by P. Jameson
They brought me back to our quarters, and let me take a shower. My body ached for Solen, remembering the last time I’d done this. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Military leather waited for me when I toweled off.
That was a good sign. “Did I get a promotion?”
“We weren’t given instructions on how to dress you this time. So as far as we’re concerned, it’s open to our interpretation,” Charolet said.
The royal omegas refused to go down without a fight. These ladies were more than my pack. They were my family.
“Okay, so here are the challenges that have been brought against you. Treason, and sharing classified information with those not authorized to access it.” Tavia sneered at the piece of paper in her hand. “Total bullshit.”
“It is. I wasn’t near the armory when the breach happened. I’d been relieved of my duties so I could serve on Zelene’s court.”
“Right.” Charolet took the paper from Tavia’s hand and sneered at it before crumpling it into a ball. “We’re about to find out what the king hopes to prove by the spectacle of sentencing an innocent omega.”
“I trust my mate,” Zelene said, drawing in a deep breath. Her expression was sure, even if her words shook. She squeezed my hand. “Everything will be okay.”
Solen
Chapter Fifteen
I came to with a snarl, immediately scanning my surroundings for Ashla. Instead, all I saw was Cassian’s ugly mug right in my face.
“Don’t fight,” he growled, his expression stern.
“Ashla.” My garbled tone told me I had shifted back to my human form after they tranquilized me.
“She’s fine.” Dagger’s voice came from somewhere behind Cassian. “The ladies are with her.”
I tried to sit up. “I need to get to her.”
“Impossible,” Cassian said, pushing me back down. “Just wait a goddamned second. The dart is still in your leg.” I growled as he quickly removed the offending projectile and tossed it aside.
When I was able to stand, I could see that we were in my castle quarters. Why wasn’t I in the dungeon where the king sent me?
“You need to shower and dress. The king expects you soon. You will be reunited with Ashla there.”
“The king expects me?” I spat. “I was supposed to go to the dungeons.”
Cassian pressed his lips together. “That was for show. If you hadn’t shifted—”
“For show. What the fuck does that mean?”
He looked at Dagger and back to me. “Better to let the king explain. Get cleaned up.”
I did what they said, but only because I knew it was the fastest way to get back to my mate, and soon, I was being escorted to Adalai’s meeting room. As I entered, I scented Ashla and found her standing between three other omegas. She faced the king dressed in military leathers. An unexpected choice. I knew how much she loved her gowns, but maybe she wasn’t allowed to wear her old clothes like I was.
She turned her head, spotting me, and a look of relief washed over her face. “Solen!” Ashla ran to me and I shook off Cassian to catch her in my arms. Dragging her close, I breathed her in before pulling back to look her over for injuries.
“Are you okay? Did anyone touch you?” The question came out harsh, but I wanted to kill Adalai for his accusations and verdict. If he was responsible for any harm to her… I would have his head.
“No, no one. I’m all right.”
I gripped her neck, placing a hard kiss to her forehead. Mine. It was the best I could do as a mark right now.
“What about you?” she whispered. “What’s going on?”
I could only answer with a slight shake of my head before Adalai interrupted. “I guess you’re wondering what all this is about, why you’re not in the dungeon.” He sounded more like himself, less like a pompous king needing to punish the innocent to appear powerful.
“You know we’re innocent,” I accused, pushing past Ashla to face the king myself.
“Of course you’re innocent,” Adalai snapped. “I know my generals, and I know you wouldn’t jeopardize your status for a rebellion.”
He didn’t know as much about me as he assumed, because if I had to lose everything to keep my mate safe, I fucking would. If one thing was clear after what we’d gone through together, it was that.
“Ashla didn’t unlock the armory,” Zelene added, her hand finding Adalai’s.
“No, my rose. She is also innocent. But I had to make it seem like I was falling for this bullshit setup in order to find out how deep the rebellion went.”
“Are you saying this really was a setup, and you let it happen?” Ashla asked.
“Yes.” Adalai straightened, tipping his chin forward in a way I’d come to recognize. It usually meant he intended to be blunt. “I noticed the way Solen was becoming protective of you. I knew you’d never be in any danger with him so close. So when the evidence was sent to us, I saw it as a chance to learn how far the beta resistance had spread, and whether they could be squashed like a mosquito or if it would take a bit more… effort.”
“This setup, blaming a royal omega, it was clearly meant to divide our pack further,” Cassian added. “To pit alpha against omega, and to make our people question the king’s actions in abolishing The Division.”
“How did you know I was innocent?” Ashla asked.
Adalai pegged me with a hard gaze. “Solen said you were. I believed him.”
“I mean… I said it too,” Charolet muttered. “Think we all did.”
Adalai nodded. “Right, but Solen knew she was innocent.”
I knew. Yes, I knew because she had protected too many people in this castle to give them up to traitorous betas.
Ashla’s eyes softened again like they had at my bunker. I was quickly growing addicted to her soft looks. Reaching over, I brushed my thumb over her cheek.
