Throne of Wolves: An Omegaverse Shifter Romance

by River Ramsey

  Chapter 26

  The plane landing makes my ears pop, but it’s relatively smooth. The airport is bustling, and as I adjust the shawl around my shoulders, the golden silk leash fastened to the collar around my neck brushes against my exposed cleavage in the absurdly revealing and embarrassing outfit Brit picked out for me. James is holding the other end of it, and even though I’d rather it be him than Rowan or Christopher, the act we’re expected to put on makes me uncomfortable. Especially when we’re surrounded by so many people.

  Then again, I guess it’s not really any different than the role I almost played for a lifetime. Looking back, it still seems bizarre that I was ready to step into life as a stranger’s status symbol.

  Maybe my liberation didn’t come at the hands of Eternus like the commander promised, but it happened little by little. The change was so gradual, in fact, that I didn’t realize just how accustomed to charting my own destiny I’d become until that choice was ripped away from me.

  What stings more than anything is knowing that I was willing to fall back in line. To be a pawn once more. Sure, it was under the guise of family honor rather than just trying to survive, but it’s so easy to resent myself for falling back into the pattern I already escaped once.

  I promise myself that this will be the last time I ever wear a leash for anyone, literally or figuratively. More than that, I’m going to do something to change the way this twisted world works—even if I have to dismantle it myself. It’s not enough anymore just to refuse to play into the hands of the man I called my father for the last twenty years of my life. I have to stop him.

  James leads me down the ramp, his hand on the small of my back. His energy is different somehow. He finally looks and acts the part of the callous vampire who thinks of nothing more than blood and how to profit off of it.

  Another alpha in a bright blue uniform comes to meet us at the bottom of the ramp as Christopher and Rowan take their places at our sides. They look the part with dark suits, sunglasses and wires coming out of their ears.

  “Mr. Shephard,” the man says, nodding respectfully to James even though I can see the disgust in his gaze when he sees me behind him. Is this what he deals with all the time? I’m ashamed that I never noticed before. Even here, where his status is supposed to be high enough to warrant entrance into the King’s court, he’s looked down on by some mid-level guard. “I hope your flight was comfortable.”

  “It was… acceptable,” James says boredly. He’s really giving his all to the role. “If you don’t mind, I’m in a hurry to get this over with. The sooner I meet with the Duke, the sooner I can get back to civilization.”

  The guard seems taken aback by his response, but he mutters, “Of course. I’ve been authorized to wire the money into your account, so if you’d like, we can take care of it right now.”

  “That won’t do,” James said firmly. “The Duke requested a personal hand-off, and I won’t be the scapegoat when he decides one of his apples is bruised.”

  Even more flustered, the guard mumbles something and opens the door to a limousine that pulls up to take us. I keep my gaze averted as I follow James into the backseat, and Rowan and Christopher pile in across from us.

  Once the door is shut, Rowan scoffs. “That won’t do,” he says in a snooty tone. Even Christopher is laughing.

  James rolls his eyes. “If I acted like I gave a rat’s ass, the guy would’ve been questioning me.”

  “He has a point,” Rowan agrees. He looks around as the modern city flies by. “I can’t believe we made it this far.”

  “Me either,” I admit, relaxing against James’ side. I realize I still don’t know what he wanted to talk to Christopher about, but it doesn’t feel like the right time to ask.

  “What the hell do you think the Duke wants a bunch of donors for, anyway?” Rowan asks.

  “Beats me,” said Christopher. “Guess we’re going to find out.”

  I don’t have high hopes that we’ll receive much help from a man whose underlings see humans as food—or pets—but this is fighting fire with fire. I just hope we’re not putting information in the hands of a man who’s even worse than Ryland.

  The drive isn’t long, and I’m surprised the castle is so close to the heart of the city. Then again, I’m surprised that it’s a literal castle with high turrets and stone walls covered in ivory. There are guards everywhere, and it takes us thirty minutes just to get through the gates. Brit’s paperwork proves to be flawlessly forged and we sail through without a hitch. It’s not until our driver pulls into the garage that I finally let myself breathe easy.

