"The issue remains the same," Torvin says, his deep voice rumbling through the space. He's a massive Alpha with scales that shimmer bronze in his dragon form, a tactical mind that's saved us from numerous threats. "The warriors keep coming. Year after year, the Valorian king sends more lambs to slaughter. Eventually, one of them will get lucky, or worse, they'll come in such numbers that even our younglings can't hold them all back."
"Then we seal the entrance," Mira suggests, not for the first time. The Alpha’s smaller but no less formidable, her silver scales and sharp tongue making her one of our most effective military commanders. "There are old magics we could invoke, wards that would make the passages into Embrath invisible to outsiders. They'd wander the Shadowlands forever without ever finding us."
"And trap ourselves inside our own kingdom?" I counter, though my heart isn't fully in the argument. "Cut ourselves off from the rest of the world?"
"What use is the rest of the world?" Mira asks. "They fear us, hunt us, tell stories about us that bear no resemblance to reality. What benefit do we gain from maintaining contact with kingdoms that see us as monsters?"
Torvin nods slowly. "She has a point. Isolation isn't ideal, but it's better than constant siege. Our people are tired, Zara. Tired of defending our home against invaders who'll never stop coming as long as that mad king in Valoria keeps sending them."
I know they're right. Logically, tactically, sealing Embrath makes sense. But every time I consider agreeing to it, I think about Alessia's words. Our Omega is in the Shadowlands. If that's true, if there's even a chance the prophecy is finally coming to pass, then closing off Embrath would mean losing our chance to find her. We'd seal ourselves away from the one thing that could complete us.
"I understand your concerns," I say carefully, choosing my words with precision. "But I need more time to consider this course of action. Sealing Embrath isn't a decision to be made lightly. Once the wards are in place, it could be centuries before we can safely reverse them."
Mira frowns. "What's there to consider? Every day we wait is another day that Valorian warriors penetrate our territory. Another day that our people are at risk."
"Our younglings are handling the threats adequately," I point out. "And I haven't heard reports of any warrior getting farther than the outer valleys. We're in no immediate danger."
"Not yet," Torvin growls out. "But that could change. What happens when King Frederik decides to send an army instead of individual warriors? What happens when he convinces other kingdoms to join his cause?"
Before I can respond, the library doors burst open with enough force that they slam against the walls. Alessia stands in the doorway, her eyes wild, her blond hair disheveled around her shoulders, clutching what appears to be the sheets from our bed in her arms.
I'm on my feet instantly, worry spiking through me. I've never seen her like this, so frantic and unguarded. Something's wrong.
Torvin and Mira stand as well, their hands moving to the weapons they always carry. I hold up a hand to forestall any action, then move quickly to Alessia's side. "What's wrong?" I ask, my hands hovering over her arms, wanting to touch her but not sure if she needs space. "Are you hurt?"
"No, no, I'm fine," she says breathlessly, but her eyes are blazing with something that looks like excitement mixed with disbelief. "But I need to speak with you. Now. Privately."
I turn to Torvin and Mira, who are watching this exchange with obvious curiosity. "Give us a minute."
Torvin nods, moving toward the door immediately, but Mira hesitates. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes," I say firmly. "Just give us a moment. Please."
She exchanges a look with Torvin but follows him out, closing the doors behind them with a soft click. The moment we're alone, Alessia rushes forward, shoving the bundled sheets at me.
"I don't know how," she says, her words tumbling over each other in her haste to get them out. "But it's her."
I frown, taking the sheets and look at them. They're our sheets, the ones from our bed, rumpled from sleep and lovemaking. I don't understand what she wants me to see.
"Alessia, slow down. What are you—"
"Smell them," she interrupts. "Please, Zara. Just smell them."
Still confused, I lift the fabric to my nose, taking a tentative breath. At first, all I smell is us. Alessia's sweet scent mixed with my own musk, along with the residual traces of sex and sleep. But then I catch something else beneath those familiar scents. Something that makes my entire body go still.
Omega. A scent so rich and complex it makes my mouth water, my dragon stirring with immediate interest. It's not just any Omega scent. It's the scent of a potential mate, one that calls to every instinct I possess.
I inhale deeply, drawing the scent into my lungs, holding it there. My body settles in a way I've never experienced before, as if every cell recognizes something fundamental and right about this smell. This is what I've been missing. This is what's been making me feel incomplete.
But then I catch another scent woven through the Omega's, and I frown.
"She's not alone," I say, pulling the sheets away from my face to look at Alessia. "There's a wolf. A Beta, I think, based on the scent profile."
Alessia's expression shifts from excitement to confusion. "A wolf? Are you certain?"
"Yes." I bring the sheets back to my nose, analyzing the scents more carefully. The Omega's scent is dominant, but the Beta's is there too, threaded through it in a way that speaks of intimacy and closeness. "But I'm intrigued by the mixture of their smells. They're not just traveling together. They're intertwined in a way that suggests deep connection. Almost as if they go hand in hand, as if they're a mated pair the same way we are."
"But that doesn't make sense." Alessia moves closer, taking a corner of the sheet, bringing it to her own nose. She inhales, and I see the moment she catches the Beta's scent as well. Her eyes widen. "The prophecy didn't speak of more. It spoke of a golden Omega, singular, who would complete our triad."
