Chapter 15 Taliana
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TALIANA
A Few Minutes Earlier
Goose bumps pebble across my arms and legs, my mind instantly alert.
Something doesn’t feel right.
I went from being warm to suddenly cold.
Alone.
My eyes open, the black sheets around me unfamiliar. Yet the scent is one that makes my wolf rumble with approval.
Mmm. Alpha. My Alpha.
I bury my nose in the nearest pillow, memories of Oros filling the void behind my eyes. Him between my legs. Licking me. Touching me. Making me fly.
I shiver, then moan as sensations awaken deep inside me. I want more of that, more of him.
But he’s not here. He’s… I roll to my back, searching the space for him. He’s gone.
Frowning, I push myself up from the heavenly bed and study the tray on the nightstand. A note is folded between a plate and something gold.
I reach for the letter first, wanting to see if it says where Oros went.
Good morning, printesa mea,
I’ve slipped out to stretch my wings.
Nest. Eat. Do whatever makes you comfortable. I’ll be back soon.
Yours,
Oros
PS: I made you something special. Please wear it for me.
I read the missive twice, my lips curling each time I see the word nest. Because yes. Yes, please. I very much want to do that.
Except… there’s a scent that isn’t quite right. Something a bit too sweet. I lean down to sniff the blankets, frowning when I can’t determine the irritating note in the air. Strange. I search every part of his bed, all of it bathed in bonfire and ash and… and me.
I smile again, pleased.
Until that too-sweet perfume tickles my nose again.
My wolf huffs inside, not liking it one bit. Another Omega? I wonder, slipping from the sheets, my nose leading my steps.
It grows stronger when I reach the balcony outside his bedroom, causing my eyes to narrow.
Competition lurks nearby, I recognize, annoyed by the intrusion. Where are you? Who are you?
I prowl forward, my animal driving my instincts as we wander outside into the sun. The warmth on my skin gives me momentary pause. I’m naked.
But that scent…
I need to find the source of it. Get rid of it. Remove her.
A growl lingers in my chest as I find a set of stairs that leads down to another platform. I can hear her now, her soft voice reaching my ears, thanks to my wolf’s enhanced senses.
“My next heat is in five weeks,” she’s saying, making me nearly miss a step. “I wanted to ask if you’re willing to help me through it again, Alpha.”
“Bella,” a familiar voice murmurs in reply, the endearment one I’ve heard many times in my life. It’s Italian. And it’s a term Alphas in Obsidian Sector often used when inviting an Omega in to play.
My feet falter, my heart suddenly in my throat.
“I know, I know. It’s early for the request, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your knot,” the Omega practically purrs, and I can picture her touching my Alpha as she talks about his knot.
Which has me almost jumping down the stairs to see her. To confront her. To challenge her.
A yelp leaves me as my bare skin snags on the concrete texture of the stairs, my human side warring with my wolf’s needs.
Because this is insane.
He’s not mine. He might be courting me, but Alphas take multiple Omega mates. I know that. I’ve seen it. That’s the natural course of everything.
So who am I to run down here and challenge the Omega propositioning Oros?
If anything, I’m the intruder here, something her echoing words in my mind confirm.
Willing to help me through it again, Alpha.
He’s… he’s knotted her before. During a different heat. And now she—
A gasp comes from my right, making me wince.
Because yeah, I’m… on the bottom stair. My wolf won the battle inside me, forcing me toward Oros despite my human side shouting reason.
She’s a possessive beast.
And she’s… growling.
Which is probably what made the other Omega gasp.
I close my eyes and fight the violence clawing at my insides. Shifting right now would be very bad. Not only would it be inappropriate, but it would also probably end in Oros removing his protection.
I have no right to interfere with his personal affairs.
Except, his note said—
Energy swirls around me, causing my lashes to flutter in surprise.
My gaze instantly meets a pair of striking golden orbs. My Alpha.
No. Not my Alpha. He’s… he’s…
“Cloak,” he bites out.
My brow furrows. Cloak?
More energy warms the air as an Alpha appears beside us. One glance has my eyes widening in shock. Voice.
My gaze instantly drops to the ground.
Oh, Gods. Not only did I just make a fool of myself in front of Oros, but the Gold Sector Prince witnessed it, too.
And I can’t even begin to explain myself.
Sorry, my wolf is possessive isn’t an excuse either Alpha will find acceptable.
Wolves are inferior to dragons. And I’m an Omega. Both are slights against me, ones that give me no right to any sort of possessive claim over Oros.
No right to growl at another female.
An apology lingers on my lips, yet I can’t seem to voice it. Because I don’t know how to explain my behavior without mentioning my animal.
And surely the prince won’t approve of my wolf. Oros might not mind, but a royal Drakonian definitely will.
I’m still trying to speak as a soft fabric surrounds my shoulders, the texture reminding me of my visit with Doctor Taylor yesterday.
Only, this isn’t the same cloak. This is a new one. Something I know because the other one was left in the suite.
