by P. Jameson
“Holy shit,” Dagger murmured. “What is it?”
Evander grinned. “I like to call it… anti-juice.”
Dagger blinked. “Anti-juice. Couldn’t you come up with a more badass name for it?”
“No. It’s perfect.”
Rielle nodded her agreement. “If you’d ever had juice, you’d know exactly how badass it is to be anti-juice.”
Cassian shrugged, walking over to inspect a vial. “She’s probably right. How do we use this stuff?”
“Two ways,” Evander explained, lifting a blue cylinder from the bunch. “The larger cannisters, like this, can be launched or thrown. Pull the pin, like an old style grenade and toss. For large coverage, for groups of mutants, etcetera. These smaller ones…” he pointed to finger-sized vials “… these can be loaded into the guns for more targeted attack.”
“Nice.” Cassian nodded in appreciation. “And what does it do?”
“It’s a more concentrated version of what we’ve been using to treat the addicted omegas. At low doses, it seems to reverse some of the effects of the juice. Concentrated, and in this form…” he glanced at Rielle, “we hope it will stop a mutant in his tracks, and revert the effects of the juice.”
“Good,” I said. “And have we replenished what we lost in the armory raid?”
Dagger shook his head. “Not fully. But our armies are well equipped, and with the omega wolves at our side, we have a clear advantage.”
I nodded. “Agreed. So here’s how it will go down.” I brought their attention to a screen where I’d started mapping out our battle plan. “Cassian, your army will protect Luxoria. The humans might send soldiers around the back when they encounter us in the Badlands, thinking they can attack from behind. Your job is to stop them, and guard the castle from any incursions.”
Cassian crossed his arms, nodding his approval. “Done.”
Charolet stood beside him. “This will put me in a position to see that Zelene is safe.”
“Do not let her do anything stupid,” the king spoke up.
“She would never.” Charolet blinked innocently.
“I mean it, Charolet. Don’t let her take risks with the baby coming so soon.”
Charolet’s expression softened. “She won’t. You know she won’t. And I won’t let anything happen to her.”
This seemed to satisfy Adalai, so I continued laying out the plan.
“Evander, your army will serve as a second wave attack and an extra protection against an invasion of the city. Your position will be here, between Luxoria and the Badlands. No doubt, you will field the harshest attacks from the beta resistance, those that don’t join the humans in the Badlands.”
Evander rubbed his palms together, looking like something of a mad scientist mastermind mixed with a warrior. “I have some tricks up my sleeve for the betas. Things nobody will be expecting.”
“Perfect.”
Rielle placed her hand on her mate’s arm. “Let’s not forget there are plenty of innocent betas out there who just want peace.”
Evander nodded. “Yes, mate. And they deserve to be protected from their own kind too.”
A collective nod circled the room. Peace was our end goal. Getting there was going to take a fight.
“Dagger,” I continued, “Your omega army and mine will spread equally across the Badlands, with strategic pockets of soldiers and wolves interspersed in these locations.” I pointed to several spots on the map.
Dagger nodded. “Sound cannons are already in place. They will affect the wolves in the same way they do the mutants, so they have to be used as a last resort.”
“Understood.” I pumped my fists, adrenaline already flooding my body. This would work. It had to. “Going by what we know from Charolet and Rielle’s experience at the Keep, the humans think they have the advantage with their Elite programmed mutants. But they have no idea what a unified pack of our size can accomplish. I believe we don’t even fully grasp what we can do together.” I stared at Ashla. She and the other omega mates had always known we were stronger together. That what was seen by some as a disadvantage was really an upper hand. That being seen as the weakest sometimes meant you had to become the strongest.
“We will win this war,” I ground out, determination flooding my voice. “For our people, for our future. Because goddamned happily-ever-afters shouldn’t exist in just fairy tales. It’s time to show our people what peace looks like, feels like. It’s time to work together and end this once and for all.”
A collective roar filled the room.
“Let’s go,” Adalai commanded, stalking toward the exit, the others following behind.
Pulling Ashla close, I inspected her leathers and weapons. Sure, she was the pro at outfitting for battle but I still wanted to double check everything. For my own peace of mind. If anything happened to her…
“This will work,” she said, and the surety in her voice was exactly what I needed from her.
I kissed her hard on the mouth, tasting her and letting my desire fuel me. When I pulled away, we were both breathless.
I pressed my forehead to hers. “Promise me you’ll shift into your wolf form when the fighting gets heavy. Use your animal. I know what she can do.”
Ashla nodded, pulling back to straighten my collar. “I will. And… don’t forget you have one too. You’re free to shift now. The enemy won’t expect it. It might come in handy.”
I brushed my thumb over her cheek, amazed at how perfect she was for me. “Good thinking, mate.”
With her at my side, and my soldiers at my back, I made my way to the Badlands to face our enemies one last time.
Ashla
Chapter Eighteen
The taste of Solen’s kiss would fuel me through this battle. We had no room for error. Our armory supplies were enough for our troops, as long as nothing went wrong. In battle, that was a giant if. If Solen’s plan worked and we didn’t have to send a fresh wave of soldiers into battle, everyone was good. I’d been the one who’d suited the backup battalion, and it was never a joyous occasion to send in replacements.
