Chapter Thirty-Four
Archibald
Iam livid at Frederick. That fucking twat. I knew he was scheming, and after my promotion to Earl, his jealousy only grew, but I would have never thought he’d so blatantly break the peace accord with the humans.
This underhandedness will never help us gain security in our treaty with the humans. Will never get them to feel safe in our rule.
But more than that, my heart is breaking. Our bride. Our omega.
Not just an omega, but ours. She’s ours. The signs, her reaction to our bark, the way we scent her and are so drawn to her; she’s our true center, our omega.
And I have to let her go. I’d cut off my own wing if there was a way to keep her here, safe and happy. But if I don’t do this, she’ll never be happy. Never love us. I have to hope she returns.
My eyes meet Ben’s. His face is sorrowful. He understands.
Theo is still pacing, wings at attention. I watch him forlornly. I don’t think he gets it. That we have to let her go, alone.
“Theo,” I call.
He stops, looking between us. His eyebrows furrow. “We can help, we can—”
His face drops. “No,” he whispers.
Fern straightens, but is silent.
“I can get into the security lines,” Ben starts, “Muck things up a bit. Anything truly helpful would be too easy to notice though. But I can buy a little time.”
Theo swallows hard. “She...” he trails off. He comes and kneels next to me, taking one of Fern’s hands. Her face softens as she looks at him.
“Will you return to us, little one?” He whispers.
She’s silent a long time, staring at him. Slowly, she lifts her hand to reach for Ben. He makes a noise in his throat as he crosses to us.
“I... I don’t know,” she whispers truthfully. “I have... come to care for you all, in my own way.” She bites her pretty lip, and my heart aches. “Will you not let me go unless I promise to return?”
I shake my head. “No. We’ll let you return to your fight no matter what. Though we will all pray to the Night Goddess that you choose to come home to us.”
Her liquid brown eyes turn from one of us to the next, her face somber.
Finally she murmurs, “Thank you.”
I push myself to standing, even as the beast inside me screams to scoop up my omega and tie her to my bed.
“Come on, then, little rebel, let’s get you geared up.”
“I SWEAR TO THE NIGHT Goddess, if something happens to her,” Ben whispers harshly, “I’m going to kill Frederick myself.” He’s enraged.
Good. He should be.
Stonesdamn that fucker, putting our omega into harm’s way.
Theo, in his fatigues, groans, head in his hands. “Our bride. Our center. Our omega. We are stupid as fuck, letting her go.”
I finish my glass of liquor as I stand, shaking my wings. “I’ll wake her. It’s time.”
We gave her her cleaned clothes, and a small blade, and put her to bed to try to sleep. We packed some food and more blades for her, and a travel holo, so she could get a hold of us after the battle.
My stomach is an angry ache as I stride to my room. I knock and open the door slowly. Fern comes out of the bathroom, looking murderous and gorgeous. Her hair is braided tightly and she’s in those warm brown skirts, a pretty but functional knitted shawl over her thick blouse.
She crosses to me and steps close to my body. I slowly raise my arms and wrap them around her. She leans in and I catch her smelling me. I smile sadly and say nothing, just bend to inhale her rich, healthy scent. My omega. My omega, my brain screams. Keep her safe!
I shake myself again.
Warrior. My omega is a warrior who raised herself, who stared down three horny gargoyles, tried to stab us, eventually escaped, and killed several other horny gargoyles.
I must let her go.
And she’ll return. Surely she feels it, feels the pull to her alphas, her pack.
We had briefly argued with Ben while Fern slept, over whether or not we should explain packy dynamics to her.
We decided it was too much, too many details that had been hidden from the humans, for her to be able to take in in any meaningful way, especially with her head full of battle plans. It would be an unfair distraction.
Besides, Theo had insisted, if she didn’t return, we could go find her, after things had settled in Sylrya, and explain to her, what it means to be an alpha, and an omega, what it means to have a matched pack.
“Thank you, Archibald,” she whispers and my heart pounds, hearing her say my name.
I kiss the top of her head. “Of course, Fern.”
We walk out, my tail around her waist and Ben stands, face devastated. She crosses to him and leans against his body for a moment before he responds, wrapping her tightly against him, his wings coming around his body to curl around them both. I think I hear a small sob as they whisper.
Protect her. Tie her up and save her from her noble urges. Those souls she wants to save mean naught to me. But my omega. Goddess, she means everything.
Ben’s wings slowly peel back and Theo holds out a pack for Fern. She sniffles, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
She crosses to Theo before turning and looking at Ben and I again.
Right before our bodies will force us to rest. Theo is going to have to wing hard to get back here before he needs to sleep. And while he wouldn’t mind sleeping in the wilderness, we need him here, just in case Frederick shows up unexpectedly. But Theo is a fast flier, and damn near invisible.
He scoops her up and nods to us before turning and running off the balcony.