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  The Omega’s mouth tightened slightly. “I will not answer,” she whispered.

  Shock bolted through Kardos. “What?”

  The Omega said nothing. Her eyes were stuck to a point on the floor.

  Kardos lunged forward and grabbed her jaw. “Speak! What did you say?”

  The fear in her eyes was mitigated by the tension in her lips. “Only my sister and my friends call me that.”

  Kardos battled the anger that grew at her audacity to challenge his decision. This disobedience would have to be trained out of her. “Did King Malloron call you that?”

  She blinked. “Yes.”

  “Then so will I,” he roared, suddenly furious. He gripped her jaw harder, a rush of something ugly and dark whipping through his body. As far as he was aware, King Malloron hadn't even known she was an Omega. How is it that he called her a name she considered intimate?

  As he examined her face, he remembered he’d seen her treating King Malloron when he was wounded. Maybe she had done more for him than that. He gritted his teeth as the ugliness within him expanded and revolved, almost taking over his whole body. “Was King Malloron a friend to you?” he asked, his voice deadly and low. “Did you fuck him?”

  The Omega’s eyes widened and she tried to shake her head, but he held her too tightly. “No,” she mumbled through her closed jaw. “He was my King. I served under him.”

  Kardos drew her face to his, until her perfect mouth was almost against his lips. “You serve me now,” he growled.

  The Omega tried to nod but he held her too tight. She winced and her eyes filled with water as she blinked rapidly. He released her and she stumbled back, gasping. She rubbed her jaw, watching him carefully as though he could attack any moment.

  Kardos breathed heavy, a shock descending on him as the ugliness drifted out of his system, but he pushed his thoughts aside. Whatever the fuck that was, it felt… oddly natural. He would not question or restrict himself from his natural impulses. “Strip.”

  The Omega’s face dropped. “What?”

  “Take off your clothes,” he ordered.

  She stared at him for a long moment, horror beginning to form on her face.

  Kardos stepped forward, his annoyance building, and she immediately squeaked, jumping back a little to keep her distance. “You will do as you are told,” he barked. “There is no place for disobedience here. Take off your clothes. Now!”

  Her eyes wide, she slowly began pulling at her clothes, her eyes on him the whole time. It turned out she had layers on underneath the odd dress. By the time she reached the last layer, her hands were trembling, and she breathed heavy, her head low.

  Kardos drank in the sight of her body as it was revealed to him. Desire tempered down his annoyance until a deeper feeling stirred—one he didn’t recognize. She was slimmer than he had originally thought, though everything was in perfect proportion. Her breasts jutted out invitingly, and the slope of her midriff gave her an incredible shape. But her skin was what amazed him. It wasn’t just brown; it had the most beautiful creamy hazel hue… and it was flawless. The stir deep within him became wilder the longer his eyes lingered on her. He wanted to touch every part of her, suck those nipples into his mouth, and pry her knees open. He wanted his name on her hitched breath, every one of her cries and moans in his ears. He wanted those breasts jolting from the force of him taking her over and over, her exhausted body covered in sweat and his seed and—

  Consumed by his thoughts, he stepped toward her, barely noticing the way she shrank back from him. A fierce craving bounded through him as he slowly circled her. From every angle, her body enticed him. The curve of her lower back made her round ass perfect for grabbing, and her legs were also shapely, with slender calves. This was a body meant to be dominated and owned. A body meant to take cock and experience pleasure that only an Alpha could give—and the craving that clawed within him told him, not just any Alpha, but him.

  He suddenly noticed, as he stood behind her, that the material around her head was still on. Lifting a hand, he pulled it off.

  An enormous puff of hair burst from underneath it; rich, raven black, shiny, dense hair consisting of minute tightly coiled curls that fell past her shoulders.

  The Omega squealed and jerked forward, her hands coming up to her head, but Kardos was faster. Whipping an arm around her, he yanked her backward, forcing her arms down to her sides and trapping them underneath his thick forearm as he settled it across her torso and pressed her against him.