When this was finally over, we’d celebrate truly being a united pack, in a city free from the threat of attack. I couldn’t believe there was finally going to be peace. All my life I’d known nothing but fighting.
We’d defended the Badlands many times, but nothing about this fight was like any of the battles my fellow omegas had fought before. We rode out with the King’s contingent, Tavia and I riding in the very back of the vehicle specially outfitted for the king. It was bulletproof and at the touch of a button, this thing could deploy some serious artillery. This vehicle was so important to the army, it was the only piece of machinery I was not allowed access to working in the armory. Being a passenger was the thing that finally made me feel like my title in the royal court was real.
Dagger drove, and Solen rode shotgun. I could barely take my eyes off him. He’d gone into full general mode, studying the screens in front of him, which provided him with surveillance of the areas, as well as infrared imaging that would pick up anything the naked eye would miss.
The king sat in the middle. It was the most secure seat in the vehicle. But it didn’t stop Tavia from leaning over the seat and pointing. “Those red blotches on the screen, are those mutants?”
“Not sure what they are. Never seen it before.” Solen tapped on the infrared screen to zoom in, and then scrolled the screen beside it to match the location. I couldn’t lie, watching him work like this was sexy. There were a myriad of buttons and switches on the dashboard as well as a detachable keyboard, and he was navigating the programs with ease. Like he was born for this.
It was easy to see why Adalai ignored his birth status in return for a true warrior.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything in the area on the surveillance screen.” Solen’s head moved back and forth and he tapped codes into the keyboard, changing the location on the screen. But still, nothing.
“Shouldn’t those comput
ers be synced up?” Tavia asked.
“Tavia,” I said between clenched teeth. Now was not the time to pick a fight.
“It’s good that she questions,” Adalai said. “My generals have been trained to look at the big picture. The omegas are skilled in the details. That combination is what will lead us to victory.”
Tavia’s face lit up. “Wow. It’s like you finally like me or something.”
“I appreciate what you bring to this battle.”
“You can admit it, Your Majesty. We’re totally going to be drinking buddies when this is over.”
Dagger and Solen glanced at each other, amusement clear on their faces when the king groaned.
“Could those red spots be underground heat bunkers?” My heart sank at the thought of all those omegas in the worst possible position to be welcoming a bunch of angry soldiers, and lords knew whatever else we’d attract to this battle. On top of that, the male omegas would be distracted, violent, and greedy.
“They could be, spitfire,” Solen said.
“Aw, that’s sweet, he’s got a pet name for you.” But Tavia’s warm smile didn’t last long. “Why would there be so many females in the bunkers? It’s always a domino effect, but never so many all at once. It looks like they’re totally full.”
Now it was our turn to exchange a knowing look.
“Shit,” she said. “Remember when Renaldo induced my heat when we went to the Keep? What if he did that in the Badlands to throw a little wild card into the mix?”
The king let out a long, annoyed exhale. “The two of you were in charge of the Badlands.”
“We were in charge of rebuilding the Badlands. Not policing it,” Dagger said.
“And we’ve been a little distracted with the humans kidnapping our people and trying to turn them into mutants.” Tavia shook her head. “Meanwhile, they probably have pissed off omegas doing their dirty work for them. What if they’ve turned our best assets against us?”
“We win them over. We show them once and for all that things will be different, and the humans will bring them nothing but harm and misery,” Adalai said. “It won’t be easy. Not everyone will fight with us today. Not yet. But as they see us fighting, when they see Solen as a powerful omega, they’ll begin to see themselves in him. The omegas don’t want such conflict, and they’ll soon learn the humans have nothing for them either, if they haven’t already.”
“We have so much work to do,” Tavia said wistfully.
“We do, but this journey all of you have gone through to find your mates have shown you what you need to give back to your people,” the king said.
We were in the Badlands now, and not only the landscape had changed. Groups of soldiers had gathered in the streets. They seemed restless, waiting for direction. The energy made me sick to my stomach because it was so much bigger than me. I couldn’t control it.
The king gazed out the window, surveying the situation. I couldn’t read his expression. “We weren’t ready for peace. That’s why anything we built before now fell apart.”
“Wow, that’s pretty profound, your majesty.” Tavia grinned and I poked her. “What?”
“I thought it was beautiful.” The crowds were thickening. There was no going back. They were ready to fight. “What are we looking for?”
It was bad enough that we had unidentified red blobs coming up on radar and a bunch of omegas who weren’t exactly ready to welcome the king. We didn’t need more trouble than we already had.
“Human leadership,” Solen said. “They’ve stirred the pot. They’ll want to see if they can reap the rewards of their efforts.”
“If we can defeat Renaldo and his generals, the Keep will fall. It will be under Luxorian rule. We can free all the omegas, and discipline anyone responsible for harming them. That’s where we want to focus our efforts.” Dagger looked back at Tavia. “Ready, little firecracker?”
“I was born ready.” Tavia moved to climb out of the hatch, but then she stopped and grabbed my arm. “What the hell was that?”