  Christopher and Rowan get out first. “After you, your highness,” Rowan says dryly.

  James subtly flips him off before helping me out of the car. Even the garage is lavish. The whole castle must be the size of the Marok pack. If this is how the Eternus wolves live, I can see how they can afford such a massive army.

  I keep my head bowed and walk behind James as we’re passed off to the next palace guard. It’s all so formal, and every open door feels like a miniature ceremony. The first hallway we’re led down has ceilings so high I can barely see the ornate patterns on them, and the sconces on the wall give the whole place an unexpected feeling of warmth. We walk along a bright red carpet and the scent of vanilla hits my nose, triggering the strangest sense of nostalgia.

  I can’t explain it, but somehow, I feel like I’ve been here before. It’s impossible, but the feeling only grows stronger as we continue down one winding corridor after another. The wooden doors speak of an era gone by, but they’re refurbished and refinished with gleaming curved handles. I’ve never seen such luxury—or such decadence.

  When I think of how so many of us in the outlands live, I can’t help but feel a twinge of anger. These are the high-born souls who make the decisions that shift our lives in an instant, probably without ever having to give a thought to the consequences the rest of us have to live with.

  “The Duke will see you shortly. Please, wait here,” says a petite woman in a pinstripe suit. She opens the door into a vast room that might as well be a house. There’s a bed, a sofa, and a library that occupies one corner big enough to be the entire dining hall back at the shelter. I smile as I think of what Aspen would say if he saw all those books, but the thought quickly turns bitter.

  James steps into the room and I follow him, taking a seat on the red velvet sofa when he drops my leash. I keep my hands in my lap and my eyes on the marble floors until Rowan closes the door behind him. Once I’m sure we’re alone, I look around. “This place is ridiculous.”

  “I think it’s kinda classy,” Rowan says, flopping down on the sofa beside me. He takes up most of it, propping his dirty boots on the glass table.

  “Try not to break anything,” Christopher warns.

  “You two should get moving,” says James, looking at Rowan and Christopher. “Try to find the King, I’ll stall the Duke for as long as I can.”

  “I’m going with them,” I say, standing as I clutch the locket against my chest.

  James frowns. “Danica, I’m not letting you leave this room.”

  “Letting me?” I challenge. “Since when do you ‘let’ me do anything?”

  His frown deepens, but I can tell he’s not backing down. This is a new side of him, and I don’t like it. “You don’t know what these people are like.”

  “I didn’t come all this way and pretend to be your pet so I could just sit by on the sidelines!” I insist. “The King’s life is in danger, and I don’t even know if he deserves to be saved, but if there’s a chance he can stop Ryland, I’m going to take it myself.”

  “She’s right,” Christopher says suddenly. “This is Dani’s fight as much as ours, and if the King is going to listen to anyone, it’ll be her.”

  If looks could kill, the one James is giving him would warrant a life sentence. Rowan seems to sense a fight about to break out and he puts a large hand out to stop Christopher, who looks like he’s about to lu
nge. “It’s a castle. This place is swarming with guards from top to bottom. Besides, we’re not gonna let anything happen to her.”

  I give Rowan a grateful look, but I can tell James still isn’t convinced. I step forward, reaching up to touch his cheek. “James, I love you,” I murmur. “But I’m not going to be another alpha’s pawn, even if it’s one I love. I’m not asking you to let me go. I’m telling you how it’s going to be, and you can either continue to support me the way you’ve done this whole time, or not.”

  His eyes shine with frustration, and I can tell he wants to argue, but at least, he sighs in defeat. He brings his hand up to mine and nuzzles my palm. “Go,” he mutters, looking sharply up at Rowan and Christopher. “If anything happens to her—”

  “I know, you’ll kill us,” Rowan says, taking me by the shoulders to lead me out of the room. “Let’s get a move on.”

