by P. Jameson
Luxoria would be safe.
Safe for us to thrive and grow families. To heal the fractures caused by those who came before us. To be happy for the first time in ages.
As determination filled me, I was overcome by my sense of purpose. This was what I was meant to do. Who I was meant to be. An in between. A bridge, bringing our past and future together.
Suddenly all the feelings I’d lived with my whole life, of not quite belonging anywhere, feelings of betrayal and sacrifice and regret… they all made sense. They were all leading to this moment.
Ashla and Tavia fought side by side. Alpha guards were back to back with omega wolves. Adalai and Dagger laid waste to the mutants as human forces flooded in from the sides.
And in the distance… blue smoke swirling with purple.
Secure the Badlands first, my inner wolf commanded firmly. Conquer the human army, and the beta rebels will fall. Cut off the head and the snake will die. The animal was right, and I needed to trust it just like I did when mating Ashla.
Aiming for the human forces that were quickly invading the Badlands, I let my laser burn a path to Renaldo. Fire, advance. Fire, dodge, advance. Methodical and lethal. For Weren.
A ferocious growl was the only warning I got before I was tackled to the ground. My body rattled with the force of the blow as I hit the sand, a slobbering mutant hovering over me. His glowing eyes told me all I needed to know. He intended to kill me.
Struggling, I tried to buck him off, narrowly avoiding drops of acidic drool as they fell to the sand near my head with a sickening sizzle. The laser would only be an annoyance to the monster, but if I could get to my juice gun, I could get a leg up.
I kicked upward, aiming to take out a kneecap as his fangs snapped, trying to find skin to shred. I wasn’t ready to shift yet. I needed to be in my human form to get to Renaldo. With another mutant roar, spittle coated my skin, burning as his half-formed claws ripped at my side.
Shit. I wasn’t going down at the hands of a mutant. Wasn’t fucking happening.
Punching and kicking, did almost nothing, but with each hit, I was able to move farther down his body. If I could get to his legs, and cripple him somehow—
A yelp, half-animal, half-human, pierced my ears and when I pulled back my fist it was covered in blue. Anti-juice.
The mutant shrieked and contorted, rolling away as more anti-juice exploded on him. I didn’t waste any time, finding my feet and wiping the acid from my neck. Hopefully Evander had some concoction to soothe the drool burn. That shit was painful.
Across the distance, I locked eyes with my mate. Her juice gun was still aimed in our direction, and her worried gaze told me she’d just saved my ass.
An omega always fights beside their mate. I knew she was remembering the same phrase she spoke to me our first night together.
Dragging my attention away, I refocused on my target. Renaldo fought alongside his enforcers, cutting down omegas and the few alpha guards who’d made it past the mutants. Not for long if I had my way.
I continued, closing in on the human until I was fist to fist with the last of his enforcers. In one blow, the man was out cold and there was no one left standing between me and Renaldo.
“Weren,” he spat, looking me up and down like I was as significant as a cockroach. “That was my best enforcer. I’ll make you pay for this.”
He didn’t even have the respect to look worried. Didn’t he know this was the end for him?
“You used our own people against us,” I snarled. “Turned them into monsters. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Was it just the omega part of me who wanted an explanation now? The Solen who’d been an alpha soldier for so long wouldn’t have waited to hear the answer.
Renaldo pulled his daggers, marching forward, murder in his eyes as he answered. “Only that I’d do it again. A thousand times again. Your kind is an abomination.”
Fury flooded my veins. I’d heard those sentiments too many times in my life, in regards to our omegas. But these abominations were about to eliminate his forces and take back their lives.
Dagger in hand, I rushed him, taking a slice to my forearm in order to reach his midsection. He didn’t even flinch at the contact, and I knew he must be hopped up on some version of his own juice.
Shit.
He favors his left side, my animal offered. Fake an attack on the right, twist and come around from the back, finish him with a dagger to the throat. Make this quick. I was more grateful for the beast than ever.
