Chapter 18 Ashlyn
ASHLYN
Nomad Lands, Canada
A Minute or so Earlier
The wards have fallen. Every last one of them.
It’s a chilling realization that makes the quiet in the house that much more daunting.
I wait, the clock ticking in my mind.
Then a creak sounds from the stairs as the first Alpha ascends.
I don’t wait to see his face, just focus on his torso and pull the trigger the moment he appears.
Growls echo from outside and inside the house, my location officially revealed, and boots pound on the hardwood.
I lock and reload, then shoot.
Lock and reload, then shoot.
Again and again.
Until the shotgun is done and all I have left are two revolvers.
I put one in each hand and scream as three Alphas enter the room at once.
I fire in sequence, sending their bodies all over the ground, blood spraying over me and the room.
I can’t keep this up for much longer.
There are far more of them than I have bullets. But I just keep firing.
Until the click tells me I’m out, the sound echoing through my spirit in a wave of agony.
Because the final second has count down.
It’s done.
However, I can’t just sit and take, so I come up on my knees with a snarling scream, daring the Alphas to try to take me.
It doesn’t matter that my mind is half gone to my heat.
I. Will. Not. Submit.
And I demonstrate that with a guttural scream right as Grey materializes in the room, his eyes round as he finds me in the middle of the bed, covered in brain matter and other unmentionable bloody pieces.
Then a growl sounds from the door, and he charges forward to take the Alpha down.
Grey releases a furious rumble that vibrates me to my core and causes me to fall onto the bed, my wolf giving in to her Alpha’s call. Only it was a sound of dominance and aggression that he released for all the others around us, followed by a howl that shouts his claim for everyone to hear.
Mine, that sound says. This Omega is mine.
Which is how I know I’ve fallen into a dream state.
Because none of this is real.
It can’t be happening.
Grey is with his sister now, saving her and taking her to safety.
He can’t be here. That’s not what the visions have shown in the past.
It’s a trick.
My mind’s way of finding peace while my body is destroyed…
“Ashlyn.” Grey’s voice rolls over me, the tone so authentic that I smile.
“Alpha.” That’s all I can say. My insides are on fire and I’m moments away from losing my grasp on reality. But I want to remember this fantasy—the one where Grey chooses me.
Because no one has ever chosen me before.
I’ve always sacrificed everything for others, never expecting anything in return.
But it feels nice to dream about being put first for once.
To be saved…
I sigh as Grey’s scent surrounds me. Snow falling over evergreens. It’s so strong that I can almost believe he’s real.
Just like his purr.
It’s a vibration against my ear that pleases my inner wolf.
The memories of our time together are helping, I realize. He’ll never know what that meant to me.
“Ashlyn,” he murmurs, his lips against my ear. “Not only am I very real, but I can hear your thoughts.”
My lips curl. Then this most certainly is the best dream I’ve ever had.
“Not a dream, little riddler,” he says as something wet touches my skin. “Now wake up so I can bathe you.”
My eyelashes flutter, the surroundings confusing and not quite right.
Because all I see is white marble and obsidian tiles.
We’re in a modern bathroom, sitting in a large shower.
I blink, certain I’m seeing things. Where are we?
“My lair in Lunar Sector,” he replies, addressing my thought out loud. “But we’re both covered in blood, so unless you want me to knot you like this, I suggest you let me clean us up.”
I grab his shoulders and try to focus on him. He just said knot. And I very much want that, yes. Why bother cleaning us up if we’re just going to get dirty again? I wonder.
He lowers his face to mine so our noses are within an inch of one another. “Because I don’t fancy fucking my mate when she’s covered in another Alpha’s blood. Even if it is fucking hot how you shot all those assholes with my guns.”
Water splashes down around us, causing me to glance upward at the showerhead.
I wince, not a fan of the sensation. It feels wrong. All I want is to be stroked and licked and fucked.
“Soon, mate,” Grey says to me, his hands beginning to roam, but not in the way I desire.
He’s using soap to clean the crimson stains from my skin.
I have no idea how we got here. How he arrived in time. How he changed fate.
But I… I’m not sad. I’m elated. I’m thrilled, even.
So thrilled that I lean forward and sink my teeth into his pec, just to prove to myself that this is real.
He growls.
I growl back.
Then another layer of our bond seems to settle into place.
