by Iris Sword
Coming to a stop near the campfire, Luna finally shrugged and gave in. As much as he was trying to ignore her, Ersama had a way of pestering until he broke anyway. Muttering underneath his breath, Luna said, “Some bitch in heat. You can’t smell them on the wind?”
Ersama’s jet-black eyes widened into saucers, depths glowing with sudden understanding, “Ah! That’s it! Must have forced him into rut. No wonder he’s been soaking us in his pheromones since the battle. Poor Nox… But, how?”
“How?” Luna plopped down on a log as she crouched beside him, bagging green pants and black tunic hugging her muscles, gray boots caked in dirt. Luna pulled off his ceremonial robes and dumped them beside him, his matching outfit pristine.
“How can you smell this omega? I smell nothing, and I’m unmated! They’d have to be pretty close, don’t you think, for their scent to even carry on the wind? Luna? Luna! Are you not listening to me again? Gloria’s tears! It’s like talking to a wall with you...” Erasma nipped at his fingertips to get his attention, but he brushed her off with a flick of his wrist. There were only the three of them, all alphas, even if Luna wasn’t a noble. So why could only Nox and he smell the omega? Their scent was faint, in Luna’s opinion, but strong enough that an unmated alpha should smell them. Nox seemed entranced by the smell, and it dawned on Luna that the omega’s scent was stronger to him. Which, all things considered, made no sense as Erasma pointed out. It had been days since they crossed the artificial border between Haem and the Empire, and the smell was most definitely coming from the north, which meant the omega was riding their rear. It was a mystery he didn’t care to unpack at that moment. As his hazy purple gaze landed on Nox’s broad back, faced towards the setting sun and standing downwind, Luna scowled. Whoever the omega was, they spelled only trouble. Of this, Luna was certain. He didn’t need mystic divination or revelations through fervent prayers to foresee the danger ahead.
RUDY
Rudy pushed himself until he reached the edge of the sprawling Village of Kurwen before giving up for the night. His ankle throbbed, stomach groaned with hunger, and he could feel a migraine-like pressure building in his skull. If his hunger or the cold didn’t kill him first, his injured ankle surely would. Rudy felt like he was dragging along a dead body by the time the moon rose high in the sky. He shifted back to his natural state after removing his clothes and folding them near the base of a tree. The last thing he wanted to do was rip apart his last change of clothes and arrive at the gates naked and alone. Rudy curled up under the tree and attempted to rest, but sleep eluded him as the pain intensified, only, it wasn’t just his ankle anymore. A gnawing ache spread from his stomach to every inch of him, concentrated right underneath his navel. Rudy wondered if his wound had become infected, inflamed as it was. Then, through the haze of pain, he realized that that was impossible. He merely sprained his ankle, or at worst, was walking on a broken ankle. Nothing had cut him deep enough during the fall to warrant the amputation he was on the verge of begging for. He’d checked. Besides, he wouldn’t ache all over and feel so hot from an infection so suddenly, not in his gut at least. Pus, darkened skin, and leaking fluids would be the tell-tale signs Rudy surmised, not the overwhelming feeling of emptiness, and the need to be filled, that was the hallmark of his sudden strange affliction.
“Damn it all!” Unable to keep himself contained, his inner wolf retreated and his human body emerged. Rudy’s dark brown eyes drifted downward, amazed to find his cock rock hard and slick with pre-cum. It made no sense, and yet, his senses guided his actions. He wrapped his hand around the base, slowly sliding to the tip and back again until he found a rhythm that kept his arousal building. He pumped his cock until the motion itself was painful, yet he found no release. Far from it, he felt even hornier than before. Rudy got to his knees and fell forward, whimpering all the while.
Something is missing, he thought, as he knelt forward and clasped his left cheek in his calloused hand. He continued to fondle himself, shocking himself to his very core as he played with his bum from behind. Rudy had never felt the urge to touch himself down there, but now he did, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt what he was craving.
“Alpha…” His voice was but a whisper, but he felt as though he screamed for the unknown pureblood lurking just outside his field of vision. Now it all fell into place, the persistent scent of pureblood pheromones on the wind, the way he’d found it hard to keep his true form, and now the hallmark of an omega’s heat. None of it was a coincidence; a pureblood alpha had blown his cover wide open.
