Chapter Text
"Listen, child. Listen and remember this, because it can and will cost you everything if you don't. Never let anyone find out you're an omega. If your designation gets known, nothing aside from a dragon bond can save you from a life of servitude as sex slave and brood mare for the powerful, not even my name. Never forget to take your suppressants. Never let emotions overrule your judgement, or your scent will give you away. And for Zihnal's sake, pray that your True Mate never finds you. Because nothing will be able to hide you from their senses."
—Last words of General Lilith Sorrengail to her daughter candidate Violet Sorrengail on Conscription Day
Violet
"Any more questions? No? Good. Then, get back to bed and go in groups of three." Xaden motions with his head, and the group of Marked Ones who gathered beneath the oak tree slowly disperses, walking in groups of three just like he ordered. Xaden is the last to leave.
I draw a slow breath. Holy shit, I just might live through this.
In my head, I count to five hundred, my fingers locking and my thighs cramping as I try not to give myself away at the last second. But I have to be sure they're gone, that nobody will discover me. Only when I'm sure I'm alone out here on the grounds around Basgiath do I carefully climb down again, jumping the last few feet to land on the soft grass. Zihnal must have a soft spot for me when—
A shadow moves behind me, and before I can react, before I can let out even one scream, an elbow is around my neck, a hard chest pressing against my back.
"Scream and you die," a voice growls into my ear, and I stiffen instantly, the hair on my neck rising and my heart beating faster. I'd recognise the rough pitch of Xaden's voice anywhere, and not just because he's one of the few Alphas of the quadrant—the most powerful, no less. No, it’s something else that’s always making me hyper-aware of him, like his voice and scent and just the air around him makes something beneath my skin curl.
But I don’t get time to wonder about that as he replaces the elbow at my neck with the sharp edge of a dagger. "Fucking Sorrengail," he growls, then yanks back the hood of my cloak.
"How did you know it was me?" I aimed for a tone of indignation, but I'm not sure I managed it. If he wants to kill me then there's not really anything I can do about it. But that doesn't mean I'll go down without a fight. However, I mustn't let fear seep into my scent, have to keep a clear head. If he scents me, my impending death will be the least of my concerns.
"Let me guess, you could smell my perfume? Isn't that what always gives the heroines away in books?" A little daring, perhaps, to draw attention to his sense of smell, but it makes me feel bolder, so it's good.
Behind me, Xaden lets out a laugh, low and dark, his own scent hitting me all at once. Mint and leather. "I command shadows," he murmurs, his face buried against my neck. His teeth are awfully close to my gland, but I mustn't let him notice how nervous that makes me. "I felt you clinging to those branches even before you dared climbing lower to eavesdrop on us."
I swallow, and my entire body grows tense. He's a shadow wielder? That means he's even more lethal than I thought, my chances of survival plummeting into non-existence.
At least my death will be quick.
Behind me, Xaden hums where he runs his nose up and down my neck, and his hold on me shifts. The blade at my neck stays, but his other arm moves lower, easily pinning my arms to my sides even as he pulls my rear against his crotch. "That's not to say that your perfume wouldn't have been a dead giveaway, either," he whispers. "Fuck, you smell so good.”
I stiffen, struggling to keep my fear in check. Maybe that remark wasn’t a good idea after all. “Please,” I breathe, my voice weaker than I’d like. “Please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone what I saw here, I promise. Just…”
I trail off as Xaden chuckles, the vibrations sending a shudder down my spine. “Oh, I’m not worried about that,” he all but purrs.
A little sob slips past my lips. “Because you’re going to kill me?”
I don’t want to die. I always knew that joining the riders quadrant was madness, that my chances of actually surviving to bond a dragon—the only thing that might give me a chance of a better life than my designation dictates—have always been minimal at best. But right here, right now, at the mercy of the most ruthless Alpha Basgiath has seen in decades, the desire to live flares up so bright it nearly chokes me.
A new sound rumbles in Xaden’s chest, amusement and something else, something infinitely more primal mixing into one. “Why would I kill you? That would be such a waste when I have other means to ensure your silence. Don’t I, little omega?”
My eyes widen in shock, icy dread sinking into my stomach. “You know?”
This is impossible. How does he know? He can’t know. I was so careful, always took my suppressant, and my scent was always masked… wasn't it?
Xaden chuckles again, a low sound that instantly makes something in my blood sing. "Yes, I know who you are. What you are. I’ve known since the moment we met on that turret. Did you really think you could hide that enticing fragrance? Did you think nobody would notice when every moment of pain, of joy, of excitement makes it flare and pulse like a waving flag? It was brave, I give you that, but did you really expect that none of us wolves would notice the delicious lamp hiding among us?"
He pulls me even closer against his massive body, and from one second to the next, a cloud of his Alpha pheromones fills my lungs. Against my will, I turn pliant in his grip, my mind growing hazy, ready to submit.
"Please," I whimper, even as I fight to stay in control, to not give in to him. "D-don't tell anyone, I'm begging you. I won't tell anyone about your meeting here, either, I swear."
