“You just need time to hone your instincts,” Papa said. “It’s the same as being a warrior. No one can run an empire without experience and training. That’s what you’re building up with every decision you make. You need to focus on that and stop trying to be perfect.”

“I’m not trying not be perfect,” Naya shot back. “I just think finding my true mate would solve⁠—”

“It won’t.” Papa shot the words out, hard and blunt. “And it’s taking too long.”

Naya drew her lips in, her eyes blazing at her father. In that moment, she remembered just how much they were alike. They both had horrendous tempers, and growing up, her father had always been in charge. But she was a fucking adult now, and this was her life. The last six years might have hollowed her somewhat, but she wouldn’t allow him to roll over her opinion.

“I know we encouraged your search at the beginning,” he added, “but these pairings are starting to take up too much of your time. I was told you’ve had as many as eight pairing meetings in one day! You ignore your responsibilities but make time to meet Alphas.”

“This isn’t a selfish quest, Papa. I’m not doing this for myself. It’s the only way I’ll be able to run the empire.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Ma held up her hand to interrupt the back and forth between them. “What do you mean by that, Naya? Are you saying you can’t rule until you find your true mate?”

“I’m saying my ability to rule properly will be impaired unless⁠—”

“That’s an excuse,” Papa said.

“It’s not!” Naya gestured to them. “You are the perfect example.”

Silence fell between them and her parents stared at her. “What do you mean?” Mama asked.

“You both run the empire fairly and with equal accountability, taking on different responsibilities for the specific needs of the various countries and their people. You make decisions together and support each other as well as the needs of the Lox Empire as a whole.”

“You can do that alone, Naya,” Papa said.

“But you didn’t,” Naya shot at him, her eyes blazing. “You ran the empire with an iron grip until Mama came along, and it was only then that our people began to respect and thrive under your rule. You benefited from her presence and so do our people. Now you both rule instinctively, harmoniously, with the same goals and drive and purpose. Why wouldn’t I want that with someone? Why wouldn’t you want that for me?”

Her words had an impact this time.

Ma’s shock left her open-mouthed and swaying, while Papa scowled up a storm—which meant he was thinking about what she said.

Individually her mama and papa had their strengths and achievements. Papa was known to be a fierce and unforgiving emperor who created the first army of Alphas, who’d taken over the Eastern Lands, and returned Omegas to the population after Omega children had been disappearing from across all of the Known Lands for over 100 years.

Ma was completely beloved by the people. Citizens respected her father’s order and regime, but it was her mother they adored. She was the first Omega who had officially reappeared, which made it safe for other Omegas to do so. She could do no wrong and was held up as the standard of what an Omega should be. It was an accurate assessment because she was indeed beautiful and kind and fair. Omegas flocked to her from all over the Known Lands for her support and protection and guidance. Her people were proud of her.

But her parents couldn’t deny that they had achieved an enormous amount of respect and admiration for their actions as a couple. They balanced each other and that reflected on the health and prosperity of the empire. Their ruling decisions were fair, clever, and considerate. The empire had enjoyed a significant growth in wealth, trade, and education since their rule began. Life was peaceful, with less crime and more opportunities. The number of families and birth rates had increased exponentially, citizens were happier, and they united around a cultural identity with an Alpha and Omega ruling couple at its heart.

It also helped that her parents were revered for their obvious love and adoration for each other. Sometimes it was just the way they looked at each other—an intimate look between them could silence a room. They were the ideal example of an Alpha and Omega couple, and their love has been celebrated proudly by the empire for over twenty years.

“So much about you as a couple has guaranteed the perfect balance of a well-run empire,” Naya said, sitting back down on her chair. “I can’t ignore the obvious benefit of that. If I found my true mate and ruled alongside him, just like you both do... I wouldn’t make mistakes.”

Her voice felt small against their silence. She’d never discussed this with anyone and hadn’t been clear with her parents about the importance of her pairing attempts. Searching for one’s true mate was a contentious topic in the empire.

“It’s what’s best for the people,” she added. “Once I am mated, I will rule just as successfully as you both.”

“Naya….” Mama’s hesitation and uncertainty knitted her brow. She extracted herself from Papa’s arms and knelt in front of Naya. Reaching up, she enveloped Naya’s hands with her own.

“Are you saying that your father and I are a lot of live up to?”

Naya blinked at her. How could she not feel that? Her parents have been hailed as the greatest ruling couple of their time—higher than the rulers of other Known Lands.

“Because we don’t believe that.” Her words were slow and deliberate. “Don’t believe every rumor and piece of gossip revering us, Nay. A lot of the way the citizens feel about us is because of what we are, not the things we’ve done. You are stronger and smarter than both of us, separate or together. We’ve taught you everything we know, but we don’t have your abilities or your potential. You know that, don’t you?”

Ma’s gaze pierced her own, and Naya found she couldn’t even blink to break it. “There’s no evidence of that, Mama,” she said. “I visited the Records Keep and studied the histories for the Known Lands. There hasn’t been a single ruler in any land that’s been more successful than a couple. And none yet more successful than you.”

“Even so,” Mama said, even more carefully, “the chance of you finding your true mate is…. It just isn’t something you can rely on, Nay.”

“Is that why you set up my last pairing?”

Mama blinked, taken aback. “You had that already?”

“I was having it at the start of the seasonal audience. It’s why I was late.”

Papa growled. Mama twisted around and shot him look that silenced him. “We arranged it, yes,” she said, turning back to Naya. “We think Lonn is a good choice for you, if you want someone within the empire, but we didn’t realize how seriously you were⁠—”

“What do you mean? Someone within the empire?”

Papa lurched forward, his brows pulled down in a frown. “You know you may never find him, don’t you? You could look forever and never come close. You might waste your life away searching for someone who might have died at birth or been lost at sea or is mated to another. You cannot base your entire rule on that, Naya!”

“Drocco!” Mama snapped. “I’m trying to⁠—”

“No, Cailyn.” Papa rose from his chair, the full enormous size of him towering over them. “If our rule is intimidating to her, that is a good thing. She should be rising to meet that challenge, like she did with her warrior and magic training. One mistake doesn’t mean she risks everything on something that may never happen.”

Naya glared up at him. “So you’re not going to give me a chance to even try? Even if it means no more deaths?”

“We have already given you plenty of time. You are twenty-five years old, Naya, the same age as your mother when I found her. Back then, fathers didn’t even wait until their daughters were of age before arranging their mates.”