by P. Jameson
An omega on the run will show this alpha general the truth can heal...
I’ve been accused of treason against the Kingdom of Luxoria. Not only is the king looking for me, but the rebel army has also put a bounty on my head. Problem is, I didn’t do it.
Solen promises he can keep me safe. He knows I’d never betray a secret. I’ve kept his for years. It wasn’t just for honor. He’s my mate. Can I show this merciless soldier that compassion will bring our city peace, and that embracing his true nature will make him stronger?
His Outlaw Omega
THE ROYAL OMEGAS
Book Five
By
P. Jameson
Kristen Strassel
PJAMESONBOOKS.COM | KRISTENSTRASSEL.COM
His Outlaw Omega
Copyright © 2020 by P. Jameson and Kristen Strassel
First electronic publication: May 2020
United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any database, without prior written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quotations contained in critical reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this work may be scanned, uploaded, or otherwise distributed via the internet or any other means, including electronic or print without the author’s written permission.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: Sotia Lazu
Formatting: Agent X Graphics
P. Jameson | Kristen Strassel
www.pjamesonbooks.com
www.kristenstrassel.com
Solen
Chapter One
If anyone had told me I’d be here, locked in my home, alone with an omega female… I would have said they were crazy. Reality however, has a way of making the craziest of circumstances possible, and my entire life was a you can’t make this shit up scenario. So who was I to be surprised at finding myself in this position?
Back and forth, back and forth. Ashla was a small female, delicate even. But her pacing seemed like thunder instead of the soft swish that it should have been while wearing a pair of my socks.
“Woman, settle,” I grumbled for the third and what had better be the final time.
“I think better on my feet.” Her voice was a low murmur, as though she was distracted.
“There is nothing for you to think about. Not for tonight anyway.”
“Are you sure it’s safe here?” she asked again. I’d lost count of how many times.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
“But how can you be sure? People want me dead. What will keep them from finding me and doing whatever they want with me?”
I raised an eyebrow because wasn’t it obvious what would keep them from her?
Me, that’s what.
Did she even realize how she injured my pride? Maybe that was her goal. After all, she knew my biggest secret. The truth about me that only one other person in the world knew. The thing that could have me stripped of my title and imprisoned. Or worse, punished by death.
Ashla knew the truth, yet she kept it to herself.
For that, I would protect her.
Ashla, as unassuming as she was, had worked in the royal armory before King Adalai abolished The Division, a law that kept the lowest shifter class segregated to the outskirts of the royal city of Luxoria. The armory was under heavy security and few knew how to breach it. Ashla was one. So when the beta resistance was able to break in and steal entire caches of weapons to use against the King Alpha, many believed she was to blame.
I knew they were wrong.
Not because Ashla was too kind-hearted to do such a thing. I’d seen her fight in battle. I had witnessed her protecting her friends when they needed her. She could be ruthless when the situation warranted it, but she wasn’t a traitor.
A traitor like you. The animal inside never missed an opportunity to remind me where I went wrong in life.
I pushed the words out of my mind and focused on the female. She kept secrets. Mine and probably lots of others. But she would never betray her friends, and especially not the queen.
Ashla wasn’t responsible for the armory break in.
When I found her in her wolf form, running for her life in the riotous city streets, I brought her here because it was a safe place to hide until we could find out exactly who was responsible. Now she’d shifted, was dressed in my clothes, and refused to rest like I demanded.
I let a growl roll up my throat, hoping to make her stop the back and forth. It did, for a moment, as her gaze skated to me.
“Did you hear that?”
I frowned, opening my mouth to tell her she was too jumpy. But she shushed me before even a syllable left my lips.
She marched over to the steel shutters that covered the front windows. They were locked into place with my security code. No one could break it. Not without a scan of my retina. Pressing her ear to the metal, she listened.
For what?
Maybe she was losing sense. Maybe the stress of castle life and the responsibility of being one of the queen’s court was getting to her. And now being blamed for the armory break in? It was enough to make a female crack, wasn’t it? Especially an omega.
Her breath stalled for several moments before her eyes went wide and she jerked back from the shutters.
“They’re coming,” she rasped. “Someone is coming.”
“Nonsense,” I snapped.
Ashla ignored me, her gaze moving around the room as if surveying exactly how she would protect herself in the event of an attack. “I need a weapon.”
I was losing patience. “You’re being ridiculous. I promised I’d protect you.”
Her blue eyes snapped to me, and for a moment, I saw something I’d never seen before. A secret she kept for herself. One that changed everything.
“An omega is taught to fight alongside her mate,” she said carefully, calmer than she was only seconds ago. “Not behind him. You should know this. I need a weapon.”
