“What?” All three of them shout at the same time. I cringe, their combined yells making my insides feel kind of squishy.
“Oh fuck, we barked at her,” I hear Theo say as Arch picks me up.
He glides down to the living space, placing me carefully on the couch.
“Easy, little one,” Arch says, a rumble starting in his chest as he rubs his hands up and down my arms.
I swallow down the bile in my throat. “I must go. Imust,” I stop, throat closing thickly. “I have to help. I can’t leave my people.”
Theo growls, spinning to pace. “C’mon, Arch, you know we’d feel the same. Our bride is a warrior. A leader. You’d be climbing out of your skin if you had to leave our squadron in danger on their own! Let alone winglings we cared about!”
Arch’s eyes are on mine as he crouches in front of me. “I know. I agree,” he blurts unexpectedly.
I blink.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Archibald
Iam livid at Frederick. That fucking twat. I knew he was scheming, and after my promotion to Earl, his jealousy only grew, but I would have never thought he’d so blatantly break the peace accord with the humans.
This underhandedness will never help us gain security in our treaty with the humans. Will never get them to feel safe in our rule.
But more than that, my heart is breaking.Our bride. Our omega.
Not justanomega, butours. She’s ours. The signs, her reaction to our bark, the way we scent her and are so drawn to her; she’s our true center, our omega.
And I have to let her go. I’d cut off my own wing if there was a way to keep her here, safe and happy. But if I don’t do this, she’ll never be happy. Never love us. I have to hope she returns.
My eyes meet Ben’s. His face is sorrowful. He understands.
Theo is still pacing, wings at attention. I watch him forlornly. I don’t think he gets it. That we have to let her go, alone.
“Theo,” I call.
He stops, looking between us. His eyebrows furrow. “We can help, we can—”
His face drops. “No,” he whispers.
Fern straightens, but is silent.
“I can get into the security lines,” Ben starts, “Muck things up a bit. Anything truly helpful would be too easy to notice though. But I can buy a little time.”
Theo swallows hard. “She...” he trails off. He comes and kneels next to me, taking one of Fern’s hands. Her face softens as she looks at him.
“Will you return to us, little one?” He whispers.
She’s silent a long time, staring at him. Slowly, she lifts her hand to reach for Ben. He makes a noise in his throat as he crosses to us.
“I... I don’t know,” she whispers truthfully. “I have... come to care for you all, in my own way.” She bites her pretty lip, and my heart aches. “Will you not let me go unless I promise to return?”
I shake my head. “No. We’ll let you return to your fight no matter what. Though we will all pray to the Night Goddess that you choose to come home to us.”
Her liquid brown eyes turn from one of us to the next, her face somber.
Finally she murmurs, “Thank you.”
I push myself to standing, even as the beast inside me screams to scoop up my omega and tie her to my bed.
