by Layla Heart
“What?” I stare at the phone, and then at the others, confused. “Your involvement? In what?”
“Well...” She makes an off-hand sound. “They were wrong about me being involved in this whole thing, but they did seem to have some info about me that’s harder to get.”
“Julie?” I don’t like feeling like people are threatening my family. “Spit it out.”
“This Alpha seemed to be under the impression that the Omega Association was involved with getting Cyra out of town and away from the press.”
“Omega Association?” Spence blinks, frowning. “What would they have to do with anything?”
Julie sucks her teeth. “That’s where I come in, or, his accusation of me being involved comes in. I’ve done some work for the Omega Association in the past, helped some people out when they need connections and things like that. Of course, this is not something I advertise and I’m pretty sure that Max and Liam had no idea.”
“No.” I shake my head, and Liam also shakes his head, looking decidedly annoyed. “No idea here.” How the hell did I miss that? That’s... Hell... How did I not know?
“And that was on purpose. Sorry. It was for the safety of everyone involved. You know how people can get when they know you’re involved with them, especially when they find an Omega who’s involved with getting things done for them.”
I’m getting less and less patient now, and it wasn’t like I had much to start with. “Why call now?”
“Because as far as I know, you’re a bunch of Alphas who have very little idea of how the world of Omegas works, and while you’ve been able to protect Cyra for the time being, you’re going to need help.”
Zack makes a dismissive sound. “We’re fine. How would we know that you’re not just trying to lure us out or whatever? That Cyra’s parents aren’t putting you up to this?”
Julie ignores his question. “Cyra?”
Cyra leans forward. “Yes?”
I see a flash of something flicker across the faces of the three other Alphas. So, I’m not the only one starting to get affected by Cyra. Liam looks at me questioningly, but I shrug. I have no idea what’s going on either. It seems we’re reacting to something, but it’s not her scent, at least not actively. No matter how much I try, I can’t get her Omega scent at all, but sometimes my cerberus acts like he can, which should be impossible.
Julie’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Are you on file at the organisation?”
“No.” Cyra shakes her head. “I was... I was too scared. I didn’t want to get in trouble.”
“Not surprised, with parents like yours.” Julie thinks for a moment. “I’ll send Max the name and contact info of a doctor. Let the guy know the meds you need and he’ll get them for you, as soon as possible. No matter where you are. He’ll find a way to get them to you.”
Zack leans over. “How do we know that you’re not just trying to set us up?” He’s growling now, annoyed at being ignored. Poor guy, maybe he shouldn’t be asking such ridiculous questions?
“Because someone went through a lot of trouble to find things out about me that not many people know.” Julie’s voice is harsh now, angry, very angry. “If this info gets out into the world, about me being involved with the Omega Association, it could get me and my family into a lot of trouble. Even revealing myself to you guys is a risk.”
She takes a deep breath. “The Alpha who contacted me was probably the future Alpha that Cyra’s parents are talking about, right? A basilisk shifter is up there, way up there, when it comes to rarities. So, even though I’ve got no idea what type Cyra is, I can presume that any Alpha parent with a lot of pride, as her father seems to have, would accept a guy like that. Am I right?”
We all stare at Cyra, who nods, looking very unhappy. “Yes. It would be one of the few options they’d deem ‘good enough’.”
A basilisk, fucking hell. Basilisks are the kings of the creatures, dangerous, lethal, and at the top of the food chain... Every part of their body, from their skin to their breath to their gaze, it’s all deadly.
Julie speaks again. “Do you want me to get the organisation involved? See what we can do for you?”
I open my mouth, but Cyra glares at all of us, before answering. “Yes, please.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.” Julie thinks for a moment. “Please stay safe. I’ll email Max the info. And I’ll be in touch soon, once I know more. Talk to you soon.” And she disconnects the call.
Zack jumps up, rounding on Cyra. “Why would you—” But he stops when she glares at him, fury in her eyes, and he nearly cowers. Which, I don’t blame him, she’s scary when she’s angry.
“Why would I get the Omega Association involved? Maybe because you have no idea what you’re up against. Sure, you can throw your money around, have some creep get stuff from my apartment. But do you have any idea of what’s going to happen next? What my parents can do because I’m an Omega? An unmated Omega? I still ‘belong’ to my Alpha father, and that brings a lot of danger with it. The organisation can open doors that you don’t even know exist.” She stands up, her jaw set.
Zack takes a step back when it’s obvious how angry she is.
“You have no idea what my life’s like, what my life has been like, how little control I’ve had over anything in my life. And as long as you’re simply the four Alphas who reacted to me, to my scent, but not my official and true mates, then I still live by whatever my parents allow me to do. Allow, as in, they’ve already revoked my work permit, I saw the email from the cafe earlier.”
I stare at Liam and then at Spence. How did we not find out about that yet?
She’s almost shaking as she continues talking. “They’ll probably revoke the lease at my apartment soon. And I don’t have any form of ID apart from my driver’s licence, which in the case of Omegas is worth shit. I don’t have my birth certificate. I don’t have access to my medical records unless my parents sign for it first. I can’t even go see a doctor without my parents there. And, guess what?” She now turns to all of us, looking at each of us separately, before her eyes go back to Zack, but her flood of words stop, the fight leaving her as her shoulders slump.
