Page 56 of Hunted
He settled, smug as a little lordling.His tiny claws pierced my shirt and dug into my shoulder as he fluffed himself up.
I wiped the corner of my eye with my sleeve to get rid of the tears of laughter—and possibly despair, though I wouldn’t admit that to anyone even upon threat of death.
“I’m okay,” I whispered.“I can handle it.Just a little bit longer and I can rest.”
Odin didn’t reply.
He didn’t need to.He just perched there, radiating haughty disapproval—and a hint of Ruya.And for a moment, I didn’t feel so alone.
Chapter 19
Ruya
Iwas afraid of whatthis recent assassination mission had cost Robin and Yukio.Both of them had been wounded by it, just in different ways.Yukio was struggling through the memories it had stirred up of when he was O’Dell’s tool.I knew it was hard for him, but I also knew he’d pull through, he just needed time and reassurance.Robin, however...doing someone else’s bidding was one more stressor on a system that was already on the verge of collapse.Her apha dragon nature couldn’t take much more strain.
It seemed like I was getting even more sensitive to the alphas in the court as the days passed.Even though I wasn’t fully bonded to Robin the way our natures demanded, I could still sense her presence from across the private wing of The Fox.And, whether from my omega instincts or purely because of my healing powers, I could also sense the tinge of desperation and exhaustion that clung to her all the time now.
Earlier this evening, as I sat with Sadavir in the living room, making plans that I knew would destroy Robin, I had felt her there, lingering in the hallway.Her fiery aura had felt stirred up, agitated and out of control.But I didn’t call out to her then.Because I couldn’t help her.Not as I was now.Not until I helped myself.
With the help of Sanka and the others in the court, I had done alotof research in the past few months, as I slowly acquired and adapted to my omega powers.And thankfully, they hadn’t limited what I could read or listen to, hadn’t attempted to give me only the facts that would make me more subservient, the way my previous family would have done.
I knew now that this omega thing wasn’t all heats and the impulse to please.Omegas were meant to be more than pretty, delicate fetish objects for the amusement of the more powerful designations around them.They were meant to balance the more powerful—or at least more explosive—alphas around them.But it was becoming very obvious to me now, in a very real way that no research material could ever convey, that this was a two-way street.Ialso needed anchoring.I needed a strong foundation to stand on before I could safely pour out my magic and my love to those who needed it.
It had taken me too long to figure this out, even with the court’s support and resources.Every omega should be gifted with a handbook the moment they are born.Blundering through this awakening was one of the most frustrating things I had ever done.
I snorted at the thought of a “Baby’s First Heat,” or “Guide to Taming Pig-headed Alphas,” picture book.Then I sighed heavily.Even if being what I wasdidcome with a manual, The Mother would only have stolen it and burned it to ash to keep me blind to my true power in the world.
I dragged a brush through my hair, pulling myself back from that unhelpful tangent.There was little use in dwelling on the past.I couldn’t change that now.But I could do better moving forward.I had a true family now, not one built on lies and manipulation.Sanka and Cicely had helped me find some trustworthy sources about omega power and bonds on the internet, and I’d listened to books, articles, and interviews from paranormal sources.I was also getting better at listening to my body and the innate wisdom inside me.I had a better understanding now of what was going wrong.
Robin was buckling under the strain of her missing magic, her coming of age, her vendetta against the syndicate, Acacia’s demands...but also because she lived within touching distance of an omega who had all the indicators of being a true mate match for her.She welcomed me to her bed and granted me every courtesy she could, all without the benefit of a full true mate bond.Apparently, unattached omegas usually didn’t spend so much time around alphas.They especially didn’t form close emotional bonds or romances with a potential true mate unless it was leading up to a bonding.
Because the instinctual drive in our DNA would cause one or both parties to go a bit insane if they weren’t bonded.
More hormonal, baked-in, paranormal nonsense to deal with.Part of me wished I’d been born a beta, with all the nurturing, caring instinct but no heats or pheromones getting in the way.Although, betas had to be careful too...their instinct to do whatever an alpha demanded could also be dangerous.Maybe a gamma, then, with a little bit more fight and defiance in my soul so I could push back more easily.Goddess knew I’d never want to be a pushy, arrogant alpha.
But since Iwasan Omega, and there wasn’t anything to be done about it now, I needed to fully embrace every aspect of who I was.I desperately wanted to help Robin, and Sadavir—and the others as well—through the hardest times of their lives.To be their heart.But I had come to realize I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t anchored, if I felt adrift, and lost, and...inadequate for the task.