Following the animal’s guidance, I stabbed right, waiting for Renaldo to protect himself before sidestepping him and twisting to drag his back to my front. Before he could gather himself enough to retaliate, my knife pierced his jugular, and it was over.
Over, over, over.
He twitched in my arms, and I thought of all the omegas he’d hurt. I thought of what he could have done to Ashla had he ever gotten access to her. I thought of my people in the city who he’d convinced to do his bidding.
It was over now. He could never hurt another soul.
I’d cut off the head of the snake.
Ashla
Chapter Twenty
An eerie silence fell over the Badlands. I looked to Tavia, and then to my mate, who stood over the dead body of the leader of the Human Keep.
As more omegas and soldiers realized what had happened, a cheer rose from the crowd. The resistance was over. At least this part of it.
Still clutching my weapon, I ran to Solen, and he caught me in his arms.
“Mate,” he whispered. “Are you hurt?”
“No. I’ve never been better. You killed him.”
“The anti-juice worked,” he said first to me and then repeated louder for the soldiers. “Use whatever of the blue bullets you have left on the mutants. We will appoint soldiers to round up the healing mutants so we can get them medical attention.”
My heart broke when I realized how many mutants were transforming back into their omega form. How did I not notice these people had gone missing? How did I miss the cries and the protests from their families?
The problem was, I knew, we all did, and there was nothing we could have done about it. So I blocked it out for my own sanity.
But there were so many of them.
“Do we have enough space to take care of all these people?” I asked.
Solen shook his head. “Evander will take the lead on that. It looks like he still has a battle on his hands, but as we return to the city and announce the fall of the Human Keep, the beta uprising will fall into line. The good news is there’s hope we can help the ones we thought were too far gone to save.”
“Everyone has a chance at a new life.” An unfamiliar feeling coursed through my veins. Joy. My fellow omegas were rejoicing in the streets, hugging each other and crying happy tears. Others worked with the alpha soldiers to round up the transforming mutants. But I didn’t see many omega females, and I feared they were still in those bunkers. All those infrared spots couldn’t have been mutants. There were too many of them. “What can we do to make sure everyone stays safe? There’s always chaos in transition, and I’m worried about the females in heat.”
Solen kissed my temple. “You’re always thinking of everyone else. Talk to the king. Tell him what you think is best for the females.”
“It still blows my mind that talking to the king is an option. Even more that he’ll listen.”
“He likes you. He always has, or he would’ve never given you such an important job.”
Until recently, he had a funny way of showing it. “All of the bunkers need a makeover. Soft beds, showers, and kitchens. We need to put people in charge of keeping them clean and safe. They need to look more like your secret desert bunker and less like a garbage can.”
“Those are great ideas, my little spitfire.” We walked hand in bloody hand back to our vehicle. “Today we still have battle ahead of us. But I can’t wait to get you into our bed to properly celebrate this victory.” He
climbed into the passenger’s seat, in front of the screens and controls we didn’t have to worry so much about anymore, and I hoisted myself up into his lap and straddled his massive thighs to give him a victory kiss.
“I have more ideas about that.”
“You two need a room,” Tavia said as she crawled into the back of the truck. “There’s still more ass to kick before we can get down to the real work. All that smoke, those are our soldiers fighting to keep these beta assholes from storming the castle.”
“Perhaps you have a future in speech writing,” Adalai said.
“Whoa, destroying the enemy gave this guy a sense of humor.” Tavia winked at the King. “I have no problem rallying the troops. But I hope after today neither of us have to do it for a long time.”
“We agree again, Tavia.” The King considered his own screen, which I assumed gave him information even more classified than what Solen had on the screens in front of him. “Let’s get to the other battles before lives are lost unnecessarily.”
We headed back into the city limits, shooting as many mutants as we found with the anti-juice. Reclaiming peace would be a huge job.
