Chapter 16 Oros
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
OROS
Naturally, my brother chooses that exact moment to appear behind Taliana.
His nostrils flare at my declaration, the words powerful and laden with meaning.
Fortunately, he doesn’t remind me that I only just met this Omega.
Unfortunately, said Omega is gaping at me with a mixture of confusion and awe.
When she mentioned courting others, my dragon roared with fury and nearly had me pinning her beneath me.
We will not share, my beast wanted me to say. You. Are. Ours.
But then it became clear that she expected me to entertain multiple Omega mates. And that… that insulted my ego.
I’m a fucking Drakonian Alpha.
And not just any Drakonian Alpha, but a Godsdamn prince.
I want one mate. One Omega. Not a flaming harem.
So yeah, I said some things. Things my brother overheard. Things he’s no doubt judging me for now.
But I won’t take them back.
Courting isn’t the same as claiming.
I can court for as long as I desire. Days. Months. Years. Whatever it takes to establish trust between me and Taliana.
My dragon might prefer the courtship to last hours. But I’m in charge here, not him.
“Bella Chambers is my past,” I add aloud, feeling like I need to explain what Taliana just witnessed. “An Omega I saw through a few heats. I never courted her, and I never intend to court her. That’s not how things are done here.” Something she’ll understand better after our tour. “Let’s—”
My suggestion is cut off by a buzzing on my wrist, my watch alerting me of an incoming call.
I curse when I see the name.
Taking Taliana on a tour is important, but meeting with Riordan is imperative. I can’t delegate this conversation to my brother.
I also can’t seem to bring myself to release Taliana either, though.
So instead, I tug her into me for a quick kiss and say, “I need to take this call.”
She nods and swallows, her feet already pulling her away from me.
But I catch her hand and guide her right back to me. “We’ll take it in my office.”
My brother gives me a look of disapproval but smartly keeps his mouth shut. I’ll deal with him after we talk to Rio.
Swiping my thumb over my watch, I accept the incoming message.
The Prince of Jasper Sector appears in front of me on a translucent screen that moves as I walk.
His dark hair is braided in a series of rows along his scalp, allowing me to see the wolf tattoo decorating the side of his head. There are several Viking runes, too.
And something new.
“Nice web,” I tell him, referring to the small spiderweb etched into the corner of his forehead.
He doesn’t immediately reply, his focus on the Omega walking beside me. “Helena?” he asks, sounding shocked.
Taliana’s gaze instantly flies upward, her eyes widening in alarm.
“Holy shit,” Rio breathes, causing my footsteps to falter.
My brother and I frown at each other, then down at the Omega, who is gaping at the screen. “Helena?” I repeat, my heart suddenly kick-starting in my throat.
But before I can worry about any lies Taliana may have given me regarding her identity, I recall my conversation with her father.
“Your mother,” I acknowledge aloud in the next moment.
“You look just like her,” Rio adds unhelpfully. “But your eyes are all Keegan. Same shape. Though, the starburst pattern is missing some of the white.”
“Stop studying my Omega,” I demand.
Rio’s eyebrow lifts as he finally shifts his gaze to me. “Your Omega?”
My jaw ticks, my hand tightening around Taliana’s as I start walking again. “How do you know my father?” she asks, her bold question almost making me stumble.
It seems the submissive Omega from moments ago has disappeared, and in her place is a woman with suspicion etched into her beautiful features.
As she holds Rio’s gaze with the intensity and confidence of a fellow Alpha.
A queen, I think, pleased. Very pleased.
Although, it’s interesting that she didn’t ask how he knew her mother. Only her father.
“Do you know who I am?” Rio asks her, his tone more curious than arrogant.
“No. Should I?”
He smiles. “You should, but that’s not your fault so much as your father’s. I’ll be sure to comment on it the next time we speak.”
“So you admit he’s one of your spies?” I interject, somewhat relieved to hear he knows Keegan—because that proves the Alpha told me some truths yesterday. But I’m also equal parts wary, given what it all means.
“I would never send such an obvious plant, Golden Boy,” Rio drawls, using a nickname I despise even more than Rumpel and Rumpelstiltskin. “You know me better than that.”
I snort. “Didn’t you once tell me the most obvious enemies are the ones standing right in front of you?”
He grins at the mention of a conversation we had over a century ago when the Infection began to spread through the human masses.
It was a memorable talk, one that allied us for over a hundred years.
I hope that alliance isn’t about to crash and burn today.
But it will. Especially if I find out he’s been working with Basalt all along.
