“An omega is taught to fight alongside her mate,” she said carefully, calmer than she was only seconds ago. “Not behind him. You should know this. I need a weapon.”
Mate.
I swallowed hard, my throat so dry it felt like sand.
Mate.
Mine, my animal howled inside, and I tried viciously to tamp it down.
She was my mate.
I’d been denying it for so long, pretending if I ignored it, I wouldn’t be sucked in like the others. Adalai, Dagger, Cassian, Evander. One by one they found their mates in fierce omega females. But that life wasn’t for me. It couldn’t be.
Not with the secret I kept.
The one Ashla knew.
She knew my other secret, too. She was mine.
Absently, I pulled a holstered dagger from my bicep and strapped it to hers. My outpost in the eastern territory was well fortified. Our defenses were secure unless… unless my soldiers turned on me.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the rumbling of footsteps sounded outside the door. Seconds later, a fist rapped against the reinforced wood.
“General, open up! We’re here for the omega.”
Ashla
Chapter Two
Did I just call Solen my mate? Out loud?
Time stopped, the tension between us shattered with the pounding on the door. We’d never be able to put it back together the same way again. Whoever was on the other side of the door could very well dictate our futures.
My animal twisted inside me. Physically, I was exhausted from shifting too much in a short amount of time, but more than that, from the stress of the last few days. Rielle had been sick, the betas were storming the castle, and somehow, all signs pointed to me as the one who’d given away alpha army secrets.
I’d taken my role as an armory employee seriously. Not many omegas were trusted with such high level intel. I would never put the castle in danger. Not because I was pro alpha. I had many dear friends who made that place run, and one of my best friends had just become queen. I would never knowingly bring harm to them.
But I was an easy target. A scapegoat to protect the real traitor.
“General! We know she’s in there. We can scent her.”
Oh, no. It would make sense that being so close to Rielle while she was in heat would trigger mine, but I didn’t feel like it was about to happen. It wasn’t something that snuck up on us. It came with a fever, and an awakening of my animal.
Solen’s gaze was glued to me. Had he known? There was only so long he could practice restraint as my heat intensified.
Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, my wolf said as a flash of heat overwhelmed me. I convinced myself it was a normal response to the bounty hunters at the door who wanted my head on a platter.
Solen had a brutal reputation as someone who would never offer an omega relief, even his mate.
I mean, I said what I said.
I proved myself trustworthy with his secret, and I prayed he thought now was a good time to return the favor.
“General Solen!” The voice on the other side of the door was sharp and urgent. As an omega, it was a tone I associated with severe punishment. “The king demands the female.”
“Liars,” he muttered between gritted teeth.
I reached for the dagger he’d hastily given me, and he growled his disapproval. The sound sent shockwaves through my exhausted body.
“What are you going to do about it, alpha?” The way I spit out the last word made his eyebrows shoot up. If we got into a fight over this, neither of us would win. That angry mob outside the door would be picking us out of their teeth.
“I said I’d protect you. My honor is fiercer than any weapon.” Solen stalked toward the door and tore it open with such force I braced for it to come off the hinges. More soldiers than I could count stood waiting for him on the other side. Waiting for me.
It didn’t matter how innocent I was. I was an omega, and I’d just insulted the only general willing to protect me.
Things had changed, but the old ways of thinking didn’t disappear overnight. It left a gritty residue on everything it touched.
“What king made such a declaration?” He didn’t need to shout to have everyone hear him, or raise a weapon to instill any fear. General Solen of the East was not known for showing any mercy.
“King Adalai, General.” A bold soldier steeled himself in front of Solen. He took up most of the space in the doorway, so any of those soldiers jockeying for position thinking they’d slip by him and grab me were sorely mistaken.
Some circles would consider him a hero if he succeeded. And I’d seen what men would do for a fleeting moment of glory.
“Traitors!” Solen roared. “You answer to me. I answer to the King Alpha. His orders come from me. Not you. No one will lay a hand on the omega.”
“Are you choosing an omega over your army, general?”
I’d had a lifetime to build a fortress to protect myself from that kind of comment. I was used to others thinking I was less than them. I could only see Solen from the back, his massive body hulking in the doorframe, and there was no missing the way the muscles in his back tensed and readied for battle.
No, I silently pleaded. There were two of us and so many of them. And if anything happened to my mate…
I had to stop thinking that way. Be practical. If these soldiers could