“Mmh, I like it when you beg," Xaden muses, his arms winding even tighter around me. "Do it again and maybe I’ll let you—” He breaks off, his whole posture stiffening behind me.
“P-please,” I whisper, desperation welling up inside me, and I’m not even trying to mask it anymore. What's the point when he knows what I am already? “Please, let me go.”
But I know it won't be that easy. I’ve never been in the presence of an Alpha when they wield their natural dominance, not like this, have only read about the effects in the singular guidebook that exists for omegas. But with the way my eyes are already shifting out of focus and my knees are growing weak as his pheromones cling to my skin and fill every pore, I’m not sure I can walk away anymore.
Behind me, a low growl rumbles through Xaden’s chest, and I can’t help but squeak as the dagger drops to the ground and he buries his face against my neck again, his nose and mouth hovering right over my gland now with no restraint left. “Fuck, your scent gets even more delicious when you stop masking it,” he groans. “Like the sweetest flower—” He inhales deeply. “—and lemongrass—” His tongue flicks against my skin. “—and saffron.”
I whimper at the delicate touch, such a stark contrast to how firmly he’s having me restrained, and despite all odds, my lower belly tightens deliciously. Shit! What is happening? Why is my body reacting to him despite the suppressants I took earlier? Why can’t I keep control?
“Please…” I mewl, weakly, though I’m not even sure what I’m pleading for. I have to get away, as far and as quickly as I can. Yet my body—already entirely caught in his spel—is leaning further against him, my head tilting without my doing as if to give him better access.
“Fuck!” His curse is harsh, his voice rough as he shakes his head, his skin sliding against my own. “What… what are you doing to me?”
Me? I want to laugh at the absurdity of his words. What I am doing? He’s the one flaring his pheromones and triggering my cursed instincts to yield and submit. To present. But I can’t say anything, my mouth no longer obeying me as I fall completely pliant in his hold, despite the frantic voice screaming in the back of my mind.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Xaden is positively shaking now, his breathing ragged, and fear lances through me even as my instincts tell me to soothe and comply. What in Dunne’s fucking name is happening?
A moment later, he sucks in a sharp breath, his finger twitching and digging into my flesh—and his scent shifts.
The mint, cool and controlled before, turns into something more like eucalyptus, not unpleasant but piercing, and then there’s a note of burnt wood weaving itself into the leather, raw and feral. And something else, something I’ve only smelled once before, during the private tutoring I got from Major Gillstead when he prepared me for the quadrant. He had that little flask, and even just uncorking it for less than a second had left me reeling for the rest of the day.
Ozone.
The universal scent of a rut.
I’m. So. Fucked.
“Xa… Xaden?” I whisper, cautiously. My head is a little clearer now, the haze lightening as all my instincts, human and omega alike, urge me to tread carefully. “Is… is everything okay?”
He seems okay, not shaking anymore and his breathing calm again all of a sudden. But he’s not moving either, his arms still locked around me, my body pressed against his.
“Xaden, please…” Earlier, he said that he might let me go. Maybe I can still appeal to those common senses. “Please let me go. I won’t tell anyone what I saw. I’m not a threat to you.”
In theory, I know better than to fight against his hold, to trigger any instincts to chase and claim. Yet I can’t keep myself from struggling, from fear lacing my scent. Because in the end, there's only one thing an Alpha wants from an omega, and it's not their promise to stay quiet. And if I’m still anywhere near when he’s falling into his rut completely, then—
From one moment to the next, Xaden leaves the frozen state he’s been in for the last seconds—and any hopes I had to still appeal to his logic vanish in an instant as a cloud of fresh pheromones engulf us, more potent than before. They coat my tongue and throat with every breath I take until I can almost taste him, and I instantly sway on my feet, my thoughts sluggish. I’m even glad that instead of loosening his hold on me, bands of shadow slide over my body and keep me upright as his hands move to map my body, slow and thorough.
“I really like it when you beg,” he growls, again running his nose and lips along my neck, though with purpose now. Drinking in every little detail, every nuance of my scent. “But letting you leave is the last thing I want to do.”
It’s still his voice, yet different, a deeper timbre rumbling beneath the familiar tone, dark and inviting. Lulling me in and making me fully tumble back into that mental haze before his words even register.
The Alpha has taken over.
His tongue darts out against my neck again, and this time, he’s taking his time tasting my skin, sending a sensation like lightning sizzling through me. The voice that’s screaming in the back of my mind to get away is still there. But it’s getting quieter with every second, my body eager to give in even though I am not..
Stalling for time won’t get me anywhere…and yet, it’s the only thing I can think of to ward off the inevitable. “And… and what do you want?” I’m panting, my heart beating too fast, as if preparing for… for something. Weakly, I struggle against his hold, fighting for as long as I still have the mind for it. But I know it’s pointless. I won’t get out of this.
Chuckling, Xaden adjusts the way I’m pressed against him until his crotch pushes against my ass, that darker tone in his voice getting more prominent. "The same thing I wanted from the first moment I saw you, sweet thing" he purrs, his lips against my neck in a mockery of a tender kiss. "To claim and mark you. To make you mine."
