Page 17 of Omega and the Beast
One of the guards at the gate shouted when he saw Adonis, and the huge doors opened as he approached. He had almost left it too late. He could already feel his instincts rising, the urge to run and to hunt pushing through his rational thought as easily as he pushed through the doors.
There was a new urge tonight, brought on by Callista’s presence.
Protect.
As he’d feared, the Beast wanted her as much as he did.
Adonis ran into the forest as the castle doors shut and locked behind him, aware of the setting sun disappearing beyond the horizon as his vision changed. It didn’t matter that the forest hid the view, he knew the moment it crossed the horizon.
Bone crunching, muscles sliding, fur growing, he howled at the night sky.
Ran back the way he’d came.
Ran around the stone walls, scrabbling at them, looking for any weakness.
Mate.
Protect.
Mine.
Deep within, he was relieved to be locked out.
The danger to the others within the walls was greater than ever. The Beast within wanted Callista, and he didn’tknow if he’d be able to control his impulses when it came to her… especially with other males around her.
Finally, the urge to run through the forest outweighed the desire to find a way into the walls, and he gave up.
Being denied his mate added to his frenzy, and he howled as he tore through the woods, letting loose his frustration.
There.
Panicked, fluttering heartbeat. The smell of fear on the wind.
He changed directions, running for his prey.
It bolted, fleeing before him, but its speed was no match for his.
He pounced, claws tearing out its throat. Hot blood gushed over his claws, the scent of fresh meat filling his nose, and he crouched over the fallen deer, gorging himself as he traded one hunger for another.
10
Callista
Surrounded by people,many of them friends and neighbors she’d thought lost, Callista couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt so bereft. She was reunited with her father, which was all she’d wanted when she entered the forest the other day. Now, watching Adonis leave, she knew that wasn’t true anymore.
Slowly she sat down.
“So, you and Adonis?” Deirdre asked, tilting her head and sweeping her long braids over one shoulder. They were decorated with little beads at the end that clicked together as she moved. “Does that mean you’re an Omega?”
There was no point hiding it, despite her father’s sudden intake of breath. They would all figure it out if she was here for any duration of time, especially since there would be no way to acquire suppressants now.
“Yes,” she admitted, aware of her father sitting stiffly beside her. Certainly not how she’d pictured their reunion.The joy at seeing him alive and well was beginning to crumble under his disapproval at… well, everything as far as she could tell. He had to know that Adonis knew, and if everyone here knew Adonis was an Alpha and how Alphas and Omegas actually were, it was already fairly obvious.
“Good,” Deirdre said, smiling widely. “He’s been alone for far too long.”
She might have taken umbrage at Deirdre’s assumption that the two of them would automatically be a couple if she hadn’t liked Adonis so much. And, well, Deirdre had a point. From what Adonis had explained, an Alpha was really her only choice. A Beta male wouldn’t be able to give her what she needed during her heat.
Beside her, her father made an unhappy noise.
