The Sleeping Omega Prince

by Maggie Hemlock

  “What do you think?”

  “That the prince died, and everyone hoped they didn’t get the young dragon killed when he was right all along. It’s a pity really that it took his death to vindicate him.”

  A warm breeze blew up from the beach. The south wall of my bedroom fell years ago letting in the elements. That day the salty breeze was warm with promise. A wrecked boat brought the chance for rescue or at least raised the odds of my true-mate finding me. Before the curse I’d never wait around to be rescued, but what choice did I have now?

  Tingles spread over my toes and legs working their way to my stomach. I fought to stand up and sniff the air. Not even my nose moved. My immobility forced me to lay still and wait for the breeze to come again.

  My dragon rose to his feet and stretched his neck out to its full length. The scent washed over him, and he roared. The wolf-man scurried away, but the dragon didn’t retreat.

  “WHO DID YOU CALL HERE?”

  “Only my brother,” the man stumbled backwards.

  “GO GET HIM NOW! BRING HIM TO ME AND THEN MAKE YOURSELF SCARCE OR I WILL EAT YOU!!”

  “What the hell, man?” The wolf-man took a few steps back.

  “GO!!” My dragon roared.

  True-mate.

  The words finally entered my head. The tingling everywhere. The need to break free of the curse and throw myself into his arms. It all made sense. Now, he only needed to wake me up. Hopefully, he was a wizard, because who else could break a curse?

  Chapter Seven

  Rhett

  Centuries of seeking out the Sleeping Omega Prince led me to friendships I’d never cultivated otherwise. When the school refused to lend me a plane to locate an island that shouldn’t exist my trip could’ve ended. The loan of a helicopter came from a fellow researcher. Of course, he wanted his name included on any big finds. If this uncharted island held my true-mate I didn’t care who received the credit for its discovery.

  My wolf paced inside of my chest. He dug his claws in deeper with each unsure step. Like most canines he preferred all four paws on the ground, but flying was the modern price for our true-mate search. As such, it was a necessary evil, but the sooner we landed the better.

  “Seth better have found an island,” the wolf grumbled.

  What happened to your fur standing on edge last night before he called? Starting to think it was a false alarm?

  My heart sank into my stomach. Realistically, it was just another Seth-bender. He was most likely on a well-known island and too high to realize it.

  “I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my muzzle. He’s not the most reliable wolf, but he tries. His human brain screws everything up sometimes.”

  Well, we’re about a hundred miles out from Moonstruck. If there’s an island we should see it soon.

  My wolf fell quiet and sat down on the spot. He shifted my eyes for a clearer view of the world. Contrary to popular belief, shifters didn’t lose their ability to see the full range of colors when their inner beast took over. In fact, through his eyes every color was magnified. Every speck of dust to be marveled for its complexity. Only, we weren’t on the lookout for a speck of dust. We were on the search for a whole dragon.

  “A whole island,” my wolf corrected.

  Gray clouds hung heavily the closer we flew to Moonstruck. Storm clouds would make most men turn back, but most men weren’t as desperate as I was. Time was quickly running out. I couldn’t imagine living until my door showed up without the company of my true-mate.

  “Take her down!” My wolf stood up.

  Squinting, I barely made out the sandy shore of the island. Luck was on our side. The tides were out. Through the mist, a familiar figure waved both arms above their head.

  “That should be on his business card.”

  What?

  “A little man frantically waving both arms above his head. That’s how ninety-nine percent of our reunions begin,” the wolf sniggered.

  You can get some made up for his Yule gift.

  Seth was smart enough to clear a path for me to bring the chopper down.

  “The dragon wants to meet you,” Seth said in place of hello.

  “Huh?” I said and shook my head.

  Despite the ear protection I wore in the chopper my ears still rang.

  “THE DRAGON WANTS TO MEET YOU!” He shouted in the usual Seth fashion.

  “The dragon wants to eat me?” I asked still not sure of what I heard.

