Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen

Chapter Twenty-Two

The pirate attacksdropped off as heavy storms set in, giving the guards a much-needed reprieve from unrelenting days on alert, waiting for the next assault. The coast still had to be watched constantly. They wouldn’t put it past their enemies to try to sneak in while their guard was down, even if they were risking death. Darien welcomed the time to train, to study the maps, and to try to decipher the pirates’ more recent tactics so he could anticipate what they might do next.

When he was called into his father’s study, he assumed the pirates were the topic of discussion right up until he saw Lord Alton. Stifling a groan, he readied himself for yet another lecture on the health of his marriage or some other faux pas he’d made.

“You wanted to see me?” He was at pains to be polite when all he wanted to do was tell them to leave him alone and let him get on with the difficult jobs of protecting their kingdom and strengthening his marriage.

“Yes, Darien. Please, sit down.”

His father gestured him into a chair, which meant this was going to be a longer conversation than he had the patience for. A week ago, he would have been wishing that Rex or Thorne had been prevailed upon to marry the omega prince. Now, his irritation was aimed solely at his father and Lord Alton’s interference.

“Some problems have arisen,” the king started.

“What kind of problems?”

“Prince Raine’s kingdom has made several representations to us through… neutral third parties.”

That was odd. There was no barrier in place, no breakdown in diplomatic channels, that would stop the two kingdoms from talking directly.

“Representations about…?” he prompted, though he could guess.

“They’re questioning the legitimacy of the marriage.”

Even stranger, but Darien was no longer surprised they’d gone through a third party to deliver that little shocker.

“How so?”

Lord Alton glanced down at a piece of paper in his hands. “There have been… suggestions… that Prince Raine may have been coerced into marriage against his will.”

“That’s ridiculous. The airship was on our soil. The facilitator attended the wedding ceremony.”

“We agree that it’s ludicrous,” the king said heavily, “but these are the accusations being leveled at us.”

Darien frowned, crossing his arms and staring at the fire in the hearth.

“Why wait this long? If they had concerns, why not raise them at the time? They were surely made aware of our plans to marry.”

“They were made aware after the fact,” Lord Alton said, “but that still doesn’t explain why they only began to raise concerns weeks later.”

“And if they’re all that concerned, where’s their ambassador? They can send someone to see for themselves that Raine is in good health, that he’s not under duress.”

“We’ve extended several invitations,” his father said. “They’ve declined to send anyone each time.”

“Then what is this? Why are they throwing baseless accusations around, insulting us by talking to us through other parties, and then not taking even the most basic steps to confirm or refute their own claims?”

The king stared hard at Darien for a moment before turning to Lord Alton. “If you’ll excuse us. I need to speak to my son alone.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Lord Alton bowed and hurried out, throwing a worried look over his shoulder.

Once the door was closed, Darien waited expectantly for his father to speak.

“I can think of only one reason for their strange behavior. They know we suspect them of involvement with the pirates. And they see the marriage as less of a union and more an attempt to gain leverage over them.”

Darien shook his head. “They can’t think Raine is a hostage?”

“If they’re paranoid enough, I’m sure that’s exactly how they see it.” He gestured to the letter Lord Alton had left behind. “Their first two communications were simply asking for the marriage to be annulled and Raine returned to them. When we suggested they come and evaluate the marriage for themselves, they expressed ‘concerns’ about our ability to guarantee any of their people’s safety, given our difficulties.”

“They’re saying they can’t send someone here because we’re being besieged by pirates? Pirates that they might be responsible for sending?”

The king smiled wryly. “Ironic, isn’t it? They must think we’re fools. The problem, of course, isn’t them and their posturing. It’s the other kingdoms and how they perceive this situation. We don’t want to give anyone an excuse to take up arms against us. Right now, that appears to be what Ludinia is working toward.”

“And by not returning Prince Raine, we’re playing into their hands.”

“Exactly.”

Darien got to his feet and paced the room, his heart in his mouth. “You intend to send him back to them?”

“I’m not saying that. Not yet. While it might seem like the logical next step to derail Ludinia’s plans, acting hastily to comply with their demands would be a mistake. It would be seen as an admission on our part that the marriage was unsanctioned when we know that’s not the case.”

Darien returned to his chair and sat down heavily.

“Then what do we do to calm this storm before it outgrows the teacup?”

“It would go a long way toward soothing the concerns of other kingdoms if Prince Raine himself made contact with Ludinia, expressing his willingness to remain in the marriage, his happiness…” The king trailed off, looking awkward.

“The latter might be a hard one to pull off,” Darien said bitterly. “Things are better between us, but we got off to a very rocky start.”

“Nevertheless, that’s what we need. Lord Alton has got hold of one of those newfangled touchstone cameras alongside the portable touchstones for the guards. Prince Raine can record a video message for his family. Several messages, even. Perhaps to friends in other kingdoms? Make sure he’s aware that they’ll likely be viewed by many people besides the intended recipients.”

“I’ll talk to him about it,” Darien agreed before hesitating. “And if it’s not enough? If Ludinia continues to use his presence here as an excuse to act against us?”

