Page 1 of Shrine of Fire

My first omegaverse was Supernatural fanfiction. I read halfway through and wondered why no one had changed into a wolf yet.

That led to many Internet searches where I discovered sometimes omegaverse can contain shifters, but it’s also possible to have a contemporary story with no magic.

Omegaverse is often exactly like our world, just with alternate human biology layered over it. This biology includes animalistic traits, fancy penises, mating instincts, bonding marks, pheromones, and a slight social hierarchy. Alphas are considered powerful, and men have knots at the base of their penises to lock inside omegas. Alphas are natural leaders and form family packs by biting their bondmate. Omegas are rarer, go into sexual heats, and are considered more fragile. Betas are the normal people without which nothing would get done.

And then I had a lot of fun adding magic into the mix with a fantasy world. If you ever wanted Lord of the Rings to be sexier, this is the book for you.

“Athousand blessings. Thank you, Omega, for saving us from wild magic taking over our world.” An older man, wearing the colors of one of the established houses of the nobility, approached me and bowed.

I hid my discomfort with a polite smile. I hadn’t wanted an enormous party to celebrate the fact that myself and the other Shrine Omegas had protected the world from the misuse of magic.

I had to be here in the grand ballroom, to smile and nod at the important people who were gathered, but all I wanted to do was run and hide in my room.

I wasn’t supposed to be back here at the Omega Sanctuary.

I was supposed to be with my bonded mates but that was impossible. They were gone and so were the remnant pack bonds that had sustained me since they’d died. Those last strands of energy had been burned up when I’d had to call on all my resources to protect my Shrine and destroy the Faceless One.

I tried to focus on the people around me. Together with my best friend Zara and her pack, I’d helped protect the Shrines from breaking only two days ago. If they had been broken, they would have released spirit magic into the world.

But I was struggling to be in the moment while grief gnawed a hole in my heart. All I could think about was how soon I could leave.

“Good health to you!” A man wearing many military medals lifted a glass as he continued a circuit around the room.

I managed a faint smile. Sister Margery, one of the sisters from the Omega Sanctuary, was by my side, telling the small throng of nobles, princes, and merchants about my role in protecting the Shrines.

“—and then Nova used her fire magic to keep the armies at bay while Zara wrestled the Faceless One out of Yvenna.”

A few people glanced in Yvenna’s direction before looking back at Sister Margery.

I looked at Yvenna, who looked even more tired than me. She had a group around her, but her laughter had an edge to it. She was pretty, with a heart shaped face, tanned skin and brown hair.

Yvenna had come to the Sanctuary with dangerous spirit magic. She had struggled but, in the end, she’d agreed to allow a spirit, the Faceless One, to help her control her dangerous spirit magic.

However, instead of helping her, the Faceless One had urged her to break the connection between the Shrines and the mortal realms, releasing spirit magic into the world.

Before we’d managed to wrestle the spirit out of Yvenna, she broke two of the Shrines. Zara had patched them up, but we were still working on more permanent solutions.

“Wasn’t it terrifying?” One of the local merchants asked me.

I blinked, not sure what she was asking about. Since the entire ordeal had been frightening, it was safe to answer.

“It was.” I folded my hands in front of me. “But if there was anything I could do to help, I had to try.”

One of the more pompous lords sniffed and looked at Zara halfway across the room. “Dangerous spirit magic never mixes with omegas. Count your lucky stars you weren’t born with it.”

“Magic isn’t dangerous.” I shot him a look. “Fire magic would be considered chaotic if I didn’t control it.”

“There’s more fire magic than spirit in the world.” The lord looked at his nails, like he was bored.

“Spirit magic will come back to the land.” I shook my head. “It’s up to us to find a balance.”

“Hello.” Zara broke through the crowd with a bright smile. “Mind if I steal my friend for a bit?”

Not waiting for an answer, Zara looped her arm through mine.

“You looked ready to explode.” Zara gave me a hug. A cinnamon-colored curl had escaped from her elaborate bun. I brushed the hair out of my face, using the motion to brush a tear away. “And I’m tired of playing politics.”

“Thank you.” We took a slow circuit around the ballroom. It was only a few months ago that we’d been in this same room, unbonded omegas looking for alphas.

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