Dyllen’s fever broke that night.
It had gotten worse during the afternoon, to the point that Skye was truly fearing for the alpha, but thankfully, he pulled through. For the first time since that morning, he slept peacefully, undisturbed by lucid dreams.
He had healed the wound further as well, so it looked like Dyllen might finally be in the clear. Of course, they couldn’t be fully certain until the wound healed all the way but the omega was feeling confident now.
Only once he had told the rest of the band, watching them visibly relax bit by bit, did he realize just how tense they had been under the façade of normality. He had been too stressed himself to notice.
The omega was changing the bandage on the alpha’s thigh, gently pressing in a healing compress to help his body along while keeping the wound infection free, when a gravelly voice interrupted him.
“Fuck that hurts,&rdqu
The next morning,Skyewas able to heal Dyllen’s wound enough that they could begin to travel again.It still wasn’t fully closed and could be easily re-opened if he wasn’t carefulenough, but the alpha had been quick to promise his cooperation.Whether because he wanted to avoid Skye’s stinging herbs or the look the other three alphas gave him when he hesitated, he wasn’t sure. It was enough that the alpha was keeping his word.The band had set out on the beaten dirt road, passing a few travelerson foot, and Skyefound himself riding beside his mate with Dyllenon the other side of Linus.The air around the band had been relaxed and joking and Skyelearnt that they weren’t far from their destination.Pearlcrosswas a large coastal trading town on the border of the kingdom known for exotic goods from across the seas. It was a prosperous town for merchants loo
Linusdidn’t reply, only gave Dyllena look that told him he thought he was being stupid.It would take a lot more than him scolding him for being an idiot to get through that thick skull, especially after what had happened to him in the past.Dyllenhad to nearly die to even begin to accept Skye, what would it take to get him to believe he was worth more than dirt?Although Skye’s sudden anger and backbone towards Dyllenwould go a long way to earning his respect.Companionable silence fell over them and Linustook a moment to enjoy the soft breeze ruffling through his hair. The easy banter of the band, the laughter and jokes made a nice backdrop for their travels.While it was possible to have a private conversation on the road, it was rare that anyone chose to and as such,someone was always butting in. It made their travels far more interesting and fun though, a far cry from his time as a
Struggling not to sway in the saddle, Skyedesperately tried to pretend everything was fine.Linusseemed to be keeping a close eye on him and it was making it so much harder to act normally but he recognizedthe symptoms he was beginningto experience.The tiredness, the heavy limbs, the need to be pressed against his mate, the need to be tucked up in a warm, safe nest.He tried to push the feelings away. Now was not a good time for his heat to hit but he knew he couldn’t fight it off forever.Still, if he could somehow hold it off until after their contract was complete, that would be best.His healing ability meant that he could heal himself unconsciously of any sickness or injury and since heat was never a disease or injury but a normal physiological function of an omega, thus it cannot be healed. Though he had found out that he could hold back his heat using it.It was a conscious effort that took
Whatever Linushad expected when Lejendcame running to grab him, it was not to find Dyllencarrying his mate to him.As soon as he had gotten close, he immediately realizedwhy.Skye’s face was flushed, eyes glazed, and as soon as Linusreached out to take him, the scent of an omega in heat washed over him.He had never experienced something so powerful, so instantly consuming before and all the stories about alphas losing their minds over omegas in heat suddenly seemed more realistic.He had no experience dealing with omegas, let alone one in such a state. The few ones who had tried to seduce him with their heat, he can and had easily been able to ignore.But now, his instincts kicked in with a roaring force and it no longer mattered.Dyllenbacked off after telling Traceto find them some place safe, and the snarl Linusdidn’t even realizehe was giving the other alpha
The first light of dawn streaked the sky in oranges and reds when Linusfinally carried Skyeback to camp.The omega’s heat had quickly eased but the last dregs of it had lingered for many hours. They both stink of sweat and sex and Skyehad been very clingy with him even once the last of the heat fled his system.The alpha had put little thought into it before but his mate was always independent, so it had surprised him when he wanted to be carried back.It made a nice change though and it soothed his alpha instincts to hold the omega in his arms, especially after his heat. His scent hadn’t changed after the heat had fled so Linusassumed that his mate hadn’t fallen pregnant this time and he wondered how his alpha side would have been affected if he had.Not surprisingly,most of the band were still sleeping but Briteand Lejendwere already up like usual.Britegave him the b
It turned out that Lejend’snicely bite sized cut fruit was for Skye.The beta was treating the omega like he would one of his sick animals and it was interesting seeing the normally standoffish man fret over a person rather than an animal.Linuswas given a share of the fruit as well, much to his amusement, but the beta seemed less concerned with his health.Interestingly, everyone seemed to be keeping an eye on the omega and it was obvious that he had wormed his way into each of their hearts.Traceslipped away with Skye’s sheepskin after he had finished sleeping, only to return with it freshly clean and combed. He hung it out to dry on a nearby tree before wordlessly continuing about his day.Urkanebrewed Skyetea with some fragrant wild roses that grew nearby while Dyllenscolded him every time he tried to help with the chores.Everyone seemed to be constantly offering him food, al
Two and a half days of watching and waiting had come to an end. They had spent hours discussing the plan and the layout of the guard patrols around the manor. Damning evidence had been found against Chisakiin the form of a body of a young woman being disposed of in the forest surrounding the manor. Worse still, it had been left out for the wild animals instead of properly buried. The woman had been in bad shape and the tell-tale whip marks across her exposed flesh told a grim tale. Britehad been seeing red since he found out and Linusand Urkanehad to physically hold him down at one point lest he takes off in search of Chisaki’s head on his own. Now here they were, a short walk from the manor and all armoured up. Well, as armoured as they could be for a stealth mission. It was one of the risks of their plan-plate and chain mail were noisy and would alert the guards of their presence before they’ve ha
Skyejumped up from where he stood brushing his horse, Moya, when he heard footsteps crashing through the undergrowth.Yashappeared from the thick forest not long after with a group of betas that looked worse for wear.Their faces were gaunt with lack of food and their skin waxy due to poor nutrition.He rushed forward to press his hands against the closest one’s cheeks and activated his healing to assess the damage.His suspicions about the food was correct and as he moved from person to person, he noted that other than being painfully thin, there was not much he could do for them.They had hired a wagon from the farmer whose land they had been staying on and he made sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be while Yashand Urkane pried information from them.The omega handed out some spare blankets they had acquired just in case and rummaged around for something small for them to eat to soothe the