“There you are, omega...” an unknown voice howled. Rudy flinched. Then, he came so hard and so long he thought he’d lose the ability to produce semen ever again. He slumped forward, eyes rolling back, nipples hardening as he came down from an explosive high. Rudy’s eyes shifted, now crimson red in color. He tried to prepare himself to attack. He’d be dead before he allowed himself to be raped. But he went limp as the alpha materialized beside him and lifted Rudy into his arms as if he weighed nothing. He carried him like a bridegroom, Rudy’s naked body plastered to the stranger’s equally naked body. His face was turned from him, looking at something in the distance. Rudy traced the side of his sharp jawline, marveling at his pale skin. Compared to his permanent olive tone, it was like the alpha had rarely stepped outside to tan, let alone ever have the sun beat down on his back as Rudy had since childhood. His hair was an ashen blonde, a strange mixture of color almost gray, but not quite. It was styled like a warrior’s, shaved sides with the rest of his hair left long in the center of his head, tapering off at the base of his neck. He was young, fit, and if his aura was any clue to his personality, a cocky bastard. Even in his relaxed state, through the fog of his heat-stricken mind, Rudy could feel the alpha trying to suppress his power, subdue him, bend his will to his “superior” power. Rudy wasn’t having any of it, panting, face flushed, as he struggled out of his arms. He hit the ground and began to crawl, but was dragged back by his ankles. He wailed, the pain of that alpha’s tight grip excruciating.
“Who?” The question lingered in the air as the alpha got down on all fours, embracing Rudy from behind, one hand around the back of Rudy’s throat, and the other balancing his body just above his. He rubbed his erection against Rudy’s backside and in between his bottom, a strangled moan escaping his lips. His voice was deep, deeper than Rudy expected it to be. He was hairless and lean, and for some reason, the omega expected him to be much younger than he obviously was.
“None of your business! Release me! Ah!” Rudy gasped as two thick calloused fingers slid inside of his wet ring, moaning all the while. The alpha worked him for some time, panting and cursing underneath his breath as Rudy got wetter and harder until he was on the verge of tears. The alpha suddenly pulled out and flipped him to his back, conscious of his ankle as he laid the omega down with care. A hard knot pressed against Rudy’s stomach, and his rational mind reawakened. It was only when the stranger grasped his cock, working it with his in between their stomachs, was Rudy made keenly aware of his status. An alpha, a pureblood at that, was using his body as he pleased. The wave of pheromones was undeniable, and something intrinsic within Rudy let him know the truth even if his mind couldn’t wrap around it. This alpha wasn’t just any alpha. If he was, Rudy wouldn’t have attracted him in the first place. This alpha had tracked him for days, potentially weeks, and never lost his faint scent. His alpha’s hand sped up, working their dripping need to the cusp of another, now shared, orgasm. He’d never felt so hot in his entire life and willing to give himself completely over to another. Rudy wondered vaguely if he was going into heat because he was in the arms of his fated mate? The notion seemed childish at best. But, it was the only thing that could explain what was happening to him, the way he was soaking wet in a place that was unnatural for him a mere day ago, allowing himself to be fondled by some rogue alpha while loving every moment of it. The gods’ natural lubricant. That’s what the scholars had called it in the orphanage when they exp
lained why he and his sister Rosemaria couldn’t play with the other children anymore. The twin realizations that all his worst fears were being confirmed and that he was being taken advantage of made Rudy’s mind kick into action. He reeled back and slammed his forehead against the alpha’s nose. The alpha, in turn, sprung up and stumbled backward, obviously shocked, as Rudy shifted and took off.
Unfortunately, Rudy didn’t get far. Within minutes, his form was unstable. Seconds later, he was human once more. He cowered deep within the evergreen forest, delirious from his spiking hormones and drunk on adrenaline.