  She immediately stilled, although her chest heaved as her breaths became heavy. Kardos kept her still for a moment and then couldn't help but lower his nose to her neck.

  Her soft, thick hair covered his face as he nudged it aside, seeking the slope of her neck, but its texture and feel deepened his arousal. She squirmed again, but he jerked his arm roughly to quieten her and ran his nose up her neck. With great displeasure, he realized he couldn't truly scent her. Her sister and her fucking blocks had prevented it. An itch of frustration agitated him and he squeezed her against him harder, allowing his thick arousal to press into her. He held her against him, enjoying the soft feel of her, and very slowly, her small body relaxed back into him. He growled into her neck as a pulse of pleasure shot through his cock at her submission and the craving for her deepened until it consumed him. With his nose pressed against her neck, trying to breathe in her scent in vain, his arm lifted higher against her torso until his hand found a pert, soft breast and a hardened nipple.

  All thought deserted him. He lifted her up against his body and carried her to the bed on one side of the room. She stiffened, but did not fight him as he lay her down, her hair framing her face as she looked up at him.

  She tried to curl in on herself but Kardos grabbed her hips and yanked her toward him. He slipped his fingers between her legs and was pleased to find her slick gathering. A rumble released from his chest at the feel of her delicate entrance, and although she grabbed his forearm in alarm, her body was preparing for him.

  The Omega lifted her upper body slightly as she tried to pull his hand from between her legs, but her efforts were pointless. He sought out her clit, hidden within her folds, and played with it, his other hand pushing her down onto the bed by her shoulder as he propped his knee up next to her and watched her carefully.

  Her eyes caught his, almost pleading for him to stop, even though she said nothing. Her fingers clawed at his forearm, little nips of her fingernails sparking the kind of tiny pain that fed into his need to dominate. He was already rock hard, and his cock was straining against his pants for freedom.

  The Omega then began to writhe before him, her body contorting and twisting as it shuddered. Her eyes closed and her breathing grew breathy and uneven. Kardos lowered and took a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard before gently circling and flicking it with his tongue. Her husky moan shot straight to his cock and the wildness in him heightened.

  Kardos kept the pressure on her clit, but lifted from her breast to undo his pants and stroke himself as he watched the beautiful Omega before him rising to the peak of her pleasure. It was mesmerizing. A beauty such as this could only look even more gorgeous in the throes of ecstasy underneath him. Her moans set every part of him alight and her legs opened as she gyrated her hips, seeking more of his ministrations. Kardos found himself between them. Her slick coated his fingers indicating how ready she was for him, and as that registered, he succumbed to the desperate need to have her.

  Lining himself up, he pressed inside her in one hard thrust, a harsh growl ripping from him at the intense pleasure of her squeeze around him. He barely heard her cry out and every hit of her hand against his chest roused him even more. He pulled back and slammed in again, waves of intoxicating bliss coursing through him as he watched her body jolting the way it was supposed to.

  “My shinno.”

  The voice that came from the door, knocked Kardos out of his reverie and a hot annoyance blazed through him. “Get out!” he roared, gather
ing the Omega into his arms and laying on top of her, tucking her into his body to try to limit her exposure. Unfortunately, the top of her head was still visible, and so was all that incredible hair. A deep growl rumbled from his chest, as he realized that Zolt still hadn’t left. He wanted no inch of her seen by anyone. “Why are you still here?” he barked, without even looking up at the door.

  “I have some concerns over our journey home… I was hoping to discuss them with you.” The slight hesitation in his speech was a bad sign. Zolt always spoke firm and strong.

  “Wait for me at the meeting room,” Kardos ordered.

  He waited for Zolt to leave before turning his attention back to the Omega, and realized she was crying. He stilled for a moment, his mind suddenly clearer at the displeasure of her tears. “Quiet!” he demanded. This was unacceptable. No woman cried underneath him! When she didn’t stop, he grabbed her jaw, turning her face to his. “Be quiet now!”

