She stilled trying to force her brain to work, to remind her where she was.

It took a few long moments, but finally…

Akoro.

Horrified, she sat up quickly, but her body wailed. Whimpering, she looked around.

The bedroom she was in wasn’t like they one they'd given her, and it wasn’t like the one Akoro had taken her to have her Haze in. This one was huge and grand. The ceiling was arched, patterned with intricate decoration that matched the bed sheets.

Pillars and lattice windows were common features of his palace, but here they made the room feel huge and formal. Chairs and pillows made it feel homely, strewn around the room and to the far left, a small pool.

Thankfully, no one else was in the room with her.

Naya dropped her head into her hands, horrified at the situation she was in. Akoro had taken advantage of her heat, used her for his pleasure, even though she begged him not to. Based on the feel of her body, he had thoroughly used her.

She grit her teeth, exhaling harshly as her anger rose. She'd been stupid to think she would escape the forced sex that most captive Omegas have had to endure. Nothing made her special in that regard. She’d simply gone into the most attractive state that an Omega could, and he had taken her for himself. What had he said? He’d made the healer stop protecting her so he could “indulge” himself. Fuck, she hated him!

He’d done this because she’d lied about Omegas going into their heats for their true mates. He’d known what she was doing, which meant he knew that she’d known all along. And instead of letting her be, he decided to continue to prove how unhinged and unsuitable he was as her mate.

Slowly, she turned and moved her legs to the edge of the bed, standing haltingly even though her body continued to scream at her. It could take up to three hours for the memories of her Haze to return. Until then she wouldn't know exactly what had happened—how bad it was, but she stunk of him, of them, so badly. It was embarrassing.

Aching, she walked over to the pool. Steam curled off the surface of the water. She crouched and dipped her hand in, pleased to find that it was warm and she entered gently, allowing the hot water to envelop her, inch by inch until she was submerged up to her neck.

She looked around for soap and found it on one side of the bath. She scrubbed everywhere she could without harming herself. Between her legs stung like crazy, and it would probably be sore for a while.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in her heat. Usually it lasted between a week and a week and a half but nothing was normal when Omega blocks have been ripped away suddenly, and she'd been with an Alpha this time.

After she'd rinsed off, she got out of the bath and found a towel to dry herself with. None of her clothes were in this room, so when she found a dark robe, she put it on and sat on the bed.

This had to be Akoro's bedroom. She couldn't imagine anyone else but him living in this space. It was over-the-top luxury that felt like it would suit him. At the back wall was another weapons stand, similar to the one of the rooftop grounds. If this was his room, what was she doing in it? She didn’t want to be here when he got back.

Tentatively, she opened the door.

Eight guards stood outside. They didn't say anything to her, but they also didn't stop her from stepping out of the room.

“I—uh… Where is my room? The one I was in before?” she said to no one in particular.

Two of the guards nodded and began to walk. She followed them and the others surrounded her. The corridors were strangely quiet. It might have been because she was in a wing of the palace that was exclusively for Akoro’s private use, but even when she got to corridors she recognized, hardly anyone was around.

After entering her room, she climbed into the bed and curled up drawing the blankets in to surround her like a cocoon, snug and tight. Only then, when she was surrounded by only her own scent, did she let herself cry for the first time.

She cried for the strength she thought she had to see this through, she cried for her papa and mama who would be devastated to know what happened to her, she cried for her little Omega sister Idaya that one day she may face a similar situation, she cried for all the Omegas who woke up to find themselves fucked against their will in their heat, just because of instinct and biology. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore, until she was painfully dry and numb.

Her memories came back to her within the hour; it started with a memory of her mouth on his, sucking and pulling his bottom lip, and then the rest flooded back, hitting her all at once.

She tightened herself in her cocoon, horrified at the way she'd behaved with him. The things she did, the things she’d thought. How her people would be ashamed of her if they knew. She was supposed to be the Guardian of Omegas, she couldn't even guard her own legs and keep them closed. She was a disgrace. Her eyes prickled again at all the things they'd done. He’d taken such animalistic pleasure in her, but nothing was as bad as the pleasure she'd taken back.

Her Hazed self had revered him, thought of him as the best thing in the world just because he’d looked at her—wanting to please him, wanting to be good for him. While it was true that he’d fed and watered and knotted her with the care an Alpha was supposed to give, the complete abandon of all logical thought was the entire reason why Omegas had been so abused in the past.

When she had read the history books, she always thought she would rather die than allow herself to be used like that. And yet, it had happened. And by her own mate, no less.

Naya pushed away the thoughts running through her mind and let herself drift into sleep. She just wanted to go home and forget she’d ever met her beast of a mate, but right now, she couldn’t see how that would happen.

She woke when the bed jostled. Someone was disturbing her cocoon, drawing the blankets away. Naya let them. She didn't have the fight in her anymore, maybe she never did. Maybe her entire attempt had been a foolish one. She should have let him kill her when she first arrived, before they could ever find out who they were to each other.

The bed dipped and a huge figure joined her cocoon, pulling out her careful tucking, but she didn't care. The Alpha scooped around himself around her, large against her small. "Why did you leave my bedroom?" he asked, irritated. "That is where you should be."

Naya said nothing, allowing him to fix her wherever he wanted. He could do whatever he wanted, he was stronger than her. He pulled her up so her head rested on his bicep, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her against him so they were snug bundle within the cocoon, but when he saw her face, his whole body bristled.

"You are upset." The words were harsh.

Naya said nothing. What was the point of responding to him? Anything she said he would have an answer for, except a good reason why he had still fucked her when she said no.

The Alpha made a displeased sound. "You are upset with me, tmot zia." He stroked his fingers across her scalp, sending a thrilling sensation through her aching body. She relaxed into him and then cursed herself for doing it.

"You cannot be angry with me," he said, still stroking. "You know that once an Omega is in her Haze, an Alpha’s rut is just as compelling. It couldn’t be helped. If it hadn't been me it would have been someone else; the only Alphas who have been around you are Nrommo and Oppo. Would you have preferred one of them?"

"I would have preferred none of you," Naya said, her voice low. "You forced my heat on me. If it was going to happen, it should have happened when we met, after you had been torturing me."