But she also needed them. Without Shepherd’s army, there was no way the woman could reclaim her birthright. Svana was the only surviving offspring of Greth Dome’s ruling family; a monarchy that had been deposed and disposed of. Insurgents had killed her parents, and had foolishly thought to extend mercy to a little girl considered too young to remember.

Svana may have been small when her life under Thólos began, but she had been coached to corrupt from birth. But, just like her parents, she believed herself beyond reproach.

The affair with Premier Callas… Whether the Alpha admitted it or not, Shepherd had been forced to face a glimpse of what she truly was.

In response, Shepherd had acted against his beloved; he took an Omega mate. A fact Jules had known Svana would not be pleased about once discovered. Was this not the very reason Shepherd had kept the Omega obsessively hidden? Not a soul was allowed near her, and even Jules had been cast out for only looking once… until recently.

The Beta did not know what had spurred Shepherd to take quarters away from his room for days; he didn’t ask. He had instead been stuck dealing with an irate ruler who possessed far less patience, and a pregnant Omega who looked heartbroken each time he brought her another of the blasted trays.

For reasons unknown, Shepherd had reduced Claire to a position of breeder, not mate. Jules accepted it and did his duty. It was less than a week before the lieutenant opened the door to find Miss O’Donnell on the floor, altered, and trapped in a room with an odor Jules had smelled in his leader’s quarters before—the spiced scent of Svana’s Alpha slick. The Omega who should have been nesting was as far away from the bed as she could get, so still she seemed corpselike. It was the only reason he’d spoken when she asked his name.

On closer inspection, it had been impossible for Jules to miss the split lip and the discoloration on Miss O’Donnell’s neck. Even more, he had recognized the look in her eye when Shepherd approached outside Undercroft; every nuance of her expression Jules had read with precision. The Omega was devastated—not just afraid—emotionally crippled, and clearly suicidal no matter Shepherd’s denial on the subject.

And that was where the issue lingered. Jules presumed the obvious assumption was correct. Shepherd had mated with his long time consort… and he was aware of their habit of sharing heated Omegas.

Claire had reacted badly to whatever the Alpha female’s visit had inspired.