Instantly, the image of her father sprang back to her mind and tears welled in her eyes, a dark gloom growing in her chest.
After fixing his pants, Maddoc yanked Ana up by her elbow and lifted her again into his arms, striding through the woodlands without saying a word.
Ana barely had the strength to fight him anymore, but she saw he was not heading back toward the gardens—he was heading away from it.
“Wait,” she croaked, her throat sore. “You said you would let me see my father.”
The Alpha said nothing.
Too tired to say anything more, Ana remained limp in his arms, nursing a bitter sorrow. He’d lied. He told her what she wanted to hear and then fucked her knowing she wouldn’t see her father again.
They arrived at a clearing where a group of men and women waited atop horses, along with an enormous black horse that had no rider. Maddoc placed Ana sideways in the saddle and swung up behind her. Nodding at his people, Maddoc spurred the horse into action, and led them through the woodland with Ana leaning against his chest.
The dissolution in her heart made her numb. Her father was dead and her true mate was likely dead too. She would probably never know the extent of what happened at her wedding, how many of her father’s knights survived, or even if any of the guests were hurt. What she did know was that without the king, the kingdom was certain to descend into chaos and that must have been what Maddoc wanted all along. He may have acted like he was angry with her for leaving, but this had to be the perfect result for him. No king on the throne meant the opportunity for anarchy.
She gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes, relishing the bitterness between her legs and the sharp ache in her back. Pain roared around her body almost as unbearable as the pain in her heart, but she welcomed it. It echoed the ferocity of her anger—anger that she was still so attracted to him, anger that her mother would be without her true mate, and anger that the kingdom had lost a truly great monarch.
But at least Maddoc had shown his true colors beyond any shadow of doubt. He had killed her father and then fucked her against a tree while she begged to see him. There was nothing about this man’s brutality that had been untrue, as much as he may want to play with words to make it seem so.
She forced the sobs in her throat down as hard as she could as the clarity of her situation revealed itself to her. She was his property now, but that didn’t mean she had to willingly take whatever he gave to her. Granted, her body may be lost to her at times, but he did not need or deserve anything else. So she made a vow in honor of her father’s memory, in honor of her mother, in honor of Milly and Ryden, that she would never stop fighting him, that she would never make it easy for him, and that she would take her last breath before she gave or asked him for anything ever again. He may take her body, but he would never take her sanity or her mind, her love or her loyalty for those whom he made suffer. The first thing he would never have was her purr, the second was her words.
From the moment she had argued with him, he had taken to pacifying her with lies or ignoring her completely. So just like Milly suggested that first night, she would not speak to him. The man thrived on seeing her upset, on hearing her beg him, on the anger in her words. But he would not get that anymore.
If Maddoc wanted the Omega princess, the heir of the kingdom, he could have her. But he would get an empty shell. That was all he deserved.
5
MADDOC
Maddoc maintained a tight grip on Analisa as they rode through the woodlands and across the outer farming fields toward the Oakenshire Forest.
Anger still roiled in his gut, but it was tempered by a mellow satisfaction that he finally had her with him. She'd been subdued since beginning the journey, but that was expected. He had been rough with her, but Analisa had to learn what would happen when lines were crossed, and while he might enjoy her willfulness, he at no point would ever enjoy the idea of another man having his mouth on her. Claiming and marking her against the tree had been an instinctual need for both of them, and her denial to see or accept the way her body reacted to him—or that she was his—was no excuse for her behavior. Now he had her, she would have to adjust to her new life and accept the truths before her, whether she liked them or not.
The riding party angled toward the central city, skimming the edge of the orchards maintained for the royals before veering back out again toward the larger districts that bordered the largest and wildest natural forest in the kingdom, the Oakenshire.
They entered at a full gallop, a sense of urgency uniting the riders as they headed back to their base deep within the forest. Much had happened at the wedding, some of which Maddoc didn't expect, but the ultimate goal had been achieved. His Omega was in his arms, and she would not escape again.
“I’ll set up some surveillance for the night,” Griff called.
Maddoc raised his hand to signal that he agreed, and three of the men broke away and rode in a different direction.
They traveled on for a while, having to slow as the forest grew dense with trees. When it was too thick to ride through, they dismounted and one of the men led the horses back the way they’d come. The base was only accessible by navigating through some of the thickest parts of the forest, and although they had cut enough of it back to walk through, it was too uneven and thick for the horses.
Maddoc carried Analisa in his arms. She curled herself up in her torn dress and said nothing to him, her head tucked down to her chin. He allowed her her peace. She would be required to face him soon enough, but for now he allowed her to mourn her father.
The skies were dark by the time they trudged into the base, an enormous clearing filled with huts, tents, and structures that made up the center of operations for the guild. When he selected this site, he’d made sure it was completely secure. Thick forest surrounded almost the whole area, and the Oakenshire was so large it could house the entire base comfortably without anyone being able to find it unless they knew the location. The clearing was so far from anything notable within the forest, it was likely anyone trying to leave would get lost and never be seen again. As such, Maddoc had always felt safe here, as did the people who joined him.
Maddoc made his way straight to his pavilion. The base was mostly quiet that night, with only the fading campfires of those preparing for sleep.
He headed toward the most secluded part of the base, and as he neared his pavilion, Raine approached him.
"What?" he bit out the word irritably.
She hesitated, eyeing Ana. "It can wait. There is nothing we can do until morning anyway."
"Good," Maddoc said, walking past her.
His pavilion was one of the most lavish. It was an elaborate tent-like structure with multiple rooms built on a solid frame, including its own washroom situated next to a well with a pump. Maddoc placed Ana down on his bed and tore her dress off, ignoring her flinch from the roughness of the act. When he’d watched her approach the stairs at the Royal Sanctum through his magnifying lens, he knew at that moment he was going to rip this dress apart. Everything it signified infuriated him.
He drew a bath, then lifted her and placed her into the water before undressing.
Ana didn't look at him once, keeping her eyes averted as he climbed into the bath with her. The hot water did nothing to soothe his mood, but Ana relaxed a little, sighing as she closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the water.