I carefully get up, reaching out to her, but not touching her yet. “Cyra?”
Her voice is sad, broken. “We can’t even get our mating validated without my parents’ approval. If I’d been a wolf shifter, or a panther, I don’t know, anything but a phoenix, the doctors wouldn’t blink and they’d just accept whatever we say. But I’m a phoenix, this means that every time I even reach out to any organisation at all, they’ll call my parents, get their input, ‘check’ with them. Every damn time.” She snorts, her eyes filling with tears. “Yes. I know you all care. You all want to do what’s best for me. But we can’t do this on our own, not without help.”
After one last glance around, fear and anger and sadness in her gaze, she storms out of the room, down the hallway and out the front door.
Liam eyes me, then Spence and Zack, his voice low, tentative. “You felt it too, right?”
We all nod. Yeah. No matter what’s going on with Cyra and her parents and all that shit, something else is happening too. Something much more pressing.
Because I have a feeling that if we can’t get Cyra her heat suppressants today, we won’t be needing them this mating season.
Just... Just a hunch.
36
Liam
It should be too early for Cyra to go into heat, but I can’t explain what’s going on in any other way. This is her first year around her mates and we’ve been reacting to her since Saturday evening, even though she’s been taking her meds and using everything else she always does. We should not be reacting to her, we shouldn’t be able to scent her, but we are reacting to something, even if it’s not exactly her scent. Something is happening and it got much stronger today.
When I woke up, I could scent her, like a campfire which had been burning all night but was finally done. It wasn’t very strong,
but I still scented her, her Omega scent, and it made my whole body thrum, making me want her so badly. I could control it today, barely, but I’m not sure how many more times I’ll be able to do that if she keeps smelling so good first thing in the morning.
And if I react like that, then the others must have too, right?
Fucking hell. How are we going to survive this whole mess? Because the problems just keep growing, somehow getting bigger every time I look up. From meeting Cyra, to taking her to the Gala, to fleeing to the coast, to fleeing to this place, and her parents who keep spreading lies about it all.
I step out the front of the house, rolling my shoulders as I look out at the forest. Cyra barged out half an hour ago, and she’s not returned yet. I can’t spot her around here, so she must have gone into the forest.
While I understand that she’s upset, I don’t like that she’s out there on her own. It doesn’t feel safe, at all.
I take my clothes off and transform into a centaur. It feels better to be in this form when I’m walking through the forests, and like Cyra said before, it’s not like I can’t speak to her like this, unlike the others... Like this, I feel more relaxed, less stressed, more like myself, and I need that right now.
Glancing at the ground, I try to spot where she went. Cyra is good at hiding her scent, a little too good at times, especially right after she’s showered. The stuff she uses removes any trace of who she is, not just her Omega scent but any scent at all, if she doesn’t use some human product to give her a different scent instead she’s totally scentless.
She’d used human products at the birthday party, when she was playing a princess. She smelled perfectly human back then, none of her fiery Omega scent at all, but now I realise that that was on purpose. If she doesn’t have to, she doesn’t use any human scents to replace her own scent, probably because she’s still sensitive to them, like all shifters are.
Luckily, I spot her footsteps going off into the forest not too far away on a trail that supposedly leads into the mountains, a trail that’s set out for people who go hiking and things like that. I follow it too.
If she just followed the trail, this shouldn’t be too complicated. But that’s only if she stays on the path, and with her personality... I’m not so sure that she’d do that... She’d totally go off the path if that made her feel better, she’d make her own path if she could.
A growl bubbles up in my chest. I need to find her, I need to keep her safe. It’s not safe out here, where I can’t see her, and I need to get to her to keep her safe. I can’t put her in any more danger than she already is in.
When I’m with her I can protect her. I have to protect her!
It doesn’t take me long to find Cyra. Luckily, she stayed on the path and sat down not too far into the forest, on a fallen tree, looking around, like she’s waiting for something, or someone.
She looks up when she hears me come near, her eyes soft and sad as she tries to give me a smile. “It was a tossup between you and Zack, for who’d come looking for me first.” Her voice is flat and she stares off into the forest again. “I’m sorry for getting angry and storming out.”
“Don’t be. You were right. You were right that we have no idea what it’s like to live like an Omega, to live your life.” I step closer, my fingers trailing over her shoulder, wanting to soothe her pain, wanting to comfort her.
I can’t scent her, but something tugs at me, something that wants to claim her, make her mine. Grab her and run off with her, take her, right now. I might be half human, but I’m also half animal in this form and that doesn’t make me any better than any of the other guys at controlling my instincts.
I jolt as she touches my hand, carefully taking it as she looks at me. “We’re running out of time, aren’t we?”
“What do—” But I stop when she stands up.
Before I can control myself, my body reacts. I grab her and pull her against me, bringing her up to my face so I can put my nose in her neck, trying to get a sliver of her delicious Omega scent. I hold her tightly, not wanting to ever let her go again.
