Lost Omega

by Noah Harris

  Dylan’s own group was smaller: only four of them. Himself, the falcon shifter Benjamin, a witch named Jesse, and a beta wolf shifter named Kara.

  “Arulean is approaching the premises,” Dylan said, finger pressed to his earpiece. He stayed low to the ground, eyes trained on the shadow that emerged from the tree line across the field.

  While each of the small teams had run through the woods toward the compound, Arulean had taken his time. He walked from their camp to Thoric’s mansion in human form, unrushed and unhurried, hands clasped behind him and chin held high. Had it not been for the hard look in his eyes, the purse of his lips, and the fiery rage of his aura, he might have looked like he was out for a leisurely stroll.

  “He’s coming through the trees,” came Dylan’s voice, clipped, low, and informative. “He’s moving across the lawn toward the mansion.”

  While Blake couldn’t stop Dylan from being a part of this mission, once he accepted that Dylan would do as he pleased (no matter how much it pained him to do so), Dylan was a lot more willing to settle for a compromise.

  As such, Dylan was assigned a team of observers. Their job was to stay within the tree line, on the higher ground, keeping an eye on the compound as a whole. He was to report to the rest of the teams on what was happening with the dragons and if there was anything they needed to know, while the rest of the teams were dealing with Thoric’s followers personally.

  It wasn’t an action-packed duty, which made Blake feel marginally better about the whole thing. Dylan was still in danger; they all were. Blake was arguably in more danger, being out in the open where two alpha dragons would no doubt be quarreling. But Blake knew how to pick his fights, and he knew when to concede.

  Besides, it was too late to go back now. At least this way he got to listen to his mate’s voice and know whether he was okay or not.

  “Thoric is out in front of the house,” Dylan continued. “He looks smug and unassuming,” he added, lip curling. ”He doesn’t seem to realize we’re all here. Or if he does, he doesn’t care.”

  “What’s he doing?” Blake asked.

  “Nothing. Just watching Arulean, who’s slowly walking across the lawn toward him.”

  “Any sign of his followers?”

  “No—wait. Yes. There’s a group of witches coming out of the house. They’re lining up behind him. Ariel tells me Abel is the one in the center. They all look at ease and confident. No reason to suspect they know we’re here.”

  “Good. Teams, prepare to move. You know your missions. Keep reporting what you see so we’re not blind in there. Everyone try to keep as quiet as possible until we have Rajiah and Remi safely with us. Everyone ready?”

  “Aye.”

  “Roger.”

  “Copy.”

  “Yessir.”

  “Distraction team, are you in place?” Blake asked, and despite the outward calm of his voice, Dylan could hear the build up of energy that lay beneath. Blake was wound tight as a bowstring, ready to snap, to release, to spring into action. He could feel the tension leaking through their bond. Beneath the tension, though, Blake was calm in the face of danger, ready for action, icy and dangerous, and it made heat rush through Dylan, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

  He was no stranger to his own attraction to Blake’s serious side.

  “Aye. Just waiting on the word.”

  “Dylan?” Blake prompted.

  “Arulean has stopped. Thoric and him are talking now. Slow and steady, just like we thought.”

  “Alright, we’re moving in. Teams two and three, keep an eye on the perimeter, move in as close as you can while staying under cover.”

  “Got it.”

  “There’s movement in some of the front windows. Everyone seems to be curious and watching what’s going on.”

  “Good. Let’s keep ‘em that way,” Blake said. “We’re moving in. Lux?”

  The line went silent, and Dylan found himself holding his breath as they infiltrated the compound. Blake had found blueprints of the building after a lot of digging, which gave them at least a floor plan to work with. They would have to learn the finer details of the layout on the fly. Blake hadn’t been able to hack into the security system but would need to do so quickly once they were inside to help them locate where Rajiah was being kept.

