Page 22 of Scars of His Wrath

And he didn’t care.

CHAPTER TEN

"You broke her ribs?" The vein popping out on Oppo’s neck wasn’t a good sign. "Are you insane?"

Akoro strode to the command tent. "She ran."

"Of course she did! What did you expect?"

Akoro shot him a dark look. “I expect her to learn that if she tries to escape, then she will be broken bit by bit.”

Oppo’s entire face was stretched in disbelief. “You’re already using the pinch-bands and the midday heat. She’s not eating and barely sleeping and she’s in pain from?—“

“What do you think being a kidnapped prisoner is about, Oppo?”

Exhaling, Oppo shook his hand, his shoulders tense. “Something more serious could have happened to her internally. I told you not to use the pinch-bands on her torso. It’s too dangerous.”

Akoro nodded to passing Alphas as they maneuvered through the tents. “I trust your abilities to heal her.”

“Not from so many severe injuries all at once,” Oppo said sharply. “There can be complications. She was unconscious when I started treating her and she had bruises on her back from before she arrived. Did she battle with you?”

“Of course she did. She crashed into a tree when I repelled her magic.” Akoro kept the excitement out of his voice, Oppo wouldn’t appreciate the incredible struggle and chase the princess had given him.

Oppo’s voice pitched higher. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Akoro slowed and turned to him, pinning Oppo into stillness with a look.

The gust went out of his blustering, and he finally calmed. “I know not many things are not beyond you, Akoro,” he halted, “but by the sands, she can only take so much?—"

"She isn’t weak, brother. She can handle it. Every moment she’s in this sand drift, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone else, you know this. She will resist and fight me until she understands she has no other options, but I can’t afford to waste time dealing with her escape attempts. What would you have done?"

"I wouldn't have taken an Omega in the first place," Oppo stressed, and not for the first time.

“No,” Akoro said, a familiar annoyance twisting in his gut. “You wouldn’t do any of the things I have done, Oppo. And the Sy name would be lost to the sands.”

Oppo tensed. The heavy look exchanged between them carried so much coiled turbulence it wasn’t worth disturbing. Oppo, as always, was the first to drag his eyes away. “I’m not the only one who thinks you shouldn’t have taken an Omega,” he muttered.

“It is done,” Akoro said, his tone harsh and final. He began walking again. “I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks about it. You don’t need to like what I do, but you need to do your duties. We all knew she would sustain injuries. It’s nothing you can’t deal with. She’s agreed to give us information now. How long until we can leave?”

“We can’t move her right now. She needs?—”

“How long?” Akoro said sharply.

Oppo lowered his gaze in thought. “Tomorrow,” he said stiffly. “She needs rest before we can travel, but hydration, food, and medication I can give her on the way.”

Akoro nodded and said nothing more until they reached the command tent. Inside, his most trusted advisers gathered. The five of them plus Oppo made up the council of his dynasty, each heading an area of specialty with exceptional expertise and decades of experience, but more importantly, their loyalty was unshakable. Each were brutal in giving him the truth, unwavering in upholding his law, and every one of them would die for the Sy name.

Though in conversation, they stilled when he entered.

"She's agreed," Akoro said.

The council remained tense and silent. They’d all known the Omega was coming, but it was different now that she was here. The woman was a force that no one in this land had encountered before. Until he’d taken her, she was a myth to his army—one to excite over during meals and whisper about during training. Now she was here, and they could feel her power, it was terrifying for many. The council was unsettled. Even Nrommo, his battle chief, a ferocious and steadfast Alpha with years of experience, had been acting oddly. Akoro hadn’t seen him this nervous since the Battle of Sy.

But he needed his council to function as normal and remember that the princess was his prisoner, one who would push the boundaries.

“We need to handle this carefully, like we planned,” Akoro said. "Oppo said she'll be ready to travel tomorrow. I want everyone prepped to dismantle the camp at sunrise, and each team packed and ready to go within two hours of sunrise. Oppo, you and Prillu coordinate preparations for the Omega’s travel.”

Oppo nodded.