Chapter 45
Chapter
Forty-Five
As I thought, no one was expecting me to go straight for Queen.
She screamed while Keith shifted into his Draconic form.
Unsurprisingly, apart from his color, he looked a lot like Marcus.
He pushed Queen back, baring his teeth with smoke coming from his nostrils.
Dylan shifted, snarling at me as I ran toward him.
He barreled straight for me, but with my speed, I wasn’t worried. Pouncing, I cleared him easily. For so long, his wolf looked so big. Now, seeing him smaller than I was, I felt a sliver of pride. I continued to make a beeline for Queen.
From what I understood, she was an Alpha, but I didn’t know if she was a leadership Alpha considering she didn’t shift to her own Draconic form.
I could have sworn she was, but it had been so long since Marcus and I talked about her.
Not that it mattered at this point. I knew Keith would protect her. That was what I was banking on.
“Colton! No!” He yelled at me, his command swirling.
Even Dylan hesitated under the command. Keith’s eyes widened when I didn’t even flinch. Recognition flashed in his eyes. Still, he wasn’t about to put Queen in danger. His roar filled the clearing as I jumped again, claws out, looking like I was ready to take out Queen.
Before I could reach her, Keith’s arm slammed into my side. It was with so much power that from the moment his fist touched me; it felt like everything slowed down. The force cracked my ribs before I was suddenly shot through the forest.
For the first time, I was flying. Actually flying. From the height that I jumped to where he hit me, was comically high. Even though it felt slow to me, I know I exploded from that spot across the clearing and into the forest.
Eventually, my body slammed into a tree trunk. I couldn’t help the yelp that left me. I’d had quite a bit of a pain in my life. I mean, I’d just birthed a dragon for goddess’ sake. This was a different and overwhelming kind of pain. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think.
I fell to the ground with a thud, my body crumpled. There was so much blood in my mouth that it actually made me cough. My wolf howled in pain, but I had to recover before they realized what they had done.
“What the hell do you think you are doing, Alford? You could have killed him!”
“He was coming for my mate! What do you want me to do?”
Dylan growled. “You’re fucking dragons! You can take a hit. Unless your brother was the only one who was strong.”
I had to push up. I needed to get up. Keith had sent me flying. He also sent me flying over the warriors that were on the edge of the clearing. I was now on the other side, closest to the lair. All I needed to do was get up.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I moved my paws and pushed up. The pain was so bad that it made me blink a few times to clear my vision. I could do this. If I could move, I could run. That’s the only thing I could tell myself. Focus.
Keith’s roar had been loud, but the next roar I heard was deafening.
Everyone I could see ducked and bared their necks.
The ground shook a moment later, and I looked at the back of Marcus.
He had dropped out of the sky in his Draconic form, the black scales looking more demonic right now than normal.
Marcus stood above everyone, smoke leaving his mouth with every breath he took. He didn’t turn back to look at me. However, he was making sure I was out of view of the three biggest issues. Keith stepped forward, frowning.
“Marcus, you need to stand down.”
“Now why would I do that, Keith?”
Dylan growled, stepping forward. “You are in the way of my mate.”
“Your mate? Funny. I was the one who heard his voice through the mind link. I’m the one who has his mark. I’m the one who can feel his emotions. I’m also the one who has a child with him. So, from where I am standing, you being his mate is a lie.”
My eyes widened. Had he heard me? My word actually got through? I couldn’t have felt more relief. Marcus actually came for me.
“You don’t even know him, Marcus. You don’t remember him. Your bond is broken. You should allow fated mates to be together. Alpha Genesis is Colton’s fated. You would stand in the way of two fated mates?”
The moment it left Keith’s mouth, I shifted. I let out a cry as the bones that were broken shifted. Marcus looked back at me, worried, but I ignored him. My eyes were bright silver, my rage lashing out even beyond the crystal’s power.
“Fated? You think this fucker is my fated mate? He already has his fated mate. His mate is his current Luna. Omegas don’t have fated mates, you stupid fucking dragon!” I screamed at Keith.
Dylan laughed, his eyes wild as he looked me over in my human form. “I am your fate, Colton. I have always been. My father created you for me. You are mine. You will always be mine.”
“You are delusional! I am my own person. I have my own soul. My own heart! You think you own me because your father used some crusty semen that you bought off the black market? That’s not how that works!”
“That’s exactly how this works! Marcus is going to hand you over, and you are coming home with me!” Dylan growled.
Keith put his hand on Dylan’s shoulder, stopping him from stepping any closer to me. “I thought you said Colton was your fated mate.”
“He is! He is mine!” Dylan shrugged his hand off. “Don’t fucking get in my way, Alford. You already betrayed your family for this. See it through and help me get my mate.”
“I told you I wouldn’t fight my family.” Keith looked up at Marcus. “You need to move, Marcus. Let Alpha Genesis take Colton. He is their pack member. His fated. You need to stop this charade of a bond. You’ve done nothing but break each other. It’s time to let him go to where he belongs.”
I started to cough, but it wasn’t because I was crying. It was because I was laughing. My hands curled up in the grass, clawing into the dirt below. Pushing up, the pain made me sway, but I stood up as much as I could.
“Is that why you did this, Keith? You betrayed your brother, your family, because what? You thought I would be better off with an Alpha who is a glass of whiskey shy of feral? You knew I was running from my pack. You knew I was in hiding.”
“I didn’t betray anyone!” He yelled at me. “I am making things right! Everyone deserves to be with their fated!”