It takes a moment before I realise that the sound I hear is Cyra trying to let me let her go, her voice taking on a tinge of panic. Then I realise how tightly I’m holding her. If she’d been human, I’d have crushed her...
My stomach drops as I carefully put her back on the ground. Not believing what I just did. It’s not even her scent anymore, something else is making me react, something making me act like this.
“I’m sorry.” I step back. Guilt crashing through me for hurting her as she runs a hand over her arm, a bruise probably already forming. Fucking hell. I hurt her. I can’t be trusted around her... “I’m sorry.” I back away more.
“No.” Her voice wavers. “Don’t go.” She steps forward, reaching out to me. “Please.”
“I hurt you.” I want to take her in my arms again, but I also don’t want to hurt her and if I get close, I’ll hurt her again. I might look human at the top half, but I still have increased strength, enough strength to seriously harm her.
“I...” Then her face flushes deep pink and she brings her hand up to her face. “Fuck. No...” She takes another step to me, her legs wobbling, like it’s hard for her to keep standing, her breathing getting rougher, the red flush spreading down her neck.
“Cyra!” I rush to her, grabbing her before she can fall to the ground.
I catch her right in time, but now I have to fight everything in myself to not let my instincts take over and take her right here. I’ve never felt this before, this strong need, not just a desire but a need, something primal that’s hard to control.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I gather her up in my arms, turning back to the house. No way. This is...
She’s going into heat. Right now! This is too early, way too early. Fuck.
“Liam.” She stirs in my arms, her voice breathy, and her fingers trail over my chest. “I’m sorry.”
“No.” I shake my head, trying to clear it. I need to get to the house, right now. I need to get her to safety, I need to get her to a place where I can...
Where I can... Where I can claim her. Where I can have her. Where I can make her mine.
When the house comes into view, Zack is standing outside, looking around, and I can see the anger in his eyes as he sees Cyra in my arms. “What the...” He takes a couple of steps in our direction, but I shake my head.
“Go inside. Now!” It’s hard enough to keep myself under control, let alone trying to keep him under control too. “Now!” Something in my voice must have alarmed him enough that he steps inside, wearily looking my way.
Then, Max walks outside, frowning at me. “What’s going on?” His voice is steady, but also worried.
I stop in front of him, holding Cyra out. I can trust him, he’ll keep her safe, for now. “Bring her inside, immediately.”
He’s stronger than I am, at least when it comes to carrying things, or people. I’d win from him in a fight, but he can fucking throw me if he gets angry. Pure strength, he’s the better choice.
“What—” But as he takes her from me, his eyes darken and his skin flashes the same dark colour as his fur, his shoulders bulging. He’s fighting to stay in control. “Fuck.” He glances my way one last time before stepping back, taking her inside the house.
I transform back into my human shape. Even though I want to stay a centaur, I want to take Cyra in my centaur form, I know that that’s not going to end up well for either of us. I quickly grab my clothes and rush inside the house, locking the door tightly behind me. That way nobody can come in without us knowing about it first. That way nobody else can come in, nobody can take Cyra from us.
Standing in the hallway, I lose my last shred of control, I lose the last shred of control I was still holding on to. Max is still carrying Cyra, on his way to the stairs, but Zack is holding his shoulder, Zack’s hand no longer human but a claw from his hydra form and the scales run all the way up to his neck. It lo
oks like Zack is about to crush Max’ shoulder, that’s how hard he’s gripping the other guy.
“Mine!” Zack snarls, his nails digging into Max’ shoulder, blood welling up from the punctures, soaking into Max’ shirt. “Give her to me.”
“No!” I storm at Zack, fully slamming into him with all my weight. He can’t have her. She’s not his.
The speed of my slam dislodges Zack’s claw from Max’ shoulder, and Zack and I go down to the floor in a heap of limbs as we try to hurt the other, punching, scratching, anything to hurt the other. Trying to keep the other from getting to Cyra.
“She’s mine,” I growl, baring my teeth at him, as I reach for his neck. He can’t have her.
I can win from Max, I can fight her back from Max. But Zack can’t have her. I have to take him out first. She’s mine. Only mine. I have to take them all out so that I can have her all to myself.
“Liam. Zack.” Cyra’s voice is a strangled cry, breaking through the haze for a moment. “No...”
She’s mine!
37
Cyra
Everything is foggy in my head, like my mind is filled with clouds or something, dark clouds right now. It’s hard to stay aware of what’s going on around me. The heat has never hit me this bad, or this fast, and I struggle to think straight. The world around me feels unreal, it feels like everything is dampened by something, like I’m moving through molasses, like I’m trying to hear with plugs in my ears, like I’m trying to look through frosted glass. It’s all distorted, and feels far away.
But Zack and Liam fighting a short distance away, both growling in animalistic ways, their sounds reaching something inside me, that came through clear enough. I don’t have to hear them well to know what’s happening, their growling, their grunting, my shifter instinct is panicking because they mean to kill each other. They’re trying to kill each other. But I can’t lose them. I can’t lose either of them. They can’t do it!
