by Hawke Oakley
“Ah, there she is,” he said. “I was wondering where you’d hidden your daughter.”
My entire body tensed. “Don’t touch her. Please.”
Silas’s gaze flicked from my face to my hands, then back again. “Your magic isn’t back quite yet, is it? I know it’s not. So don’t even try to order me around, omega.”
A primal snarl surged out of me. “Don’t go near her! I’ll kill you!”
Shaking his head, Silas walked right past me. My heart turned to lead. I glanced desperately over my shoulder. All I could do was struggle in the restraints and watch my enemy approach my child.
“Stop!” I cried.
Angel, still shifted as a wolf cub, whimpered and tried to shuffle away from the strange man. But Silas bent down and easily scooped up her up. Angel let out a fearful yelp.
“Let go of her! Please!” I yelled at him.
“Relax, omega,” Silas ordered as he returned. “I’m not going to hurt your child. I’m not a monster.”
Furious, I glared at him. Angel squirmed in his arms, unharmed but understandably confused. Her wolf ears pressed flat against her head as she whimpered.
“Now what?” I snapped at Silas. “You caught me, and my daughter. You finally have us in your grasp. What’s your plan now?”
The alpha’s smug expression melted into a serious frown. “Now, I wait for my master’s return. And before you ask, I’m done answering questions. You’ll be quiet and do as you’re told from now on.”
My eyes flickered to Angel in his grasp. My heart ached. Silas was right. I was in no position to be making demands.
I’ll do anything to protect her, I thought. Even if it means swallowing my pride and listening to this bastard.
Silas’s eyes flashed when I didn’t reply. “Good. I see we’re on the same page.” With one hand, Silas reached into his armor and pulled out a pair of handcuffs attached to a chain lead. I scowled as he placed them on my wrists. He then drew his sword and cut through the magic rock restraints, which shattered and fell into a pile of debris.
He tugged on the chain. “Come now, omega.”
My face grew hot with shame. I wished Silas would drop dead but I had no choice but to follow. My daughter’s life depended on it.
3
Kassius
A warm image manifested among the darkness.
Halo laughed - a beautiful sound like chiming bells. My heart ached, like I missed him, even though my mate stood right beside me. I would’ve given anything to hear him laugh again.
“She does not look anything like me,” Halo argued, his lips turned upwards in a smile. “I swear, she only looks like you.”
“Not her hair,” I countered, “or her eyes.”
Halo rolled those gold-green eyes and sighed. “Fine. But just look at her, Kass. She’s got your face. Don’t you think?”
She was beautiful, nothing like the gruff alpha I was. All I could see was my mate’s expression in her. She resembled a goddess, she same way Halo looked like a god.
“Hm,” I said in acknowledgment, not really meaning it. “I say she takes more after you. And I’m glad about that. You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. In the world, probably.”
A deep blush filled Halo’s cheeks. He always got embarrassed when I fawned on him like this, but how could I stop myself?
I stepped closer and wrapped my strong arms around his waist, pulling him close for a kiss. He sighed and snaked his hands up my sides while kissing me back.
“You’re not gonna get rowdy in front of the baby, are you?” he murmured with a quirked brow.
“No,” I replied. “But I’d be lying if I said you weren’t tempting me.”
He laughed again. My heart squeezed with affection. There it was again - the most wonderful sound in the world.
* * *
I woke with a choking gasp. Air flooded my lungs. Overwhelmed, I jerked my head up and hit the rock hard ceiling above. Pain seared through my skull and I let out a cry of agony. My draconic voice echoed through the cavern.
Both the pain and initial panic from my dream faded. I shut my eyes and sucked in measured breaths until my heart rate slowed, then I opened my eyes with a slow exhale.
Darkness surrounded me. The surface beneath me was cool and solid. The dark granite walls around me were familiar.
I groaned as another sharp pain shot through my skull. I clutched my head in my claws like it would explode. Why was I so disoriented?