My breath hitches, and I don’t know whether it’s because of his words—the claiming and the fact that he’s been as attracted to me as I am to him—or of his moving hands, one cupping my breast and the other sliding down between my thighs. I hate myself for how good it feels, for how my eyes flutter and how eagerly I arch into his touch.
“Foolish woman,” he mumbles, barely audible against my skin. “Thought she’d need to make a deal to keep you safe. I’ll keep you safe. Forever.”
“D-deal?” I gasp, desperate for anything to hold on to. “What deal?”
“Mmh, none of your concern, little omega. Nobody will ever harm you again. Because you’ll be mine. Marked, bred—mine.”
Yes!, a new voice purrs in the back of my head. Yes, please.
Fuck… There really is no way of fighting him, not if even my mind wants to give in.
Not that I ever had a chance. Even if I still had full control of my body, his skills and strength outmatch mine by so much, it's almost laughable. Still, resisting would have been better than…
than…
than giving up control.
than grinding my hips into his touch.
seeking…
seeking what only Alpha can give me…
"Yeah, that's it." Xaden groans, his hips moving with mine, back and forth in a slow, sensual rhythm. "Show me what you want, sweet thing.”
A low moan slips off my lips as he grinds his fingers into my sex through my leathers. “Yes,” I mewl, pressing closer. “Yes, I want…”
No! No, I don’t want this. I have… have to resist… Have to…
A full-body shudder runs through me as long ribbons of shadow slide over my skin. The sensation is strange, cool and warm alike somehow, and at the same time the best and worst thing I’ve ever felt. I can barely look, my gaze too unfocused, as they slip beneath my clothes, and for an endless moment, the sensation of them slithering over my body is so intense that it has me trembling, my core tightening in anticipation. Then follows the sound of ripping seams and strings, of tearing cloth, and only a moment later, I'm entirely naked out here in the moonlight.
"Fuck yeah, that's better," Xaden grunts, his voice a little slurred yet dripping with heated satisfaction as his hands try to touch every bit of newly exposed skin at once. "Gonna mark every part of your perfect body, my sweet little omega. Mine, mine, all mine.”
He's touching me everywhere—my sides and thighs, my ass, my breasts and nipples—and even though I want to hate the feeling of his skin on mine, I just can't. It feels like fucking heaven.
Yes. His. I want to be his.
I try to shake my head, at him and my own thoughts alike, but instead cry out as he squeezes my breast, my nipple pinched between his fingers. It feels so amazingly violating, so horribly good. Even his scent lost its piercing bite and seems to beckon me, smelling of the wind now, wild and free.
“And look at you.” He moves to the other breast, the other hand all but gentle as it curls around my throat. ”Such a pretty little breakable thing you are. Good thing your heat will enhance your body's strength or you might just snap once I have you wrapped around my cock and knotted."
My head spins at his words, and where it should be fear they induce—or rage at the 'breakable' comment—all I feel is hot need. Because my body—that traitorous bitch—can't wait to be stretched around him. But his words also tickle at some reasonable part within me, and I cling to it with all I have.
"Or you'll just kill me, after all," I gasp as he carefully tilts my head to the side, fully exposing my neck. My gland. "I'm taking strong suppressants, won't go into heat just like that."
Maybe a quick death will be preferable to whatever other future awaits me, anyway. I don’t want to die—but I don’t want the horrors I’ve heard about, either.
Xaden—no, the Alpha—laughs, low and foreboding. "Is that so?" His mouth is pressed to my gland now, licking and suckling on that spot that’s never felt so sensitive before, and it’s enough to make my knees buckle with unbearable need. "My sweet little omega. Don’t you know that, under the right circumstances, a heat can be forced not matter what? All it will take is One. Little. Bite.” He breathes in again, deeply. “Right. Here."
His sharp canines, elongated now with the scent of his rut sharpening further, graze over my gland, and a fresh wave of hot panic surges through me. I don't even believe him, never heard or read anything about forcing a heat like that. But my body reacts to the threat anyway, as if it knows that he's right, that I'm only seconds away from losing even the last shreds of control I have.
"P-please not," I gasp, twisting in his grip as best I can. "I've never— Please, don't."
A low groan rumbles through Xaden's chest, and he pulls me even tighter against him, the considerable bulge pressing against my ass twitching noticeably. "You've never been in heat before?" he asks, his voice so low it's barely more than a growl.
I stiffen, don't want to admit it, but this reaction alone seems to be answer enough for him.
He stills behind me, and for a split second, something like surprise flickers through him. “Never?” he repeats, and for the fraction of a heartbeat, his hold shifts, loosens—then snaps back in tight again.
“Fuck!” he growls, his voice dropping into something feral, primal. “Then you’re in for a rough ride, my sweet little mate.”
The pressure of his pointed teeth against my skin grows, and I momentarily stiffen, all thoughts wiped from my mind. I’m his…?
Vacant eyes roll back into my head as he pierces the skin, the tips digging into my gland just ever so slightly. Not enough for a true claiming, just enough to—
Somewhere inside me, a dam breaks.