  But as her watery eyes met his and then squeezed shut, a couple of realizations hit him. Firstly, he had spoken in his own language, which she didn’t yet understand. Secondly, he had caused this. This isn’t how it should have happened between them. He had a responsibility of the utmost importance—he could not fuck it up, and that was exactly what he was doing.

  Holding onto the sliver of common sense that penetrated his foggy desire, Kardos used every ounce of willpower to do something he had never done before. Slowly, he withdrew from her wet, tight pussy. As soon as he stood up, a single web of slick dripping from his cock, she curled into a ball, her sobbing muffled as she pressed her face into the bed and underneath where she had lain on her back, was a smear of blood.

  The sight of it settled him. Virginity was not cherished in the Southern Isles but something within him was pleased that she had had no other man.

  He headed back over to where he had dropped the bundle of clothes and brought it over to the bed. “Put these on,” he said, throwing the bundle next to her on the bed. “I will be back shortly.”

  ***

  “Never enter her cabin again, Zoltan,” Kardos bit out as he entered the meeting room.

  Zolt held himself still, a frown on his face as he watched Kardos. “Understood, my shinno.”

  “How did you find it in the first place?”

  “I assumed that you would take her to the part of the ship that most wouldn’t visit,” Zolt said. “And I followed the… sounds.”

  Kardos came to a stop on the opposite side of the table. “And why the fuck did you think it was appropriate to enter and speak to me when you came in?” he growled.

  Zolt’s brows raised. “It has never been a problem before, my shinno.” His gaze remained firm. “I am unsure why it is now.”

  Kardos almost roared at the man’s idiocy, but held a tight leash on his anger. He had already lost control once today and it wasn’t as though Zolt didn’t speak the truth. Sex in the Southern Isles tended to be indulged in openly before a pairing was made, and much of the time with multiple partners. Kardos had never cared before about anyone approaching him to talk while fucking before, but this situation was different. “She is an Omega,” he said, through gritted teeth. “And she is yet to adopt the Southern ways.”

  “Understood, but…” Zolt straightened, his face smoothing. “I wasn’t expecting you to take her so quickly.”

  Kardos bristled. He slammed his fists on the table between them, his eyes burning into Zolt’s. “That is not your fucking concern!”

  “I have no real concern about it as such, my shinno,” Zolt said carefully. “But she is an Omega. I assumed you would share your plans due to her status and what she means for our culture. The rest of our brothers and sisters would want to know that you hold such a treasure.”

  Kardos shook his head. “They will be informed of her presence soon.”

  Zolt stared at him, his gruff voice embracing a tone of surprise. “It is unlike you to withhold information from the tribe.”

  “It is,” Kardos said grittily. Zolt only knew about her because of the disrespect Zolt had suffered in the Western Lands—Kardos had negotiated for the Omega as payment for that disrespect. His people needed to know that Kardos would defend and protect the honor of his tribe. “But this is not just random information. This is about an Omega. An Omega who must learn her place before she is exposed to the rest of the tribe. It is likely she will not behave as she is supposed to. She has no knowledge of our culture, our language, people, nothing… There is much she must learn, and I don’t want anyone interfering before that happens.” He leaned forward on the table. “And listen well,” he said, his voice lowering, “I am the tribe leader and shinno. I make the decisions that are best for this tribe. I have been keen to share all information in the past, but there are times when that cannot happen.”

  “It is one of the things the rest of the tribe value most about your leadership,” Zolt pointed out, lifting his brows and tilting his head so his shaggy hair swung. “The tribe has always had its traditions, my shinno, but you uphold them more so than any of the past tribe leaders. You have shown that you value us. It would be a… disappointment to them if you were to withhold this information from them for too long.”

  Kardos gripped the table, the hard wood digging into his hand. “I have to think about what's best for each situation,” he said roughly. “We are on a boat. We are already too far from land to turn back for any reason. Our ship is enormous and barely capable of running at the speed we wish to travel. And among our tribe of Alphas and Betas, mostly Alphas,” he added as a reminder, “we have one Omega.”

