by P. Jameson
“Solen,” I gasped. “You can’t be proposing revolution.”
“No. But we’re not going back there. We’re innocent. We’ll go to—”
“Where?” I put my hand on his arm. Power vibrated through his body. “We’re in the middle of the desert. Half the army’s gone rogue and there’s a bounty on my head. The only places we can go are the Badlands or the Keep. One is full of wolves that are already licking their chops at the prospect of an omega female in heat, and the other would declare victory if they captured the king’s omega general. And this is probably a good time to remind you that you tore the only clothes I had to shreds.”
That got a grin out of him, and he looked human again. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief because now I had a chance of talking some sense into the man.
“We’ll go further than that,” he said.
I shook my head. “We need to go to the castle, Solen.” I let my towel drop, and the way he drank me in gave me the strength I needed to face this. “Running will make it worse. That’s if we make it back to the castle.”
“All those threats you listed wait for us no matter where we go.”
“Right, and if we show a good faith effort to return to the castle, we’ll have the support of the king if we fall into trouble. If we’re caught going somewhere else, the king could look the other way when we need his help the most.”
Solen didn’t say anything. He sat on the edge of the bed, and I joined him. If we weren’t careful, he’d have me pinned down in the tangle of sheets to rut me once again. I wouldn’t complain if it happened, but it would solve absolutely none of our problems. He had to face this. Whatever scared him about this accusation. He had to show the king how strong he really was.
“We’re innocent,” I reminded him. “And the world finding out you’re an omega isn’t the worst thing. Everyone knows the King’s own mother was omega.”
His gaze roamed my body one more time. “Do I carry you naked into Luxoria and have you stand trial while I fight off every male who thinks he can lay his dirty paws on my mate?”
“No.” But that ridiculously all too real scenario gave me an idea. “We arrive as wolves.”
Solen
Chapter Eleven
I entered the code to lock my bunker from the outside and the cover slid over and filled with sand, effectively hiding the opening again. I turned to Ashla, finding her solid gaze. She had already shifted into her wolf, but her eyes remained familiar. The animal was beautiful and sleek, with a coat of gray and brown that fluffed around her baby blues. We were to cross the desert as animals and return to the castle as omegas.
This was it. We were going to face the charges against us. Together.
Ashla was sure we could prove our innocence, but I wasn’t counting it a victory until I saw the so-called evidence. Something must have convinced the king to question my allegiance after so many years.
“Ready, mate?” I didn’t wait for Ashla’s answer before I shifted, urging my body down to all fours as my skin peeled away to reveal my powerful wolf’s form.
I’d never voluntarily shifted in front of anyone before, but just like before when she caught me in the armory, with Ashla, I didn’t feel threatened. I didn’t have to hide who I was, not from her, and that taste of freedom was something I’d never expected to be given.
“Stay close,” I spoke to her mentally. “If you scent any wolves, take the lead. Head straight for the castle and find Zelene.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “Like I’m gonna leave you to fight alone.”
I growled, snapping at her neck with my fangs, just enough to assert my authority… whatever of it I had left. But instead of growling back, she lowered her head, rubbing her nuzzle along my jaw, melting my resistance faster than should have been possible.
“I can’t leave you behind,” she said. “What kind of omega would I be?”
“Is that the only reason?”
She pulled back, her wolf eyes clear and honest. “You know it’s not.”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked,” I admitted. Did she really care for me beyond what our bodies demanded from us?
Like I was coming to care for her.
Damn it. I almost wished I could pull the armor back around my heart. Almost. It was dangerous to care. I knew that better than anyone. But caring for her was like the sun coming up after the longest dark night. It was what I wished for but never thought I’d have.
Ashla pressed closer, her tongue darting out to lick my nose before she murmured, “I can’t leave you behind because I—”
A harsh wind whipped around us, reminding us that any breeze could quickly carry her scent across the land and send wolves hunting for us. We couldn’t stay here.
“Come on,” I urged. “We need to get to Luxoria before this storm gets too close.”
I pulled away and ran toward the city, letting my mind wonder how she meant to finish that sentence.
I need you? She did. She needed me to stand with her at the trial. She needed me to sate her heat. Maybe she needed other things from me too.
I want you? That would have been a better ending. No one had ever really wanted me. Not just because. Perhaps they’d wanted me because I held a position of power or because they thought they could get closer to the king, but wanting me just for me, the real me? That was different.
I… love you?
I sprinted faster, dust kicking up as Ashla kept pace beside me. I tried not to stare at her as we ran. She was such a gorgeous wolf. Mine. A wave of sadness swept over me as our reality sank in.
No, Ashla couldn’t love me. Not after what I’d done, living as an alpha, pretending I didn’t belong in the Badlands.
Except the truth was I didn’t belong there. I was too alpha to survive there, and my parents had known it. Instead, I belonged nowhere. Maybe that was why ending The Division was something I couldn’t immediately latch onto. I couldn’t see a unified future the way Adalai did when he mated Zelene.
