Purpose

"Move it, Omega. The king doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The guards yanked me down the long corridor, my bare feet slapping against cold stone. My wrists still burned from the silver chains they'd finally removed, but the heat between my legs burned worse. Every step made fresh slick slide down my thighs. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached.

"Look at him," one guard muttered to the other. "Already dripping for His Majesty. Disgusting."

"Shut your mouth," I snapped, voice shaking.

They just laughed. The sound echoed off the black walls as we passed clusters of courtiers whispering furiously.

"Did you hear? The king chose the male Omega..."

"He's going to breed it? Has he lost his mind?"

"The prophecy…"

I kept my head down, cheeks burning hotter than the silver ever did. My body wouldn't stop betraying me. The king's scent still clung to my nose, cedar and smoke, making my stomach tighten with need I hated.

We stopped in front of heavy double doors. The guards pushed me inside without ceremony.

The chambers were huge. Gold everywhere. A massive bed draped in black silk dominated one side. Before I could take it all in, three servants hurried forward. They wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Strip him," the head servant ordered, an older woman with a tight mouth. "The king wants him clean and ready."

I backed up a step. "Don't touch me."

"You don't have a choice," she said flatly. "Fight and we'll hold you down. Make this easy."

Two younger servants grabbed my arms. Their hands were efficient, clinical. They peeled off my filthy, soaked clothes piece by piece. I stood there naked, trembling, while they looked anywhere but at the evidence of my heat.

"Into the bath," the head servant commanded.

The water was hot, scented with oils that made my skin tingle. They lowered me in. I hissed as the warmth hit my sensitive places.

"Look at this mess," one servant whispered while scrubbing my back. "He's soaked through."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," I growled.

The head servant shoved a cup of water to my lips. "Drink. You need strength for tonight."

I turned my face away. "I don't want anything from you people."

She gripped my jaw, forcing the cup back. "Drink, or we'll pour it down your throat. The king commanded you be fed and prepared."

I drank. The liquid tasted faintly sweet. Another wave of heat crashed over me. My cock twitched under the water and more slick leaked out despite the bath.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, voice cracking. "You know what I am. Why not just let him kill me?"

The older woman paused, cloth hovering over my shoulder. "Because His Majesty has decided your purpose. And we obey."

Purpose. The word made my stomach flip. Breeding vessel. Nothing more.

They finished washing me, then dried me roughly with soft towels. One of them brought over the silk. Thin. Almost transparent. The color of midnight.

"Arms up."

I stood there as they dressed me. The silk whispered over my skin, clinging to every damp curve, every hard line. It hid nothing. My nipples showed clearly through the fabric. The hem barely reached mid-thigh.

"Look at yourself," the head servant said, turning me toward a tall mirror.

I stared. The person looking back was flushed, eyes glassy with heat, body clearly ready to be used. Humiliation burned in my chest. "I look like a whore."

"You look like what the king wants," she replied. "Now eat."

They sat me at a small table and pushed food in front of me, meats, fruits, bread. I picked at it, mostly pushing it around.

"You think this changes anything?" I muttered between bites. "He'll use me until I break, then discard me. Or worse."

One of the younger servants finally spoke, voice low. "At least you'll live longer than the others."

"The others?"

She glanced at the head servant, who nodded once.

"Male Omegas don't last long here," the girl whispered. "But the king... he wants you for something specific. An heir."

My hand shook so hard the fork clattered against the plate. An heir. Me. Carrying the Unbreakable Sovereign's child. The thought sent unwanted heat pooling low in my belly again.

"I never asked for this," I said, pushing the plate away. "Twenty-four years hiding what I am. Now I'm supposed to spread my legs and thank him for it?"

The head servant sighed. "Eat more. You'll need your strength."

I forced down a few more bites, mind racing. Death would have been clean. This... this was endless. Nights of being pinned down, filled, used. My body clenched at the image and I hated myself for it.

After they cleared the food, the servants bowed and left quickly. The doors clicked shut behind them, leaving me alone in the gilded cage.

I paced the room, silk whispering against my thighs. My hands felt warmer than normal. I looked down and froze.

A faint glow pulsed beneath the skin of my palms. Soft. Golden. Like stolen sunlight.

"What the hell..."

I rubbed my hands together but the glow didn't fade. It felt like power. Like something waking up inside me, reaching toward the king. The draining magic. It had stirred the moment he touched me in the throne room. Now it was growing.

I sank onto the edge of the massive bed, heart hammering. This was new. Dangerous. If he found out…

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall outside. My head snapped up. I could feel him coming. The soul resonance pulled tight in my chest, like an invisible rope yanking me toward the door.

The footsteps stopped right outside.

I stood up on shaky legs, backing away until my spine hit one of the carved bedposts.

The door swung open.

King Vesperian filled the doorway, radiating raw dominance. His golden eyes locked on me immediately, scanning the sheer silk, the flush on my skin, the way my chest rose and fell too fast.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him with a soft click that sounded final.

"Your scent is wrong for a simple Omega," he said, voice low and rough. "What are you really?"