  “Thoric is not like Lyphnia,” Arulean had said the night before, voice low and dangerous. He had sounded indifferent but it was merely hiding the storm of emotion swirling through his aura. “He wants Rajiah to be his mate and to raise Remi as his own son, and he will do it by force if necessary, but he will attempt to lure them onto his side first. He will do so with false pleasantries. They will not be kept in the dungeons. They will be close, captives but kept in luxury.”

  So, thanks to Arulean’s insight the infiltration team at least had a general direction to head in. Up to the bedrooms instead of down to the dungeons. Still, it wasn’t much to go on. But Dylan trusted his alpha. Blake was in his element, and Dylan had been witness to his incredible ability to sneak around places and gather information, hiding in the heat of the moment. He knew from experience his mate was capable of doing this.

  And Blake wasn’t alone. He had witches to counteract enemy witches and act as magic detectors for the spells they may not see coming. He also had shifters with him who had keen senses and were light on their feet. They would all keep each other safe. Dylan was sure of that.

  The seconds ticked by as the two dragons stood facing off, a line of witches standing some distance behind Thoric. The silence over his earpiece was thick, stretching out and making his chest ache. By the time he heard Blake’s voice crackle back to life, it felt like an eternity had passed.

  “Dylan. Report.”

  “Nothing has happened.”

  There was a brief pause. “It’s been nearly fifteen minutes.”

  “Yeah, and either Arulean is doing a great job of distracting him, or Thoric wants to take his time to gloat. But either way, they haven’t done anything besides talk. There have been some gestures, but that’s about it. We can’t hear what they’re saying. The witches still look relaxed, so I don’t think they’ve detected you.”

  “Alright, keep an eye on them and let us know when anything changes. Anything. Everyone else, report.”

  “All clear on the western side.”

  “All clear to the east.”

  “All clear behind the compound.”

  “Good. Let’s hope it stays that way,” Blake said.

  “You got it. How’s it going in there?” Dylan asked.

  “We’ve infiltrated the compound, and so far we haven’t run into anyone. They’re all staying by the front windows to watch. I’m hacking into the security system now to help us get a better read on the place.”

  “How’s the security system?”

  He could hear the smirk in Blake’s voice. “Child’s play. Seriously. I think I could have hacked this at age fifteen.”

  Dylan chuckled. “Show off.”

  A trickle of fondness came through their bond, just enough to make his chest warm and for a tingle to pass through him. “You love it.”

  “Please stop flirting over the comms.” Came an exasperated voice that he recognized as one of the team leaders, a wolf shifter by the name of Noah.

  There was a variety of gagging sounds and soft, muted laugher, and Blake chuckled. “No promises.” Then his voice shifted into something more serious. “I found Rajiah’s room. Remi is with him. We’re moving up. Everyone keep an eye and ear out. We’ll let you know when we reach them.”

  Silence settled among them once more. Dylan hunched down further on the hillside, crouching in the shadows near his companions. All of them had eyes on the scene below, the confrontation between the two dragons. Despite being well out of earshot, none of them dared to speak more than was strictly necessary.

  As they watched intently they all noticed the shift in atmosphere. Dylan’s finger was pressed to his ear piece even as his
companions started shifting restlessly. “Blake, we have a problem.”

  There was a pause before Blake’s voice crackled through the earpiece, pitched soft and low. “What’s going on?”

  “Arulean is getting restless. Thoric is still talking, but it’s gone from gloating to more aggressive. He’s taken a few steps forward, and Arulean has backed up.” His voice turned dry. “It seems he hasn’t been able to keep Thoric focused on his villain speech, so now it’s devolved into an argument. Their auras are starting to become suffocating. We can feel them from up here. The witches haven’t done anything, but they’ve taken a couple of steps back, and they seem to be grouping closer together, talking to themselves. They don’t look very sure of themselves any more.”

  Adalaide’s voice filtered through a moment later. “What is Abel doing?”

  Dylan’s gaze flickered to the line of witches, narrowing in on the man in the center. Even from this distance, Dylan could see similarities between him and Adalaide. “He’s just standing there. He’s the only one who still looks confident. The others behind him have fallen back a bit, but he’s just standing there, watching the dragons, smiling. He’s doesn’t seem worried at all.”