  “MEET! THE DRAGON WANTS TO MEET YOU!”

  A breeze blew in from the other side of the island. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood at attention. My wolf stood up and I leaned forward. We both breathed in deeply seeking out the scent that tickled something inside of us. I stepped forward unsure of what I was after.

  “MINE!” The word rang in my ears replacing the humdrum ring of the choppers slicing blades.

  Mine. The word echoed around my skull as I started towards the island’s center.

  “BE CAREFUL!” Seth shouted, but I paid him no mind.

  The tangy citrus scent consumed my thoughts. After centuries of searching and failing to find Prince Brendan my wrecking ball of a brother brought me right to his resting place.

  “MINE!” My wolf howled.

  The word rang through my soul waking up a primal part of my being that spent more time asleep than awake. I sedated that part with whisky, brandy, and scotch but now that primal side woke to demand my attention. I stayed clear of romping since my fated meeting with the shaman. My wait was over.

  The world blurred by first in sandy patches and then in vivid green shades. None of it mattered. Our surroundings were details to work out later. I refused to wait another moment to meet him. Soon castle ruins came into view. I skidded to a halt and looked up. The ruins showed several partially collapsed towers and high archer walls. The architecture was a blend of modern Moonscale and Hemlock Wolf.

  “ALPHA!” The unmistakable roar of a dragon tore across the island.

  “I’m coming! You’re wait is over, Brendan!” I shouted.

  Seth shouted something from the shore, but I couldn’t make out his words. They didn’t matter anyway. I found my true-mate and that was that.

  Running, I jumped over fallen stones and pieces of the once proud and magnificent stronghold.

  “ALPHA!” The roar came again tugging at my muscles and urging me onward.

  I stopped and looked up at a beautiful blue dragon with silver accents on his face and tail. At least, I thought he was blue and silver. Upon closer inspection I found him to be the ghost Seth spoke of on the phone. The light shined through his ethereal form. He was in fact a raven black dragon.

  “Not ghost,” my wolf corrected. “His inner beast escaped the curse. That’s my mate!”

  The growl bubbled over my throat as we sprinted to the omega dragon. His scent grew stronger each time a foot hit the ground. The dragon soared above the castle sending off a dust storm as his shadow overtook the island. I followed with my eyes on the sky. If the dragon was Brendan’s beast the man who was my true-mate couldn’t be far away.

  I climbed over ruins scratching my palms and skinning one of my calves, but the pain only urged me on. The stinging flesh was nothing compared to the fear I lived with since meeting the shaman. Somehow against the odds I found my true-mate before his island sank into the sea.

  The dragon swept down in the next room over and disappeared from sight. I climbed over a fallen pillar and found myself in the prince’s bedroom chamber. Most of the furniture was debris and ash, but his bed looked as if he merely laid down to take a nap. The gold silk sheets and blankets were pulled up around his dimpled chin. His light brown hair grew in odd directions feathered out over the pillow. Hands with well-shaped nails rested on his stomach. Someone laid the prince to rest with care.

  “Most likely his carrier before he went off to die in the war,” my wolf said.

  The thought left a lump in my throat. When Brendan awoke, he’d find the
world he loved gone forever. All that was left were fallen towers and crumbled dreams. Everyone he’d ever known and loved were long since gone or at least not speaking up about ever having lived on the island.

  I inched towards his bed checking each stone with one foot before giving it my full weight. When I stood by his bed, I took his hand in mine. It was warm and pulsating with life. Up close he was beautiful. Long lashes rested against his smooth pale skin. A long straight nose set centered between high cheekbones and a jawline that spoke of his draconic heritage. Then there were his lips. Soft, kissable, supple, alluring. Unable to stop myself, I ran my finger gently across his bottom lip.

  “How do we wake him up?” My wolf paced inside my chest.

  I didn’t know the answer, but I wouldn’t stop until my mate was back in the world of the living.

  “I’m here, Brendan. You’ll never be alone again. You listen to me. I’m going to do whatever it takes to wake you up,” I whispered to him.