“She knew what I was and protected me, kept my secret,” I said. “She wouldn’t have given the enemy any leg up. Not when it could put people she cared about in danger.”
“You knew Solen was omega?” Zelene asked Ashla before turning to Adalai. “You knew too. Didn’t you? Before the trial, you knew.”
“Yes, rose. Solen is unique. Omega by birth, with alpha tendencies that refused to be denied. He belonged on a battlefield, and that’s where I put him.”
My mind swirled with all the new information. My chest clogged with so many emotions I couldn’t sort them out. Relief and vindication. Anger that I didn’t know which way to direct. To Adalai, for using us like he did? But if he hadn’t, we wouldn’t know what we know about the resistance. To the resistance for trying to hurt our people for their gain? That seemed like the most logical target for my fury.
“What happens now?” Tavia asked.
Adalai straightened his shoulders, looking as kingly as ever. “Now we show them what a mistake they’ve made coming against this kingdom, threatening our kind.”
“We’ve learned a lot,” Evander said. “No one in Luxoria can forge a retinal scan. That’s fucking human technology.”
Rielle gasped. “Are you saying the humans and betas are in this together?”
“It makes sense,” Charolet murmured. “They were training beta spies when we were trapped there.”
“If they can overturn the royals, take down the king, from the inside… they can take over Luxoria and use the betas to convince people to fall in line. Before you know it, they’ll have us addicted to the juice and becoming mutants just to survive.”
“Like the omegas from the Badlands,” Ashla whispered. “Just trying to survive.”
Adalai’s expression was grim but determined. “That won’t happen. Thanks to you two, I was able to get to the root of the treachery. Renaldo and his human army. Now, we just need to strategize.” He turned his hard gaze to me. “I don’t know anyone better suited to the task than you, Solen.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want you to guide our armies to victory
against the humans and this uprising. You will have full discretion over the other generals and the border soldiers. Give me a way to defeat these assholes once and for all so we can live in peace. All of us, in peace.”
It sounded like a dream. Peace, after lifetimes of fighting. But… it would never work.
“You outed me as an omega. An omega in such a high position?” I shook my head. “They’ll never follow me.”
Adalai stood. “They will because—”
“Because we will,” Dagger finished. “You have always been our equal, and you still are.” He came to stand before me, hitting his closed fist to his chest before bowing his head. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Dagger was fully alpha, but here he was, allowing me to lead him.
Cassian came next, and then Evander, both repeating the symbol of respect among alphas. I nodded at them each, crossing my own fist over my chest.
I wasn’t alpha, and I wasn’t omega. I was something in between. And that was just fine, because it was going to take all of us. Alpha, omega, beta… and everything in between, to conquer our enemies and find peace.
The king was right. I knew exactly how to squash the beta resistance and their human counterparts.
How do you defeat any snake? You cut off its head.
In our case, it didn’t even matter which was the snake and which was the head. Humans or betas, it didn’t matter because a dead snake… was a dead snake.
Ashla
Chapter Sixteen
I’d outfitted many soldiers for battle in my time in the castle, but never had it been more important and more of an honor than now, when I would make sure Solen, Omega General from the East, was ready to take down the beta and human resistance.
It was personal. Someone thought I was disposable, to be used as a pawn in their game. In the grand scheme I’d only been given a sliver of responsibility, working in the armory, but my actions ensured the alpha soldiers returned home safely.
I didn’t have to gain the trust of the alpha army. I’d done that already, and it felt good.
“I’m worried about you,” I whispered to Solen as I fitted the bulletproof vest over his broad, bare chest. The device did much more than deflect bullets. It measured body temperature, heart rate, and could detect the presence of chemical warfare. Only the most important alphas had been fitted for them. The ones considered essential to the king.
Solen was most essential. My heart swelled with pride for him.
“No. Don’t worry about me, my little spitfire.” He leaned in close and kissed my forehead as I worked. The device had to be synced to the castle database, and I had a whole new set of codes to work with after the hack. “I’ve been training for this moment my entire life.”
“I’m worried how much else they know. I was a sacrificial lamb—”
“No, you weren’t,” he growled.
I tipped my head as I calibrated his gear. “The humans have no regard for us omegas. It’s so weird to openly refer to you as an omega. And I have a feeling they know your secret. Your body temperature is different than the alpha generals. If they could access my retinal scan, chances are they took a deeper dive into the system. Why would they stop at making an omega servant the scapegoat? You could’ve easily turned your back on me.”
I loved the way he rumbled in opposition. “An omega always fights for his mate. And a king always fights for his army. Adalai outed me for a reason. If the humans or the betas had done it, it would’ve caused division in the army, and the soldiers would have started another rebellion. Now I have the king’s endorsement, and his generals are fighting with me. Soldiers won’t defect, because they know they’re giving up the protection of the crown.”
“I never thought of it that way.” That part hadn’t made sense to me, because I’d had it so firmly ingrained in my mind that being omega could never be an advantage.