The scoff that came out hurt, and I gasped, holding my side. “Like your fated relationship? It’s so fucking fantastic that you want everyone to go through that? Your bitch of a mate doesn’t give a shit about you or your offspring.”
He opened his mouth, but I continued, cutting him off. “Oh, I know you love her, but she doesn’t give a rat’s ass about you. She never did. It’s about what she can get from you. That’s the fated mate bond you want for me?”
“You don’t know anything about our relationship!” Keith finally managed to get out.
“Oh, I know enough. I know you lost your kids for years, Keith. You’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get where you are now.
You’re a single father after they turn one.
She calls you over when she wants something.
Not when you want her or need her. You are so stupid if you think you are the person to push someone else toward a fated bond. ”
Queen stepped up this time, sneering at me.
“You have a perfectly good Alpha wolf wanting you and you don’t want them?
What kind of childish shit is that? You thought you could get something better than the level that your own Alpha, and so you tried to seduce Marcus?
” She scoffed. “I know your type, Omega. Marcus should have been strong enough to know better, but he’s been begging for someone to love him for years.
He was weak to you. That doesn’t mean you belong next to him. ”
I took a labored breath. “You…you deserve to go straight to hell for all you have done. You don’t deserve Keith or Mason or Ellen…none of them. You deserve to rot in the gutter, begging for scraps.”
Her dragon came forward, but she looked up at Keith. “Keith, darling, this thing needs to get off our territory. You’re Alpha, you need to be the Alpha. Your family is powerful, but they aren’t stronger than you. Not with the flight behind you.”
My consciousness wavered for a moment, and I started to fall. Arms grabbed me, and I managed to come to a moment later. Looking up, Marcus was holding me, a panicked look on his face. Flashing him a smile, I swallowed some of the blood I had been tasting.
“I’m okay. This is nothing…compared to Kayla…”
His mouth didn’t even twitch. “We need to get you home.”
“Marcus,” Keith stood taller. “I need you to give Colton to his Alpha.”
A breath of smoke left Marcus as he looked up at his brother.
“I am his Alpha. No one else. I don’t care who could be or who might be or who his fated.
I don’t care if I don’t remember, because he does.
So I am his Alpha. I am his mate, and until he tells me he isn’t, I won’t treat him any differently. ”
“Mar…” I looked up at him, my eyes filling with tears.
Dylan must have mind-linked the warriors because all of them stalked forward. “You stupid dragon. That was the wrong answer.”
I stood up taller, clearing my throat as I tried not to wince too much. “I will never be yours, Dylan. I would rather kill myself. I would rather destroy every part of myself before I let you ever touch me again.”
Keith’s eyes widened, but he had already done his damage.
Queen was, no doubt, in his ear feeding him lies while giving him the attention he wanted from her.
She looked as if she were having the time of her life.
I hadn’t actually thought that I was going to hurt her, but now I regretted it.
This woman deserved so much pain that I don’t think I could have doled out enough myself.
“Can you run?” Marcus looked down at me. “I can hold them off. You run and get to the lair. The others should be on their way.”
I shook my head, giving him a soft smile. “I’m not leaving you. Not again. I’m not having them take you again or kill you. It’s not happening.”
Marcus looked into my eyes before giving me a quick nod. He moved me behind him and stepped up to the warriors. I took as deep a breath as I could before I readied myself for anything that came around him. It wouldn’t be pretty, but I wouldn’t go down here. I couldn’t.
There was a silent command that went out, and everyone jumped at once.
Keith roared out to stop while Queen cackled.
Dylan didn’t shift himself, but watched from behind.
The first warrior who jumped got his snout punched into his head and dropped.
The next one got a fist in the side of his head and it caved in as he went flying, much like I had.
I was surprised that either Keith had held back or Marcus was that much stronger than him.
Another six wolves dropped before one could get around Marcus and aim for me. I jumped out of their way before kicking them in the side. It didn’t do much, but it was enough to hurt at least. My fighting days were years behind me, but at least I could do everything to delay them.
The brown wolf came around again, and I cried out as they bit down on my arm.
Still, they had to hold on, and I used it as an opportunity.
Shifting my other hand, I scratched at their face, clawing their eyes into a bloody mess.
It was about as kid-street-fighting as you could get, but eventually, he had to let go.
They were bleeding down the side of the neck where I had moved to after nearly tearing off all the skin on their face and muzzle.
A swift kick from Marcus sent the flying away and out of my orbit.
I fell to one knee, cradling my arm in my hand.
My wolf was forward, snarling and snapping its elongated canines.
Marcus stood close, his scent filling the air and saturating it, making it hard for any of the warriors to come forward.
I don’t know why they thought they could fight against an Alpha-10.
If his bond had fully healed, he could have commanded them all to drop.
Right now, his scent was enough for them to put on the skids and think twice about approaching.
Especially an Alpha who was protecting his mate, much like Keith had done.
There was a push through the mate bond that would give him some strength as well.
“Colton!”
My vision was fading. I’d lost too much blood, and the pain hadn’t even gone up as their teeth crushed the bones in my arm. It was already becoming too much to handle.
From behind us, there was pounding, and I thought it was more warriors or worse, Keith calling in the flight. Instead, Beau slid on her knees to me, trying to hold me up before I hissed in pain from moving my ribs.
“Keith Firestorm Alford!” Tyson stepped forward, his Draconic form so much more menacing than both Keith and Marcus. “What the hell is going on?”
“Dad, I just…” Keith broke, suddenly thinking that maybe this wasn’t the right choice.
I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. With Beau’s arms holding me, I finally went slack. At one point, I thought I heard my name being yelled, but I didn’t know by whom.