Page 39 of Omega's Salvation

For my pack.

For my Omega.

For my fathers.

“You messed with the wrong Alpha,” I tell myself, hoping Kylan can somehow hear it. “You will regret the day you chose the wrong path.”

Then I lunge forward, teeth bared. Kylan meets me in the middle, both of us focused on winning and carrying this pack on our shoulders. However, I want to make this pack flourish. Kylan wants to ruin it.

I refuse to let that happen.

After tonight, when Kylan’s blood coats the crystal forest, I will set my sights on the pack of the Forbidden and drag Silas to Nepheline’s feet so she can do as she pleases.

I move low to avoid one of his claws but the catch the other one in my side, a roar tearing from my throat as I twist to catch his underbelly. F

29

NEPHELINE

A few minutes earlier

My mates band around me as I watch, blow after blow, grunts spilling into the crystal forest as a soft snowfall starts up again. Flashes of that night three months ago threaten to drag me under but I fight against the nightmares. I’ve grown stronger since then and I will not allow myself to lose anyone else. I fist my hands at my sides as I continue to observe the way Mateo dances around Kylan, accepting his claws as if to say that his time is running out.

My gaze drifts to Gael just a few seats over who is struggling to stay sitting up. His ashen face and tight expression tell me that we’re running out of time. I rush over there and drop to my knees beside him, Gael’s eyes brightening a little with my presence. I recognize the elder who sits just in front of me but not the woman holding his hands, whispering words of comfort. They seem to soothe Gael as he lets out a shuddering breath, his lids slipping closed.

“Gael?”

“Still here, Luna. For a little while. Here to see Mateo win. Then—”

He trails off but there’s no need to finish that sentence. Gael is holding on to see Mateo start the pack down a new path. Tears gather in my eyes as I place my hands on his leg, pushing up a little to see into Gael’s eyes and hear his words. “You can’t leave us. There is still so much to learn.”

“You will learn it. You have a new Luna to protect you and teach you.” Slowly, he pulls one of the woman’s hands toward mine, linking us together. “You will be the best Luna.” His breathing becomes ragged as his grip tightens on our hands and then relaxes, a terrifying growl released into the clearing.

I glance toward the fight. Mateo’s head is thrown back, his lips pursed to howl into the snowy clearing. My mates and the rest of the pack that have submitted to Mateo have shifted, adding their howls to the mix. Silver coats fill in the gaps of the pack, the thundering noise tangling with the magic that thrums through the air.

Even Gael lets out his own howl, the sound catching in his throat before his body falls limp in the chair. A cry tears from my throat at the scene, Mateo stalking over covered in Kylan’s blood. My Alpha bows his head to Gael’s lap, crouching on the floor to give respect to his father. The howls behind us continue, both celebrating Mateo’s status and mourning the loss of the previous Luno.

“This isn’t fair,” I mumble through tears that have escaped. My body feels numb as I hold onto the man I never truly got to know. The woman who was holding my hand earlier, now shifted into a wolf, walks around Mateo and toward me before bowing her head, showing both respect and loyalty to our pack. I can’t focus on her gesture, not when Mateo has lost someone close to him.

Asani moves forward, shifting back to gather Gael in his arms. “He was a wonderful father and I pray that he finds peace beside his Alpha and his lover.” I follow behind Asani, our pack moving through the clearing and to the headstone beside Ilsa. “He will be buried here to honor the lives taken from us too soon and to be remembered in the forest that brought us together.”

Mateo throws out another howl, his coat bristling as he paws at the snow-covered ground. At first, nothing happens but quickly, the dirt is revealed as Mateo digs a hole for his father. With each swipe of Mateo’s paw, he lets out a cry, mourning for his loss. I watch in agony as his emotions race through the bond, no doubt River and Remi feeling the full force of his anguish.

Darius finds me a few moments later and I lean into his embrace, my fingers digging into his chest as the hole deepens. Asani soon lowers Gael into the hole, inches from where Ilsa’s headstone is. My throat constricts as Mateo presses his snout to Gael’s forehead before saying one last goodbye. Only then do I rush to my Alpha’s side and sink to my knees before resting my head against his chest.

His wolf trembles with the weight of his loss, each wolf moving forward to scrape a little dirt over the previous Luno. Those that didn’t respond to the call have dispersed, Calista nowhere to be found. I’m not even sure when she left but it doesn’t matter.

What does is that we’re one step closer to a future without fear.

I just hope that Mateo’s loss won’t break him.

“Alpha, I want this to end and then we will mourn your fathers properly. We will mourn what has been taken from you.” He shifts back, wrapping me up in his lap.

“We will mourn them all, princess.”

We both know that we have no time for a proper funeral, to truly honor Gael if we are to strike while the iron is hot. Kylan didn’t expect to lose, the demonic wolf now a sorry mess of blood and guts spread across the snowy floor. Even so, Mateo crushes me to his chest, nuzzling against my cheek. We both stare out at the wolves as they pay respects to Gael.

Slowly, they shift back, excited murmurs and shouts spreading across them as they show off new crests. Remi is staring wide-eyed at his chest, River excitedly running his fingers along it as Maverick and Asani ogle each other. Darius is focused solely on me, a watery smile playing on his lips. His need to belong has softened as he dons the new crest of our pack.

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