Page 92 of The King's Omega
They needed to die.
My troops found me and rallied to my side, their bravery so much greater than mine, as they did not have the same blood protection. I lost myself in battle, an intense heat filling my body and overflowing as I fought. My mate’s dainty bite mark seared my upper arm, the worst pain I’d felt in hours. Some part of me recognized it wasn’t my own pain that I was feeling. It was Vali’s.
Her heat.
A few minutes later, a wave of power emanated from the castle behind us. We stopped and gaped as a golden glow lit the very earth beneath our feet. And then every one of my men glittered, the luminescence emerging from their bodies and eyes. Their wounds healed instantly and a wave of energy moved through them. The Verdanians literally shook watching us.
“The Goddess has blessed them!” one of them shouted. I roared.
He was right. A goddess had blessed us. A small goddess whom I loved, one with dark hair and eyes, and a heart wide enough to let my often-cruel brother in. One deep enough, and generous enough, to open for him and his generals, trusting us to care for her, and to fight for our kingdom with the gifts she provided.
I was so fucking proud of my mate. I roared again and threw myself back into the battle.
My brothers, my soldiers, and I fought tirelessly for hours.
There were more Rimholt troops between the castle and the capital city, but Lorn explained they were taking care of the Verdanian contingents stationed outside Turino in the smaller towns. One of my lieutenants reported that some of the women in Turino had also received the blessing, and they had taken up kitchen implements to kill Verdanian deserters hiding in the streets.
But there had been no sign of King Milian himself.
I patrolled the outer walls of the castle, searching for him. He was the type to flee when a fight turned against him, and to attack with poisons and lies rather than a sword. Vilkurn had taken twenty men into the tunnels to hunt for the snake; the tunnels’ existence was an open secret now, and he worried that Milian might hide within the castle.
Far too close to our Omega for comfort.
The night passed into the next day and into the evening again. Our increased strength and healing meant we didn’t tire and needed no sleep. An army that should have taken weeks to defeat took mere days.
We were at the very end of the struggle. I had just dismissed most of my men when a small group of surrounded Alpha officers launched one last attack against us. Tarn, Lorn, and I all raised our swords and ran to meet them. When the battle ended, the golden glow also faded, and we were once again men, not goddess-blessed warriors.
Finally, the gold in our eyes started to dim. We needed to wrap up this war before we became vulnerable again.
Just how incredibly vulnerable we had been for days became clear as the battle stopped. We had rounded up the last of the Verdanian troops in the courtyard when I saw my brother. “Rigol?” When had he joined us, joined the fight? Why was he not caring for our Omega?
Rigol stood, clapping his soldiers on their backs and congratulating them, looking exhausted but happier than I had ever seen him.
Happier because he had been with Vali. My heart lurched. Who was with her now? I waved for his attention. “Where is she?”
“Sleeping. I left a guard on the door, which is locked. She went into heat and it was like the book said. She had a nest and invited me in… there was no choice for either of us. She mated me as well, Axe.”His eyes were troubled, seeking my approval, or my permission.
I didn’t feel the slightest jealousy; if she had accepted him, he was hers as much as I. I had said before that birds like my sweet Omega could build more than one nest. My time would come.“I am glad. I am honored to share a mate with you.”
“She honors us with each breath.”
It was good to see he comprehended her value now. In fact, something in his eyes spoke less of understanding and more of wonder. Deep affection.
Rigol was intelligent and well-regarded by leaders far and wide. He had inherited a mess, but our citizens knew he had their best interests at heart. He was loyal to those he loved and generous to those who deserved it. Vali had stirred his passions, ensuring he would be by her side and faithful forever.
He would be an excellent mate, and if he wasn’t, I would beat him bloody. Suddenly, I had another dark thought. “Where is Milian? Have you found him?”
“Not yet.”
A shiver ran up my spine. I had to check on her. There was no one I trusted as much as one of my brothers-in-arms to guard our Omega, but they were occupied elsewhere.
It was time to find Vali and make sure she knew she was the reason for our victory. To make it clear, she was my mate—our mate—and that she would be our queen.
Time to make sure she was well.
Vilkurn came running from the main castle entrance with a panicked shout. “She’s gone! No one has seen her!” The men around us quieted, sensing trouble.
Someone else shouted, “I saw her leave. She was alone, not being taken.”
