Page 26 of Deadly Ties

What would a pack be like, with two such perfect, powerful omegas at its core?

It’s a question that keeps me vigilant as I watch his heat build.

And then he springs from the bed, so fast and fluid I know his wolf is very close. He sees me almost instantly. There’s no pause between sleep and waking. And his eyes narrow, his lip curling back on his teeth.

Fangs. Just the points of them right now, but they’re as sharp as the nails hardening on his fingers. It’s not a half-shift; more like his defenses snapping into place. And I can only think of all those nights in that basement when he woke like this, forced to fight for his sanity and safety.

“Never again,” I whisper as I step in to meet his charge. We crash together almost silently, because I take the brunt of the contact on my chest. And then I lock him in my arms, surrounding him with my scent and strength. I instantly fall into my native tongue, whispering the familiar words of protection as he fights to break free.

You are safe. You are in control. I won’t let anything harm you.

Grainy dawn fills the room and I can see the moment Elvi realizes he’s no longer in bed. Her hand searches the pillow, a frown forming, and then she feels the echo of my words in the bond. She sits up so fast she almost tumbles over the edge.

“Arben?” she gasps, fighting to get free of the blankets. “What’s going on?”

I’m tall enough to look right over the prince’s head and I give her a reassuring smile, but I also flood our bond with calm. She gives me a slow nod, but she can see the way his muscles are straining where I’ve pinned his arms to his sides. As much for her sake as for his, I bend my head and murmur in his ear, “Youcando it.” I inject my words with the bossy confidence Elvi knows so well. “It’s just biology,princi, and you’re smart enough to master that.”

“You don’t know what I’m like,” Kelly seethes, jerking in my grasp. But there are tears on his cheeks and the desolation in his voice makes my wolf push against my skin. “I go rabid. It was always bad, but in that basement, it was the only way to keep those fuckers away. I gave into it. Itownsme now.”

“It doesn’t,” I tell him, like I’m stating an irrefutable fact. “Nothing owns you, not even that alpha whose mating mark you wear. But it served you well against your captors. That’s why your power exists. To keep you safe.” I lower my voice to a dark purr, my lips skimming his ear. “But you don’t need to protect yourself from us. We’re not your enemies,princi.”

Elvi flutters in the bond, clearly liking the sound of that, but it just seems to frustrate Kelly even more. “But I’m protectingyou!” he bursts out, his nails clawing at his legs. “My fucked-up brain won’t be able to tell the difference.”

I just smirk and pull him tighter to my chest. I’m more than a head taller than him, and three times his weight. “You think you can hurt me, little wolfling?”

“I’mtellingyou I can.” I can feel his heart hammering, the heat rolling off him in waves. He makes a choking sound as he gasps, “Just ask the guys. When I got it bad, they had to lock me up. Cam would pump me full of drugs, but they didn’t always work. Now, after a year of heats in that basement? I don’t think anyone can stop me.” His shoulders drop, the tense muscles quivering as he rests his head on my chest. “Please,” he begs. “Just chain me up. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt anyone.”

I don’t look at Elvi, choosing instead to use our bond.Come and rub his back, princeshë. His heat is starting, and he’s frightened he will give in to his rage.

She nods and slides off the bed, making sure Kelly sees her before she circles around behind him. He stiffens, his muscles trembling, but he doesn’t try to stop her. Leaning forward, she kisses my knuckles, then rests her palm gently on the back of his neck. Her eyes widen as she realizes how feverish he is, the skin almost painfully warm. But when I give a quiet purr, she echoes it and rests her cheek against his spine. His trapped muscles are still rigid, but he doesn’t buck her off.

And then a soft, stuttering purr starts up deep in his chest.

Ah. It is music to my ears, and I feel my beast stretch under my skin. While the idea of both omegas appeals to me greatly, my beast has kept himself aloof. If the wolfling was truly lost to his feral state, I knew in my heart we would have to cut him loose. A feral wolf is caught in a rage, but a rabid wolf has succumbed to it and will never find its way free. It would be tragic to end their bond before it’s fully formed, but my beast won’t let anyone harm our mate, not even this nearly broken omega.

He is strong. Think of all he survived. He with grow only more powerful with our help.

My words are for both my mate and my beast, but it’s Elvi who gives a small nod. She can hear the hectic beat of his heart through his back, and I know she’s struggling to think of a way to convince him he’s safe. But this is a place I have been many times before. “I met my first omega in the orphanage where I grew up. His name was Luca, and he went feral like you describe. He was five years older than me and already a champion boxer amongst the Gabrdýn; what you think of as gypsies. He was dangerous even when he was in control.”

“What happened?” Elvi asks, her curiosity keen in our bond.

“The orphanage was worse than a prison. There were no rules, no safeguards. Many of thebanditëwho ran the place were sadists and liked to tie Luca down and torture him for their amusement. It was so much worse during his heats, so we got good at keeping them hidden. We would escape into the wooded mountains behind the village, hunting and living off the land. But when the heats struck, I had to learn to calm his beast. For three years, we lived like this. And as you can see, I survived.”

Kelly huffs, his soft purr stuttering out. “Yeah, but I’m not a kid.”

“I was eight years old, alone with a boy twice my size.” I lean back until I can look him in his silver-tinged eyes. “It’s not about physical strength,princi. It’s down to the will of the wolf.” I let him see my smile, my teeth flashing in the dim light. “And my wolf is very willful.”

Kelly turns his head a fraction so he can look down at Elvi. She’s still purring and stroking his spine, but I can feel the way her heart clenches at the fear in his face. “What do you think, Angel?”

She wants to weep. Even if I couldn’t feel it in our bond, I can see it in the tightness of her mouth. But she just forces a smile and says, “I think Arben’s just got bossier since he was practicing on poor Luca.” It might not be the right moment, but I lean over him and press a soft kiss to her lips. When I’m done, the wolfling is flushed, his cock stirring, but Elvi just reaches out and strokes his face. “You can trust him, I promise. He’s never let me down.”

Only once, my love.

From the hint of sadness in our bond, I know she understands. Finding her raped and beaten in her own home was the lowest moment in my life. But she’s quick to draw me away from it.

This is a shadow that has been given too much space between us for too long, Arben. How can I make you believe that as bad as it was, it led me here, to you, and I wouldn’t change that for anything?

I can’t help it. Tears bite the back of my throat at her words. Her kindness. Herforgiveness. My mate is more generous than I deserve, but I give her a nod and run my hands up the prince’s arms. He shivers, but I grip his shoulders, soothing the tense muscles. “It’s your choice, Omega, but no wolf will ever be chained under my roof.”

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