A layer I didn’t realize was missing.
Because Z-Clan Omegas never have to mark their fated mates.
But he’s not all Z-Clan Alpha, I realize, my eyes widening. V-Clan Alphas need that reciprocated bite…
Grey threads his fingers through my hair and pulls my head back so he can stare into my eyes. “I’m going to knot you for fucking days, Omega. Make you come so damn hard that you can barely breathe. And then I’m going to bite you again. Because I can. Because I want to. Because I need to.”
“I might bite you back,” I warn him.
“I fucking hope you do,” he admits. “Now be a good girl and stand up for me so I can finish washing you off.”
My legs move to obey his command, my body seeming to be his to control.
Because of my heat.
Or maybe… maybe because it’s simply him. Us.
I don’t know.
And I don’t fight it.
I just revel in the feel of his hands on me, all while trying to hold back my groans from the mounting agony within.
I need a knot. I need relief. I need to be filled.
“Here,” he says, pulling me back into his lap after rinsing himself off. My thighs part over him and my inside practically weep as he places his cock right at my entrance. “Take me, mate. Ride me and make me yours.”
Oh, I like the sound of that.
I slide right down and groan as he fills me completely. The sensation takes the air from my lungs, causing my head to fall against his shoulder. All I want to do is weep with relief. But I’m too afraid I might wake up, that I’ll experience the horrors of my mind.
Horrors I can’t stop thinking about now as tears fall from my eyes.
Grey wraps his arms around me, bathing me in his strength. “You’re safe, Ash,” he whispers. “I’ve got you. I’m here. And I will always fucking choose you, little riddler. You’re my fated half. My Omega. My mate.”
His purr ignites with the words, swathing me in a sea of soothing energy. I lose myself to the comfort for a long moment, simply existing as I try to master my emotions and my mind.
But it’s all so raw.
I hear Grey’s mind recounting what happened in Kodiak Sector, how his brother—the man I saw in Nikiski’s vision—has been manipulating their twin bond for a century.
Which explains a lot of the haphazard prophecies where my own mating was concerned.
His brother was using Nikiski to manipulate my seeing abilities, forcing me to foresee skewed events.
Everything was hazy for a reason.
And the changes in our paths… they weren’t really changes. They were truths.
We were always destined to mate.
But Spruce wouldn’t let me see that.
He wanted me alone. Scared. Willing to sacrifice everything. All while thinking Grey chose someone else.
It was a cruel manipulation.
One we not only survived but overcame.
Together.
Grey palms my cheek, his gaze seeking out mine as he pulls me in for a sweet kiss. “This is just the beginning of us, Ash. I don’t need fortune telling abilities to foresee that we’re going to do amazing things together.”
“Like take down the shadow organization?” I suggest, groggy from fighting off my heat.
“Like take down the shadow organization,” he echoes. “With help from others.”
I nod. “Nikiski knows things, I think.”
“Yes,” he agrees. “I believe she does.”
His forehead falls to mine.
And we just breathe for a minute.
Then I subtly shift my hips. “Can you foresee what comes next?” I ask him.
He smiles. “Not what, but who. And it’s you, of course,” he murmurs, his hands reaching up to cup my breasts. “Now ride me, mate. Take us into the future.”
“I’m more concerned with the present right now,” I reply, squeezing my walls around him. “I’m not going to be lucid much longer.”
“Then you better start moving, Ash. I want at least two orgasms from you while you’re aware.” He tugs on my hair, angling my head back. “Then I’ll take good care of you while you’re in heat.”
“Knotting me for days?”
“Knotting you for days,” he echoes. “I’m going to take every fucking hole, little riddler, and bathe you in my fucking cum.”
I shudder, his words inspiring a fresh wave of slick between my thighs. “Yes, please, Alpha.”
“Fuck me, Omega.” He adds a slight slap to my rump. “Fuck me now.”
I do.
Because I want to.
Because I choose him.
Because we’re soulmates.
Bonded.
Meant to be together forever.
And as I fall apart in his lap, I realize there are no more horrific visions of our future.
Only a strengthening bond. Love. And happiness.
How interesting that this dance with fate began with me falling into the ice lake. Then continued after being saved from the icy shores of Kodiak Sector. And culminated in a warm shower in Lunar Sector.
The evolution of a relationship. Of fate. Of us.