Unless he brought it down here while I slept?
No. It’s missing my scent. So it must be another one of Oros’s cloaks.
My wolf preens inside at the concept of being given more of his clothes.
But I can’t seem to bring myself to meet his gaze.
Because I know he’s furious with me. How could he not be?
His hands run over my trembling form, swathing me completely in his cloak. Magic warms my skin as he creates little gold adornments that function as clips to hold the fabric together down my torso.
I frown at the display of power, surprised he’s going to such lengths to cover me.
His fingers clasp my jaw when he’s done, his grip surprisingly gentle as he guides my eyes up to his. I flinch inside, dreading what I’ll find…
Except…
He studies me, his eyebrows angled down. Not in a disapproving way, but in a way that indicates concern. “Are you all right?”
I blink at him. “I…” I have no idea how to reply to that. He’s asking if I’m all right? After the spectacle I just made of myself?
“Bella,” he says, making me wince. I much prefer his printesa mea nickname for me. “You should go.”
My gaze falls despite his hold on my chin. “Oh, right. Okay,” I whisper, his command one I expected. His perceived concern was obviously a fluke, something I foolishly misinterpreted.
Gods, why is this—
“I wasn’t talking to you, little diamond,” he murmurs, forcing my gaze back up to his. “I was talking to Omega Bella.” He glances at the gorgeous blonde female standing about ten feet away, her eyes bright with surprised confusion.
Wow, I think, marveling at her beauty. She’s like a Goddess.
And very clearly a purebred dragon.
I can see the beast staring at me through her vivid blue irises.
“Bella,” he says again, this time with a hint of demand.
She takes a flinching step backward. “I’m sorry, My—”
“I’ll escort you out, Bella,” Voice interrupts, stepping between us and cutting off my view of the Omega. He moves forward with fluid movements, his torso as rippled with muscle as Oros’s, the two of them only wearing pants.
But I barely have a second to notice his athletic physique before Oros pulls me into a kiss, his mouth possessive and hot against mine.
It’s so unexpected that I freeze.
However, the second his tongue touches mine, I melt. He wraps his arms around me, his scent bathing me in a fiery claim I feel to my very soul. By the time he releases me, I’m panting and dizzy and nearly consumed by passion.
Except that female’s perfume still lingers in the air, making my wolf growl. A sound I can’t quite swallow.
Once again, I find myself incapable of apologizing even though I know I should. But Oros simply looks amused.
“Your animal is possessive,” he muses, holding me close. “Mmm, I think I like that, printesa mea.” He leans down to nip at my bottom lip. “My dragon feels similarly.”
“I’m trying to control her,” I grumble, hating that I can’t. And also hating that I… I don’t really want to.
Something is fundamentally wrong with me.
I struggled to submit in Obsidian Sector, too. But I learned my place. Only to have every intrinsic rule and instinct broken while in the nomad lands.
“Please don’t,” Oros replies, his hand leaving my chin to cup my jaw. “I find your wolf pretty fucking sexy.” He places another kiss on my lips. “And I’m sorry about Bella. I didn’t know she was coming up for a visit, nor did I invite her into my office.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I tell him. “I… I’m familiar with Alphas and their, um, harem.” I twist my mouth to the side, hating the word harem. “I’m aware that Alphas court multiple Omegas.” There. That… that summarizes what I meant to say.
Although, court is a relatively new term, one I adopted because he used it yesterday. But it gets the point across.
Except he jerks back like I’ve slapped him.
“What?” he demands, causing me to also take a step back.
Only, he charges toward me as I do, his hand suddenly around my nape as his opposite arm encircles my waist.
“No. We will not be courting others. I do not share, Omega.”
I gape at him. “I… I wouldn’t…” I’m so confused. “Alphas court multiple Omegas. Not the other way around. I know that. I know better than to see more than one Alpha.”
There were a few Omegas permitted that privilege in Obsidian Sector—my mother being one of them—but I wasn’t a dragon. I would never have been forced to take multiple Alpha mates.
And thank the Gods for that.
Oros takes a deep breath, then lets it out so slowly that I wonder if he’s counting down in his head. Because I’ve clearly upset him. Again.
Or maybe not again?
I… I’m still unclear about what just happened here on this balcony.
I interrupted him with another Omega, and he—
“Gold Sector Alphas do not court multiple Omegas.” He utters the words with such measured calm that I can’t help but shiver.
Because he’s furious.
I can feel his fury now, taste it in the air, see it dancing in his gaze.
Yet his palm on my nape isn’t tense, and his arm around my waist is relaxed.
Somehow, he’s holding all that anger back. And I have no idea why.
“I want to take you on a tour today,” he goes on. “It’s very clear to me that you need to see how things are done here. Because this is not Obsidian Sector. And I am not an Obsidian Sector Alpha. I’m a real fucking Drakonian Alpha. And I will only ever court one Omega. You.”