by Sara Fields
I had to stop him from hurting our people, from taking away the very thing that made us who we were. We were omega and he wasn’t allowed to take that from us, just because he wanted to. He’d done so much to us already. He’d stolen our lives, our places in the city and crushed us beneath his boot. No more.
All around me, the battle raged. Guns fired and people screamed, male and female alike. If this went on for much longer, many of us were going to die in the slaughter. There were a great number of alphas but ultimately, there were many more betas fighting for Philip.
Even though we were strong, there were so many of them.
I looked around at the faces of my omegas, watching their fierceness as they fought one beta after the next in a fight to the death. Every breath, every drop of blood they lost and would lose, every bead of sweat as they aimed their guns and drove their knives deep into the betas as they bowed and weaved through enemy lines. It was a beautiful sight and one that left me breathless, but if Philip got his way and achieved his ultimate goal of destroying the very things we were born to be, it would all be for naught. All of our suffering, our pain and agony would be for nothing.
I wouldn’t allow that.
Beside me, I felt all of my men reach for me, felt their hands as they caressed my shoulders. They were there for me and would be for whatever was going to happen.
A wolf’s howl shrilled loudly in the distance, followed by two more. I lifted my head to see the massive form of a three-headed wolf rushing toward us. It was gigantic. Its fur was mottled gray with streaks of white and black. It had three tails that spread outward in order to keep the giant beast steady as it ran. It ran straight toward me, its gaze cool, calculating, and determined. I felt a shiver race down my spine, but still I stood tall and held my ground.
The central head had icy gray eyes, so bright that they bordered on white. They held within them an ancient wisdom, as though this great beast had lived several lifetimes and seen it all. A great snarl lifted his upper lips as he stared me down.
I met his gaze with the silent confidence of a leader, feeling the blue and yellow eyes of the other two heads focusing in on me as I did so. Beside me, Raven, Triss, and Ellie trembled but held their ground with me, waiting to see what the three-headed wolf would do.
When the great beast closed in on me, he slowed his pace until he strode up to me, stopping and sitting down on its haunches as it cocked its central head. The icy gray eyes stared into mine, contemplating what it would do with me then.
“They told me to look for the one in red leather,” a voice sounded in my head and I was slightly taken aback for a second before I quickly recovered.
I looked from the great beast back to the wall and then back again.
“What’s your name?” I asked almost breathlessly.
“My name is Okorius,” he answered, and I tried to hide the tremor in my fingers as such a terrifying and formidable creature waited before me. At any moment, he could tear me to pieces where I stood, and I wouldn’t even have any chance at escape.
“I need your help,” I replied, careful to keep my voice steady and confident. The wolf heads rolled their upper lips, a vicious snarl ripping from their throats but in that moment, I knew it wasn’t directed at me.
Instead, the monster knelt down and placed its chins on the ground.
“Climb up, omegas. I’ll take you to where you need to go,” the central head answered, looking from me to Triss to Raven. The three of us leapt at the chance. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ehsan pull Ellie back into his arms. She fought against him, but he held her close, shaking his head into her shoulder. I cleared my throat, meaning to put a stop to this at once.
“Don’t worry, Ellie. You’ve done well. You’re the reason we have this chance at victory. You’ve been an integral asset to this battle, and it will never be forgotten,” I commanded, and she blushed heartily, her eyes swimming with tears.
“Go. Be with your alpha,” I demanded further, meeting Ehsan’s gaze. He took Ellie by the waist then and tossed her over his shoulder, before running off toward the edge of the woods. I hoped that after the battle, the two of them would have a significant amount of time alone, to enjoy one another in the freedom of the wilds.
Next, I turned toward my own mates—Damiyen, Ethan, Alaric, and Viktor. Their eyes looked dangerous, but they were needed here on the ground.
“You have to let me do this. You need to trust me,” I demanded, and they looked at me with incredulous disbelief. The first man to nod his assent was Alaric. His brown eyes met mine, studying my gaze intensely and then grinning as he chuckled.
He knew I needed to do this. Just as much as he needed to fight in this war.
“Let her go. It’s her time to turn the tide,” Alaric then said, and the others nodded reluctantly.
“Cut off the head of the snake, and the war will be won,” Damiyen murmured and I grunted my agreement.
“Don’t you worry. Philip is going to rue the day he met me when I plunge my knife into his flesh,” I growled, and my alphas’ faces turned dark as they grinned.
They knew I could do this, so they let me go. My heart soared. They could force me to stay below, to stay behind their safety as they fought my battles for me, but they understood the true heart of an omega. They understood that this was a battle I needed to fight. I needed to protect my fellow omegas. I needed to ensure their freedom, and this was one thing I had to do on my own.
I met each one of their eyes, thanking them wordlessly for their trust and support.
I turned away then. It was time to go.
Turning back toward the three-headed wolf, I watched as he lowered his head for me. I climbed up onto the central head’s neck, one foot after another until I was sitting safely on top of him. Raven and Triss had climbed up onto the two other heads. At first, I felt unsteady but then I wrapped both my legs and arms around his neck. His fur was rough on the surface, but beneath there was a soft undercoat and I dug my fingers into it as he lifted his head and looked onward toward the wall then.