“We may need to annul your marriage and return Raine to his father.”

A hard knot formed in Darien’s stomach.

“He doesn’t want to go home, Father, and with good reason. I can tell you that with absolute certainty.”

His father’s expression turned grave. “The time may soon come where we have to balance his wants with what’s best for the kingdom. It’s becoming clear the alliance was just waiting for an excuse to act against us. In hindsight, my insisting on you marrying Raine was a tactical mistake. Especially since King Uldar seems to have no reservations about using his son as a pawn.”

“I don’t believe Raine was acting on his father’s bidding when he agreed to marry me…” Darien started to say.

His father waved that off. “I know that. He’s innocent in this. But if giving him up protects the kingdom from an alliance attack, then when the time comes, we may have no choice.”

It wasn’t what Darien wanted to hear. Things between him and Raine were getting better by the day. His feelings for the omega were growing, and Raine was starting to look at him with more than polite disinterest. That all of that might be wiped away with one simple decision made him angry. But his anger was useless, because he knew the truth. The kingdom—their people—came first. They had to.

“I’ll talk to him today,” he promised, staring into the fire again. The flames danced, burning as brightly as his fury. Raine was just a pawn between their kingdom and his, and there was nothing Darien could do to change that. No matter how much he wanted to.

* * *

Darien arrivedat Raine’s rooms just as lunch was coming to an end. When they weren’t eating together, Raine still took most of his meals alone. Darien wasn’t sure if he liked the solitude or if he was just too busy with his new hobbies.

He knocked on the parlor door, waiting for a response, and then knocked again. After a minute of standing there, he opened the door and looked inside.

“Raine? It’s just me.”

There were empty lunch dishes on the table but no sign of the omega.

“Darien?”

He whirled around to find that Raine had appeared soundlessly behind him. There was no hint of where he’d come from, and Darien hadn’t heard another door open.

“If you’re not busy, could we sit and talk for a few minutes?”

Raine’s expression turned from surprised to wary.

“Of course. Is something wrong?”

He gestured toward the door Darien had opened, and they stepped into the parlor, taking seats near the fireplace.

“What did you want to talk about?” Raine prompted while Darien was still gathering his thoughts.

“Have you had any contact with home since you arrived?”

There was a flicker of something in Raine’s expression, but it was gone before Darien could decipher it.

“I wrote a letter to my old tutor,” Raine said hesitantly.

That was odd. “Not to your family?”

“It’s customary for them to contact me first, on the occasion of my wedding,” Raine said stiffly.

This was the winter clothes debacle all over again.

“They haven’t, I take it?”

“I wasn’t expecting them to.”

Given Raine’s relationship with his father, that wasn’t a surprise.

“Well, it seems your lack of communication has caused some concerns.”

Raine crossed his arms, hugging himself tightly. The gesture gave more away than Darien suspected the omega intended.

“What kind of concerns?”

“That you were perhaps… coerced into marriage.”

Raine laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s also been said that you’re not keen to continue with the marriage.”

Raine turned his gaze to the side, his voice soft. “I’ve never said that.”

“I know that,” Darien assured him. “But the situation is escalating, and we need to take steps to manage it. My father and Lord Alton think it would help if you were to record some messages for family and friends, both in Ludinia and elsewhere. It would reassure people to see that you’re well and hear from you that you’re happy with your situation. If it was one of my brothers, that would go a long way to reassuring me.”

“You want me to send a message telling them I’m healthy and happy and not to worry about me?” He didn’t seem too put out by the request, to Darien’s relief.

“More or less. We’re not expecting you to lie, of course.”

“Of course,” Raine said with a snort.

Darien felt it was only fair to make Raine aware of the rest of it.

“Your father seems to be particularly displeased with our marriage. He insists that it happened under false pretenses. He wants it annulled and you returned to Ludinia. We know it’s not the truth, of course, but he’s rallying other alliance kingdoms to his cause. There’s a lot of pressure being brought to bear on Stormshield. We’re short on allies as it is. Few kingdoms are willing to speak up on our behalf. If your messages aren’t enough to calm the storm, my father believes we may have to acquiesce with his requests.”

He watched Raine’s face closely, afraid of what he’d see. Raine’s expression slowly turned from confusion to shock.

“You’d end our marriage? You’d send me back?” Tears gathered in his eyes as he stared at Darien with growing horror.

“It’s the last thing I want, Raine. But the alliance is looking for an excuse to attack us, and we can’t give them one. We have to protect our people. If that means appeasing your father…”

“Do you want to end our marriage?” the omega asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Darien swallowed hard and looked away. “The choice isn’t mine,” he said heavily. “I have to do what’s best for the kingdom.”

Raine got up and walked out, the slam of a door following seconds later. Darien sat there long after he’d left. He knew why Raine didn’t want to go home. But was his father’s choice of a husband really so bad as all that? He’d still be out from under his father’s control. He’d have the protection of a husband and the comfort of a home. If he stayed here, he’d be in a kingdom whose days were numbered, where his safety wasn’t guaranteed. Maybe… maybe it would be better, for both of them, if Prince Raine went home.

No matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn’t make himself believe it.