Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen

Chapter Five

Darien stoodthere as Lord Alton droned on and on about formalities, tradition, and the fact that there was not enough time to organize the kind of wedding that the eldest son of the king was supposed to have. He let the words wash over him, torn between trying to think of a way out of this mess and picturing the prince’s face again. He’d been so sure the omega would cut and run when he saw the three of them bearing down on him. But he’d just stood there, silent as a stone. He hadn’t even blinked when Darien made an offer of marriage. Darien had been certain the omega would refuse, that this whole visit had been some sort of perverse entertainment for a spoiled rich brat.

And then Raine said yes.

It was maddening and frustrating and impossible to understand. But his father said they needed this, their kingdom needed this, so Darien would be the one to give it to them.

“Do what you need to do,” he said shortly. “I’ll…” What was he going to do?

“You should bathe,” Alton suggested helpfully, eyeing him dubiously. “I’ll have the baths made ready for you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It’s tradition that you immerse yourself in the hot springs on the eve of your marriage. We’ve missed the eve, of course, but…”

Darien didn’t have it in him to argue. Besides, he did need to wash off the mud and grime. He might have gotten away with it at the first meeting, but weddings had one thing that hadn’t—guests.

An hour later, he found himself heading down the spiral staircase that led to the underfloor of the castle. Visitors, what few they had, always expected there to be dungeons on the lower levels. But keeping dangerous people locked in the bowels of the castle seemed like a tactical mistake. They kept their prisoners in cells built into the cliff face. If their captives wanted a way out, they were always welcome to take their chances with the sea and the rocks. Few did.

There was something different about the levels below. To Darien, they’d always felt sacred somehow. Hallowed. As kids, they’d never been permitted to play down there, always encouraged to respect tradition. The chambers etched into the rock only heightened those feelings, what with the way sound echoed around the deep caverns and light reflected across the walls.

He reached the last step, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep, settling breath. Only to tense when he heard muffled laughter nearby.

“I’m pretty sure a bath doesn’t require an audience,” he called out, his voice echoing around him.

A moment later, Rex tumbled out of the shadows with Thorne right behind him.

“The expression on your face, Darien. Why so serious?” Rex joked. “Could it be you don’t like the look of your husband-to-be?”

Darien growled low in his throat, his hands curling into fists.

“Because we have something to help with that,” Thorne added, holding up a flagon of ale in each hand.

“I’m getting married in a few hours,” he pointed out.

“Whose fault is that, Mr. Married-Before-Sunset?” Rex said with a raised eyebrow, waving around three empty tankards.

“Seemed best to get it over with.”

“You sound like you’re headed to a funeral and not blissful matrimony,” Thorne said.

“We all know why I’m doing this. Let’s not pretend this is anything more than it is. Strategy and tactics.”

Thorne thrust one of the flagons into his arms. “Then let’s drink and forget our troubles for a few hours.”

“And we can wash this damned mud off while we’re at it,” Rex said. “Can’t make a show of ourselves in front of our new brother-in-law. Not twice in one day, anyway.”

Darien gave up and went with it. His last few hours of freedom—he might as well make the most of them.

* * *

When the teasingof his brothers got too much to bear, he dried off, dressed, and took off upstairs, finding sanctuary in the room attached to his father’s office. It was still called the war room, though it had been a long time since they’d last been at war. Officially, anyway. A spelled map covered one whole wall, showing the entirety of their island kingdom and the surrounding seas. There’d been a time when the map had shimmered with activity, showing a real-time view of the kingdom and the sea. But that magic had faded out long ago, leaving just the bare bones of the map behind. Darien let his eyes run over it, focusing on all the recent pirate attacks that they’d painstakingly mapped by hand. They had some warning of their enemy’s arrival, but not much, not enough. Each time, it was a scramble to confront them, to see them off. There was no clear pattern, nothing that revealed the coordination he was sure lay beneath the seemingly random attacks.

He heard his father enter but didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“Your brothers are in high spirits.”

“Malik’s ale is potent this season.”

“Ah. Celebrating the end of your bachelorhood?”

“What else have we to celebrate?” It came out bitter, but that was how he felt.

“I know this doesn’t seem fair, Darien. I felt the same way when my father told me it was my time to marry. I thought I was too young. I resented being tied down and having so little say in who joined my marriage bed.”

“But you were happy? You and Papa?” He already knew the answer. His father never shied away from talking about his beloved omega husband.

“You know the story, Darien. My father sent me to your papa’s kingdom for the summer so we could get to know one another. It was rough going to start. So many expectations, on both of us. But by the time the leaves were turning, we were in love.”

The story had always sounded like a fairytale, even more so now that Darien was living the reality.

“I’m not looking for love, especially not with a son of King Uldar’s. I’m just doing what has to be done.”

