Naya took a shaky breath. "It is the person you are compatible with. The one who you are most attracted to and who will take care of you and… keep you… safe…." Her words were swallowed by impending tears. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't continue to repeat what Gramma had said knowing that it just wasn't true. It sounded so stupid to hear herself say it directly to the “true mate” who tortured and harmed her.

"And you feel this way with this man?" Akoro asked, his eyes wild.

She blinked the tears away. "He is the only mate I’m going to have."

Akoro pulled her in to him, his face a blazing open furnace about to erupt. “I’m going to ask you this one more time. If you do not answer, our entire agreement is off."

Naya blinked, her tears tracking down her cheeks as she took a breath. "I-I thought you needed⁠—"

"I need this more," he growled.

Horror gripped her, suddenly realizing the madness of this conversation.

He spoke clear and deep. "Did you fuck this man?"

"No.”

"Is he your true mate?"

"No."

"Who is your true mate?"

"I don't know."

"How would you find out?"

"Usually when you are in the presence of your true mate there is a very, very strong attraction. More than with anyone else. And… it causes an Omega to go into her Haze."

Akoro’s eyes narrowed. "You mean heat?"

"Yes," Naya said. "We call it Haze."

"Why?"

"Because it's like the Omega is a completely different person. Her body changes so drastically that she can only think about one thing. Even her memories take awhile to come back to her afterward. It’s like a fog that takes over.”

Akoro stared down into her face, as if trying to determine how much of what she was saying was true. "So an Omega’s true mate is determined by the presence of her Haze?"

Naya nodded, fully knowing that it wasn’t completely true. There was absolutely no fucking way she was going to tell him that he was her true mate if he didn't know. It made sense now why he kept coming back to the cart. He was probably attracted to her and didn't know why. But even so, his lack of knowledge didn't make any difference to her. He still strangled and used her, and he was still the cruel Alpha intent on destroying her empire. If she hadn’t gone into her Haze around him yet, it wasn’t going to happen now. If she could get to the end of this entire ordeal without him ever knowing, it would be perfect. She would mate with Lonn, and then none of this would matter because Akoro would never scent her the same way again.

"What is his name?" he demanded.

"Lonn.” Lonn could handle himself so she didn’t mind giving his name, and he would have the support of her father. It was smarter to say him than anyone else, and it wasn't as though they hadn’t actually had the conversation. If she’d known Akoro was going to go feral, she would have lied about the whole thing. He’d kept his attraction very close to his chest.

“You haven’t had your Haze with him?”

“No.”

“And you know he’s not your true mate because your attraction isn’t strong?”

“That’s right.”

Akoro slowly released her, his eyes still pinned to her. As soon as she was free, she stumbled back. “Why do you want him as your mate?”

“I told you,” she said. “He is a good man who is dedicated to the empire.”

Akoro scowled at her for a long moment, then headed for the door. "We will talk about your sister tomorrow.”

"We won't," Naya snapped to his back.

He turned, still in the grip of whatever instinctual insanity had taken him. “We will. And you’d better hope I can verify everything you said, otherwise you’ll have bigger problems to worry about."

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Naya paced across her room, trying to work out the agitation that had gripped her.

Guards had escorted her back to her room hours ago and it had gone dark outside, but her anger and upset hadn't cooled. When she’d agreed to give Akoro information about the empire, that did not, in her mind, include information about her personally or her dead sister.

Maybe it was foolish to think they wouldn’t want that information, but she'd assumed that they’d done their fucking research.

Lili had been dead for six years, the same amount of time that Naya stopped visiting the countries around the empire and withdrew from her duties. How is it they knew so much about the empire, but didn't know that specific thing about her? She thought back to the way the empire had grieved during that time. She wasn't sure what had been put into the Records Keep about the event—had no idea what had been recorded or publicized. Her parents had controlled that, but it was public knowledge. Where were Akoro and his people getting their information from if they missed that?

Regardless, it didn’t have any relevance to Akoro's invasion. There were some things that she would not do, and that was provide them with any intimate information, knowledge, or details about her family that wasn’t public knowledge—that was off-limits, and she would tell Akoro that. He could kill or torture her—whatever he wanted. There were some things she just wasn’t willing to do, even if it hurt her plans to escape.

An hour after Meiro had brought in food that remained untouched, the door opened again. Akoro stepped in. He had calmed down from earlier, but there was still a smoldering anger in the way he moved—his bulky shoulders still tense.

Naya crossed her arms and glared at him.

It was strange that he didn’t know about true mates, but since it appeared he didn't, it was likely he wouldn’t find out she lied about the Omega Haze, and even if he did, it could be that things worked differently in her empire. Either way she had a safety net.

His eyes ran over her. "Have you calmed?"

"Have you?"

Akoro's face soured. "I have looked into what you said about Omegas’ true mates. It isn’t accurate."

"How so?"

"The Haze isn't always present when true mates meet each other.”

"That’s what is supposed to happen.” That wasn't a complete lie—things like Omega blocks impacted the Haze. “If it doesn’t, you can’t be sure.”

Akoro approached and examined her face, his expression somber. Naya stared back at him and let him look. He couldn’t boldly claim they were mates just because he had an attraction to her, especially if she didn’t claim an attraction back.

He spoke low, gravelly. “Are you in the habit of fucking your own fingers in front of men you don’t know?”

“What?” Anger reared up again. “You threatened to break my hip! Or did you forget?”

“But you were so wet, Princess,” he said softly, “and so eager to show me.”

Heat crawled up Naya’s neck and her stomach fluttered hearing him call her princess. It was the first time since since he’d captured her that he’d said anything remotely close to her name. She stepped back, her tone resolute. “You’ll never see between my legs again.”

Akoro scowled. He grabbed her and dragged her to him, his voice gruff. “If I want to eat your cunt every day for the rest of my life, you will let me. And your precious Lonn? When we invade, he will die first.”

Naya twisted out of his grip and backed away, but he was already walking to the door.

"We will continue your questioning tomorrow."

“I want your assurance that my sister will not be brought up again.”

Akoro stopped at the door, irritation skittering across his features. “Any question you don’t answer will be taken out on your people. That’s what you agreed to.” Then he left.