“The humans might’ve known you're my mate,” he said. “But I’m not sure how. I never revealed it to anyone. Or perhaps they saw you as the easiest target to incite division. A former armory keeper turned queen’s courtesan? If they know omegas, they know the queen would have been torn in two with a judgement against you.”
He was right. The only thing that kept Zelene from fighting for me was the trust she shared with Adalai. Well, that and being nine months pregnant. The humans greatly underestimated the bond between mated Weren.
“I never went to the Keep, so any information they have on me is from the armory.” I wondered how things would’ve been different if I did. I had more knowledge of the military than Charolet, Rielle, or even Tavia. Realizing the humans knew that sent a shiver down my spine. “I don’t want to think about what they would’ve done to me if I’d gone with Charolet and Rielle. They don’t only have our biological information. They know what we’re thinking and feeling. How much can they possibly know about you that they think can bring the castle to its knees?”
He took his helmet from me, but he didn’t put it on. Once he did, I wouldn’t be able to see his eyes. The helmet protected his skull and covered most of his face. “It doesn’t matter what they know about me. They can’t take away what I am. What I want. The lessons I’ve learned in years of battle and being a faithful alpha. I’ve trained longer and worked harder than any other soldier in battle. They’ve fucked with the wrong omega.”
That was the first bit of hope I’d felt since we’d been called back to the castle. “All omegas are the wrong omegas.”
Solen leaned in closer. “If they don’t know that already, they’re about to learn that lesson soon. I wish you’d stay here in the armory instead of joining us in battle.”
“The armory isn’t safe either. They mined everything from here,” I reminded him. “And it’s not the first time I’ve fought. I’m familiar with a different level of battle than you are.”
“The down and dirty stuff you omegas with the fancy titles don’t have to deal with.” Tavia put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a knowing smile. She’d given me it a thousand times before when I’d been afraid that we wouldn’t survive the next battle. But this time, I didn’t have any of those worries. We’d finally come together, honest about who we were and what we really meant to each other. Alphas and omegas needed each other to survive. And this battle would prove it. “But the two of you look like you’re about to strip off your uniforms and rut in the middle of the armory and I suggest you channel that energy into the battle because it will make you mean and we need to put an end to this crap now. It’s time we omegas show them how it’s done.”
“She’s right, Solen.” Dagger could barely tear his gaze away from his mate, but his expression was serious. Almost grim. “This fight has been a long time coming. It’s time to set things right for everyone in this city. I meant what I said, that wasn’t a show for the king. You lead, and I’ll follow.”
“You lead, general,” Evander added.
“I’m proud to fight with you,” Cassian said.
My heart was about to burst, but Tavia pulled me away. “We have our own battle to fight.”
Solen nodded. “We’ll be defending the castle. But we expect the humans to unleash their experiments into the Badlands. No one knows that territory as well as you ladies. You know the people, and you’ll know if something’s wrong.”
The plan made sense, but it didn’t sit right with me. It was very much what the betas and the humans would expect, and they’d be ready to divide and conquer. If this was the last time I saw Solen…
“No. We can’t do that.” It wasn’t like me to speak up in a situation like this, and I’d bet anything that was why the betas targeted me. They thought I was too weak to stand up for myself, and I’d accept punishment for something I didn’t do. There was a time in my life they would’ve been right. “They’re expecting that. If we stay together and fight off the first wave, they’ll call off the rest of it. We can beat their best soldiers. But if we split up, they’ll have us where they want us.”
“So what a
re you suggesting we do?”
“We fight together.” The idea was risky, and it would turn everything the citizens of Luxoria had ever known upside down. “But we start with the Badlands. Let the omegas see one of their own leading the army, and they’ll make sure no one will ever get close to the king again.”
The generals eyed each other, no one willing to give their opinion, but their expressions made it more than clear. They hated the idea.
“The only thing that will make the omegas understand how serious you are about change is if you fight beside them. Even with all the changes, so many of them feel lost. Like they’re getting left behind. Fight with them and show them they’re the first line of defense and none of them will ever consider joining the resistance again.”
My heart was pounding. My suggestion would be the start of a true revolution.
“She’s got a great point, but it’s risky.” Dagger let out a heavy exhale. “I think it’s worth a try, but all battle plans have to be approved by the king and—”
“The king approves.” Adalai startled us all by appearing in the armory. He had his own dresser, but the expectation was he only set foot in battle under the most dire circumstances. “We start the fight in the Badlands. Omega Ashla, prepare me for battle.”
Solen
Chapter Seventeen
I watched with pride as Ashla fitted the king’s armor. She was mine, and after this was over, I was going to make sure she knew I wanted forever with her.
But first we had to make our people safe.
“The hook has been set,” Cassian confirmed. “The beta resistance has been given word that we’re planning an attack on the Human Keep. This should bring Renaldo out from under the rock he calls home. He’ll send the mutants first. We’ll have to be ready for them.”
“I have something that could be useful against the mutants.” Evander gestured to Rielle and she unlatched a weapons locker, pulling back the lid to reveal several rows of vials containing an electric blue liquid.
