Altris
I stare down at my mate, trying desperately to move away, but something is keeping me there, forcing me to kill her. It’s like I’m trapped inside my own head, unable to break free from whatever spell encapsulates me. Her voice is soft and melodic in my head, just barely audible over the roar that fills my ears.
My arms raise as I move to crush her, and even though I’m screaming at myself to stop, it doesn’t listen. Annora rushes forward, grabbing her about the waist, pulling her back just as my hands bite into the concrete. Jaxxon’s bellow of rage doesn’t even touch me. All that I know is my mission.
Kill Karis.
Kill Annora.
I have no idea why I’m being forced to do this, and deep down, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to dirty myself with the mental workings of whoever is pulling my strings. I just want to stop. I want all of it to stop.
Listen to the bond.
The words from the little boy fight through and reach the small portion of myself that’s still rational, albeit not at all in control. The bond. Once more, I hear my mate’s voice, the quiet longing, the soft pressure at the corners of my mind. I force my way past the noise and focus just on her voice.
It’s like a cool breeze, a balm to my soul. I just have to follow her. I reach out, connecting with the sound in my mind, digging my fingers into the bond and holding tight. It vibrates with nothing but an outpouring of love, a far cry from the hate that pollutes my mind.
Crying out, I hold on to her, allowing her voice to get stronger, louder, until the phrase that bounces around my skull dissipates and only leaves her. My vision clears as I stare down at Karis, my heart beating so hard that I’m afraid it will leap out of my chest.
She’s below me, kneeling, the perfect show of submission. It’s a gift. Her gift. But that’s not what I want. That’s not who she is. Turning, I shove her out of my mind so I can clear the tent of the traitorous bastards that used me as a tool to harm my mate.
Now that I’m no longer in their control, they turn from Jaxxon and onto me. The four Alphas continue to hold him down as three betas run at me, their war cries echoing in my ears.
I race over to them and work my way through, pulling, clawing, snarling. Soon, the betas lay at my feet in a puddle of bone, muscle, and blood. Before I can attack the other Alphas, several of our own pour in, moved to action by the screams. They rip each of them to shreds, filling the tent with blood and gore. It covers my skin, coating my body with their death.
And then I see him. The traitor that greeted me like a friend only to stab me in the back. I stalk forward, my body rippling as I watch him shake with terror. Good. He should be afraid. Gripping him by the front of his shirt, I ignore the sparks of pain as he slams his hands down onto my forearms. I hear nothing. I see nothing.
All I can comprehend is revenge. Too many people have put Karis in danger, but this time, he will be a show to all of them what happens when you cross either the crown or my mate. “Keep the omegas inside. I don’t want them anywhere near this.”
Not waiting to see if my orders are being carried out, I storm out of the tent with Jaxxon close behind. Luckily, it seems like he understands I didn’t act out under my own control or mission; however, I did put his mate in danger, so he still might not be so forgiving.
Walking over to one of the nearby spikes, I order a nearby Alpha to hold it up at an angle. Basq twists and turns as understanding floods his brain and panic sets in. He keeps screaming out Anakara Elakasis Anoratorma, the phrase that turned me, but now that I have a handle on it and know what it is, I can fight it.
It still flutters about my mind, trying to take hold, but Karis’s presence keeps it from transforming me back into a mindless monster. Once the spike is where I want it, I reach down to grip the bottom half of Basq’s clothes and press forward until the tip rests against his asshole.
“Care for any last words?” I growl out, not even wanting to allow him that much.
I expected him to grovel, to beg for his life, but no. Instead, he waxes poetic about the High Echelon and their masterful control of Stanlion. It’s because of the fervor he has in his heart, the belief that he’s right, that makes him unafraid to die. I can’t take it anymore. I don’t want to hear any more of his violent rhetoric. In one fast lunge, I force the spike into his body, dragging it down.
Basq’s screams drill into my brain as I continue to move, forcing his body down the wood until the sounds stop. Not satisfied, I grip again and move once more until the tip bursts out of his throat, showering those around us in a spray of blood. I leave his body there, allowing the other Alphas to raise it high for the other to see and turn to kneel at Jaxxon’s feet.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Shame surrounds me like a shroud as bow my head. “It’s something in my wiring, something in the way they trained me. There were rumors of special words, words the High Echelon held to keep us High Echelon Guardians in check. Basq must have been one of the agents. A predator amongst the prey.”
“And what’s to keep this from happening again? Who else knows these words?”