We encountered Evander and Rielle’s battalion first, and just our appearance was enough to make the good news about the Keep spread through the troops. But our work was far from done. They had many more betas to deal with, but they didn’t have the balls to fight the King’s battalion directly. They fell quickly, and word of our arrival beat us to the castle and Cassian’s troop.
It was surreal to walk into the castle, hand in hand with my mate, this omega general who single handedly changed the future of our city. For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged here.
But all was not calm inside the castle walls. The omega workers were frantic and scrambling. The only time I’d ever seen anything like this was far behind the scenes, out of the sight of the king, when things were going seriously wrong.
“What is happening?” I stepped forward, looking for anyone I was familiar with. I hadn’t worked in this part of the castle. Charolet would’ve been the best contact, and she was nowhere to be found.
“Where is the queen’s court?” Rielle asked, grabbing an omega by the arm. The omega’s eyes widened, like she didn’t want to tell her.
“Her majesty...is in labor. The baby is coming.”
“My rose.” The king put his hand over his heart before breaking into a run. His generals followed him, leaving the omegas behind.
We took a precious moment for a quick celebration, hugging each other and squealing before breaking into a full run to get to Zelene’s quarters.
“Is this where she’d be?” I asked. “Or would she have gone to the infirmary?”
“No. The infirmary will be overrun with mutants who are having a hard time transitioning back to their omega form,” Rielle said. “The king and queen have their own medical team. They’ll bring the equipment they need here and keep her as comfortable as possible.”
“How can anyone be comfortable when they’re having a baby?” Tavia shuddered. “Leave it to Zee to go into labor when the most pivotal battle in the history of Luxoria is going down. This baby will be a force to be reckoned with.”
Solen, Dagger, Evander, and Cassian stood outside her quarters. Hands behind their backs like the soldiers they were, guarding their queen.
A scream cut from behind the door.
“I have to go in. I’m her sister. She needs me.”
Dagger did not argue with his mate and stepped aside. Tavia opened the door just in time for another blood-curdling scream.
“I should go too. I’ve been working in the clinics. I can help,” Rielle suggested, and turned back to me. “Come, Ashla. You’ll help us keep it together the next time she screams like that. They should’ve brought her more drugs.”
“You know Zelene doesn’t want drugs.” But I was nervous to go in, because Zelene had always been so strong, and those screams made her sound so vulnerable.
“Push, my rose. Push. The head is crowning. The baby is almost here.” The King was just as vulnerable as his first baby came into the world. Zelene collapsed against the bed in exhaustion as Adalai rushed over to cover her in kisses.
“What did she have?” Rielle asked only loudly enough for me to hear her. We went up on our tiptoes to catch a glimpse as the nurse washed and swaddled the baby.
“Your majesties, may I present to you the future king of Luxoria.”
Solen
Chapter Twenty One
I waited impatiently outside Ashla’s quarters for her to accompany me to the royal celebration. After the battle and the birth of the future king, both of us were exhausted. I’d taken Ashla to my bed and we were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
Waking up to her in my arms was something I never wanted to take for granted. One kiss and I’d been ready to take her, knot her again, and mark her with my scent. However, she looked at the clock and noticed we were late.
Late.
She’d bolted out of bed, gloriously naked as she rushed to the closet for a robe. Her battle wounds were healing quickly with the help of her animal. “I have to go, Solen. I have to get ready.”
“It’s fine,” I said, lazily tucking my hands behind my head to watch her.
She looked at me aghast. “Are you kidding? This is the most important ceremony of our existence. I have to look presentable. And right now…” She glanced at her reflection in the nearby mirror. “Right now, I look like a caveman dragged me to bed and left me there for a week.”
It wasn’t a flawed approximation, but damn if I didn’t love her even more now.
The ceremony was to be a dual celebration, the king said. Part victory dance for our new unified pack, and part naming ceremony for the new baby.
I would have gladly skipped any victory celebration in place of being with my mate, but the naming of an omega heir to the throne?