  As soon as we’re on the other side of the door, I hear footsteps coming from down the hall. “Take this,” I urge, shoving the end of my leash into Rowan’s hand. He straightens his spine and does a purposeful march down the hall that I struggle to keep up with.

  “Easy,” I hiss. “Not all of us have ten-foot-tall legs.”

  “Sorry,” he whispers, growing sullen as we pass the whistling guard. The man stops, glances sideways at me, then carries on like nothing is amiss.

  “Alright,” Christopher says, leaning in. “Since you’re leading this show, any idea where you’d hide if you were the King?”

  “Based solely on the fairytales I’ve read, I’d say a tower somewhere,” I mutter.

  Rowan points up ahead to a flight of stairs. “Looks like those go up.”

  They go further up than I imagined. By the seventh flight, I’m starting to wish we’d taken the elevator. When we finally reach the top, I pause to catch my breath and tuck my locket into the band of my corset. “Okay,” I wheeze. “Let’s hope he’s up here.”

  There isn’t a higher floor to reach, at least not from this wing. Rowan opens the door and the hallway is surprisingly deserted. The fact that it’s not very well-lit makes me fear we’ve taken a wrong turn. Surely the King’s quarters would be more elegant than this, and more heavily guarded.

  “Stay here,” Rowan says, leaving me in a small cove. “I’ll go case the floor and see what I can find.”

  “I’ll come with you,” says Christopher.

  I’m annoyed that they’ve gone off without me, but they look like they belong here while it’ll be hard to explain why they’re parading an omega around. I decide to lie low until I hear movement coming from down the hall. I peek out in time to see a woman in uniform leading a group of humans in collars down a different corridor. They look terrified.

  My stomach twists in knots and I try to convince myself to stay where I’m at, but I can’t. I rush forward as quietly as I can and see the last human in line disappear into a large room.

  Before the door can fall shut, I follow them in and freeze when I see the man dressed in a golden suit decked out in every pin and embroidered patch Eternus has to offer. He turns to greet the men and women who’ve just arrived, and his face is young and surprisingly kind. He’s handsome in an almost feminine way, and his long, dark hair makes him all the more so. There’s a heavily decorated sword at his side that I’m willing to bet he’s never actually drawn, judging from his slender build and soft features.

  I can’t believe my eyes, but I think I just found the King.

  Chapter 27

  “Hello,” the King says gently as he looks at the newcomers. He takes the hand of the woman in front of him and frowns when he sees the metal band on her wrist. It’s the same one the humans in the cities wear. “Jenna, please, take these off at once, would you?”

  The woman in uniform who led the group down the hall takes out what looks like an electronic wand and waves it over the human woman’s wrist. The cuff falls off and the woman looks down in confusion, rubbing her irritated flesh.

  “I’m so sorry,” the King says, looking down at her bruised skin with what appears to be genuine sorrow, before he turns to the others. “All of you. I’m sure you’re confused, and I apologize for not being able to explain sooner, but it’s a matter of security and we can’t jeopardize these missions.”

  “What do you want with us?” one of the men Jenna hasn’t reached yet asks, his voice shaking with fear and anger.

  The King’s expression softens. “Nothing. I want to help you. After this, you’ll all be assigned to one of my most trusted employees, and you can choose either to stay here or be resettled elsewhere in the city. For those who have family in Tarka, every effort will be made to assist you in reuniting with them.”

  “You’re not going to feed from us?” another human woman asks doubtfully.

  Her question doesn’t offend the King. Rather, it seems to grieve him. “No. No, of course not, all that’s over now. You’re free to live your lives with whatever help I can offer you. I’m afraid it’s not nearly enough,” he says in a guilt-ridden tone. “But I’ll do whatever I can.”

  The murmurs of confusion spread throughout the group as Jenna tries to get to all the collars and bands. The King’s eyes finally land on me, and I freeze, realizing I’ve just been standing here in shock with the rest of them.