I flinch, knowing that Jaxxon is right to be concerned about me snapping again. “I don’t know who had them to begin with, but with the bond, I can fight it. It’s how I got past this time.” Reaching up, I unzip the top part of my uniform and shove it to the side, showing Karis’s mark on my skin. “My mate holds me in her heart and will shore me up through the bond.”
I pray he understands, that he doesn’t hold me responsible. After several tense moments, he lowers his hand to my head in an act of resolution. My heart starts to pound once more as my breathing comes in gasps. Now, Stanlion can truly be free. Now that I know the trigger phrase embedded in me, no one can use me as a threat to the crown again.
Rising, I follow him into the tent and make my way over to Karis. Her eyes grow large as she stares at me, and that’s when I look down. I’m covered in blood. Holding out my hand, I dare her to take it, staring at her, willing her to submit. Right now, I need two things. I need to be clean, and I need my mate.
She glances over at Annora and gives her a soft smile before taking my hand with hers. It slides against me as the blood squishes between us, but Karis makes no show of disgust. My heart swells as I lead her through the mass of bodies and blood, holding my free hand at the side of her face to shield her from the destruction I caused.
I’m sure she could feel the anger through the bond, but it still doesn’t mean she needs to see it. Walking through the silent streets, I take her to my home, the new one given to me after Stanlion fell. Leon and I were going to share it until we found mates, but now, it will belong to Karis and me.
Opening the door, I lead her in, passing by Leon’s empty room. Once more, my heart clenches as sorrow beats at me. Exhaustion floods my body as everything crashes down on me at once. All I want to do is hide in a steaming shower until the last few weeks are washed away from my body. But I can’t just let myself wallow. I have Karis to think about. I promised her my knot.
Tightening my grip, I bring her into the bathroom and watch as she pulls away to start the water flowing from the showerhead. Without saying a word, she walks over to me and works at the zipper of my uniform, pulling the soaked fabric from my body. She moves to undo her own clothing, but I stop her, resting my hands on top of hers.
With slow, agonizing movements, I reveal her body to me. My mark stands out against her skin, a reminder of where we came from and where we’re going. Scooping her into my arms, I ignore the bits of blood and gore on my body and instead focus on Karis’s soft, pliant flesh, the sighs when I grip her ass, the soft moans that slip out of her lips when I graze my teeth along the mark.
Allowing her to slide down my body until her feet touch the floor, I step out of my uniform and drag her into the warm spray, letting the hot water wash over us. I groan as the water turns the bottom of the shower pink as blood sluices off my body and onto the tiles below. Holding her tight against me, I push her back against the wall and pull out of her tight grasp. I want to be clean before I enter her body.
I grab a bar of soap and suds up, washing away all the grime before working on my hair. Once every bit of me is clean, I reach out and grab her wrist, pulling her back under the water with me. My fingers dig into her skin as I hold her close, never letting her go.
Soft sobs reach my ears, and I look down at her tear-stained face. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers, her fingers dancing over my skin as if to reassure her I’m still here, still alive. “I shouldn’t have run away.”
“No,” I agree. “You shouldn’t have.”
“How can I make this right?”
“My dear little princess,” I murmur against her head. “The fact that you’re sorry means the world, and that spanking I gave you earlier helps immensely. But if you truly want to make it up to me, I have an idea.”
Karis gives a little hiccup before looking back at me. “Will it hurt?”
I laugh, letting the foreign sound flood the shower. “Punishments are rarely pleasant, but something tells me you won’t exactly hate this. But I need you to trust me. Don’t fight me.”
She nods her consent, and for a brief moment, I’m nearly floored by her willingness. True, I felt it earlier on at the tent, but there’s still the fact that it was also in her best interest. This time, it’s all submission, her giving herself over to me. I will cherish this moment above all else, especially since I plan on indulging her wild spirit from here on out.
It’s a compromise we both have to make. I have to let go of the reins a little, and Karis has to give up some of her control. It’s the only way we’ll truly be in sync. Sliding my hands around her thighs, I bring her up my body and wrap her legs around my back.
Easing us forward, I press her back against the wall, giving her leverage as I slide my fingers along the crack of her ass. I brush against her bottom hole and groan as she clenches around me. Her fear is palpable, an acrid scent that surrounds us. I want Karis to feel many things around me, but fear is never one of them.