  Zolt frowned. “You think Alphas will not be able to resist her?”

  “It is possible.”

  “I thought you said she was blocked?”

  Kardos straightened so that he stood with his weight evenly between his two feet. The Omega being blocked didn't seem to impact his urge to touch her, his urge to scent her, or his urge to get inside her. She seemed to affect him even though she was blocked, and he wasn't sure how that was possible. Perhaps his attraction to her was simply because of her obvious beauty—he hadn’t been as interested in the other two Omegas he had seen in the Western Lands, just her. Regardless, he didn’t want any other Alpha taking such liberties with her. She was his responsibility. He would not be allowing any one of his men access to her so he didn't see the point in announcing her presence at all. “The knowledge of what she is may have more an impact than whether she is blocked and unable to affect them,” he muttered.

  Zolt nodded. “Are you planning to tell the tribeswomen about her?”

  “There is no need. She is simply a new tribeswoman to be trained. There is no need to say anything more. In fact, only Treska needs to know. She will tend to her.”

  “I understand, my shinno.” Zolt straightened himself and picked up the schedule on the table. “I wanted to talk to you about workload. If we do not find a way to improve it, we will be on the ocean a lot longer than anticipated.”

  Kardos leaned over the table between them, staring at the workload schedule Zolt had put together. “We are at full capacity? Do we have enough men to guard the Omega’s section of the ship?”

  Zolt inclined his head, letting a gruff exhale. “We will travel slower, but yes.

  “Good.”

  “If they do not know what they are guarding or where exactly it is, they may let people through. “

  Kardos nodded. “If everyone else is working, not many will be going to that part of the ship.”

  Zolt nodded. “Yes, everyone has been given work. That is my concern.”

  Kardos turned from him to think.

  Tribe Nyek were known for their stellar ships that navigated both ocean and sea with ease. They owned superior vessels and Kardos was immensely proud of that fact. None of the tribe’s ships had ever encountered any problem on the ocean due to poor design or crewmen. However, this ship required constant attention in order to run fast and strong across the White Ocean. A minimum crew was
required if the ship was intended to be used past the normal expectations, and even though they left fifteen hundred men behind, there still should have been enough men to get them home. Unfortunately they had lost brothers in a war that had plagued the Western Lands and now there were not enough to power the ship.

  He turned back to the table and looked at the map. Usually the journey between the Western Lands and the Southern Isles took four months. However, his ship could get them there in one month if they had the crew to maintain the required work. As it stood, he was eager to get back to the Southern Isles as quickly as possible. Although he was comfortable on the sea, he wanted to get the Omega on his land.

  “Triple shifts,” he said.

  Zolt frowned and looked at the schedule again, then nodded. “That could work,” he said slowly. “But it would mean barely any time to sleep. I don’t know if they could maintain that for a month.”

  “They have to try,” Kardos said bluntly. “The quicker we get home, the quicker they can rest.”

  Zolt nodded. “You also?”

  “Yes. I will take my position shortly.”

  With that, Kardos left the room. He headed back to the Omega’s cabin, his thoughts whirling as he tried to get control of the lingering urges caused by the Omega. He had been driven by a craving he hadn’t experienced before, but he couldn’t deny he had reveled in the rawness of it. What he didn’t enjoy was how things ended with the Omega. It was unusual for any real Isle man to not ensure a woman felt pleasure; in fact, it was something Kardos prided himself on ensuring, and it burned him to realize that she had been crying. If Zolt hadn’t interrupted, she would have ended up enjoying it. He had never had to stop himself in the middle of sex before. It was unheard of for any Isle man not to finish, especially not when the woman was that incredible.

  He’d also never felt the need to cover up a woman’s body before to prevent her from being seen by another man. Sex was considered a normal and healthy part of life for both men and women in his culture, but he hadn’t wanted even an inch of her viewed… he’d never felt that way before.