I waited out the worst of the pain, but the memory of Halo still burned like a blinding light in my mind. Dreams about him were always the worst. Even when they were good ones. Especially when they were good ones. I frowned at how warmly I felt towards him in that dream, then felt betrayed by my own subconscious.
It’s just a dream, I reminded myself firmly. It doesn’t mean anything.
I staggered to my feet again, determined to get up properly this time. Still in my dragon form, I lumbered to the source of light at the cavern’s mouth. Some fresh air would do me good. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten any.
Ancient boulders blocked the cavern entrance. At first I placed them there for safety, hoping to stop anyone from finding me. Then decades passed, and I was sure no one would come. Now I rearranged them back and forth just to have something to do every day, even though on some days I didn’t bother leaving the cavern at all.
With my sore muscles I shoved away the boulders and stepped outside. The cool breeze ghosted across my scales, making them tingle pleasantly. I inhaled a deep gulp of the crisp air, and found it so enjoyable that I did it again. It felt like the first true breath I’d taken in a long time.
Puzzled by that thought, I gazed to my surroundings. All around stood the Cinderhollow wilderness I knew so well. The same mountain. The same trees and rocks. Like time hadn’t passed. But I felt tired, my bones weary. Fatigue hit at the same time that the memories slowly seeped back into my mind.
The truth was that I’d been alive for a very, very long time.
As if every bone in my body would snap from exertion, I sat carefully and slowly, then curled my spiny tail around myself as I surveyed the mountain valley below.
The more time passed, the more it seemed to slow down. I couldn’t remember what I’d done in the past year, or the year before. I couldn’t remember what I did yesterday. The last clear memory I held must have been a few decades ago. Or was it the last century?
In any case, it didn’t matter. Time meant nothing to me anymore, and neither did memories. All I had was the present. A horrible past, and no hope for a future.
Early morning mist rolled over the mountain. In the distance stood Cinderhollow proper, the bustling town - or was it a city now? - filled with shifters of all kinds. My old home. The tribe I gave up everything for. And all for what? Nothing was ever worth it, in the end.
With a snort, I got up and walked away from my rocky ledge. I hadn’t stepped foot inside Cinderhollow for four hundred years, and I wasn’t about to start now. My mate was gone. My child was gone. I had nothing left to do except wait to die.
My stomach felt empty and hollow. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but I couldn’t muster the willpower to hunt. Maybe I would dig mice out of the cavern crevices and eat those before passing out again. Anything to get my mind off these sudden intrusive memories of Halo.
“Don’t you dare come near me!”
As soon as I heard the sudden voice, I stopped. It echoed from somewhere in the distance.
Was my mind playing tricks on me, or did the voice sound achingly familiar?
I didn’t move, or dare to breathe. I strained my ears, listening for more words. A muffled, angry conversation could be heard somewhere in the valley, too far away to make out anything meaningful.
I was torn between wanting to investigate the noise and lumbering back to my hole and sleeping. I didn’t need any trouble. I could easily ignore the voice and go back to minding my own business, like I’d been doing fo
r the last few centuries.
But that voice…
Something inside me screamed to investigate, a nagging urge I couldn’t ignore. With a frustrated growl, I spread my wings and shook them out. They felt sore from disuse. Nothing like the powerful wings they’d been in my prime - during my time in the Knights.
I rolled my shoulders, hearing them crack. Then with a massive effort I pushed myself off the rock ledge and took to the sky. The cold wind felt refreshing under my stiff wings. I followed the source of the noise, preparing myself for whatever I would find.
I caught the tail end of the conversation before it died out. Not wanting to reveal myself, I stayed a healthy distance away from the source of the noise, which I recognized now as coming from the two figures below the canopy of trees. Swooping down quietly to the ground, I shifted to my human form to keep as small as possible. I didn’t want anyone to know I was alive, not even after all these years. The last thing I needed was for my strange curiosity to blow my cover.