“See that man wearing the yellow there? I need to get to him as fast as possible,” I said firmly, and the wolf grunted with understanding. I held on tighter as the giant monster leapt toward the wall, bounding with purpose. I could feel the muscles and sinew of the giant wolf tightening beneath my body. I could also feel that the enormous creature was full of passionate excitement as well as closely guarded rage.
The wolf covered the distance to the wall in a handful of strides. When he reached it, I climbed up to a squatting position on his neck and when he leaned forward, I leapt, hurting myself toward the ledge.
I ran through the air, propelling myself forward and landed safely on the stone surface, not far from where Philip stood. Raven and Triss skidded beside me, catching themselves with their hands and pushing themselves up as they landed. The three of us stood up together and Philip turned toward us. His eyes grazed furiously from me to the other omegas to the three-headed wolf just waiting at the wall.
“You’re not going to stop me,” he spat toward us. Behind him, a group of highly trained betas broke into action. They rushed to fight Triss, Raven, and me, but we were ready for them. One of them approached me and I knocked the gun out of his hands. It skittered across the stone until it clattered over the edge and down below.
The beta looked at me with a blank look, almost like he couldn’t believe that I had just done that. I grinned back at him and quickly dropped to a crouch, swinging my leg out in a controlled roundhouse that swept his feet straight out from under him. His mouth opened in surprise and I jabbed the side of his throat with my knife, ensuring to sever the spinal cord and giving him the quickest, least painful death I could manage.
The three-headed wolf roared behind us. It swung forward, each of its three heads grasping a beta soldier within its fangs. It whipped its heads back and forth and the bodies made a sickening crunching sound before the wolf threw them aside. Philip’s expression changed v
ery quickly then from one of sheer confidence to one of abject fear.
“He’s mine,” I yelled to Raven and Triss, catching their gazes one last time. The two of them nodded, their movements almost imperceptible but they knew I needed this, knew this was my battle to fight.
“Philip Savile. It’s been some time,” I called out, catching his attention. It had been. At once, memories of the exposure of my omega status came to mind. Of the central role Philip had played in my imprisonment. I rolled my upper lip, growling at him.
“If it isn’t little Nikki,” he sneered, and I snarled right back at him.
“I’ve come to put a stop to your oppression of the omegas,” I demanded, scowling. I hated him and everything he stood for. I hated how his son had betrayed me to him and how Philip had used that secret for his own political gain. He’d exposed me and sentenced me to life in the sanctuary, knowing how terrible it would be despite the fact that I had been his son’s best friend. For every omega who had been ousted for who they were born to be, Philip had been central in their imprisonment, their slavery, and ultimately, their abuse.
He’d lightened restrictions on the guards, allowing them access to our bodies and turning the other way when any of us got sick or injured as a result. He cut our funding and supplies, limiting our access to medicine and food. I’d held many an omega’s hand as she drew her last breath and shut her eyes for the very last time. Their faces were burned into my memory, never to be forgotten again.
I stared back at Philip.
He was going to die today. I wouldn’t stop until I’d killed him.
I burst forward, my boots skidding across the surface of the stone. I removed one knife from its holster on my belt with my right hand and then another for my left. This was going to be up close and personal combat. I was far more comfortable with a blade than a gun and it would allow me to move faster and use my abilities as an omega to the fullest. Not surprisingly, he scrambled for his gun.
He fumbled with the weapon, but it didn’t matter. I took my chance to make the first move. I dove for the stone, tucked my head and rolled toward him, slashing my knife upward and just catching the skin of his wrist in a glancing blow. He cried out and dropped the gun. I swiftly kicked it aside, watching as it skittered off in the distance, just hanging on the edge of the wall.
I bounced up and he threw an elbow forward, catching my jaw and rattling my head to the side. I lifted my forearms up defensively, but he had managed to throw me off balance. His other fist glanced off my wrist and struck my cheek, but I quickly twisted out of the way, whirling my own elbow around and striking out with the switchblade in my right hand. It caught his throat, scratching him deeply enough so that his blood began to spill.
He roared with anger at my small victory and I chuckled, working my jaw in the process to ensure that it wasn’t broken. It wasn’t but it was pretty fucking sore.
He rushed at me then, forgetting all manner of military training or any sort of strategy and solely focused on his need to subdue me, but I wouldn’t give him that. I’d worked too hard for this.
He tried to grab at me and I ducked, twisting out of his reach. With a quick sidestep, I refocused my center of balance and turned back to him. Using the power in my legs, I thrust myself at him and threw my body on his back. He was ready for me though and threw his own body forward, tossing me aside as though I was just a sack of flour.
I gasped, the air rushing from my lungs as my back slammed onto the stone beneath me. I didn’t let it slow me down though. I kicked my legs up, propelling my body up into the air and then I pitched forward, landing on the balls of my feet as I did so.
We circled each other, like two wolves challenging each other for the head position of the pack. I snarled, the sound vicious and cruel and he returned my challenge with a growl that was equally violent.