You belong where your mate is, my wolf reminded me. If there was a single truth to take away from this, it was that I never wanted to be anywhere Ashla wasn’t. Whether she felt the same way or not.
We crossed the desert in record time, our animals pushing us to our limits. As we passed my outpost in the east and drew near to the city boundaries, I scanned our surroundings, looking for any hint of trouble. None of my men would expect to see me as a wolf unless…
It occurred to me that they wouldn’t automatically think of me as an omega just because I was shifted. The other alphas were also able to shift after mating omegas. At first glance, my soldiers would think I had mated Ashla and unlocked my inner beast.
I could use that to get us through the city safely.
The city streets were still ravaged from the beta uprising, but clean up had begun and the king’s soldiers patrolled heavily. I cut down a side road, trying to avoid any who weren’t from the eastern borders.
We made it deep into Luxoria, the castle in sight, before males recognized Ashla’s scent. Betas and alpha guards alike, took notice. Soon, we would be surrounded.
It was time to play my trump card.
I led Ashla to the nearest of my soldiers and addressed them in my wolf form. “My mate is wanted by the king for treason.” I hoped they didn’t know that I was apparently also wanted for treason. “Guard us from the betas until we reach the castle.”
A younger alpha guard stumbled over my command, drawing his weapon. “Sir? You’re…” Don’t say wanted. Do not fucking say it. “… a wolf.”
I snarled to cover my relief. “No, shit. I just told you the outlaw is my mate. You know alphas shift when mated.”
He looked to the other three and they seemed to be considering what to do. I could make it easy.
“Hurry,” I growled, nudging Ashla in front of me as we pushed past them. “If anything happens to her, the king will have your head.”
Ashla ran, taking the lead, dodging the guards and w
eaving toward the castle with me hot on her heels. I ignored my soldiers behind us as they fought back beta and omega males who wanted to sink their claws in my mate. My only goal was to get behind those castle gates. The only thing safer than being in the king’s custody, was being so far away from Luxoria that no one could ever find us.
The guards at the entrance were confused as we approached but it didn’t take long for them to realize who I was, and they opened just enough for us and my men to slip past.
I circled Ashla as they secured the gates and then the guns were turned on us. The guards shouted for us to shift so we could be taken into custody, but that wasn’t how this was going to go down. The second we shifted we’d be separated, and I wasn’t letting my mate out of my sight while she was still vulnerable.
“Take us to the king,” I demanded.
Ashla
Chapter Twelve
“She’s coming with me. I’ll make sure she’s ready for trial.” Zelene grabbed the scruff of my neck and ripped me away from the chaos that had erupted upon our arrival back at the castle. None of the generals expected Solen to show up in his wolf form. Of course, most of them thought it meant he’d claimed me. They had no idea what else it signified.
I was proud of him for facing these charges, and facing who he really was.
“You didn’t have to be so rough.” I shimmied out of her grasp once we were away from the males. “You’re the only one who could convince me to leave Solen’s side.”
“If you’d heard the accusations that have been flying around this castle, you’d be wishing I got you out of there sooner.” Zelene kept her hand on me, like she thought I’d run when faced with that reality. But she wasn’t yanking my fur anymore. Even if she was doing it with love, it hurt.
“We insisted we have a chance to get you ready for trial.” Tavia said. She’d morphed into a total badass since mating with Dagger, and she let everyone know it in her leather military uniform. “We’ll tell you everything you need to know. But I have a feeling the king plans to blindside you with—”
“Adalai wouldn’t do that.” Zelene glared at her.
“He can’t possibly think he’ll convict her with the evidence he has,” Tavia countered. “And we know he wouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this if he didn’t expect a guilty verdict.”
“I won’t let him punish Ashla for something she didn’t do.”
“Even if it means you give up your crown?”
“Ladies!” They were about to rip each other’s heads off, and I had enough problems without having royal blood on my paws. “We swore to each other we wouldn’t let the alphas rip us apart under any circumstances. No alpha is worth fighting over, even the king.”
Tavia raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. “You wouldn’t fight for Solen?”
“I am fighting for Solen. But I won’t let it destroy my friendship with any of you. Friendship seems like such a trivial word for what we’ve been through. We’re fierce omega warriors who’ve spent hard time in the bowels of hell and are telling the tale from inside the king’s castle.” It was incredible that we’d come so far. “And it doesn’t matter what the charges are. I’m innocent.”
The sisters exchanged a concerned look that made my hackles rise. Thoughts twisted in my brain. Had I done anything wrong? No. They couldn’t make me believe I was guilty.
“Oh good, she’s here.” Rielle fell to her knees in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck, giggling when I licked her cheek. It was good to be back with these ladies. I hoped my innocence was enough to keep me here. “I was so worried they’d bring you straight to trial.”
“The clock is ticking.” Charolet looked like Tavia’s badass twin in her leather uniform. “The King has assembled his court. He’s already called all the generals and prominent alphas, like it’s some sort of gala.”