“What?”
“The ground just moved. There. It happened again.”
Sand twisted, but there was no wind. It was a hot, still day that was just waiting for something to happen. Everyone turned to look where Tavia was pointing.
“How close are we to those red blotches?” I asked.
“They’re all around us,” Dagger said.
Okay. Which meant there could be a whole lot of omega females in trouble. Or something totally different. “Any signs of Renaldo?”
“His battalion is ahead,” Solen said.
That did nothing to settle my stomach.
Tavia waved her hand in front of her nose. “It reeks of humans. Like the Keep. Oh, shit.”
A mutant rose from the sand, red eyes and gnarled teeth. Their omega soul long gone. Dagger gunned the engine and ran it over.
More mutants rose from the sand. The humans had hidden their weapons underground, and now they were ready to play. The omega soldiers stood paralyzed, stunned by what they were seeing.
“We’ve got to get the army to fight.” I was panicking. For the first time since we came up with this plan, I thought we might lose. “How do we make them move?”
“We lead by example.” Solen said. “Stop the truck. We get out now and properly lead our army into this battle.”
“But the mutants.” I could shift into a wolf, but I was no match for a monster.
“Don’t worry, Ashla.” The king had never addressed me without saying omega first. It was a massive show of respect and I’d fight to show my appreciation. But the mutants scared the ever living hell out of me. “Our weapons are stronger than theirs. Especially the man that I’ve put at the helm of this operation. Your mate.”
Solen
Chapter Nineteen
My gun was already loaded with anti-juice capsules so I wasted no more time on strategy. It was time to fight.
Springing from the vehicle, Adalai and Dagger right behind me, I aimed at the nearest mutant and fired a test shot. The round exploded on impact, dousing the mutant with blue liquid. He let out a high-pitched screech and staggered backward, red eyes glowing with confusion. He contorted in a way that reminded me of shifting from human to wolf, except slower. The transition was less smooth, and incomplete, leaving the mutant almost… glitching.
My mind raced. Could this be used to reverse the effects of the juice on the mutants? Could they be redeemed? It seemed impossible, but if I’d learned anything in life, it was that there was no such thing as impossibilities.
Before I could grapple with the idea further, the mutant I fired on straightened, going back to his half-shifted, muscle jacked state. And he looked furious as his gaze narrowed on me.
Shiiiit.
One shot of the anti-juice stopped the mutant from advancing, and even temporarily altered his body. What would multiple shots do?
“It works,” I shouted back at the others. “Evander’s concoction works.”
Dagger and the king started picking off the mutants as they rose from the sand where they had waited to ambush us while I crossed over to address the terrified omega army. My own alpha soldiers were mixed among the crowd. Some were already ramping up the omegas, calling for them to fight for the king.
But no, that wasn’t what we were fighting for. Not anymore.
“For peace,” I shouted, gaining the attention of the crowd.
“For the Badlands,” one omega female spoke up. She was brave, and I could see she was respected, but it had to be more than that. These people had to fight for more than just their Badlands.
“For unity,” I argued. “For Weren.”
She gave a slight nod before raising her fist to the air. “For Weren!”
“For Weren!” the crowd chanted as Ashla and Tavia rushed to distribute the anti-juice artillery.
Turning back to the battle, I spotted more mutant Elites rising from the sand while others writhed under the anti-juice attack. Some even seemed
unable to keep fighting after the blue liquid covered their body. But the humans would show up any minute, and they were just as skilled in battle as us.
As the alpha and omega soldiers rushed in for a closer attack, I looked across the desert toward Luxoria. There would be a signal if—when—the beta rebels began their attacks. Blue smoke from Evander’s army between the Badlands and the kingdom, and purple from Cassian’s within the city. So far, there was no distress signal. But I’d be a fool to think the mutants attacking at this precise moment was for nothing. Renaldo and his men were close, maybe only seconds away, and I had a feeling they expected to see a lot more of us dead when they arrived.
A grin curled my lips.
They had no idea what was waiting for them.
I joined the fray, cutting a path through the army and mutants, delivering blow after blow of Evander’s blue stuff. Omegas shifted into their wolf forms, fighting the beasts the best way they knew how. Animal to monster. Fang to dripping fang.
My eyes continually roamed the battlefield to find my mate. Each time I spotted her, she was kicking ass and taking names, just like I knew she would.
The sound of laser weapons firing brought my gaze to the farthest part of the Badlands.
The humans had arrived.
Renaldo and his top enforcers didn’t usually see the war zone up close and personal. He preferred to have other people fight his battles. More to the point, other monsters. As if trying to steal Weren technology wasn’t bad enough, he’d taken our own people and turned them into weapons against us.
Not this time.
This time, I was going to make sure that asshole experienced the war he so brutally instigated.
Cutting across the sand, I dodged fighting soldiers and mutants doused in blue to take a spot closer to the human army. As I ran, I holstered my anti-juice weapon and pulled a laser gun free. When I got close enough to the human leader, it would be daggers and fists… to the death. But until then, I planned to carefully pick off Renaldo’s people. After this day, none of them would threaten the Weren again.