The voices went quiet as the sound of a chain rattled. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the figures ahead as they began to climb the mountainside. The one in front was tall with brown hair, and the other behind him -
My world stopped.
My jaw fell open with an airless gasp. The second figure, the one whose chains rattled; the one with the smaller, lithe frame; the one with golden blond hair that glowed like sunlit wheat -
It was my former mate, Halo Fire-Eater.
My head spun so fiercely that I had to sit down. I clutched my hair, tugging on it painfully to try and bring myself back down to earth. I needed logic and reason, not overwhelming and conflicting emotions.
No, it wasn’t Halo. It couldn’t be. Halo had been gone for hundreds of years.
But I knew all this time that he wasn’t dead. The Cinderhollow barrier - bright and strong - was still standing.
My mind screamed in rebellion at the thought of Halo’s return. I refused to believe it. He was gone, and it was for the best. Good riddance. He proved long ago that he wanted no place in my life. In the life we built together.
But my refusal slipped. I glanced back at the figure, walking listlessly behind the first as the chains continued to rattle. Could it be my mind was playing tricks on me? That person could have been anyone. Halo wasn’t just blond hair and a lithe figure.
A frown crossed my lips as I recognized the bigger picture. Why was there someone chained up on the outskirts of Cinderhollow? Who were these people?
All my experiences as a Knight flooded back to me. No matter who the figures were, something was definitely wrong. As a Knight, I stood for justice and fairness, and I always helped the weak. Despite the overwhelming drag of my depression calling me back to my cavern to ignore all this and sleep, I couldn’t let myself fall into that trap. I needed to do something.
But despite the sudden rush of determination, I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was incredibly weary. My muscles and bones ached, my wings grew more sore with every flex, and even the short flight from my cavern had exhausted me.
Is this what I’ve become? I thought sadly. A pathetic shell of my old and proud self?
As much as I hated the thought that I was incapable of helping someone in my current state, I knew I had to retreat for now and recuperate.
Just for a day or two, I promised silently. I thought of the blond being led away in chains and felt a pang of sympathy. I’ll come back for you, I swear.
I waited for the figures to disappear, then shifted quietly back into my dragon form before taking to the skies. The return flight to my cavern was quick yet tiring, but despite the fatigue my veins were filled with a new fiery determination, like a lit spark. I wouldn’t let myself spiral any longer. Someone out there needed a Knight to save them - they needed me. I wasn’t going to let them down.
A dark voice nagged me. What if it really is Halo?
I paused, unsure. Could I face Halo again after all we’d been through? I’d given up on him centuries ago. I never expected him to return to my life, and especially in such an abrupt way.
Was that why today felt different? I could have chosen to stay in my cavern and ignore the outside world, but I didn’t. Something pulled me - a deep, thrumming sensation I couldn’t ignore, like a buried and untouched magnet.
It’s not Halo, I insisted. It’s only a coincidence. He’s not the only omega with blond hair, and he’s definitely not the reason I decided to go outside today.
But I couldn’t resist the onslaught of doubt. It could be Halo. What if it was? What should I do then? Just ignore him?
The old anger towards him kindled in my chest, but it was quashed with the memory of someone else - my daughter. Our daughter.
I hadn’t seen her among the two figures, and despite my frustration with Halo, I know he wouldn’t let Angel out of his sight. The two of them must have been together, wherever they were.
Maybe it’s not Halo after all, I thought with a brief hopefulness. That would make this so much easier.
Regardless of who I was saving, I needed to rest and regain my strength. Scraping by eating mice scavenged from the rock crevices wouldn’t do any longer. I needed to hunt a real meal, and get a good night’s rest.
Because tomorrow, I was no longer Kassius, the forgotten alpha lost to time.
No, once more I would become Kassius the Knight.
