Rough, Sara Fields [the top 100 crime novels of all time txt] 📗

They were evil. They needed to be stopped.

I had to figure out how I could use this new position as the king’s omega to do that. I sat down at the table and hissed when my backside pressed against the hard wooden surface, swallowing heavily. I was still sore from the spanking Magnar had given me at the celebration of his crowning.

Everyone watching had seen me naked. He hadn’t allowed me to hide anything, but that wasn’t the worst part of it. That wasn’t the part that made me angry.

He’d gotten to me and I’d begged him to come even with my punished backside and slick-soaked thighs on complete display.

And I’d done it.

I’d come for the first time in my life. Really fucking hard.

I loathed the fact that I wanted to come for him again. I yearned for his hands on my naked skin once more. I stood and walked back over to the bed, deciding to sit on its soft surface instead.

Ever since I’d been captured in Ravenrath, I felt like I’d been trapped in a whirlwind unable to break free. Now completely alone, sore, and satisfied, I finally had a moment to think with a clear mind and remember the real reason I was here. I ignored the fact that it was mostly just because he wasn’t here.

I wasn’t here to find a mate. I was here to learn about the Cult.

The Alpha Brotherhood had been my home for as long as I could remember. My father was its leader. I was one of the only people that knew of his identity outside the title of Ghost. I’d never known my mother. She was a beta who’d died giving birth to me. My father was all that I’d ever known, and he’d raised me as his equal.

The Brotherhood was a secret organization of people that had come together long ago to follow the will of the gods with the belief that the universe functioned in equal measure of order and chaos. Without both, the world would fall into ruin. Identities were protected. Ideals and rules were maintained and throughout the passing of time, we had people stationed in nearly every major city and even throughout the lesser wilds to see to it that our mission was upheld.

We had one enemy. The Cult of the Blood Moon.

The Cult had resisted our attempts at infiltration for a long time. Sometimes it seemed that they were always a few steps ahead of us and other times, it was as though they were several steps behind us.

We hadn’t known just how deep their roots dug into Kingsworth. Just in my time here, I’d seen that they were more powerful than we’d suspected. The omega trade was even stronger here than we’d ever realized, and I knew that this was only the beginning of what I could learn here.

Even Magnar could be a source of information.

I rubbed my upper arms with my hands and the quiet sound of the unlocking of my door captured my attention. I turned to see a servant with a food-laden tray. She entered and placed it on the table with the fruit bowl.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

She nodded politely and turned away.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Did they cut out your tongue too?” I pressed.

When she nodded, I grimaced with sadness. I understood why they had done it, but that didn’t make it right. She left just as quickly as she had come, and I pushed myself off the bed to go inspect what she had brought. There were several drumsticks of meat, platters of cheese and sausages, along with a number of sliced and steamed vegetables.

I heard her lock the door and I prepared myself a plate. I ate my fill of the delicious spread and when I was finished, I shuffled over to the reading nook. I inspected the books once more and pulled one down to read. It was a book of the city’s history and I was curious if it was written by those who lived here.

I settled down in the cushioned reading chair and spent several hours learning about the time since the Great War. There were a number of passages that caught my interest, including the suggestion of a secret set of passages within the castle as well as many other small details I hadn’t considered before as to the composition of the king’s advisors and the way the city was organized into certain districts by class.

I read by the light of the sun and when it finally started to set, the servant returned and stoked the fire in the fireplace. She lit several lanterns around the room. I didn’t say anything other than to politely thank her. I knew that she couldn’t answer. I wouldn’t learn anything from her.

When I grew tired, I climbed into bed and fell asleep.

For several days, I simply rested, read, and passed the time watching the city through my window. Most nights, I relaxed with a hot bath. At first, it felt like heaven. The soreness between my legs and across my backside faded until there was nothing left and for some reason, that saddened me. Then after about a week, I began to feel restless.

I was back in my reading nook when I heard the sound of the door unlocking once more. Assuming it was the female servant who had been attending me, I didn’t look up until a man cleared his throat nearby.

It was Magnar.

“Ariana,” he murmured. His gaze was dark and hard to read. I wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, and I stiffened in response.

“King Magnar,” I replied respectfully. I didn’t make any motions to move. Instead, I just stilled and waited for him to give any indication of why he was here.

“I wanted to see how you were doing. Are you enjoying your time here? Is there anything I can get you?” he asked gruffly.

His presence