21. Zoe
Zoe
The sickness I have been feeling for the past few weeks, which culminated in me hurling my guts out this afternoon, did not prepare me for this moment.
When my legs grow wobbly and I can no longer force myself to run, I find a place that feels safe enough for what comes next. My skin has been hot since my interaction with Warren, but now I'm surprised my clothes aren't melting off me.
I strip down, even removing my necklace and placing it on top of the pile, then fall to my knees.
As painful and scary as this is, excitement for finding out what beast I have been Blessed with bubbles up.
There is no disguising the moment it happens. A brutal scream rips from my throat. It feels like all of my bones are breaking and being reformed anew, and I see the ground grow farther and farther away as my body morphs and changes before I slam my eyes shut.
When I feel settled, the pain an echo of a memory, I ease my eyes open to see the tops of trees directly in front of me. Whatever I am, I'm huge.
Oh fuck, can someone see me?
I duck and fold my legs under me, settling on the ground in a motion that is so natural I don't have to think.
When I hold my hand up, I don't find a hand but rather a clawed foot, covered in shining copper scales.
A thump behind me startles me, and I look over my shoulder only to see a tail hitting the ground.
A weight on my back has me trying to stretch out, only to find wings pushing out from my sides and smacking the trees around me.
I'm trying to remember the word for the beast I have become when crashing through the trees has me curling up in a protective position around my clothes and calling a rumble through my chest.
Dominic's sabertooth form stands before me, and any lingering pain and fear are banished when our eyes lock.
He can help me. He'll know what to do, except I can't shift and ask him. My beast is stubborn, unwilling to let me lock her away so soon.
The tiger stalks toward me, and I worry I'm going to have to defend myself against an attack when he lowers himself to the ground and crawls on his belly until he's lying on top of my foot.
His weight feels like nothing, but the relief I feel at the contact is almost immediate.
Is this what they've been telling us about how Alphas and Omegas need each other? It must be, because my mind feels quieter, and a rolling, warm purr leaves my throat.
The smell of cedar overwhelms me, and I know it must be him because it feels like my soul is on fire with it, like it is the only thing that matters to me. When I dip my head down to bury my nose into his fur, he answers my purr with his own and starts to rub his face against my leg.
How massive am I if he feels so small next to me?
We lay together until the sun dips below the horizon. Night has fallen before the sabertooth's body ripples and is replaced by the trim, nude form of Dominic.
"Hey, Omega." He has never sounded this soft when he's spoken to me. I didn't know he was capable of such gentleness. "Are you going to shift back and let me meet you?"
Even if I knew how, I'm not so sure I would. He's going to be furious when he realizes who I am. I'd prefer he never know than to be rejected by him again.
"You're a beautiful dragon, but I'd love to see the Omega you live within. Can you please shift for me?" Almost to himself, he mutters, "How did I not know there was an Omega dragon?"
Dragon. That's what I am.
It's a creature I've heard mentioned a few times in books of lore, as myths and legends. It never occurred to me that a dragon was an option for an Omega form.
Aren't Omegas supposed to be weak and need protection? The only part of me that needs protection right now is my heart.
The pure adoration in his voice has my form rippling, my dragon willing to relinquish control, but I fight it. I don't want him to know it's me, because the kindness will stop.
"You know what we are to one another, don't you?" My mind goes blank, and I shake my massive head in answer. "Well, let me introduce myself to you. I'm Dominic, and I'm your scent match. Do you know what being scent-matched means?"
The words tickle a memory of Menegerie Management, where Dominic was talking about scent-sympathetic Alphas and Omegas, before the twins asked about the other types of bonds.
"We're a perfect fit. Fated to be together.
The Gods picked us out for one another." If the Gods picked this, why didn't Ilota warn me?
He looks up and down my massive form and hums to himself.
"And how lucky am I to be matched to the person Blessed by the Fire Goddess for the first time in memory? "
If he could tell instantly, others will be able to, too, which means I am not safe and need to swear him to secrecy.
Panic claws up my throat, and I know I need to shift, but my dragon still feels like a presence looking over my shoulder, not something that is a part of me and will cooperate with my desires.
He strokes a hand up my leg, and though it is small, I can feel the sparks it leaves in its path.
I take the opportunity to admire his naked form, soaking up the way he moves with quiet grace. A predator's gait. His left leg from the knee down is a kaleidoscope of geometric shapes, overlapping and moving together in a beautiful and dizzying way.
"Are you scared you'll get in trouble because you're not supposed to be out here? You shouldn't be. I'll protect you. You won't have to go back to Omega housing now that we're a match. You can stay with me."
His touch and sweet words work on my dragon, and my form starts to ripple and twist, the pain present but not nearly as bad as it was shifting into this form.
I can feel the dirt and grass on my bare skin, and I bury my face in my arms before he can see me. I'm trying to put this off as long as I can, but I know in moments he'll walk away from me again.
"Look at you." His words come out in a reverent whisper. "What's your name? Let me see your pretty face."
I take a fortifying breath, knowing everything is about to change, and raise myself to a kneeling position.
The embarrassment I should feel for being nude takes a backseat to the rejection I know I'm about to face.
Our gazes clash, and Dominic stumbles backward.
The betrayal in his expression breaks my heart.
"Zoe?" My name sounds like a curse on his lips. "I fucking knew it. I knew it, and you lied to me. You lied to me!" The fury in his tone has me scrambling away from him.
"I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. You have to believe me."
"Bullshit!" He slams his fist into the tree next to him. "You knew, and you still lied to my face."
"I didn't want to lie to you, but Ilota told me I had to."
He scoffs. "Convenient that a Goddess no one has heard from in centuries tells you to lie to your scent match." The way he says those two words, as if it's the worst news he's ever gotten, has bile rising in my throat.
"It's the truth!" I can feel the presence that I now know is my dragon pushing under my skin, demanding to be let out and see if he'll stay with us in that form. "I'm sorry, Dominic. I wanted to tell you."
There is a whisper of real hurt on his face before he shakes his head and spits on the ground at my feet. "I warned you, bunny. I told you that if you lied to me, I'd turn you away."
In the evening light, his dark hair casts shadows over his face, highlighting a violent beauty that I haven't gotten the chance to appreciate. He turns his back to me, and the muscles on his back flex as his shoulders fall.
"I really, really wish you wouldn't have lied to me."
Then he's gone, and he takes a part of me with him.