  “Oh,” he says, raising a hand to his chest as he gazes at me in confusion. “Hello. Can I help you?”

  I realize with one look into his soft eyes the truth that should have been obvious from the moment I entered the room. The King is not an alpha or a beta. He’s an omega. Male omegas are so rare that I’ve never actually seen one in person. As gentle males in a species where the only way to obtain power is to be capable of producing young or conquering territory, they’re often unwanted. The possibility that the King of Eternus himself is an omega never even occurred to me, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

  “Your Majesty,” I say, bowing down when I remember what I’m here for. “Forgive me for intruding, but there’s something urgent I have to warn you about.”

  “Urgent?” He frowns. “Well… come, let’s hear about it.”

  I can tell he thinks I’m just a lost, confused pet, and the fact that he’s being so kind is more of a testament to his character than my success. Either way, I have more hope of reasoning with him than before.

  The King leads me down the hall and into a room full of old books and light. Dust particles dance in the rays beaming through the windows that stretch up to the ceiling. The King stands beside an ornate globe with every human, wolf and vampire territory marked. I notice the little flags sticking up in various parts, but something makes me doubt they’re plans for conquest.

  The beautiful man watches me in deep concern. “What seems to be the trouble?” He looks around. “Are you in danger?”

  “Not me,” I say, needing to answer my own curiosity before I satisfy his. “Those humans… are you really going to help them?”

  “Of course,” he says, tilting his head. “How did you get up here?”

  “I’m sorry for intruding,” I say quickly. “But as I said before, you’re in great danger. I come from the Marok pack, and —”

  “Marok?” His eyes widen, and he actually seems frightened for a second. Fear isn’t something I’m used to inspiring in men. “This must be a joke…”

  “I’m telling the truth, Your Majesty. I swear it. My name is Danica Wake, the daughter of Sergeant Ryland Wake.”

  I see the recognition light up his face. “Sergeant Wake?” he murmurs. “My uncle tells me that he is a great man. A noble soldier who joined us and sought to bring civility back to his people.”

  “That’s one way of telling it,” I mutter. “Your Majesty, as difficult as this may be to hear, I witnessed my father and your uncle, General Harquest, plotting treason.”

  “Treason?” Up until this moment, he’s actually been listening. Now I can feel a wall between us. “My dear, I’m afraid you must be mistaken.”

  “I know how
this sounds, but I heard them myself,” I insist. “They’re planning on turning against your dynasty as soon as they’ve conquered the other two packs on the outlands border. The General has the numbers, and my father has the experience. They’ve already taken the Visath pack.”

  “If that were true, my men would have told me,” says the King, his gaze turning troubled as he looks at me in a new way. I can’t tell if he’s angry or if he pities me. “And I’m not sure what you heard, but my uncle would never betray this dynasty, or his family. He raised me after my parents and sister were killed.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, and I know firsthand what it’s like to be betrayed by someone you loved and trusted, but if you don’t act, this kingdom will fall,” I say, struggling to remain firm. I know what I heard, but his absolute belief is making even me question it.

  Now the King’s feelings are plain on his face. He watches me in pitying silence until a knock at the door interrupts us. I jump, convinced it’s one of the guards who’s realized I’m not where I belong. Instead, Jenna appears, looking curiously between us. The statuesque blonde has a beautiful if severe face and piercing blue eyes that make me fear exposure. She looks at me for a moment before turning her attention back to her king with a short bow at the waist. “Your Majesty, the party has begun and the guests await your appearance.”

  “Yes, thank you, Jenna,” he says thoughtfully, turning back to me. He touches my shoulder with a soft, sympathetic smile. “Please wait here. When I return, we’ll discuss this matter further.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” I bow to him as they leave. I know if I stick around until he gets back, I’ll end up in a butterfly net, so as soon as the coast is clear, I take off to find the others. I round the corner and literally run into Christopher. His livid eyes tell me he noticed I wasn’t where they left me.