Chapter 12 #3
As I listened to Violet, my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he was brave enough to confront Konrad like that. The words pouring assertively out of him were surreal to hear, like I was living in a dream.
A wave of visible rage surged over Konrad. He reared onto his hind legs, towering at his full height of nine feet, and drew back a huge paw armed with five deadly claws.
Fear sliced through me.
“Violet!” I cried.
But as Konrad took a nasty swipe at Violet, the air exploded with a split-second transformation.
Konrad’s claws didn’t strike human flesh. They were stopped in place by Violet’s scaly forepaw, gripping the black blades and holding them steady. Those terrifying bear claws, able to shred through the thickest hide with ease, were meaningless against Violet’s strength.
Violet’s dragon form towered over even Konrad’s full standing height.
Clan members screamed in terror and shock, retreating backwards in a wave of fear.
None of them had ever seen a dragon. I knew the sight of Violet’s large, unusual body spooked them.
They were all afraid of what they didn’t know.
But I wished they understood that he wasn’t scary at all.
In fact, I felt even safer now that he’d assumed his dragon form, like a nestling chick beneath his wide leathery wings.
Konrad heaved a sharp, disgruntled breath.
As Violet released Konrad’s paw, the bear took a lumbering step back.
It took a few moments to comprehend the great mystical beast in front of him.
He must’ve understood the power difference immediately, because he roared to summon backup.
My heart sank as his brother, Knox, and third clan alpha, Sheba, came bolting to his aid.
But even as the three alpha polar bears stood off against the dragon, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Violet could win.
I just didn’t want him to get hurt in the process.
“What the hell are you?” Konrad snarled.
“Monster!” Knox spat.
“Demon!” Sheba cried.
The bears flanked Konrad, who stood tall on his hind legs. But Violet didn’t lunge or lash out. He stood his ground, four feet steady on the earth.
“Heh. You wish. I’m a dragon,” Violet announced, spreading his wings wider.
The bears balked momentarily, spooked by his wingspan, then returned to baring their yellowed fangs.
“But this isn’t about me.” Violet arched his neck to glance at me.
The eye contact sent a warm spark fizzing down my spine.
It reminded me that Violet was on my side. That all of this was for my sake.
Unlike Konrad’s insistence that his decisions were for my sake, I actually believed that Violet had my well-being in mind.
The cold truth dawned on me.
Coming back here was a mistake, I thought. I should’ve flown away with Violet. I should’ve let him take me wherever he may—to his home island, or somewhere else...
But reality stabbed my chest like an icicle. There was one very important reason I couldn’t do that—and he’d just walked forward from the crowd.
“Sorrel?” I whispered.
My younger brother looked tidy and well-fed. But he wasn’t happy to see me. I didn’t think my heart could ache any more, but it did.
“What are you doing, Poppy?” Sorrel demanded. “Why’d you bring that dragon here?”
Konrad’s ear twitched. “You know this creature, Sorrel?”
“Y-yes, sir.” Sorrel sat up straighter as the clan alpha addressed him. “My brother and I met him a couple weeks ago after he crashed into the fields outside your territory.”
Konrad narrowed his beady black eyes. “And neither of you thought it was important enough to tell me?”
Ears flicking back with guilt, Sorrel lowered his head. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve known better...”
Konrad didn’t bother glaring at me. Strangely, he paid me little attention. Perhaps an alpha dragon was more urgent than a disobedient omega stray.
But then Konrad did look.
He fixed his hard stare on me with a vengeance, pinning me for a long, uncomfortable beat of silence. The air between us was thick and tense. His rage magnified like a growing storm cloud on the horizon, and he was about to unleash a torrential flood on my head. I withered beneath his gaze.
Then Konrad snapped his glare back on Violet, sizing up the dragon.
I don’t want them to fight, I thought desperately. But if they do, Violet won’t lose...
Then Konrad fixed his gaze on Sorrel.
A dreadful premonition rippled across my pelt. I felt a deep pit of despair open up within me, as if something horrible was about to happen.
Konrad spoke in a menacing growl. “Knox. Sheba.” He paused for their attention. “Take Sorrel to my private quarters.”
Absolute terror tore through me. A string of unspeakable images raced across my mind. Nothing good could possibly come from that.
Nothing.
As visceral fear catapulted me to my paws, my voice—raw and hoarse—came out louder than I’d ever yelled in my life: “NO!”
I raced out from behind Violet, throwing myself at the ground beneath Konrad.
“I’ll go,” I exclaimed. “Please. Let me go in his stead.”
“Poppy!” Sorrel exclaimed, sounding almost offended.
He didn’t understand. Why didn’t he understand that this was wrong?