And I was the entertainment.
“You need to shift, and we need to get you ready.” Rielle smoothed out my fur.
“We’ve been given explicit instructions on what she should wear to trial.” Zelene added, and then put her hand on her stomach and winced.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. “The baby’s getting ready to come. I have a feeling we’ll be meeting her any day now. She’s getting feisty.”
“Good. We need more feisty.” Tavia laughed. “But let’s get Auntie Ashla’s name cleared before she comes.”
They brought me into Zelene’s chambers so I could shift. A shower was apparently a luxury I didn’t have time for.
Rielle handed me a pile of clothes, but she wouldn’t look me in the eye. It was light and thin and I knew what it was before I unfolded it.
“They want me to dress as an omega?” I hugged the garments against my bare body before I put them on, like I could change them into something more substantial. It didn’t have to be a fancy gown, although I hadn’t complained about those as much as some of the other ladies here. But some leather would’ve been nice.
“Adalai wants to make sure that everyone understands who you are.”
For the first time, I was scared. My innocence was never enough to clear my name. His Majesty had made a mistake. It wasn’t taking Zelene as his queen, but it was letting others think that made him weak. He believed he was guilty of his own crime, and somehow, I was about to pay for it.
“So, does anyone want to fill me in on what I’ve done?”
That garnered a few sad snickers.
“We hear there’s credible evidence that you helped the betas breach castle security. They were able to access the armory.” Charolet sighed. “The fact that you helped us steal the truck to get to the Keep has been mentioned a few times too.”
“Nothing specific as far as what the evidence is,” Rielle added. “I really thought the King was using this as a ploy to bring his best soldier back to the castle until he started assembling an actual jury.”
I was dressed now, and honestly I was glad they’d given me these clothes. I was proud to be an omega, just as I was proud of my work at the castle. When I got cleared of these charges—which I didn’t think would be easy—it would prove an omega could go up against the king and come out victorious.
My objective wasn’t to make the king look bad for my gain. That would backfire, not just for me but for all the omegas. I’d play along with this sham of a trial and I’d do everything I could to get them to treat me with respect.
“I’m prepared to defend myself against those charges.” Or at least, that was what I’d keep telling myself. “Does anyone have any idea what Solen’s been charged with?”
Concerned expressions were the only immediate answer.
“Solen’s been charged?” Zelene asked.
“You didn’t know that?” A swirl of emotions went through me. Whatever Solen was up against, he thought it was better to run than face it. But these ladies who were so close to his fellow generals had no idea.
It made me wonder what else they didn’t know about this trial.
“No. The focus has been on you.” Tavia tapped her finger against her chin. “It could be something completely different. Or maybe he’s worked with the betas. Maybe they think you gave him the information—”
“No. He’s an alpha.” Even though he’d arrived at the castle in his wolf form, he’d conveniently explained that away by saying he’d taken me as his mate.
Had he known this was going to happen and was using me as a cover? I couldn’t think about that right now. That could be the king’s strategy—to divide and conquer.
But why would he turn on Solen, who wasn’t only a trusted and respected general and a brutal warrior, but his own family, after he’d protected his secret for so many years?
I’d fight beside my mate, but the first lesson any omega learned in the Badlands was that we took care of ourselves first. We couldn’t fight for others when we were down.
“Maybe it’s unrelated and the K
ing’s on one of his rants,” Tavia said. “Don’t give me that look, Zee. You of all people know how he gets.”
“I’m ready.” The longer we waited, the more chance we had to spread misinformation, rumors, and fear. I wanted to get this over with, and I really wanted to see Solen. He couldn’t make this all go away but I could channel some of that amazing strength for this fight.
“Adalai said he’d send someone when he was ready for—”
“I’m ready now. Being a good little omega got me here. So I say we get this over with.” I slipped my feet into my omega slippers. They were new and clean which was nice, but they were sure to give me blisters until I broke them in, and I didn’t plan on staying in this outfit long enough to break them in.
The ladies trailed after me, begging me to change my mind. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going, but the energy in the castle led the way. I was still thinking like a wolf. It was an advantage over the alphas, who didn’t have their animal available to them as readily as omegas.
There was the crowd. I pushed through it, reveling in the gasps of the alphas who didn’t expect to see me yet. So many people were here. Too many. If His Majesty didn’t intend to turn this into a spectacle, these charges could have been heard before his generals and his court. Not every resident of Luxoria.
The King had already settled into his throne, a goblet of wine by his side like this was a cause for celebration. The seat next to him was empty, but soon Zelene would join him in judgment.
She was a brave woman, and she’d fight for me just like I’d fight for her.
“What is she doing here?” The king roared. “I didn’t call for her.”
I tilted my chin, steeling myself for the battle of my life. “I came to hear the charges against me.”
And that was when I spotted Solen, standing on the other side of the stage.
They’d dressed him as an omega too.