Page 57 of The Omega Thief

“Sire,” Thakeray snapped out. “If you aid him to the throne room in any way, he will forfeit the challenge.”

Raz inhaled a breath. Thakeray talked sense, but Raz was more his Fenrir than human right at that moment. He took another step.

“Raz’mar Kinsharae.” His grandmother’s voice was probably the one to give him pause. She stepped up to him and lowered her voice. “If you take this away from him, he will never forgive you.” She knew better than threatening him with losing his throne, as she knew he didn’t care right then.Only the threat of losing the way Attiker felt about him would work. She gestured to Attiker and Ash as they mounted the steps. “Look, his steps are easier. His wolf heals him.”

Raz turned and narrowed his eyes. It was true. When he arrived, he looked like a breeze would topple him from the horse, but with each step, he seemed to take more and more control. Raz nodded once to show he agreed with Grandmother, and they followed the procession inside.

Desperate to distract himself from reaching out and picking Attiker up, he remembered he’d never asked his grandmother about Attiker’s wolf’s unusual color. “Actually, Grandmother,” Raz whispered because he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “I wanted to ask you about Attiker’s wolf.”

She glanced at him as they walked into the main corridor. “You know it’s dormant.”

“But that’s the thing. It wasn’t originally. I’ve seen it. We think it was because it took the poison—the fever white—thinking it was saving Attiker’s life.”

She nodded. “Yes, I said that made sense.”

“But that wasn’t what I wanted to ask. It was his color. He’s white. I’ve never seen a white wolf.”

Raz came to a halt as Grandmother did, her face showing surprise. “Has anyone else seen his wolf?”

“He shifted the night of the fire, but he was so covered in soot afterwards that no one would have seen.” He urged her to keep walking. “Why?”

“Your mother would have explained all this when you became of age, except you were fighting in Rajpur, and then they died.” She smiled sadly. They reached the great hall. “You remember the ancient teachings of how the shifters came to be?”

Raz didn’t want to admit he didn’t, but Grandmother carried on. “It was said that the shifters on our world were originally all pure white,” she murmured. “Tell no one.”

Then he noticed Attiker was talking to the judiciaries.

Markell immediately scoffed. “That’s not an intact prism. It’s a lump of red rock.”

Attiker turned to Markell and gave him his full attention. “Well, perhaps if you gave me the small hammer you stole from me, I can break the rock and show you.”

Gasps practically echoed off the walls of the throne room. “That’s a disgusting accusation,” Emperor Johannas boomed. “I demand—” But the first bell sounded. When the sixth struck, Raz knew it would be too late unless Attiker could break the rock. He saw Attiker close his eyes, and his lips move, almost as if he was talking to someone. For a moment, Raz wondered if Attiker had found his wolf, but Raz’s Fenrir still couldn’t sense him. Then Attiker opened his eyes, held out his hand, and Ash unhooked a simple blade from his belt, passing it over.

The fourth bell rang. Raz’s heart pounded with the noise.

Attiker palmed the knife and then unwrapped the cloth surrounding the glowing rock. He closed his eyes again as the fifth bell rang, then raised his arm and drove the handle of the knife at a point in the rock as hard as he could. The rock cracked, and everyone paused just as it disintegrated.

The sixth bell rang, but everyone could see the intact prism lying on the floor. Attiker used the scraps of material to pick it up and present it to the justices. Raz gaped, and he wasn’t the only one. It was the most perfect prism he’d ever seen, and it glowed a deep amber, almost gold.

Carter stepped forward and spoke to the justices and then turned. “The justices are satisfied that while Sovereign Markell won the challenge in returning first, His Highness’s omega has also completed the challenge, and both parties progress to the next trial.” Carter had to pause for the cheers from the Cadmeera representatives, but Raz could feel the fury emanating from Johannas and Markell.

“In three days at precisely morning bell, the challenger has won the right to set the next trial as laid down by the rules of the challenge.”

Raz waited maybe half a heartbeat before he lunged forward, gathered his bonded in his arms before Attiker might have even thought of a protest, and strode from the room. Thakeray and Benta made sure his way was clear.

“I want a healer,” Raz demanded as he stormed into their chambers.

“I don’t need one,” Attiker said. “Put me down, I can walk.” He glanced at Benta. “Please make sure Ash is taken care of, and he has the medallion belonging to the Emir.”

“And bring food and wine,” Raz said.

“Beer,” Attiker added with a weak smile.

The door closed, and Raz swooped. He tried to be gentle, but he couldn’t keep his hands off his bonded another second longer. But Attiker pushed at Raz’s chest just as Raz was about to claim his mouth, and he paused. Attiker chuckled, seeing his disappointment. “Let me use the bathing room, then you can run me a bath and spend an hour making sure I’m clean.”

Raz managed to reign himself in while Attiker had a few moments of privacy, but when he heard the water start, he walked in. Attiker was just rinsing his mouth with the tooth scourer.

Raz walked to the bath and added some of the healing salts from the basket then undressed as Attiker had already ripped what was left of his pants off. His boots he’d left by the door.

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