  “Confident and cocky, as always,” Adalaide growled, then sighed. “As long as he thinks he’s won, we have the upper hand. Let us know the second he acts differently.”

  “Got it.”

  “Have the dragons made physical contact?” Blake asked.

  “Not yet. Arulean is keeping space between them.”

  “Good. If he flies away or fights, then Thoric and the witches will pull out Rajiah. We don’t want them anywhere near that room.”

  “Arulean won’t fight,” Dylan said with certainty, “not as long as they have Rajiah and Remi. If they move to capture him, he won’t resist.”

  “Then I guess we should free them before that happens. Keep us updated.”

  “You, too.”

  Dylan’s gaze was locked on the witches, watching for any sign that they might have noticed a breach in their spells, so he didn’t notice the atmosphere around the dragons shift. Not until he caught the movement of Benjamin shifting nearby.

  “Uh oh,” Benjamin muttered under his breath, crawling forward on the grass, positioning himself low down on the crest of the hill, his eyes narrowing. Dylan followed his gaze to the dragons. Thoric had moved forward, tension making his body stiff and his shoulders rise. Arulean hadn’t moved, but there was a stiffness in him too, that hadn’t been present a moment ago. “We got trouble.”

  Dylan pressed a finger to his ear piece. “Blake, you need to hurry.”

  The answer was near instant. “Report?”

  “Thoric has lost his patience. The witches are stepping forward. They’re surrounding Arulean. I think they mean to contain him. He looks anxious, wary, but he’s not doing anything about it.”

  “And he won’t. Not until we have Rajiah. Keep us updated, we’re going in. Everyone stay alert. They’re going to notice us any moment now. Arulean, I know you can hear us. We’ve almost got them. Just stay strong.”

  “The witches are converging on Arulean,” Dylan continued, narrating as the scene below him unfolded, keeping his voice low and clipped. “They’re tying his hands behind his back with some sort of...rope. An enchanted rope. It’s glowing.”

  “That’ll keep him from shifting.” Jesse leaned over, whispering quickly, her eyes wide. He could smell the fear leaking into her scent.

  Dylan pursed his lips. “Jesse says it’ll keep him from shifting until they can get other spells in place. He’s just glaring at Thoric, but he’s not fighting it—“

  “We’re at Rajiah’s door,” Blake said, cutting in. “Everyone stay alert. Once we break through this barrier, every witch in the place is gonna know we’re here. Distract them where you can until we get Rajiah and Remi out of here.”

  “They’ve pushed him to his knees, hands tied behind his back. He’s still staring at Thoric who’s standing over him and seems to be gloating again, which is good. I’m being told that as long as they don’t finish the binding spell, Arulean should be able to break free of the ropes.”

  “It’s a standard barrier,” Adalaide’s voice came over the comms. low and soft, but echoing strangely as it radiated ancient power. “Created by our coven’s combined magic, but blood bound to Abel. Only those with permission can pass through it, but only Abel can change the permissions or alter it. Thankfully, I am of his blood, and I should be able to break through it.”

  A moment later, a bright light caught Dylan’s attention, dragging his eyes from the dragon’s showdown to the building. From the windows of a room on the third floor, a bright light began to glow, angry and red. Energy crackled loudly, snapping and reaching out with invisible currents of magic. A wind whipped up around the building, spreading out into the field. As the wind gusted past the witches, they all began to turn, the dragons followed suit. The light grew brighter, stronger, and Dylan had to lift a hand to shield his eyes from it, squinting against the wind.

  Distantly, he could have sworn he heard chanting.

  It felt like an eternity passed, but it couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds.

  Then there was a loud crack. It shook the building, vibrating through the soles of their feet, loud and deafening. A flare of blue and white light.