“Come back!” He heard the alpha roar, though he couldn’t tell which direction his voice was coming from. Rudy refused to give in to his desire to run back into his arms and allow him to do whatever he pleased. He told himself that was his inner wolf speaking, the false desire his omega blood conjured up in him. He wouldn’t debase himself just because his blood said he was predestined too. Not for the alpha chasing him. Not for any man or Kin. He hadn’t sacrificed his life in Haem to become some alpha’s bitch.
But, before the omega could take off and run again, he found himself trapped in a tight embrace from behind. He struggled, kicking, hitting, and nipping at whatever he could get his paws and claws on, and then his human feet, nails, and teeth. His loud and relentless struggle for freedom was met with stony silence and a hardening grip, the alpha forcing him back into his human skin before suddenly letting him go. Rudy tumbled to the forest floor and spun around, jumping to his feet, then collapsing on his hands and knees as his ankle gave out on him. He glanced up, now kneeling before the stranger as if he were praying to the God of Twilight as he had done to the Goddess of Sunrise that morning.
“Where do you think you’re going, omega? My need is great, and your heat strong. Submit! You’re injured already. My rut will be unbearable if you persist with your futile struggle...” the alpha barked out, the vibrations of his voice rumbling through Rudy’s chest. He forced himself back onto his feet, biting his lips so he could suppress his pain. He steeled himself to look the stranger in the eye and deny his birthright over him, just because he was born an alpha and Rudy an omega, a half-breed to his pureblood. However, as he locked eyes with his honey-brown gaze, all of Rudy’s resolve crumbled and his inner wolf howled, longing to be subdued by the domineering alpha before him glistening with sweat and staring at him like he was the only thing that mattered in the world.
NOX
Nox felt his cock twitch and blood boil as the proud omega tilted his chin towards the night sky. He was barely able to stand on his own two feet, yet he had the audacity to deny his birthright over him. Nox licked his lips, delighted. He was ready for the challenge. There was nothing better than breaking an omega in who didn’t know their place. Maybe, Nox thought as he cracked his knuckles, an alpha claimed in war. But even then, an omega like him was a better prize. Finally, after two long weeks of chasing after the intoxicating scent, he found its owner. Through the haze of his lust, under the waning moonlight, the omega appeared larger than life. He was, in fact, the tallest and strongest omega Nox had ever encountered. From his broad shoulders, bearded chin, and hairy chest, his entire being screamed alpha, or at the very least, beta. But the alpha knew that under all his bravado, hard muscles, and flashing fangs was a bitch in heat in need of something bigger than his own fingers to fill him. Just the memory of his fingers plunged inside his wet hole almost made him come undone. He’s looked at him with expectant eyes. It dawned on Nox he was gazing at the hulking omega the same way like they were meant to be... Nox shook the thought away. It was a distraction he’d handle in the morning once his medics properly cared for his omega’s injured ankle, and he was done filling their open holes with his seed. Nox reached down and palmed his erection, aware of how the omega’s eyes trailed downward to meet his hand. He’d pounce on him again if it wouldn’t illicit the scream of pain he’d heard before. He loved it when his lovers were loud, but pain only turned him on if it was followed by a moan of pleasure if not during the heat of war. He’d have to think and to act carefully so he could get back to doing what he came to do—ride the feral’s backside until he was begging to be filled with his cock until sunrise.
“Fuck off! Can you hear? I said, fuck off!” The omega all but howled, his dark brown eyes shifting to an off-putting blood-red color again. Nox sucked in a sharp, calming breath, ignoring the threat in his tone to focus on the way his plump, pink lips moved up and down. Nox couldn’t wait to shove his cock down the stubborn man’s throat, to feel those lips wrapped around his throbbing erection rather than spitting curses at him. When he assumed he was going to fucki an omega, the pleasure had been immense. But to know he was now claiming his omega made the chase even more thrilling than before. For deep down inside, Nox knew this is what they meant by a fated mate. Their bond was undeniable, intrinsic in nature. No words could describe the swell of fear and protectiveness that exploded in his chest when he heard him cry otherwise. He meant nothing to him until his scent blasted his nose during the battle of Wolveria. Now, the omega was his world, at least until his rut calmed down and his rational mind returned.