Onyx silently takes his favorite chair while I settle in the one beside him and drag Taliana into my lap. The gold clasps thankfully keep her cloak closed, hiding her beautiful body from Riordan’s view. But that doesn’t stop him from casting another appreciative glance her way.
Something I ensure he knows I noticed by shooting him a look.
Which earns me another grin.
“I had no idea you could smile so much,” I tell him.
“And I had no idea our conversations were memorable enough for you to recite my words verbatim,” he retorts.
“But I’m glad to hear they had a lasting impact.
” His smile is gone as he leans forward to add, “Because I think we have some important items to discuss, and trust is going to be imperative.”
I hum, agreeing with him.
“But before we get to that,” he goes on, his focus returning to my Omega. “My name is Riordan.”
She stiffens. “The Jasper Sector Prince.”
“One and the same,” he murmurs. “But you can call me Uncle Rio if you prefer.”
“Keegan’s your brother?” I ask, sharing a look with my own brother. We at least have the same stature and similar facial structures.
But Keegan and Rio look nothing alike.
Keegan also failed to mention the familial link.
“If she’s your niece, why did you send her here?” Onyx adds, suspicion deepening his tone. Probably because this is all beginning to feel more and more like a trap.
Yet all Rio does is sigh. “He’s not my blood brother. But he is my best friend.”
“Then my question still stands,” Onyx grinds out. “Why send them here? Why not accept them into Jasper Sector?”
“You know why,” Rio bites back to him, his tone considerably sharper as he speaks each word through his teeth. “Jasper Sector is full of purists.”
“Seems convenient as far as excuses go,” my brother says, clearly unimpressed. “But I guess that’s standard where you’re concerned.”
Riordan’s gaze narrows. “I won’t tolerate your brand of verbal sparring this early in the morning, Silver Kiss.”
“Fuck you, Red Rock.”
I rub the bridge of my nose, a headache forming behind my eyes. This is how these chats always go when Rio and Onyx are on a call. It starts with ridiculous nicknames and ends with true insults.
They’re far too similar and therefore push each other’s buttons without even trying.
As they’re both Alphas—and powerful ones at that—neither ever backs down.
Requiring me to be the voice of reason.
Except I’m not the one who speaks next.
Instead, it’s a small feminine voice filled with curiosity that says, “My father has told me a lot about you, Uncle Rio. And he explained why we couldn’t go to his home sector. I understand why I won’t be accepted there. My wolf is inferior to the dragons.”
“Your wolf is not inferior,” I interject. “I can’t believe your father told you that.”
I may have to fucking kill him for it, too.
All shifters are powerful in their own right.
Drakonians may possess some superior qualities, but there are things wolves can do that dragons cannot.
Like sprint through the woods.
“My father doesn’t feel that way, but he’s warned me that others do. And Obsidian Sector…” She trails off, then shakes her head. “My point is, I know why my father and I didn’t go to Jasper Sector. It was too far for us to travel, and my father knew I wouldn’t be accepted as a worthy Omega mate.”
She shrugs in a way that says “What can you do?” And it infuriates me.
“You’re worthy,” I tell her. “And fuck anyone who says otherwise.”
Rio clears his throat, the bastard not so subtly reminding me of his virtual presence.
Like I could fucking forget.
“Oros is right, carino. You’re extremely worthy.
Which is why I suggested Gold Sector to your father.
I knew the Alphas there would treat you with the respect you deserve.
Their Omega relocation resources are the most robust in the region, and they’re not afraid to embrace Omegas from alternative backgrounds. ”
I stare at the male whom I once considered to be my rival. “I’m willing to forgive you for calling her sweetheart because of everything you just said about my sector. But don’t push your luck again.”
The asshole’s lips twitch. “I’m not sure if I should be amused by your possession or concerned.”
“The latter,” my brother mutters. “Definitely the latter. But I assume you wanted this, so you probably feel the former.”
“If I wanted this, it was with good intentions,” Rio returns coolly. “I am not your enemy, Silver Kiss.”
“And yet, you keep insulting me, Red Rock.”
“There is nothing insulting about silver-coated chocolate,” the other Alpha bites back. “Those foiled kisses were fucking delicious. Too bad the human world went to shit.”
My brother grunts but says nothing more.
“I would like permission to visit,” Rio states, abruptly changing the conversation and returning it to business. “I think an in-person discussion regarding current affairs would be best. It’ll allow you to evaluate my truths and give me a chance to provide good faith.”