  Then unable to stop myself, I pressed my lips firmly against his. His lips were soft, supple, and still. Then they weren’t. They warmed and moved under mine. They parted begging for my tongue to explore the mouth behind them. I was sure I imagined it all until Brendan’s soft sleepy words echoed around the ruins of his bedroom chamber.

  “About damn time. Now claim me so we can secure our hold on the island,” he said before our lips met again in another long hard kiss.

  Chapter Eight

  Brendan

  “See. I was right,” my dragon said. “I think I could leave your body because he was close. Our true-response was reaching out to each other. He’s here. Our mate is here. Our Alpha actually found us! We’re free! We’re free and soon to be claimed forever!”

  His words lacked his usual know it all nature. They were more a cry of relief and triumph than his regular snarks. My Alpha’s lips pressed hard against mine. Every inch of my body burned with a fire like I never knew before. If this was heat, I’d welcome it any day.

  I parted my lips inviting his lashing tongue inside my mouth. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but it didn’t matter. Our inner beasts clashed at our ribcages demanding their reunion. The kissing paused and he climbed onto the bed with me. Dust flew up around us, but I didn’t care. Later, my heart would break for everything lost, but under the late afternoon sun his mouth on mine was all that mattered.

  “Hold on,” I said and kicked the blankets and sheets away. “Damn things have been burning me up for centuries.”

  My Alpha’s blue-eyed gaze met mine. His wolf lurked beneath the surface. He had a strong jaw that led to soft, but demanding lips. He was tall for a wolf, even by dragon standards.

  “I would have been here sooner, but the lore didn’t leave many clues for where you were,” he said.

  “Lore?” I arched a brow and stretched my arms above my head. The word came out in a rushed breath. His musky scent settled over me. The room spun until I settled my eyes on him. Looking at him without touching him was too hard. I reached a hand out and touched his face afraid this was just another wish fulfillment dream.

  “Stories passed down through the generations.”

  “Damn it. How long have I been asleep?” I asked him.

  “No one knows for sure,” he said from the edge of the bed.

  “You’re too far away,” I reached a hand out to him, “I didn’t wait this long for you to sit at the foot of the bed. I need my true-mate not a loyal hound.”

  “Are you hungry? Do you need anything?” He asked as our fingers entwined. He scooted closer but didn’t kiss me again. “Do you need help walking around?”

  “You,” my dragon said, but the wolf couldn’t hear him.

  After centuries of waiting in limbo I need everything, but first I needed to secure my homeland. I needed to ensure even if Corden returned tomorrow he couldn’t claim it as his own. With both of my parents dead, this was my island. My territory. Not to mention he smelled too damn delicious to ignore.

  “Most Alphas don’t talk this much,” I said.

  Color marked my cheeks. Spending most of my life under a curse didn’t leave me any time for romping. The dirty stories of my youth told me Alphas claimed their true-mates on sight. What the hell was holding mine up? My eyes lingered over his broad shoulders and muscular chest down to his crotch. My tongue flickered out over my lips and words flooded over my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Your dick is hard,” I pointed at his crotch. “Why are we talking?”

  “Because you just woke up from a cursed sleep,” he laughed.

  It was a beautiful melody that overtook the ruins.

  “I’m fine. See?” I stood up on the bed. My legs wobbled but held up. Corden’s curse didn’t take away my strength. The magic locked away my mind but kept my body from wasting away. I made quick work of the buttons on the front of my shirt. I shrugged it off and examined my own body. My flesh was still sun kissed and youthful, but I didn’t stop there. There was only one way to prove to my Alpha I was healthy enough to be claimed. In seconds I stripped naked and kicked my pants away. I tripped over my pants leg in the process and fell into his arms. He caught me before I crashed off the bed.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” He chuckled, but before I could answer him, he kissed me again.

  “Wobbly in the knees, but that’s more your fault than the magic’s,” I insisted.

