Ruthless King (Ruthless Warlords #1) - Alison Aimes Page 0,2

herself.

He gave her no time to respond. “I have also been accused of crimes against the Brotherhood.”

She stumbled on her feet. This was an even bigger blow.

There was no greater sin than to betray the Brotherhood. Worse, punishment for such a misdeed did not end with the guilty party but extended to his closest family.

“Is it true?”

“No.” His grip grew so tight she feared he’d break her bone. It would not be the first time. “And if you are asked, you will, of course, affirm your Alpha’s innocence.”

Dahlia swayed, bile rising in the back of her throat. “Who is your accuser?” But in her heart, she already knew.

Olan snarled, ignoring her questions in favor of a rant she’d heard before. “This damn feud. He’s like a wolverbear with a bone. First, he attacks my businesses. Then my personal assets. Then, he moves on to threats on my life. It’s enough.” Her father’s roar echoed through the hall. “He will regret taking me on when his name is blacked out of the Brotherhood as if it never was. This must come to an end. There will be a trial. Evidence will be presented. I will be allowed to counter. Then, the Brotherhood will decide in my favor. It will all work out.”

But Dahlia wasn’t so confident.

She knew her father had done terrible things. She also knew he was a liar.

Her stomach seized. This could not be happening.

All she had done her whole life was to try and protect her sister and mother. She’d endured the beatings, the punishment, and the humiliations to keep the two people she cared for as safe as possible from Olan Lundin.

Now, he was going to be the death of them anyway.

Because if Olan was the one found guilty by the Brotherhood, it would not be only him who was executed, but all of his household, including her mother and sister.

Not if Dahlia could help it.

She’d simply speed up her plans for escape. She’d run away from whomever she was to be given to in payment while her new owner’s guard was down and hadn’t yet realized she was less biddable than she pretended. With Olan distracted by the trial, his attention would be elsewhere, too. His careful surveillance of her mother and sister weaker than usual. There was still hope.

“In you go.” Her father’s impatient words cut into her schemes.

She hadn’t realized they’d reached the end of the ship’s corridor.

He gestured toward an opaque glass door as high as her knees.

Her heart slammed into her ribs.

“No.” She hated small, dark places. She’d spent far too much time floating in the deprivation punishment chambers her father used for those who displeased him, including omega daughters who did not obey fast enough.

“In!” He shoved her to her knees.

Panting, she looked inside. Oh, gods, it was so small, and it would shrink once she entered, the sensors in the walls conforming to her body and forcing her to remain bent over, her body in submission.

She forced herself to breathe. She had never allowed her father to break her, and she would not do so now.

She crawled forward—only to be stalled as thick fingers tangled in her hair and jerked her back out, her scalp stinging as she hung in her Alpha’s grip.

“One more thing.” He pressed his lips to her ear so his soldiers wouldn’t hear. “Do not tell that bastard anything.”

What bastard? She wanted to scream. He’d told her nothing more about her fate.

Olan shook her like a rag doll. “That damn gift of yours is broken. Make sure it stays that way. You cannot help being a useless omega whore who will spread her legs for an Alpha growl, but betray this family, and you will regret it. As will your sister. Not a fucking word of your family’s secrets to anyone. You already know what happens to snitches in our world.”

Before she could respond, he tossed her headfirst inside the darkened glass cell.

Her forehead hit the glass. Her palms slammed against the floor. The door slid shut, and the lights flickered off as the darkness closed in.

Her breath rasped in her ears, her mind screaming as the walls and ceiling contracted. The pressure on her back increased like a boot on her spine, shoving her to the floor. The sensation of being crushed was as terrifying as always. Thankfully, the ceiling stalled as her belly hit her knees and her body folded in on itself, pinning her in place. The omega submissive first position, achieved with