Mate.
I swallowed hard, my throat so dry it felt like sand.
Mate.
Mine, my animal howled inside, and I tried viciously to tamp it down.
She was my mate.
I’d been denying it for so long, pretending if I ignored it, I wouldn’t be sucked in like the others. Adalai, Dagger, Cassian, Evander. One by one they found their mates in fierce omega females. But that life wasn’t for me. It couldn’t be.
Not with the secret I kept.
The one Ashla knew.
She knew my other secret, too. She was mine.
Absently, I pulled a holstered dagger from my bicep and strapped it to hers. My outpost in the eastern territory was well fortified. Our defenses were secure unless… unless my soldiers turned on me.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the rumbling of footsteps sounded outside the door. Seconds later, a fist rapped against the reinforced wood.
“General, open up! We’re here for the omega.”
Ashla
Chapter Two
Did I just call Solen my mate? Out loud?
Time stopped, the tension between us shattered with the pounding on the door. We’d never be able to put it back together the same way again. Whoever was on the other side of the door could very well dictate our futures.
My animal twisted inside me. Physically, I was exhausted from shifting too much in a short amount of time, but more than that, from the stress of the last few days. Rielle had been sick, the betas
were storming the castle, and somehow, all signs pointed to me as the one who’d given away alpha army secrets.
I’d taken my role as an armory employee seriously. Not many omegas were trusted with such high level intel. I would never put the castle in danger. Not because I was pro alpha. I had many dear friends who made that place run, and one of my best friends had just become queen. I would never knowingly bring harm to them.
But I was an easy target. A scapegoat to protect the real traitor.
“General! We know she’s in there. We can scent her.”
Oh, no. It would make sense that being so close to Rielle while she was in heat would trigger mine, but I didn’t feel like it was about to happen. It wasn’t something that snuck up on us. It came with a fever, and an awakening of my animal.
Solen’s gaze was glued to me. Had he known? There was only so long he could practice restraint as my heat intensified.
Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, my wolf said as a flash of heat overwhelmed me. I convinced myself it was a normal response to the bounty hunters at the door who wanted my head on a platter.
Solen had a brutal reputation as someone who would never offer an omega relief, even his mate.
I mean, I said what I said.
I proved myself trustworthy with his secret, and I prayed he thought now was a good time to return the favor.
“General Solen!” The voice on the other side of the door was sharp and urgent. As an omega, it was a tone I associated with severe punishment. “The king demands the female.”
“Liars,” he muttered between gritted teeth.
I reached for the dagger he’d hastily given me, and he growled his disapproval. The sound sent shockwaves through my exhausted body.
“What are you going to do about it, alpha?” The way I spit out the last word made his eyebrows shoot up. If we got into a fight over this, neither of us would win. That angry mob outside the door would be picking us out of their teeth.
“I said I’d protect you. My honor is fiercer than any weapon.” Solen stalked toward the door and tore it open with such force I braced for it to come off the hinges. More soldiers than I could count stood waiting for him on the other side. Waiting for me.
It didn’t matter how innocent I was. I was an omega, and I’d just insulted the only general willing to protect me.
Things had changed, but the old ways of thinking didn’t disappear overnight. It left a gritty residue on everything it touched.
“What king made such a declaration?” He didn’t need to shout to have everyone hear him, or raise a weapon to instill any fear. General Solen of the East was not known for showing any mercy.
“King Adalai, General.” A bold soldier steeled himself in front of Solen. He took up most of the space in the doorway, so any of those soldiers jockeying for position thinking they’d slip by him and grab me were sorely mistaken.
Some circles would consider him a hero if he succeeded. And I’d seen what men would do for a fleeting moment of glory.
“Traitors!” Solen roared. “You answer to me. I answer to the King Alpha. His orders come from me. Not you. No one will lay a hand on the omega.”
“Are you choosing an omega over your army, general?”
I’d had a lifetime to build a fortress to protect myself from that kind of comment. I was used to others thinking I was less than them. I could only see Solen from the back, his massive body hulking in the doorframe, and there was no missing the way the muscles in his back tensed and readied for battle.
No, I silently pleaded. There were two of us and so many of them. And if anything happened to my mate…
I had to stop thinking that way. Be practical. If these soldiers could smell my heat, this situation was a ticking bomb and the only certainty we had was that it would explode.
“If harm comes to her, I will kill everyone responsible. No army and no king will be able to stand in my way.”
Another slam of the door. This one rattled the foundation of the building.
When Solen turned around, his eyes were wild. Feral.
All too familiar.
My mouth went dry and fear rattled my body. We were safe, for now. The retreating army made a lot more noise than they had when they approached. Shame on us for letting our guard down. Solen wasn’t used to his safety being in question.