  And all at once, the barrier shattered like glass, bursting into shards of red and white, the ear splitting crack making Dylan’s ears ring. The shards shot outward from the building at high speed before stopping about a foot from it, hovering in the air as if in a void, turning and spinning in slow motion, before they all seemed to dissipate into smoke, wafting upwards before disappearing into nothing.

  It all happened so fast, the lights were still flashing behind Dylan’s eyes and the sounds still rang like echoes in his ears. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and refocus his eyes. Everyone seemed to stand still for a moment, frozen in time.

  Then Dylan found his voice. “What the hell was that?”

  “That,” Blake said, in awe and sounding shaken. “Was the barrier around Rajiah’s room shattering.”

  “Get them and get out of there! Everyone is staring at the house, and they do not look happy. Abel and Thoric are talking—Abel is headed back toward the house, and a couple of witches are following him. He looks furious. Thoric is stomping over to Arulean—pushing him over. This doesn’t look good Blake—”

  “Just one more minute, that’s all we need.”

  That minute seemed to last an eternity. It dragged out, long and slow, as Dylan watched chaos break out below.

  The witches only hesitated for a moment before sprinting back toward the building. From the edges of the forest, he could see the other groups as their teammates moved in as backup. When he turned his attention back to the dragons, Thoric was advancing on Arulean, but Arulean stepped back, crouching low, his posture defensive and angry. The witches that had been tying him up scurried away, gaping openly as the rope wrapped around him began to glow brightly.

  Dylan’s breath caught in his throat as Thoric leap at Arulean, tackling him to the ground as they rolled over on top of one another.

  “Blake, status report. Now,” Dylan demanded, pushing himself to his feet, as his team did the same. None of them were certain if they should stand firm or flee. Their job was to watch, but they didn’t know what was going to happen. Nervous anticipation made their scents sting Dylan’s nose, sour and metallic. “Thoric has Arulean pinned, he’s struggling but he can’t fight back. Abel and the witches are running back to the mansion. What’s happening in there?”

  “We have Rajiah and Remi.” He said quickly. “Arulean, we have them. They’re safe with us. We’re on our way out of the mansion. You can do what you—“

  He didn’t need to finish the sentence.

  A loud and mighty roar shook the very foundation of the house and surrounding forest. One that was primal and enraged. It shook Dylan down to his core, s
etting off every instinct inside him. He felt his bones and joints ache with the overwhelming need to shift. His inner wolf paced just below the surface, teeth snapping and tail whipping. It wanted out. He needed to run. To fight. To hide.

  Despite being a good distance away, he could feel Arulean and Thoric’s combined auras pressing on his skin. He felt it to his very core. The pressure nearly forcing him to his knees. He grit his teeth as a second roar joined the first.

  “Holy—Arulean shifted,” Dylan said, through the comms., voice in awe. “Despite the enchanted rope, he shifted. He shouldn’t be able to do that, but—we have a dragon fight out here. Get out of there.”

  The response was delayed, and when it came it was no more than a whisper but it held a tone of defiance and a strangely energetic flare. “We’re on our way, babe.”

  12

  There was something beautiful about two dragons fighting. Beautiful yet terrifying.

  Dylan’s instincts were telling him to run. His inner wolf was on edge, pacing near the surface, urging him to run, to protect his unborn child, to find his mate. He did none of those things. He stayed exactly where he was, poised to flee without having the actual energy to do so. His body was frozen in place, eyes latched onto the two large, scaled forms on the field down below. It was terrible and terrifying, their auras clashing, alpha scents overpowering in ways that only dragons could create, but still he couldn’t move.

  All he could do was watch. Luckily, watching was his job right now.

  He and his team were situated just on the forest’s edge. Their vantage point was up on a hill, giving them a perfect view of the field, lawns, and mansion in the valley. With their enhanced senses, they were easily able to see what was going on below. Benjamin had even better eyes as a falcon shifter and was able to fill in the blanks. Even Jesse, the witch assigned to their team, was able to enhance her eyesight to keep an eye on the other witches.