Dyllen sighed as he followed his long- time friend and leader through their budding village.
In the short span of a few months, the rolling field had turned into a prosperous, albeit small, community. Only a few buildings were complete so far: barracks, mess hall, stables, and a few houses.
Linus had been concerned about having the first house built for himself, never one to put himself above the others, but Dyllen was glad of it.
As much as Skye had grown on him and they had reached something of a friendship, constantly seeing the two engaged in sappy moments of romance had been driving him crazy.
Even the others in the band had been happy to get the lovesick couple away from them for a while and no one wanted to have to deal with Skye’s heat again.
A hassle that could be easily avoided by having a little privacy in the form of their own home.
The large wooden structure sat proudly in the middle of t
Buffwas ahuge horse, getting on in years much as Dyllenwas, and they had travelled together for a long time now.A towering black beast of an animal, he was the band’s only trained warhorse although Dyllenhad purchased him for a hefty sum years before even meeting Linusfor the first time.Buff was a solid companion and well worth his weight in gold for what he had carried Dyllenthrough over their travels together.He reached out to stroke Buff’s neck as the horse nuzzled into his shoulder in greeting. The alpha had yet to let anyone else saddle his horse for him, even when he was on death’s door, and he wasn’t about to start now.From the corner of his eye, he could see Lejendrushing around to get two horses attached to their basic wooden wagons while Linusand Britesaddled up their own mares.“I bet you’re keen to stretch your legs on a proper wa
Athelneywas bustling with activity when they arrived.A few people recognizedthem as they passed and waved or called out greetings.Linusand Briteoften came through to speak with various townsfolk or hire services so the attention wasn’t surprising. Annoying, but understandable.All Dyllenwanted was to hurry up and get to the village green where the mayor would be waiting with their new members. Linushad no idea who or how many people they would return with and being in the dark still, after all their hours of travel, grated at him.They pulled up beside the large patch of grass where a dozen dirty, ragged people greeted them.Dyllenpaid no attention to Linusas he greeted the mayor, choosing instead to dismount and cast his gaze over each of those present before dismissing them all out of hand.What the fuck was this?Not even one among them looked fit enough to hold
Eicianalmost couldn’t believe he was alive.When the hugealpha had picked him up with effortless ease to put him on his horse, he honestly thought he was done for.He had travelled for weeks to get there and survived unmolested, only to get kidnapped on the final stretch of his journey. His terror at the towering alpha had stopped his brain in its tracks, freezing his entire body and robbing it of its most basic fight-or-flight instincts.But here he was, untouched barring a thick arm around his waist and a leather-padded chest at his back to be dumped down in front of a rustic-looking wooden building.A few people watched them curiously, but none approached as the huge alpha who called himself ‘Dyllen’ pushed him roughly inside when he didn’t move on his own.“Cherub,” Dyllen called as they entered a long room filled with drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and ceramic pots lining woo
“Oh! But I only just finished my own training,” Skyereplied in surprise and disappointment flooded through Eician.Did he travel for weeks only to be turned away?“I didn’t mean you couldn’t be,” the other omega clarified at his crestfallen expression. “I’m just surprised. I knew they would send someone eventually, but I didn’t realizeit would be so soon.Ecrinis such a long way from Aldea, most choose to stay closer to home.Especially anAldeannative.”Eicianworried at his lip as he decided how to reply.He had chosen Skyepurely because he was based so far away but saying that would raise questions he didn’t want to answer right now.The Kingdom of Heralsat like a triangle between Aldeaand Ecrinwith each country sharing a border. The capital of Ilaridge, where he was originally told that Skyere
Dyllenswore under his breath as he struggled to get the fence post in the right position.His mug of tea sat empty on the post beside him, and he relished in the physical work. The tension in his body eased as he focused on the task at hand.Yashhad wandered past earlier, pausing as though surprised to see him slowly erecting the picket fence around Skye’s huge garden but he had moved on quickly after a nod of recognition.Dyllendidn’t even bother to wipe the snarl from his face, the others were used to him enough to know it meant he wanted to be left alone.He swore profusely as his attention slipped for the briefest of moments and his balanced wooden stake shifted to the side. It was far easier to do this with two people but then, he wasn’t here to help as much as he was to work off steam without biting off someone’s head.He had been planning on hunting Urkanedown for a good wrestling
Skyecame bouncing into the room with a cup in hand just as Eiciansat down at the table, unsure what to do with himself while he waited.The other omega beamed at him, and Eiciangave him a tentative smile, unsure how to react to such a look.“Is everything okay?”“Hmm?”Was he making more tea?The thought made him a little anxious, he enjoyed it but the memories the warmthof the tea brought back were less wanted.“T-the alpha? The one outside?”“Oh! Dyllen! Yeah, he’s fine, he’s just sulking. He looks and acts all tough and callous but he’s got a real soft underbelly. I think he misunderstood something and got upset thinking he was being cast aside. That, and he sure acts like a grumpy old man sometimes.”“Oh, I-I see,” Eicianreplied faintly, trying to equate the huge, rough looking alpha with som
Fear gripped him as boots thudded on the wood sounding out the unknown man’s sudden approach.Memories of pain and terror clawed to the surface even as he tried to force them down.Gentle hands gripped his face, shaking him from the almost waking nightmare and kind silvereyes swum into focus in front of him.“Hey, it’s okay. Breathe. Deep breath, come on.”Eiciantook huge gulps of air as Skyegently guided him and slowly,he calmed.Finally settled, he glanced over at the alpha staring at them in curiosity and a hint of alarm. His clean-shaven face was handsome compared to the earlier alpha’s rough, but still handsomelook, but they were about the same height, although this alpha was leaner, muscles more compact. Still, the blond alpha was huge, sporting the kind of muscled athleticism that said he regularly used the sword resting at his hip.Even though he was calm
Dyllenlooked up from sorting out the wooden fence posts to see Linusstanding with the six teenagers from that morning.They looked cleaner now; the dirt washed away and fresh, too large clothing adorning their frames. It only highlighted how poor shape they were all in.He held back a sigh as he looked them over properly, gazelingering for a moment on the only girl among them. She was an alpha while the rest were betas.Female alphas were as common as male omegas- which was to say rare- and he wasn’t sure what to expect from her most of all.“We’ve rearranged the sleeping arrangements in the barracks, you will all be right at the back. You’ll see when you go in there. There aren't enough beds just yet, you’ve only got six allocated, but we are working on putting bunks in. Should be sorted in a few weeks,” Linussaid, staring at him, hard.There was a warning in his gaze and Dy