I studied him then. He was slender, a bit smaller than the other betas but he was tall. His neck was bloodied as was his wrist, but his chest rose and fell with the effort to fight. He was out of practice and tiring quickly. Not like me.
I trained for this moment all my life.
His fingers shook as he lifted his arms up to cover his face, giving away his rising exhaustion. His gaze raced from side to side, looking for someone to rescue him, but no one moved. Every single person atop that wall was watching our fight. Even the betas who were supposed to protect him stopped fighting.
One of them caught my eye and winked.
“Damiyen sends his regards,” one of them said quietly. A dozen other men winked in response and started to move away. I grinned. I should have known that Damiyen would have pull, even here. Of course he’d have his allies stationed in such a powerful position. Guarding the city leader and learning all his secrets must have been one of his top priorities. No wonder he had a smirk on his face when I’d left him down below.
Smug bastard. Useful though.
Only a few betas remained up along the wall with Savile. Their eyes ripped from me to Raven and Triss to the three-headed wolf guarding the wall by our side and their faces went white. They slowly backed away, giving us space and abandoning their leader in the process.
“Where are you going, you pieces of shit?” Savile screamed as what was left of his protective beta detail quickly tucked tail and ran. They descended into the city, where the bloodied and battle-hardened alphas waited for them.
Triss and Raven growled after their retreat.
Now it was just us three omegas and Savile.
I knelt close to the wall and took a deep breath, gathering myself. Savile stumbled over his own two feet, almost falling before he caught himself. He’d moved closer to the wall though and the wolf growled menacingly. I paused, analyzing the distance between him and the edge.
It wasn’t any more than six feet away and he seemed hardly aware of it. I caught Raven’s gaze and quickly flicked my eyes back and forth from the edge to her. I did the same with Triss and then at once, the three of us came up with a plan.
Triss and Raven maneuvered outward, slowly moving in a way to surround him from the sides while I came at him from the front. He ground his teeth, too focused on me to give my omega sisters even the most remote of glances.
He tried to remain cocky, despite the fact that things weren’t looking good for him.
“When I give the order, my beta army is going to release the omega solution into the air. I hear there’s some pretty terrible side effects in omegas and alphas. Acts as a sedative at first as it works its course through your body. Likely would be terrible timing on the part of your pathetic little uprising,” he goaded.
I stood tall then and he took a startled step back. His eyes widened and then I leapt toward him. He took another two steps back before he braced himself, widening his stance in an effort to prepare himself for me.
But he wasn’t ready. He’d underestimated us omegas for a very long time.
In concert, the three of us slammed into Savile and drove him back, pummeling one solid punch after another into his stomach. He cried out and almost fell backwards at our initial assault, but eventually recovered a bit by throwing his weight back toward us.
I grabbed Triss’ hand and then Raven’s, using them as anchors as I threw my body forward, lifting both legs off the stone and slamming my feet into the center of Savile’s chest. He cried out in pain and screamed as he flew backwards, stumbling the last few feet until he teetered on the edge of the wall.
The look of sheer panic on his face was as fulfilling as I thought it would be. He tried to center himself, to save himself from falling, but it was too late. He roared with fury. His arms flailed wildly and his face screwed with anger. None of it mattered.
He fell anyway.
The icy gray wolf eyes met mine for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for him to understand what he needed to do. He roared, opening his mouth and exposing vicious rows of teeth before his punishing bite captured Savile. The man screamed but his yells were cut short by the crunc
hing sounds of a predator finding its prey.
The wolf made quick work of Savile, swallowing him whole in a matter of seconds. I stood tall and then Okorius howled in honor of our victory, his three heads rising as one.
All around us, the beta army dropped their weapons to the ground. Swords and guns clattered off of the pavement. Men in droves lifted their arms and put their hands on the backs of their heads in surrender.
The alpha horde roared with their triumph. The Omegaborn danced and screamed with their pride.
We’d done it.
The Omegaborn were finally free. The beta oppression was over, and the city was ours.
And I had been the one to lead them to victory.
Epilogue
Nikki
We had worked hard for our triumph and for a short time, it didn’t feel real. But it was. We had taken Tharia and made it the property of the people once again.
The beta army had surrendered completely that day. I’d lost a fair number of the Omegaborn, far more than I wanted to and it hurt me deeply. Over the next few days, the wilds honored them with brightly lit funeral pyres, with flowers and with prayers to the gods. The alpha horde had lost a fair number as well, but they only grieved for them after they paid their respects to the omegas who had died that day on the battlefield. They had insisted on it.
The beta army had lost the greatest number of people and we spent several days both burying and honoring their losses too. In the wake of such civil war, we were all equal. It didn’t matter if we were omega, alpha, or beta. We were people and we all deserved a chance to grieve. We all deserved a chance to come together and rebuild as one.
Over the weeks that followed, many things changed. Stocks of suppressant were handed out to all the omegas, something we’d prepared for in the aftermath. A number of Damiyen’s allies volunteered with handful of alphas to lead the city together and abolish the use of the omega sanctuary. Most important, the Central Gathering agreed to live in peace with those in the wilds as well as open both travel and trade routes when needed.