Yeah, I would’ve skipped that too. But Ashla wouldn’t miss it for the world.
I grinned, remembering her words. “See, that’s the difference between you and me, mate,” she’d said. “I lived in the Badlands, and I need to see this with my own eyes. You… well, you need to see it too, but you’d rather rut.”
“Yes,” I’d told her, going in for another hot kiss. “I’m glad you understand.”
She had kissed me back. Hard. I thought I’d won…
And then she slipped my grasp and pulled on a robe faster than a palace magician, and insisted she get ready in her own quarters.
I scowled at the door, waiting for her now, pacing out my frustrations.
After tonight, there would be no more her quarters. There would only be our quarters.
I looked at my timepiece. The events would be starting any minute. Where was my mate?
As if she could hear me silently begging her to hurry, she appeared in the doorway of her room. I stopped pacing at the sight of her, forgetting how to breathe.
Ashla, my sweet tempered omega mate, was completely stunning in a turquoise bejeweled gown that no longer only belonged on a royal. The neckline fell off her delicate shoulders, revealing her fine neck and jaw. I immediately located the place where she especially liked my lips, my teeth, just to the side of her chin. I wanted to kiss her there now, but my eyes kept moving over her curves and the way the dress played them up, to a dramatic disadvantage to my cock.
Gods, how would I make it through this party without mauling her with my need?
I found her eyes where she looked at me through dark lashes. I knew that particular look. It was almost… shy. I couldn’t explain the way that look affected me, but it was one I’d witnessed so many times as we passed in the castle. As we sat in meetings with the king and queen. As she paced my outpost nervous of being caught by alpha guards.
As she so subtly declared I was her mate.
I was hers. She was mine.
I wouldn’t be so subtle with my claiming. Not now that I knew exactly who I was, and who I wo
uld forever be. Neither alpha nor omega. Neither soldier nor royal. It was simpler than that. Simpler than labels people wished upon you, or you wished upon yourself.
I was simply a man who loved a woman, and wanted to keep her forever. I knew I’d do anything to make the world safe for her, for us. There was nothing else I needed to know.
I took her hand, lifting it to my lips for a soft kiss. “My Ashla, your beauty takes my breath away.”
Her return smile was soft, her pretty, kissable lips begging for mine to capture them.
I pulled her close. “Will kissing you mess up your makeup?”
Her breath caught. “It depends,” she whispered. “On what kind of kissing you plan on.”
I groaned, imagining all the ways I wanted to take her mouth with mine. Hard and fast. Soft and tender. Messy and breathless.
“We’d better wait,” I admitted, instead, nipping her earlobe. “Because when I kiss you, I’m not going to want to stop until this dress is on the floor and you’re on my cock.”
Ashla gasped and I pulled away to watch her cheeks go pink with a blush, satisfied that my female was just as hungry for me as I was for her.
Offering her my arm, she took it and we headed to the royal ballroom where a significant crowd had gathered. Alpha, betas, and omegas alike, had arrived for the celebration. With the resistance squashed and the Badlands secured from the human forces, the ease in the room was palpable. For the first time, in perhaps ever, we all felt safe. Not just royals, not just Luxorians, but the whole Weren pack. I couldn’t remember a time like this, and it made me think of my parents’ sacrifice. What would have happened if they’d taken me with them to the Badlands, if they hadn’t made a deal with the king?
Things might be a lot different.
I might have never met Ashla, and I surely wouldn’t have become the man I was today.
I sent out a silent thanks to them, and Ashla squeezed my hand as if she could feel my thoughts.
At the front of the room, the king and queen sat on their thrones. A cradle of intricate carved wood inlaid with gold was nestled between them. Zelene looked tired but deliriously happy as she reached into the cradle to shush the crying baby. My eyes went to Adalai. Love shone on his face like the sun on a cold day. I’d never seen my king so satisfied.