I pull back for a moment and rest my hand on her breastbone, breathing in and out with her. An odd vibration floods my body and within an instant, Karis is like putty in my arms—pliant and willing. Staring down at her, I focus on the sound and try to magnify it, attempting to figure out where it’s coming from.
Is this an Alpha purr?
It rumbles deep in my chest, and though it’s not quite a growl, it reverberates through me and into her. With the way her fear dissipates, there’s no way it’s anything else. Happiness flows through me and into the bond, bringing a smile to her lips. I didn’t think it was possible for someone like me to purr, and yet, I can. Karis sighs and rests her head against the wall, all traces of fear gone.
Holding her up with one hand, I reach down and grip my cock with the other, lining it up with her back entrance. Slowly, I ease her down, pausing whenever her face shows any sign of discomfort. It’s agony going that slowly, but it’s a discomfort I’m willing to take for her. I never want her experiences to be like mine. I never want her to face any sexual act with concern or unease.
I hold her ass open, pinning her to the wall with my chest, and continue to purr, pulling her closer towards me. Her skin is hot, almost like when she was in heat, but it doesn’t feel or smell the same. Slick pours from her body, coating my abs as I grind up against her, rubbing back and forth against her apex.
Karis’s cries bounce off of the walls and caress my skin, bringing another smile to my lips. I lean down to kiss her, tempering my need to possess her. It’s a soft brush of my lips against hers, but it’s enough to have her writhing in my arms. Her bottom hole clenches around my tip, drawing a strangled groan from my lips. I pull her down more, stretching her, spreading her open, filling her completely.
Inch by inch, I claim her, feeling her through our bond. It hurts; I can feel the bite of pain as if it’s my own, but there’s a pleasure there that edges out, dulling the discomfort to something manageable. Sinking to my knees, I ease Karis down onto the floor, keeping my body upright so the spray hits me and doesn’t go into her eyes.
I grip her hips and ease out, turning her face down before easing into her again. My cock starts to disappear into her body, and I groan. Electricity zips down my spine and into my balls, drawing them up. I need to be inside her before my knot expands, or else, it will be far more pain that she can take outside of a heat.
“Touch yourself, Karis. I want to feel my princess come beneath me.” The purr is gone, and in its place is a seductive growl.
Her body shifts under me as she reaches between her thighs and rubs herself with her tiny fingers. Closing my eyes, I let myself go into the bond, letting the feelings of her impending orgasm rush through me. I grit my teeth and push forward, watching in fascination as the pink skin around my cock turns white as I push her to the breaking point.
Soft wails intermingle with my rougher groans, filling my senses, nearly overwhelming me. This is far different from when she was in heat. I can feel her now, touch her soul. She’s not some mindless omega craving an Alpha’s knot; she's my omega craving my knot. I force my way in, letting my balls rest against her soft lower lips, and I sigh as her body ripples around me.
Her orgasm is close. I can feel it through the bond, and it sizzles under her skin, tightening her muscles. Her hips move against me, as if trying to rock back and forth on my shaft. Seems like my dirty little princess likes an Alpha cock up her ass after all.
I grip her hips and slide in and out, giving her that friction she craves, but soon, my knot starts to swell, forcing me to stretch her even more each time I bottom out. Her free hand clenches on the tiles below as her body bucks against mine.
Lending over, I slide my tongue along the shell of her ear. “Come for me, princess.” My lips graze against the mark before I set my teeth on the spot.
As I bite down, once more claiming her as mine, her body explodes around me. Keeping tethered through the bond, I feel it all—her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her pleasure. All of it flows into me until I’m unable to completely process it.
My knot expands in her ass as hot cum pours into her body. I growl around her mark, my teeth still firmly implanted. It’s not that I’m giving her a second mark, but somehow, it’s as if the original one is now fortified. I feel her ties to me are so much stronger than before. They solidify into my heart, forever tethering her to me.
I wrap my arms around her, holding her close as my knot pulses deep inside her. With each movement, it presses against that gland deep inside, sending continual sparks of orgasms fluttering through her body. Our breathing becomes as one as we stay there under the hot stream.
Tears gather in my eyes as I look down at her, marveling that the gods saw fit to give me my own omega. And not just any omega; the only one that can ever stand up to someone like me. Her strength and tenacity are just what I need to keep me on my toes and never bored.
I thought I wanted a docile omega. It’s what I specifically prayed for in the moments I actually allowed myself to think I was worthy of one. But I didn’t want a docile omega. I wanted Karis. The gods knew all along that my perfect match was out there and saw fit to give me my own spitfire princess.
The End