he took her in the first place.

“What does that matter?” she croaked. “You will kill me whether I help you or not.”

"You are more useful alive."

“Why?”

His nose flared. "I have no intention of killing you unless you force me to.” He straightened, clasping his hands behind his back. “We need to move from this area within the next day. If you do not agree to my terms, I will kill you and used your corpse as described."

Thoughts lurched through Naya’s weakened mind, slipping past before she could grasp the point she knew she was missing. "What terms?"

"You tell us all we need to know to prepare for the invasion. In return, we will not needlessly kill your people when we arrive."

“You threatened to stand on their graves,” Naya said bitterly, forcing the words through her dry, cracked lips.

“We will. Of the ones who die. But not all of them have to die.”

"What will you do with them?"

"They will be expelled. Your empire will be the new home for my people. Your people will be free to find a home elsewhere."

"Do you think they will just surrender to you? They will resist you with everything they have."

“Which is not much," he said sharply. "Once your army is gone, your people will have no choice. Some may fight us, yes, and we will kill those who resist, but we will not eradicate them all like we initially planned."

Naya closed her eyes, trying to stanch the effect of his words and his overwhelming presence had on her muddled mind. He was talking about the women and children… Omegas and their families. After everything Omegas had been though, she had to protect them if she could. And yet the idea of helping him sent raw and sickening disgust into every corner of her body. It was a traitorous thought. He’d been smart to offer the lives of the people in exchange, but he didn’t understand that there was no way she would ever betray them. She couldn’t. But she had to do something, knowing that everyone would be cut down without mercy if she didn’t agree. He’d already proven his cruelty.