Chapter 21
Fern
Fern watched through her wolf’s eyes, unable to do anything as Harland stepped forward.
Omega… he said again.
What does that mean? she asked her wolf, but her wolf only growled at Harland, refusing to answer.
She snapped her jaws, warning him to back off, but he wasn’t at all intimidated. He sniffed the air instead, circling around her, feinting lunges to test out her reactions.
Fern could feel her wolf’s terror.
Is he going to kill us? Fern asked.
Her wolf snarled. Worse.
What could possibly be worse than that?
He wants to breed us.
Fern almost laughed. It was easier to laugh when you weren’t in charge.
A series of howls sounded in the distance, and Harland finally made his move. He leapt, jaws snapped right over her neck, teeth not breaking skin but with enough force to tell her he could if he wanted to.
Her wolf struggled for only a moment before instinct forced her still, a soft, miserable whine leaving her throat.
Harland gave a very smug whuff, and then rounded behind her.
Oh no…
He really was going to…
Fern searched desperately for a place to hide the way her wolf did, so she could be spared witnessing what was about to happen.
And then five large shadows burst from the woods and tore Harland away from her.
Her wolf yelped in pain, and one of the newcomers immediately came between her and Harland, nudging her gently with his snout while he sniffed her from tip to tail.
That’s enough of that, Fern thought, wanting her wolf to shoo him away.
But her wolf didn’t mind at all.
Alpha, she cooed, and Fern finally recognized his scent.
It was Karn.
Gnashing teeth lured her attention away from Karn, and through his long legs she watched the battle.
She quickly realized who the rest of them were as well, their eyes and scents identifying them.
Alastair, Norden, Eidan, and Kyntha’s cousin, Reinn.
Eidan and Alastair had tawny fur, a few shades darker than her own, Norden’s was gray, while Reinn’s fur was so white he almost glowed in the moonlight.
The four alphas continued their attack on Harland, who for some reason refused to back down or give up.
Because we’re special, her wolf told her. We’re omega.
And that means?
Shh…
And with a sickening crunch of teeth through bone, followed by the hollow thud of a body hitting the ground and the iron-rich tang of blood that filled the air, Harland was dead.
It was fast, brutal, and terrible.
The alphas licked themselves clean before turning to look at Fern, ears high and alert for more challengers.
Her wolf immediately showed her belly.
Harlot, Fern snorted.
Eidan approached first, nuzzling and lightly nipping her flank, while Alastair and Norden gave her a couple of licks, then turned to stand guard.
Reinn watched her more carefully, sniffing and then snorting like he was satisfied with the answer her scent had given him.
Eventually Eidan encouraged her to stand and follow them, and as they guided her through the woods, Fern finally figured out why her wolf was absent sometimes.
Retaining her mind in another’s body was actually exhausting.
They’d just led her to a stream, where they drank and cleaned their snouts, when Fern blinked once, twice, and then surrendered to sleep.
* * *
Dappled sunlight spotted her skin as Fern woke, heat surrounding her.
She made a soft, contented hum, and was immediately rewarded with two rumbling sounds in response, and she sighed. She was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, skin, scent, and vibration, and she’d never been happier.
“I shifted…” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“So you did,” replied a familiar voice.
Her eyelids fluttered open, and Eidan’s face slowly came into focus in front of her. He gave her a happy smile, cupping her cheek with his hand and slowly rubbing the tip of his nose against hers.
“I knew she wouldn’t make us wait for long, and yet she still managed to surprise us all.”
“Surprised you, maybe,” chimed in another voice from behind her.
Fern turned her neck slowly, gasping when she realized it was Reinn who had spoken and was holding her. His hand rested lazily on her hip.
“Good morning, omega,” he said.
Her wolf was ecstatic to hear the word, and while it didn’t sound bad—certainly better than Ashpaw—no one had told her what it meant yet.
It means we’re special, she repeated.
Still doesn’t explain it, Fern replied.
Eidan guided her face back towards him, and then looked over her at the silver-haired alpha.
“Oh, piss off, you didn’t know.”
His chuckle was a deep rumble. “I had my suspicions. But you all seemed fine to ignore the obvious, so I decided to stay quiet.”
Reinn moved slightly, their skin no longer touching, and Fern immediately whined.
“Shh, shh, just finding a more comfortable position. I’m right here.”
Her hand found Reinn’s where it sat on her hip and she brought it down to her stomach, pulling down on his arm to tighten his grip. “Don’t let go, please. I need… I need…”
Eidan scooted closer, and Fern felt his hardened cock press against her stomach, but neither paid it any mind. It was skin, it was touching her, and that was all that mattered.