“You’re right,” he said softly. He’d used this tone with me before, when we were alone in the armory. I cherished those moments, because he made me feel like more than an omega. It made me wonder what else he could make me feel. I’d bet a hard man like Solen had a big, soft bed and… Another flash of heat surged through me.
Focus.
I managed a smile and rocked on my heels. “What was I right about?”
He let out a sigh. “My territory should be a safe haven for you, and I apologize it isn’t.”
I whistled low. “An alpha apologizing to an omega? We really are in a time of crisis.”
“Ashla.” I always loved the deep rumble of my name when it came off his lips. He didn’t say it often, which made it more special. “I admit my mistakes. We will find the source of this uprising, and who managed to infiltrate the castle. They will be punished. But first I have to make sure you’re safe.”
“Why?”
His forehead furrowed in frustration. “Because I know you didn’t give anyone those codes.”
“But I helped Charolet break into the armory to steal a truck.” And in the process, we almost got one of the King’s generals killed and narrowly avoided starting another war. Which wasn’t exactly true. The beta uprising had been caused by omegas they thought threatened their way of life. Like our being treated decently would take something away from them. I squeezed my eyes closed, reminding myself that a lot of good came out of Charolet and Rielle’s mission. They’d discovered the humans were altering omegas and turning them into fighting machines. My stomach churned at the thought of it. “Why do you believe I’m innocent now?”
“Never said anything about being innocent.” He had the nerve to chuckle. “I know I can trust you. You’d never hurt the people who matter to you. I have a bunker in a secret location. We need to get you there now. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“I meant what I said, before they showed up.” I needed him to know what he was. For better or worse, we were mates.
His adam’s apple bobbed. “An omega is taught to fight beside his mate.” The implication of his statement wasn’t lost on me, knowing his secret the way I did.
No matter what happened, Solen would fight beside me, and that was good enough for now.
Solen
Chapter Three
I wasn’t great with words. In fact, I was pretty fucking horrible at saying what I meant. Especially when it had to do with things that could unravel my life. AKA, feelings and shit. Matters of the mating variety. It made me uncomfortable to feel attached to anything because I knew how brutally things could be taken away. But the wolves at the door, threatening my female had made things very clear.
Ashla was mine. And telling her so felt like a necessity.
An omega is taught to fight beside his mate.
We weren’t fighting. Yet. We were running. Hiding. But Ashla was smart and she would know that when it came time to fight again, we would do it side by side. Whether we accepted each other or not. That was my badly spoken promise to her.
Beyond that, the moment was significant for another reason. It was the first time the secret she kept was vocalized between us.
I wasn’t an alpha like everyone around me thought. Like my soldiers and fellow generals thought.
I wasn’t even close.
We were far away from my outpost before Ashla mentioned the hastily uttered admission. The desert moon was high above us and moving faster toward the horizon than I wanted it to.
“You’re omega.” Her voice was steady as we sloughed through the sand. There wasn’t a question in her words. There was no meaning to them at all it seem
ed. As if she was stating it as a matter of record.
“Yes.” I’d never told a single soul, not in all my time in the castle. Not before that. Not ever.
“How did you fool the king for so long?”
An alpha was never unsure. They knew the answer to any question, and if they didn’t, they made it up. Why was the sky blue? I didn’t know but if someone asked me, I would say it was because the world needed a shield from the sun. And not a single fucking soul would question me.
But I wasn’t an alpha. Not by birth.
“Who says I fooled him?”
Ashla shook her head. “He doesn’t know. He was a different person before mating Zelene. There would have been no place for you or any other omega in his guard, so don’t pretend I’m daft.”
My lips twitched at the way she could sound so sweet while defending herself. Her tone was soft like a bedtime story, but her words were sharp like a whip. She was an interesting contradiction.
“It was…” I started to say easy, but in so many ways, becoming alpha wasn’t easy. It was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, betray my people. “It was natural. My temperament was always that of an alpha. It caused me a lot of problems when I was young. I didn’t like submitting. It wasn’t instinctual to me… even though it was supposed to be.”
“Born omega with an alpha heart,” she murmured, her voice mysteriously free of judgement. It wouldn’t stay that way. It couldn’t. No matter what had changed in the kingdom, the omegas had a lot of hurts to heal from, Ashla included.
“I guess you could say that.” I scanned the dark horizon for any sign of trouble and scented the air for unfamiliar smells.
“Does this mean I should stop calling you alpha now?” she asked quietly.
“You may call me Solen. I prefer it.” I’d always hated the way our culture referred to each other by status instead of name. I’d hated it in secret though, just like everything else.