  “I’ve searched for you for over two hundred years,” he pressed his forehead against mine.

  “Then what are you waiting for, Alpha?” I growled.

  Maybe I needed to rile him up a bit to get him to make his move.

  “Don’t you have any questions about the world? About me?”

  “There will be time for all of that later,” I said and glanced around as dark clouds creeped closer to the island. “You do know what true-mates do when they meet? That couldn’t have changed even if I slept for a millennium!”

  “In progressive circles conversation often proceeds the claiming vows,” he said, but his resolve was breaking. His scent was as rowdy as mine. What sort of man held such self-control? Who would want to?

  His arms were strong and warm. They felt more like home than my cursed bed ever did. It broke my heart to pull out of them, but it was a small price to pay for what I needed. My skin burnt with desire. Slickness pooled at my omega hole. His scent stroked the fire burning within my belly for eons.

  “Forget whatever little circle club you belong to. I’m a dragon and this is the wild,” I ran my hand up his thigh and cupped his hard cock in my hand. I squeezed until he pulled me in for a hard kiss. He murmured something I didn’t understand against my lips, but no matter the language his words oozed with desire.

  “This is more like it,” I growled and tugged at the hem of his shirt.

  The fabric pulled apart in my hands. The ripping sound of cotton tore through the castle, but it didn’t matter. We were alone on the island except for the bumbling cave-Alpha down on the beach.

  “Sorry,” I muttered between kisses, but he didn’t seem to mind. Which was good, because soon he’d learn that I sucked at most domestic tasks. I never took to cooking or sewing. I could keep a house clean enough as long as no one lived there.

  “You’re burning up,” he said.

  “Heat,” I said matter-of-factly as I could.

  It washed over me in waves, but I didn’t want to think too hard about it. I didn’t want to get caught up in the details of it being my first time.

  “Are you okay?” He leaned back and looked into my eyes. His expression was hungry, but his words tender.

  “This is my first time, of course,” I said. “You should know that.”

  Well, that’s what everyone said, but some omegas did romp around while they waited on their true-mate. As a prince, such explorations were strictly forbidden to me.

  I squeezed his cock again hoping it would shut him up. He moaned and his hand found my wrist.

  “Slow down,” he sai
d. “You’re shaking.”

  He was right, but I didn’t notice until he pointed it out.

  “With anticipation,” I said.

  “Your scent gives you away. You’re nervous. Afraid.” He stood up.

  “Don’t leave,” I reached for him.

  “I’m not going anywhere. I’m just picking up my pack, okay?” He pointed to the bag beside the door.

  “You carry a purse?” I asked following him out of the bed. The distance he wanted to put between us was too much for my dragon to bear.

  “It’s a backpack. You know, the bag you take on hiking trips.”

  “What’s inside of it?” I asked as he stooped to pick it up.

  “Food for starters.”

  “Food can wait.”

  “And water,” he said pulling out a soft glass bottle and putting it in my hand.

  I twisted the lid off and the bottle squished under the weight of my hand. It splashed my face and I nearly dropped it.

  “Gently,” he laughed. “I forgot how strong dragons are.”

  “Gently,” I repeated and took a drink. There was something inside the water that wasn’t pure, but I drank it anyway. My throat was dryer than I realized. The more I moved the more my body reminded me that now the curse was broken I had animal needs beyond mating. “What did you do to the water?”

  “It’s been purified. All the toxins taken out,” Alpha explained.

  “What’s your name?” I asked realizing I didn’t know what to call him.

  “Rhett Warren,” he held out his hand.

  I looked at it for a second and put the empty bottle back in it.

  “We’ll cover shaking hands later,” he smirked.

  “Mates don’t do that. We’re not conducting business,” I said and put my hands on my hips. “It’s not like you’re buying me for the night. I’m Brendan Moonscale. Moonscale prince and heir of the island. You’re my true-mate.”

  “Not Hemlock?” He asked.

  “Moonscale,” I said slower.