“Vikar,” I answered with hope.
“I’ve been tasked with bringing the three of you to Vikar and one other. Time is of the essence, however, so we should get on our way,” Thornclaw spoke, looking from me and then to Ivar. The other two waited behind him expectantly.
“Thank you. It would be an honor to fly with you,” Ivar replied respectfully, dipping his head in deference. Thornclaw lowered his head toward the ground, meeting my gaze as he did so.
“Luna, you will fly with me,” he instructed. I nodded with understanding. I swallowed my nerves and carefully climbed on the enormous bird’s neck. After that, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek against his downy feathers. Behind us, Dyna and Ivar climbed onto Thornclaw’s sons.
Thornclaw spread his wings and swung them down hard, flapping them only a few times before his claws lifted from the sand underneath. Within seconds, we were airborne, and his strong muscles flexed hard beneath my body. We soared upward, the ground quickly grew smaller and smaller beneath us until much of it was lost in darkness.
The forest was steeped in shadow, and I lifted my head, looking for Ravenrath. I expected to see the usual glow of the urban center in the distance, but that wasn’t what I saw at all.
The city was on fire. Great plumes of smoke were billowing up from far below. We were so far away, yet it didn’t take me long at all to determine the cause.
A giant creature was circling high above the city and a cry of fear escaped my throat. I couldn’t see the massive beast in the night, but from the way it breathed fire down on the unfortunate masses down below, it could only be one thing.
It was a dragon.
And the three of us were flying straight toward it.
Ravenrath was in the throes of chaos and the smell of smoke, fire, and blood was stark even though we soared through the sky so high above it all.
In the silence of the night, I heard the screams of battle far below as we drew closer.
“The Brotherhood has come for Ravenrath,” Thornclaw murmured softly.
It was clear that the Brotherhood hadn’t spared a single expense in order to prepare for this battle. Volleys of fire arrows lit up the sky, revealing tens of thousands of human warriors on foot, giant elephants with massive tusks, enormous wild dogs, cats, and warhorses that carried men and women toward the battlefield, and other magnificent creatures that I didn’t recognize. There was a giant three-headed wolf ripping into a large group of Ravenrath soldiers and my eyes tore across the battlefield. It was raw carnage. It appeared that both sides had brought everything to the table, making a clear winner impossible to decipher at this point. Deep in the forest surrounding the city to the south, I saw the telltale glow of skotaurs on the move and when Thornclaw dipped in the direction of a group of them, I bit my lip nervously.
“Where is Vikar?” I asked, the sound of my voice difficult for even me to hear in the wind that whipped all around us as he flew on.
“He’s on the north side of the city. He’s waiting for us in a clearing a distance away in the forest. It should be safe there as much of the Brotherhood’s forces are attacking from the south,” Thornclaw answered solemnly.
I hoped that it would be secure. I was scared that it wouldn’t.
I was silent as we cut through the night sky. I coughed and tried to breathe in a lungful of air, but it became more difficult the closer we drew toward the city. I pressed my nose against Thornclaw’s feathers, using him to block as much of the smoke that whipped around us as possible. When he finally started to circle in preparation to land, he swooped down hard and my stomach almost flew into my throat. His wings flapped powerfully, slowing us down as we lowered to the ground. For a long moment, I saw nothing in the darkness and then the soft glow of a torch and the familiar form of my alpha emerged from the trees.
My mark pulsed heavily, and I cried out with relief. Almost as if he knew, Thornclaw dipped his head, allowing me to climb down off of him almost immediately. My legs jolted as I jumped down to the ground. I kept moving anyway. I sprinted in his direction and Vikar ran toward me, capturing me in his arms and lifting me off the ground as he swung me around as if I was light as a feather. He squeezed me so tightly that I thought I might burst, but I didn’t care.
His fingers grasped the back of my scalp, holding me possessively as he pressed his lips against my forehead in a kiss of ownership that left me gasping with need. My entire body shuddered, and a smoldering warmth burst forth from my core. This time, I welcomed it.
“My little omega, I thought I had lost you,” he whispered. “But I came back for you and I brought the Brotherhood with me. Now that I have you, we can rescue your daughter. Together,” he added.
There wasn’t a single ounce of doubt in his tone. He meant every word and I could feel his fervent vow both in the way his body shook against mine and in the powerful flash of emotion through our bond. I trusted his oath and now that we were together once again, there was no holding us back.
“We will return for you. Send the signal and we will come,” Thornclaw said firmly and I turned back to him.
“Thank you,” I replied. I would be forever grateful to him for bringing my alpha and me together once again. Every ounce of my gratitude showed in the way my voice quivered and he bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“It brings me great pleasure to serve the Brotherhood,” he responded before he spread his wings wide. He flapped them once and then twice before he was airborne. I watched him fly away with his sons until I couldn’t see them anymore as they disappeared into the night. Dyna and Ivar hung back and that’s when I noticed that Vikar wasn’t alone. There was another woman hanging back at the edge of the clearing. She was small and when the breeze carried her scent to me, I realized that she was another omega.
A surge of jealousy boiled forth so quickly it caught me off guard and I snarled softly in warning. I bared my teeth and Vikar’s grip closed into a fist within the hair at the back of my scalp. He wrenched my head back firmly, forcing my focus from her to him almost instantly. The pain burned and I whimpered before he cleared his throat.
“Stand down, my little omega. You’re mine. Ariana is only here to help us,” he warned. His other hand dropped to cup my bottom over top of my clothing, a deliberate warning as I struggled to obey him. The urge to defend and keep my mate was strong and it was difficult to push it back. He reached down and slipped his hand beneath the cloth covering my backside, touching my bare flesh underneath. His skin on mine was like a bolt of lightning.
It was his shirt I was wearing, his belt cinching it close around my waist and when his fingers touched my bare bottom in warning, I stilled.
“I won’t hesitate to put you over my knee in front of everyone here, my little omega. You will obey me, or you will be punished,” he threatened.
I blushed and felt a rush of heat gather between my thighs. My body answere