Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(36)
“We are ready, your Imperial Majesty,” muttered his driver, bowing low before him.
Drocco climbed into his carriage instructing them to head to the Records Keep. Torin’s suggestion had been reasonable but not if he was to believe Cailyn. Much of what she had said about how Omegas had been treated had been left out of all the reports he read. Even his grandfather hadn’t mentioned it, and he had been a ferocious Alpha who had deeply loved his Omega. If Omegas were responsible for their own disappearance, it changed everything. If they hated Alphas and didn’t want Alphas in their lives, that presented a problem on a level that he had not been prepared for. After she had revealed that, he had scoured every piece of information his grandfather and father had left him. There had been subtle hints, but nothing definitive. What if Cailyn was the one mistaken? What if her capturers had brainwashed her? How could he know what information to believe? Regardless of her belief of the Omegas torturous existence before their disappearance, he couldn’t discount every single record. He needed further information.
He stared out of the window, wondering if something was wrong with Cailyn that his healer couldn’t see. She was certainly an Omega by all physical accounts, but he couldn’t understand why she was so headstrong. Maybe the blocks had had a lasting damaging effect on her personality. He needed to know more.
The clerks and keepers gathered at the entrance of the Keep to applaud and cheer him when he arrived.
Drocco strode straight to the head keeper, who began gushing at him immediately. “Congratulations, your Imperial—”
“I need a private word with whichever keeper is most knowledgeable about Omegas and the Alpha/Omega connection.”
The head keeper nodded graciously. “That is myself, your Imperial Majesty. Please follow me.”
He led Drocco through the Keep, the clerks still applauding, only stopping to bow as Drocco passed. The keeper led him up a smaller staircase near the back of the first floor to a bare room that held only a table, two chairs and a wide window on one of the walls. His guards waited outside when he entered.
“This room is private?” Drocco asked, looking around.
The keeper nodded. “Nothing said in this room can be heard elsewhere, your Imperial Majesty. It’s one we use for the reporting of sensitive information.”
Drocco eyed him for a moment. He would have rather spoken to a man he could kill after to protect the information he was about to disclose, but the head keeper seemed too useful. He would have to be careful. Finally, he nodded.
The head keeper smiled at him. “What can I help you with?”
“I need to know how to correct Omega behavior to its original and traditional state.”
The keeper frowned in confusion. “Correct Omega behavior?”
“Yes, so she is submissive and eager to please.”
“There are no such correction methods recorded, Emperor.”
Drocco exhaled and began pacing the small room. “How does an Alpha keep his Omega from being willful and disobedient?”
The keeper’s frown deepened. “The Alpha/Omega connection is known to be a mutual one. Omegas have no reason to reject it.” He hesitated. “Is your Omega being… uncooperative?”
“Yes,” Drocco bit out. “She refuses to reveal the locations of the other Omegas.”
The head keeper nodded. “Maybe she doesn’t know.”
“Possibly,” Drocco said, unwilling to reveal what Cailyn had told him.
“Tell me about how she behaves,” the keeper asked. “Does she talk to you about anything else?”
“No.”
“Do you… mate?”
Drocco narrowed his eyes at the man. “What kind of question is that? Of course we fuck.”
“No offense, Emperor, I’m just trying to ascertain her mood,” the keeper said, gently. “Is she happy to have been found?”
“No.”
When Drocco didn’t elaborate, the head keeper took a moment to think. “What is her opinion of you?”
“Not good. She is very resistant to me. She fights against her urges to mate and tells me I am not her Alpha.” A twinge of anger stirred in him at the thought of her rejection.
“She doesn’t want you as her Alpha?” the head keeper asked, shocked.
“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Drocco said, harshly. “Her body tells me one thing, her mouth tells me another. I can actually see the physical strain on her when she opposes me, yet she still does it. Frequently. She will not accept the truth of what is natural to her.” He looked at the keeper. “Is it true that she cannot be forced to soul-bond?”
“Yes. It is well recorded that Alphas who try to bond with an Omega without her reciprocating, suffer an unpleasant existence until they die. The soul-bond has to be mutual—the claiming bites should happen at the same time, or at least the Omega’s bite should happen first.”
Drocco exhaled harshly. He had hoped that piece of information was incorrect. “What kind of unpleasantness do the Alphas experience?”
“They become a victim to their Omega’s emotions,” the keeper explained. “And, since Alphas are not supposed to be overwhelmed by such emotions, it distorts their outlook and they become tormented.”
“Fuck,” Drocco muttered.