4
Halo
“Where, where could it be…”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Silas continued talking to himself. Despite being obviously lost, the idiot alpha kept acting like he knew exactly where he was going and that he knew the Cinderhollow wilderness like the back of his hand. Yeah, right.
“I could have sworn it…”
Unable to take it any longer, I rattled my chains passive-aggressively and said, “Lost, Silas?”
He glared at me over his shoulder. “Watch your tongue, omega. Don’t forget that you’re still my prisoner.”
With the handcuffs and chains, how could I forget?
But Silas still held my daughter Angel in his arms. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t put a single toe out of line. Not until she was safe. The moment my drained magic returned, I was going to turn Silas into a burning crisp and spit on his ashes.
Silas grumbled to himself and jerked on the chain, hauling me behind him. I scowled. He had some nerve treating me this way. The furious part of me knew that if I was an alpha, he wouldn’t dare use such demeaning displays and force. But as a lowly omega, what did I know? All I was good for was popping out kids and doing what I was told.
Bunch of fucking idiots, is what alphas are…
“Ah! Finally,” Silas said, beaming with satisfaction. I paused my murderous thoughts to survey the scene. In front of us stood an old, rickety cabin, probably abandoned ages ago.
“This is what you were excited to find?” I mumbled.
Silas ignored me. He fumbled with a key in his pocket only to discover that the lock on the door was broken. “I suppose that’s to be expected after all these years,” he said to himself.
He frowned at it before pocketing the key and pushing through the door. I wasn’t thrilled about following him into a musty old cabin, but I didn’t have much of a choice.
At least it was a roof over our heads. While Silas examined the place, I fantasized about murdering him with a rock and taking over the cabin. That would have been funny.
“Everything seems to be in order,” Silas muttered to himself. Distracted, he placed Angel on the floor. She had been half-asleep, and when suddenly put on the ground, she fell over. It was only a slight stumble but it filled me with boiling rage.
“Hey!” I snapped. “If you’re not gonna let me out of these cuffs, then do a better job of watching my kid!”
To my surprise, Silas’s eyes widened and he quickly bent over to pick up Angel before placing her in an old child carrier on top of a chair in the corner of the room. “There.”
I growl
ed. Testing what I could get away with, I commented, “It’s all dusty. She’ll get sick.”
Frowning, Silas picked her up again and swept the dust away with his hands. When I shook my head, he grabbed a damp cloth and cleaned it up further, grumbling about it. Then he set her down gently in the carrier and buckled her up.
I narrowed my eyes. Why did Silas care so much? If he wanted to kill me like I thought, why didn’t he just do so instead of chaining me up and taking care of my daughter?
“She’s too far from me,” I complained now. “I need to be closer to her.”
Silas glared at me but wordlessly complied. He tied the chain to the arm of the chair. My mobility was still limited, but I was by my daughter’s side and could at least hold her hand.
Then I realized something. The carrier Angel was inside wasn’t any old carrier - it was hers. From four hundred years ago. It looked slightly worse for wear after a few centuries, but it was definitely the same one - it even had her name embroidered in the fabric. My heart stung with bitterness when I recalled that Kass was the one who did that.
Did Silas steal that from our home?
Silas was hovering over me with a nasty glare.
“There. Now be quiet, omega,” Silas growled.
“Yes, sir,” I muttered.
He didn’t seem to notice that my comment was sarcastic. By his expression and motions, I could tell Silas was distracted. I needed to squeeze more information out of him. There was too much I didn’t know, and I hated being left in the dark.
“Why not just kill us now?” I asked bluntly. The question made him flinch, and he whipped around with a glare.
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” he muttered. “I told you to be quiet.”
“It’s not a stupid question. I don’t have any magic right now. You could do anything you want to me.”
That wasn’t quite true. In my veins I felt the slightest flicker of magic returning, but it wasn’t enough to kill Silas. Either way, he didn’t need to know the entire truth. Acting weak would serve me better right now.
