Page 17 of Omega's Salvation

Tears prick the edges of my eyes, my legs buckling from under me. Nolan catches my dead weight as I lean on him, staring at a man who doesn’t have much longer to live. An unmated Omega is one thing but a rejected Omega has consequences. We are meant to bond and be taken care of. We thrive off the protection and comfort of our Alphas.

Having that ripped away is a death sentence that can’t be repaired. No Alpha will step one foot in this house to claim Gael, not after he has been tossed aside by Calista, the former pack Alpha.

The worst part is that no one even knows of Gael’s weakened state because I am the new focus.

“She’s killed you. Calista has sentenced you to death just like she did my family and your Alpha.” I stumble toward a man I never got to cherish, falling to my knees right before him. The light is gone from his eyes as he gently pats my cheek, trying to give me comfort where there is none. I’ve gained my Beta but lost a father figure. “She will pay for this, Gael. I don’t care what reason she gives for ripping out your heart. She will pay for discarding you.”

He sends me a warm smile before leaning back into the chair, his lids sliding closed. His breathing softens before he coughs again, my entire chest restricting as I watch him. Gael is in immeasurable pain, pain that no Omega should ever have to suffer. He may make it a few more days but without the bond, he won’t survive.

The tears I’ve been holding back spill down my cheeks, Nolan helping me to my feet. All of the adrenaline and confidence I had from the council meeting falls away to helplessness. I want to be happy that I have found my Beta but I’m terrified that Mateo will lose yet another person he can trust. "We're getting you out of here. I'm not letting you fucking stay here when-"

Gael shakes his head before curling up a little tighter. "Child, there are many things you do not understand. Titles have shifted but the power has not settled. I also can not leave." I frown, one of my hands hovering over the pillows that have been discarded to the floor. "I need this room, Nepheline."

I have absolutely no idea what he's talking about until my eyes start walking the walls. There are few decorations in here and even less furniture aside from the bed but it's the aura that gives the reason Gael doesn't want to leave. "This was Ilsa's." My heart sinks into my stomach as I realize the horrid truth of Calista's actions. Many Omegas find solace and comfort in their nest. They find protection and love in their Alphas. But when an Alpha rejects a bond, the Omega retreats to where they feel safest.

Which for Gael, is right here surrounded by Ilsa's lingering scent. I can't imagine how hard it is to sit in this room and stare at a bed that they used to share, knowing that the woman who caused all of this is just downstairs. Even if I was to take Gael with us to the pack Alpha's house, he would suffer even more through his last moments. There's no winning this one.

Time stops as I stand there, unable to leave without him but running out of time to stay with him. Too soon, Nolan pats my shoulder. “Let’s get you back to your Alphas, Nepheline.”

I don’t fight the hold on my arms as I let him guide me down the steps and to the front door, Calista leaning against the archway. “Get what you needed?”

My brows furrow at her obvious disrespect for her own Omega. “You are a poor excuse of an Alpha,” I mumble before spitting at her feet. Nolan quickly escorts me from the house so Calista can’t retaliate and I barely make it across the heart before Mateo is gathering me up in his arms. Stragglers from the pack are watching as I sag against his chest, tears freely falling down my cheeks.

“Princess, what happened? Did she hurt you?”

“Your father… Calista rejected him. He’s-” I can’t bring myself to say it as I cling to him. Calista is far more evil than I imagined, killing those closest to her for power she’ll never have. Mateo helps me into the house, murmuring a thanks to Nolan before he walks me into the living room.

His soft breaths quickly turn to the beginning of a growl as he hands me off to River, my Alpha kissing my temple to soothe my chaotic emotions. Mateo bares his teeth, a roar rumbling through his chest as he partially shifts, his eyes flashing a bright yellow and then a red that matches the fur in my wolf’s coat. Terror spills through me as I cling to River, watching Mateo lose the battle to his wolf.

My Alphas surround us, confused at the revelation but Maverick, one step ahead of them all speaks first. “Remi, settle Nepheline in her nest beside her Beta. She needs the rest. Asani and River, you need to bring your Alpha back.”

River hisses as I’m removed from his arms, the staunch scent of angry Alpha filling the room. My breathing quickens as I try to grab onto something soothing, the sweet smell of my Beta instantly beside me. The long-haired man is sprawled out in my new nest, still unconscious but clothed in a pair of shorts. His cuts are cleaned and bandaged, the beauty of his face slowly revealing itself beneath the bruises. I curl into his side, hating the way I find comfort in a man I barely know and can’t completely remember.

Remi saddles up against my back, one of his hands moving to cup his bite through my shirt, his lips dipping to another bite on my neck. I relax against him, even as another growl rips through the hallway, ringing in my ears.

“Gael’s not okay, is he?”

“No,” I push out with a watery sigh. “She rejected him. She’s killing him but he can't leave.” There’s nothing we can do without disrespecting her position as former pack Alpha. I can’t even ask one of my Alphas to claim Gael and there’s no other Alpha I know enough or trust to rescue him. It’s also too late and pulling Gael from where he feels safest will only take him from us faster. Calista has purposely kept him hidden so that we wouldn’t see his decline.

The fact that Gael is this weak and frail tells me that Calista rejected him before I ever met him, that Gael has been holding this secret close to his heart. A rejected bond isn't an immediate physical change. In fact, Omegas may not see a change for several days until their body begins to give out.

I wrap an arm around my Beta’s stomach and stuff my face into his chest as Remi curls himself tighter around my back. His purr starts up, calming my Omega as he whispers for me to let out my emotions, to let myself feel. A stray hand sifts through my hair, Maverick’s if I’m right but I don’t move from my position.

The growls from the hallway soon turn to howls of despair, wrenching at my heart. I didn’t expect more death and loss so soon. The howls morph into human cries of defeat, muffled by skin. No doubt, River and Asani are holding him close, keeping his wolf tamed. As much as I want Calista dead right now for her crimes and her treatment of her Omega, the pack needs to know what she’s done before we do.

We may not be able to save Gael but I will make sure Calista feels the same pain she’s inflicted. Every last scar she’s left, every wound she’s opened, and every death she’s caused—Calista will pay in blood. I will draw it out and I will let the entire pack hear her screams until she breathes her last.

Silas is my ultimate goal but I’ll set him aside for her.

14

ASANI

I watched Mateo fall apart when he lost his father. I watched him mourn who he thought was Nepheline for days after the white wolf was buried beneath his window. I watched him rip apart intruders and scream into the heavens about the injustice dealt to him.

But the pain pouring off of him now is so much worse, darker, thick with anguish and despair. Losing Gael is an entirely different kind of pain that I can’t possibly imagine. Ilsa was my home base but regardless of what Mateo says, Gael was his. Gael has always been the soft spot that Mateo could lean on when things got rough. Gael accepted Remi and River like they were his own sons, never belittling the relationship that they had.

Hell, Gael was even happy to have me in his home because of my connection to Remi. He believed that I would aid in Mateo’s quest as pack Alpha, not detract from it. Gael nurtured and supported Mateo as much as the council would allow. Watching Mateo smile because of his Omega father and the stories Remi would spill as we lay in bed made me respect the man.

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