This wasn’t like before. I wouldn’t let Konrad sweet-talk his way out of my challenge because I had no more doubts. If I didn’t stop this, Konrad would hurt my brother.
And I refused to let that happen.
My body trembled and fear pierced my mind like thorns, but I wouldn’t back down. I stared directly into Konrad’s eyes.
“Please, Konrad,” I begged. “Please take me in Sorrel’s stead.”
Violet’s voice was shocked and furious as he cried out, “Poppy, what are you doing? Stop!”
But as Konrad stared down at me, his expression slowly twisted into one of subtle satisfaction. As I groveled on the ground, he put a massive paw on top of my head, not holding back his strength.
“Poppy!” Violet snarled. I felt the ground shake as he surged forward. “Get the fuck away from him or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Konrad countered, letting his threat hang in the air. “Go ahead, dragon. Make your move.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Violet stare at the clan alpha in horror. He couldn’t move—if he did, Konrad would crush my skull. I didn’t doubt his threat, and neither did Violet.
“Why are you doing this to him?” Violet snarled, fury gnarling his voice. “You’re supposed to protect omegas, not hurt them!”
My heart ached with a deep pang of sympathy. I suddenly understood that Violet had never known cruelty. It never crossed his mind that a confrontation could end with subjugation and force instead of peace. This outcome was completely out of the realm of possibility for sweet Violet.
The world he’d come from... it must’ve been a truly wonderful place. So different than mine. A home I could only dream of.
Tears stung my eyes. Why didn’t I fly away with Violet when I had the chance...?
“I would never hurt Poppy,” Konrad promised. “There’s no safer place than my private quarters.”
“Fuck that!” Violet snapped, but I heard the fear creeping into his voice. “Enough of this shit. Get off of Poppy. Please.”
Emboldened by Violet’s weakening threats, Konrad chuffed a cold laugh. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Poppy is safe with me.” In a sharper tone, he added, “So get lost and find your own omega.”
“What?” Violet cried. He sounded desperate now. “I don’t care about that! Poppy is my friend, asshole, and you’re hurting him!”
Violet’s frightened gaze locked onto mine. They gleamed with a terrible betrayal, an unimaginable sadness.
This is all my fault, I thought miserably. I never should’ve come back here. I never should’ve ruined Violet’s innocence like this...
I swallowed a gasp as the weight of Konrad’s heavy paw bore down on me, pushing my chin deeper into the snow. But the discomfort was nothing compared to the despair eating me up.
“It’s okay,” I said, trying to flash a reassuring smile at Violet that only made his troubled expression worse. “He won’t hurt me.”
Was that true? I didn’t know. But Sorrel’s safety was more important than my own. If I could bear the brunt of whatever Konrad had planned, that was enough.
Sheba and Knox lumbered in front of me, blocking Violet’s view.
I could barely see his panicked expression over their muscular white bodies.
But the alphas weren’t Konrad’s only backup.
I saw Rorik edging closer to the scene, ready to join the fray on his clan alpha’s behalf.
Other omega fighters lined up beside him.
Polar bears and arctic wolves, all itching to be unleashed as soon as their clan alpha gave the word.
My heart ached.
Violet is strong, but he can’t fight off the entire clan... I don’t want him to get hurt because of my stupidity!
“Please, Violet, go home,” I called.
“What are you talking about, dumbass? I’m not leaving you here,” Violet screeched, anguish soaking his voice.
In a final burst of desperation, Violet shot towards me. He shouldered Sheba and Knox out of his path with a snarl. He was barely a tail-length away from me when Konrad lowered his head, opened his jaws, and wrapped them around my skull.
I didn’t even make a sound. I remained deathly still, afraid to even twitch. The tips of the bear’s thick fangs grazed my face fur, and the hot reek of his mouth flooded my nostrils. I heard my own pulse beating like a hammer in my ears.
Violet skidded to a halt. Through Konrad’s front teeth, I saw the horror etched across Violet’s sweet face.
It’s over now, I thought. There’s nothing he can do.
Regret burned me up. I should’ve run away with Violet. I shouldn’t have subjected him to this.
Sheba spoke on Konrad’s behalf, arrogant because she knew they’d won: “Try to harm our clan alpha and he’ll crush the omega’s head with a single bite. Now, get off our territory, you demon.”
Violet’s eyes flashed with horror. Trembling, he backed up slowly, as if in physical pain. The only thing connecting us was his gaze locked onto mine.
I could bear any pain Konrad inflicted. But I couldn’t bear the way Violet looked at me. It tore me up inside.
Violet’s mouth opened as if he was going to speak, but then he snapped his fangs shut. With a gut-wrenching sound, he twisted around and ran off tundra clan territory. As I watched him go, relief clawed at my bruised heart.
Violet would be safe now. That was all I could ask for.