Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Overcome with rage, I rise from my chair, my wings billowing behind me. I flap them furiously, venting, knocking over ornaments and furniture, making the ash from the fireplace swirl through the air.
Chest heaving, heart pounding, I survey the maelstrom of chaos I wrought in my own room. I’m throwing a tantrum, like I often did when I was young.
Sadly, I no longer have my mother here to guide me.
Do not show weakness, my father would say. Always maintain the upper hand. The Omega left because you were too kind to her. You coddled her. She didn’t fear you enough. Didn’t respect the boundaries. He would endorse my rage.
But my mother? She was always sad. My father—her mate—treated her coldly, keeping her at a distance. I never saw them embrace or exchange smiles. My mother spent most of her time hiding in her rooms, playing her beloved hriox, plucking out the melodic tunes from her homeland. And sometimes she played tragic love ballads. The tortured notes sounded like a weeping female.
It is the same agonized sound that wails in my bond.
I have no doubt that she would have wanted more for herself than a cruel mate who refused to treat her kindly. Who saw her as inferior. Who refused to love her.
And she would have wanted more for her son.
My father taught me to remain cold and stoic. To rule with fear. He said it was the demon way—that since we are forged by fire, we are superior beings. Strong. Fearless.
Maybe it was not the demon way. Maybe it was his way. Renee was right. My father was an Ulfdamn asshole. And I may be strong but I am no longer fearless.
I did not know true terror until I saw my Omega step through the portal—and my greatest fear was realized. Perhaps that’s why my sire was so adamant about keeping his mate at arm’s length even after she bore him a child. Maybe he treated my mother the way he did because he knew that to love someone is to risk losing them… to fear losing them.
I rise and pace to the window. Mount Vracor is smoking again. Its rumbles have died down, but I can sense the turmoil within. The village elders are inundating me with missives, begging me to do something about it.
The beads in my beard click as I stroke the braids. It helps me think.
All my life, I strove to be like my father, and what was the result? A neglected kingdom and an anguished Omega. I grew up watching my mother suffer, furious that I was helpless to stop it. I can’t believe I almost condemned my own mate to the same fate.
The snow is still falling. It coats the mountains and hills. Even the edges of the lava lake sparkle with lavender crystals.
The memory of Renee’s reaction to the snow makes me smile. Her enthusiasm was infectious, whether she was talking about Hoo-man customs, or admiring something she found pretty. What did she say? The snow is beautiful. You don’t think your kingdom is beautiful?
My Omega saw the best in my kingdom. She saw the best in me.
Maybe it’s time I lived up to the version of myself she—and my mother—believed in.
Renee
One hour into girls’ night and my cheeks ache from grinning so much. I couldn’t figure out a good Ulfarri dupe for tequila, so the margaritas aren’t quite right, but they’re still a big hit. Especially with Kim, who’s another pint-sized blonde. What she lacks in height, she makes up for in personality. I’ve never seen anyone so energetic.
Right now, she’s shadowboxing, glass in hand. “Girls!” She swigs her drink and performs a high kick. “Who runs this motherfucka?”
“We do!” Emma and I chorus back from our places on the couch.
“Then drink!”
I take a sip of my margarita. Emma, caught up in the excitement, takes a huge gulp and chokes.
“Whew, that’s strong,” she sputters, and I pat her on the back. “I’m okay. It was just a lot to swallow.”
“That’s what she said!” Kim cries. The girl has two volumes: loud, and extra loud.
“What’s this flavor again?” Emma asks me with a hiccup.
“Hima, but I added some kiktu for the tang.”
Emma licks her lips. “It’s good stuff.”
Kim agrees, collapsing on a couch opposite us. “So I have a question,” she says, then lets out a burp. “Excuse me.”
“You’re excused.”
“Thanks. That wasn’t my question.” She points at me. “You, Rose, and Haley got Omega-ized by the same group of rogue magicians. How did you all end up in different kingdoms, and at different times?”
“Rose and Haley arrived around the same time,” Emma corrects. “But Rose had already been here for months by the time we heard about her—”
“Yeah, yeah. But you,” Kim points at me with her glass, “show up now. What is that, like two years later? Three?”