His father settled a hand on his shoulder, and Darien looked up. “And it does have to be done, Darien. We are running out of time. By whatever stroke of luck, this boon has landed in our laps. We must take full advantage.”

“Unless it’s a trick? Someone trying to manipulate us?”

Darien hesitated to suggest it again, yet it made far more sense than the idea that an omega from such an influential family was throwing himself at them.

“If it was, it wouldn’t look so obvious. The allied kingdoms are artful. This seems… amateurish.”

“There has to be a reason why an omega prince wants to marry into this family after our kingdom has been ignored by everyone and anyone for years.”

In a way, for him, being ignored had been easier. He still burned with shame at the memory of the year before he came of age when he’d been sent to stay in a neighboring kingdom where a bunch of soon-to-be eligible alphas and omegas were being hosted for the summer. He’d believed their opinions were the exception until he was snubbed during the marriage circuit the following year.

“He’s a third prince and the youngest son. Take your pick of reasons—childhood rebellion, notions of romance, or perhaps he just likes the ocean?”

Darien laughed, some of the tension in his chest easing.

“When you put it like that… You’re right. He’s probably just some naïve kid who wants to stand out from his peers.”

“He’s going to get quite the shock when reality sets in.”

“Unless he comes to his senses before dusk.”

“For our sake, let’s hope he doesn’t.”

The king clapped him on the shoulder again and surveyed the map.

“The scouts report that all is quiet.”

Which was odd since attacks like the one the day before usually came in waves over three or four days. But maybe this was a pattern they’d seen before. Darien went to the shelf and started pulling out records, paging through them.

“Darien?” his father asked as he made his way from book to book.

“They’re not going to attack while the airship is here. The pattern has been the same every time an airship has landed to refuel while carrying royal passengers.”

Which happened once or twice a month, at least.

“That’s not a surprise, but it doesn’t prove anything.”

“But maybe it means this marriage will make a real difference. If the attacks stop once Prince Raine is in residence…”

WhyPrince Raine wanted to marry him wouldn’t matter if it meant they got a reprieve, their soldiers had a chance to rest, and their people didn’t have to live in near-constant fear.

“Then you’d better go get ready. You can’t get married wearing that.” His father looked him up and down, frowning at the worn tunic and soft leather pants he had donned after his bath.

“So Lord Alton told me. He has something more suitable laid out for me.”

“Come then, I’ll walk you to your room.”

* * *

Lord Alton insistedon checking Darien’s outfit after he’d donned it, fussing over every strap and cuff.

“Well, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be,” he said finally.

Darien gave him a nod of thanks and strode out of his rooms only to find an entourage waiting for him in the main corridor—his father, his brothers, and the most senior lords and ladies of the kingdom. There was even a squadron of royal guards there to escort them, banners and everything. They were going all-out.

“Let us proceed,” the king said. “We don’t want to keep your new husband waiting.”

“Yeah, let’s get this show on the road,” Rex said with a grin, looking entirely too enthusiastic. In contrast, Darien felt like he was walking to his own funeral.

They set off. The banner guards went to lead, but they were moving too slow for Darien’s liking so he strode ahead, leaving the others scrambling to catch up.

“A little decorum, please,” Lord Alton called as they reached the castle doors.

Darien came to a halt, crossed his arms, and waited impatiently for the rest to reach him. He let Lord Alton fuss around them, getting everyone into the proper position. Then, on his signal, trumpets sounded, the doors opened, and the procession began. Darien had never felt more like a circus monkey than he did at that moment. But when the time came to move, he moved. The kingdom was at stake, and he would die before he let them down.

As they approached the airship, the omega princes’ guards formed a line on either side of the ramp. Darien moved to take his place at the bottom, ready and waiting to accept the hand of his betrothed as Prince Raine crossed the metaphorical line from his kingdom into theirs for the last time. It was symbolic, borne of a time when omegas were more property than people. Times had moved on, but the traditions persisted.

There was a brief commotion at the top of the ramp, and then Prince Raine appeared. Darien straightened, forced his shoulders back, and tried to look both regal and imposing. A thrill ran through him. Nothing to do with the icy air of the landing strip or the cold expressions of the guards, and everything to do with the beautiful omega dressed in his wedding finery—a silk undershirt and a brocade tunic, colors of royal blue and deep red. They brought out the omega’s deep brown eyes, and their gazes met for just a moment before a veil was lowered, hiding the prince’s face from view.

Darien shook himself, forcing down the feelings that had risen unbidden. This was nothing more than a marriage of convenience, a way to make it harder for their enemies to act against them. In a way, Raine wasn’t so much a husband as he was a hostage. The more distance they kept between them, the better. But as Prince Raine made his way down the ramp toward him, coming closer with every step, keeping that distance got all the harder.