Chapter 16 Syra

Iam not as strong as an alpha, I have no illusions about that, but I can move almost as swiftly, at least in short bursts, and I also have a really good memory. Earlier, while Brik was carrying me down the long, dark corridor leading to the underground waterfall, I memorized every twist and turn, and now I retrace them, running at full speed. I can hear the alpha chasing behind me, cursing and calling out for me to stop.

"Damn it, Syra, wait for me! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Yeah right. I know what a manipulative bastard he is. I'm not going to fall for his tricks again. I keep running down the pitch-black corridor as fast as my legs can carry me.

I'm burning through my energy sprinting like this, and I can hear Brik gaining on me little by little, but I know he'll never catch me before I make it back to the main room of the cavern.

"Syra, please!"

Fuck him. He doesn't care about me. He got what he wanted from me, and now he's just worried about getting in trouble with his stupid pack master.

Suddenly, I see a light up ahead. A soft, orange glow reveals the stony walls of the corridor. That light is a shock to my system after being in total darkness for so long. Then a whiff of woodsmoke hits my nostrils, and for a moment I'm back in that burning barn again. I stumble and almost go down, but I manage to recover and keep running.

"Syra!"

Brik is right behind me now, but the light is growing brighter up ahead. I round a curve in the tunnel, and my eyes are struck by the raw, yellow glow of a small campfire. Above, a haze of smoke has gathered around the ceiling like a small stormcloud. Two alphas are crouching beside the fire: Markus and Thorus. They both turn and look at me as I come rushing into the room.

Earlier, when Brik carried me into this part of the cave, I could tell it was big, but now, with a fire burning, I can actually see what it looks like. It is a wide, roughly circular area, with a domed ceiling hung with stalactites, and numerous openings around the walls which must lead to other parts of the cavern. Off to one side sits a stack of folded bear skins and woven blankets, as well as a few crates containing supplies.

I'm also glad to see my spear leaning against the wall of the cave, its steel tip gleaming in the firelight. Markus grabbed that from the graveyard and brought it back with him. I briefly consider grabbing it, but I decide not to.

I'm angry at Brik, but not that angry.

"Syra?" Markus says, rising from his place beside the fire.

There's no longer any blood stains on his body from our fight earlier that morning, and I realize he must have cleaned himself while I was gone, probably with the waterskin and rag that are lying next to the fire. He did not have a chance to put any clothes on, however, and the flames give me an incredible view of his nude frame. His manhood is hanging flaccid between his legs, but as soon as my scent reaches him, it starts to lift, and in the space of two heartbeats he is fully erect and throbbing with arousal.

A moment later, Brik arrives. He is every bit as naked as Markus, and every bit as hard.

As soon as Markus sees Brik, he bares his teeth in a snarl and clenches his hands into fists. Brik immediately responds by shifting into a fighting stance. Markus begins to lunge toward him, but Thorus bolts to his feet and inserts his larger body between the two younger alphas, putting a halt to the fight before it has a chance to begin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Thorus growls at Markus.

"You told him not to mate with Syra."

"And as far as I can tell, he hasn't. Take a good look at his cock, boy. Do you see a knot there? Because I don't. And more importantly, he doesn't have his knot inside the omega, the way you did this morning when we rescued you."

He puts a little extra emphasis on the word "rescued."

"But he's naked," Markus says, glaring at Brik. "And he was chasing Syra."

"I wasn't chasing her!" Brik objects. "I was trying to h—"

"Silence!" Thorus roars. "Brik, I am not pleased by your inability to control the omega, but that is a matter you and I can discuss later…"

Thorus turns his attention toward me, and my blood runs hot and cold in my veins. I thought he looked scary in the graveyard, but now, lit by the flames of the campfire, he looks downright terrifying. His body is packed with slabs of hard muscle, and his numerous piercings gleam and flicker in the glow of the dancing flames. So do his eyes. His intense gaze reminds of how naked I am, and how vulnerable. I attempt, ineffectually, to cover my nudity with my hands.

"Syra," he says. "Be totally honest with me. Did Brik try to hurt you?"

I'm tempted to say yes, just to get Brik in trouble with his pack master, but I don't want to stoop that low. Brik didn't try to hurt me. On the contrary, he gave me pleasure, and I begged him for it. I played right into his hands.

But I don't tell Thorus any of that. The answer I give him is much more concise.

"No."

Thorus nods, then he runs his eyes up and down my naked body, which is still wet from my bath.

"Sit down by the fire," he says. "Make yourself comfortable. The flames will dry you."

I do as Thorus tells me, and I take a seat on the stone floor in front of the campfire, hugging my knees to my chest. I struggle, however, with the second part of his command. It's hard to make myself comfortable when I'm naked and I have three alphas staring at me. It's even harder when two of those alphas are also naked, and visibly aroused. I direct my eyes toward the flames and try my best not to let my anxiety show.

"So?" Thorus says.

I'm not sure who he is talking to, or what he means, but it all becomes clear a moment later, when Brik starts to speak. He recounts the story I told him during my bath. He tells Thorus about the barn, about Delphine and her alphas, about Markus, the mausoleum, and everything that happened there.

Across the fire, Thorus grunts and nods. "Yeah, that's pretty much the same story Markus told me."

I scowl into the fire.

Now I understand why Thorus had Brik take me away for my bath. It's not because he wanted me to get clean. It's because he wanted to separate me and Markus so he and Brik could interrogate us individually and then compare notes to see if our stories lined up. It doesn't really matter, I suppose. Neither Markus nor I had any reason to lie about what happened. Nevertheless, I feel annoyed with myself for not realizing it earlier.

Maybe if my stupid heat hadn't been clouding my judgment…

"You have both acted foolishly," Thorus says with a tone of fatherly disappointment. "Syra, you were foolish for thinking she could deal with your estrus all alone. Markus, you were foolish for taking her to that cemetery."

"I thought we would be safe there," Markus protests.

"But you weren't safe, were you? We alphas of the Central Ruins avoid the resting places of the ancestors out of fear and respect, but the Farlanders do not care about such things."

"I know," Markus says, "but didn't expect the Farlanders to venture so close to the center of the Zone."

"Don't backtalk the pack master!" Brik snaps.

"Quiet," Thorus says. "Both of you. Markus is right, it is unusual for the Farlanders to be wandering this close to the center of the Zone. But I am more disturbed by this other pack. The ones who were with this omega named Delphine."

The mention of that name makes me shiver with disgust.

"Have you heard of her?" I ask.

Thorus shakes his head. "No, but based on the description you and Markus have given us, it sounds like she and her alphas are part of the Central Ruins Tribe. If the omega's name is really Delphine, we should be able to find out about her after we return to the Ruins."

I wonder when that will be.

The mention of the Ruins makes me think of my fathers. I've only been away from home for one day, so they won't be worried about me yet. But if I don't return in another day or two, they will start to worry.

A growl from Brik startles me out of those thoughts.

"I think Markus is lying," he says. "I think he's not telling us the full story."

"What do you mean?" Markus snarls back at him.

"What do I mean? Just look at you. You say you're an alpha of the Central Ruins, but where are your piercings, huh? Where is your pack? What are you doing wandering through the wildlands all alone, and how did you happen to show up so conveniently when Syra was in trouble?"

Brik looks at Thorus.

"Master, I believe this alpha is a traitor to the tribe. I believe he conspired with the omega named Delphine. I believe he planned the whole damn thing."

I shake my head.

Brik is wrong. I've known Markus since we were children. He may be a stalker, and he might be a little crazy too, but he's certainly no traitor.

I start to say as much, but before I have a chance to, Markus roars and dives across the fire at Brik.