“As your alpha, I will not “fuck off.” Far from it, I’ll fuck you and take you with me,” Nox retorted, taking a step forward as his mate stepped back. “You’re on your way to the Carnevale, aren’t you? At least, that’s the only reason you’d be heading to the capital all by yourself. It’s the only time it’s safe for...Kin like you. Don’t worry. My company can protect you. I will protect you once we're done satisfying the reason we stand here at this moment.”
“Protect me from what you arrogant prick? I was fine until you came around and decided to stick your cock in a place it doesn’t belong! Fuck! Off! I can fend for myself! Go into the village. There’s whores and widows who would kill to submit to a pureblood alpha like you. Leave me alone! You’re the reason I’ll miss the caravan in the first place!” Snapped out of his fantasy, hypnotized by the way his lips moved with every word he uttered, Nox growled. The omega’s voice dripped with misguided accusation. Nox rushed forward in a flash, and the omega found himself backed against a tree. Nox’s eyes drifted downward an inch or so, the men now chest to chest and nearly eye to eye. He suppressed yet another groan of satisfaction as the omega’s pheromones laced together with his own, creating a mind-numbing aphrodisiac only they could smell. Nox knew the omega could feel the electricity jumping between them, his eyes rippling with lust as he tried to shut himself off from the taller alpha. Nox wouldn’t let that happen. He didn’t spend the better part of a decade waging war on behalf of the Crown to secure his position only to let his fated mate slip away. All his packmates and he had fought for was to create a home for themselves free of strife and safe for their descendants. Nox meant to ask for a reward for his years of service, but now, the gods had handed it to him. All he had to do was claim his price. He was going to breed the omega long and hard, then take him with him whether he liked it or not. But first, Nox needed to know his mate’s name, and his mate needed to know his. He wanted to hear him cry it out at the height of pleasure and to be able to cry out for him.
“I hear you loud and clear, omega,” Nox spat, his hand shooting up and wrapping around the stranger’s throat, “I’m sure you’ve woken up Otsana the Majestic with your whiny yipping! But it doesn’t change the fact that you are defenseless right now, in heat, and dripping wet. If you so much as exit the forest, who knows what will happen to you as the returning soldiers catch whiff of your scent. I will protect you because you are mine now and forever. It is what it is. I can offer you riches, and I can offer you my word which is worth its weight in gold in the capital. So what will it be?”
His answer came in the form of a closed fist as the omega slammed his jaw. Nox’s head flew back, but this time he didn’t retreat, keeping the smaller man’s body boxed against the long tree trunk they leaned on. The last thing he needed was for him to shift and take off again and potentially hurt himself even
more.
“Who do you think you are?” Nox bellowed, eyes flashing gold as he palmed his bruised chin, tasting the familiar coppery taste of blood. He spat to his left and bared his teeth at the omega who cowered. To conceive of an omega treating him with such contempt made his inner wolf shudder with rage. He would have smacked him back, but the way he curled into himself gave him pause. Just like the battlefield, he had to be rational, to use his mind over his instincts. The omega was unstable, a half-breed barely able to hold onto his true form. Mixing his heat and Nox’s pheromones into the equation made him a ticking time bomb at best. At worst, he could go ballistic and their first meeting would turn into a bloodbath. Nox dragged his eyes up and down the omega’s body, gazing at him with new eyes, holding him at arm’s length as he dug his claws into his forearms, before bringing the omega closer so he could feel his black pelt against his bare chest. The feeling was divine. Yes, he could take whatever the omega dished out and he would keep his wits about him. Nothing would get in the way of him consummating their bond and marking him, not his bad temper, hard fists, or arrogance.
“Please! Why me? Just let me go. Please!” Keeping his voice steady, he glared up at Nox defiantly. It was an impressive feat with all the pheromones he was unleashing on him to calm him down and make him complacent.
“What is your name.” Nox changed tactics, trying to distract him instead. It seemed to work because the omega blinked up at him, confused.
“Why does it matter?” he replied after a long, drawn-out silence.
“Because it becomes tedious to keep referring to you as my omega in my mind, as it must in yours to call me your alpha.” He made a point of saying he was his alpha, and the same was true in reverse, a cocky smirk plastered across Nox’s flushed face.