“We know, Fern. No one is letting you go.”
Once she was satisfied they were telling the truth, she grew bolder, and began exploring the two alphas, each different and yet so appealing.
Eidan’s body was thick with muscle, his chest sprinkled with curly hair, while Reinn was leaner, smoother, and paler.
Both were strong and warm. And both were surrounding her with scent and skin so tantalizing she couldn’t stop touching and smelling them.
Who’s the harlot, now?
Shut up, she snapped, rubbing her neck against Eidan’s. It’s not like that.
Her wolf chuffed, and then Karn leaned over, his eyes on hers as he grinned.
“Moon drunk, is she?”
Eidan moved a fraction of an inch away and she whined again, scrambling to bring herself back into him.
“You tell me.”
“If my wolf had been suppressed for ten years, I’d be pretty moon drunk after my first shift, too,” Norden added.
“Her omega nature has also been suppressed this whole time,” Reinn explained softly. Then his tone sharpened. “And her treatment here certainly hasn’t helped. She’s going to need a lot of reassurance.”
Eidan growled, and he pulled her closer to him. Closer to him was good, but that meant she was farther away from Reinn, so Fern pulled him along, too.
“You say that like any of it is my fault,” Eidan replied.
“Sitting by and letting things happen doesn’t absolve you when you could have done something.”
“I did not see you jumping to her defense when Darion sentenced her to sleep on the roof!”
“Please,” Fern cried, trying to grab both of them. “Please, no fighting. Just hold me. Do that… do that rumbling thing. It’s so nice.”
“Purring?” Eidan asked, his tone gentling. “Of course, I’ll purr for you whenever you like.”
She heard Reinn click his tongue against his teeth in annoyance at Eidan, but then he acquiesced. “My apologies, I should have known you wouldn’t like your alphas to argue.”
She and her wolf spoke in unison. “My alphas?”
“Every alpha is your alpha when you’re an omega, sunbeam.”
“Even Darion?” she asked, like a possibility she’d denied herself from ever considering was suddenly in front of her.
Something cold flashed in Eidan’s eyes, and he looked above her to meet Reinn’s gaze before finally replying, “In a way, he will be.”
“Mm,” Fern hummed, “Good. All mine.”
All ours, her wolf corrected.
“All yours,” Eidan whispered.
The group fell silent, aside from the purring of the alphas on either side of her and Fern’s contented little chirps. She could not stop running her hands on any skin she could find, giggling when she found a ticklish spot on Reinn.
He nipped her shoulder playfully, and she yelped, causing Eidan to laugh as well.
“We should probably head back,” Alastair finally said. “We’re going to have to decide what to do about her.”
Panic slammed into her, and her heart thundered in her chest.
Was she going to be punished?
Oh, she was, wasn’t she? She’d been touching two alphas when she wasn’t allowed, and Darion would be so angry…
She whined again, trying to scramble away.
“See?” Reinn snapped, sitting up and taking Fern with him. He cradled and shushed her, rocking back and forth as her whole body shook and empty sobs kept her from being able to properly breathe.
Darion would find a higher roof, or he’d make her stay up there permanently. He’d cut off both her hands, her legs, her—
“Just the mention of returning to the castle has her reacting like this. She’s terrified! The amount of damage you’ve caused—”
“We understand that mistakes were made in Fern’s handling,” Alastair cut in, authority and dominance creeping into his tone. “We cannot erase what was done, but I believe we can fix it. She’ll be safe with us.”
Alastair leaned down to take her, but she clung harder to Reinn, not wanting to let him go yet. He then lowered himself to crouch so they could see eye to eye.
“Fern… I will carry you now. You are a part of my clan, and I am glad for it. A wolf, once made and now true. An omega.”
He held out his arms and waited, until slowly, at her wolf’s urging, she left Reinn and climbed into them. When he stood and began to walk, she finally said, “I still don’t know what that means.”
Alastair was quiet for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
“It means you’re different from most wolfkin,” he said at last. “Rare, rarer than even alphas. Omegas strengthen clans in their own ways. Not through brute force or strength, but with their scent, their yielding demeanor.”
Fern frowned slightly. “But all I did was cause problems.”
“Because you were treated like one,” Reinn muttered from nearby.
Alastair’s mouth tightened.
“The trouble is that wolfkin react strongly to omegas, and their instincts take over. Protective instincts, territorial ones. Mating…” He glanced down at her. “Especially since no one knew what to make of you yet. Including us.”
Fern’s mind was too addled to think through the words carefully, but she guessed it made sense. Especially after what had happened with Harland.