Chapter 4 Shadowed Allies

Sleep would not come that night. Every shadow in my room looked like Lady Celeste's cold smile. Every sound in the halls made me think of Prince Rhett's green eyes, searching for my secrets. I sat on my small bed, hugging my knees, trying to decide what to do.

Leave tonight and abandon my mission? Or stay and risk everything?

The answer came with the morning bells. A guard appeared at my door, his face hard as stone.

"Prince Kael wants to see you. Now."

My heart hammered as I followed him through the palace. The morning sun made everything look golden and beautiful, but I felt like I was walking to my death. What if Lady Celeste had already told him who I was? What if Prince Rhett had shared his suspicions?

The throne room was empty except for Prince Kael. He stood with his back to me, looking out a tall window. The crown prince looked every inch a future king, from his perfect posture to his expensive clothes.

"You may go," he told the guard without turning around.

I knelt on the cold floor and waited. My mouth was dry as sand. My hands shook no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

"Do you know why I called you here, omega?"

"No, My Prince."

"Stand up. Come here."

I obeyed on trembling legs. He still had not looked at me. Up close, I could see how tense his shoulders were, like a man carrying a heavy weight.

"My brothers seem quite taken with you."

The words were simple, but something in his voice made my skin crawl. Jealousy? Anger? I could not tell.

"I have done nothing wrong, My Prince."

"Have you not?" Finally, he turned to face me. His gray eyes were like winter storms. "In three days, you have managed to capture Darius's protective instincts and Rhett's curiosity. That is no small feat."

"I do not understand."

Prince Kael stepped closer. I wanted to back away but forced myself to stay still. He was not as big as Darius or as sharp as Rhett, but there was something about him that felt more dangerous than both his brothers combined.

"Let me explain something to you, little omega. I am the heir to this kingdom. Everything here belongs to me. That includes you."

His hand shot out and grabbed my chin, much harder than his youngest brother had done. "My brothers may find you interesting, but do not mistake their attention for protection. I could have you thrown in the dungeons with a single word."

Tears sprang to my eyes, real ones born of pain and fear. "Please, My Prince. I have done nothing."

"You exist. That seems to be enough to cause problems in my family." His grip tightened. "So I am going to make the rules very clear. You belong to me first. If my brothers want time with you, they ask my permission. If you have any value beyond warming a bed, I will be the one to decide how that value is used."

"Yes, My Prince."

"Good." He released my face, leaving red marks from his fingers. "Now, there is something else we need to discuss. My betrothed paid you a visit last night."

My heart stopped. Of course he knew. Men like Prince Kael always knew everything that happened in their territory.

"Lady Celeste was very kind to me, My Prince."

"Was she?" His smile was cold as death. "That is unusual. Celeste is not known for her kindness to omegas. What did you talk about?"

I had to be so careful here. One wrong word could destroy everything.

"She wanted to see who had caught your brothers' attention, My Prince. I think she was worried I might be a threat to your engagement."

"And what did you tell her?"

"That I am nobody, My Prince. Just a simple omega who wants to serve her betters."

Prince Kael walked around me slowly, like a wolf circling prey. "Nobody. Yes, that is what everyone keeps saying. Yet somehow this nobody has turned my household upside down in three days."

He stopped in front of me again. "I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to think very carefully before you answer. Are you exactly what you appear to be?"

The question hung in the air like a blade. This was it. The moment that would decide if I lived or died.

"I am what you see, My Prince. Nothing more."

For a long moment, he just stared at me. I could feel him weighing my words, looking for lies.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps you are something much more interesting than you pretend." He turned away, dismissing me with the gesture. "Time will tell."

I started toward the door, thinking I was free to go. His voice stopped me cold.

"Oh, and Lyra? If I discover you have been lying to me about anything, the dungeons will be the least of your worries."

I fled from that room like death itself was chasing me. But I had barely made it to the main hall when another voice called my name.

"Lyra! Wait!"

I turned to see a man I did not recognize hurrying toward me. He was older, maybe fifty, with kind eyes and clothes that marked him as a servant. But something about the way he moved seemed wrong.

"Please," he said quietly, looking around to make sure we were alone. "I need to speak with you. It is about your family."

The world tilted. My family was dead. Everyone who knew about my past was dead.

"I do not know what you mean."

"Your real family," he whispered. "Princess Lyra of House Moonspire."

I nearly fainted. This man knew who I was. But how? And why was he telling me now?

"Meet me in the old chapel at midnight," he said urgently. "I have information about the night your parents died. Information that changes everything."

Before I could ask any questions, he melted back into the crowd of servants like he had never been there at all.

I stood in that hallway, shaking like a leaf, with one thought pounding in my head.

If this man knew my secret, who else did?