Chapter 35 Syra

Ten days later…

Ithink this must be my favorite time of day. That brief hour between afternoon and evening, when the warm sunshine comes slanting in through the towers of the Central Ruins, glimmering off what shards of glass still remain in the windows like daggers of gold, making the leaves of the wall-vines glow like green fire. It's the sort of thing you wish could last forever, but it only lasts a little while, and I guess that's part of the charm.

Plus, you know it will return again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.

I am walking down the wide central aisle that cuts through the center of the Ruins. It used to be a road, and there are still quite a few cars parked along the sides, but none of them work anymore. They are just silent, rusted out husks, surrounded by tufts of green weeds that have sprouted up through the cracks in the pavement. Here and there, packs of alphas in animal-skin loincloths are building campfires for the coming night, while others stroll along the sidewalks, spears leaning on their shoulders as they enjoy the warm summer air and the sight of the Ruins during this wonderful golden hour.

Many of the packs have an omega with them, and the alphas cluster protectively around their female mates. I used to think I didn't want that kind of protectiveness in my life, but over the past several days, my feelings have changed.

Now, as I walk down the road, heading toward the center of the Ruins, I too am accompanied by a pack of three protective alphas.

But these alphas are not my mates.

They are my fathers.

My first father, the biggest and oldest of the three, is the leader of the pack. With his stern demeanor and his dark hair streaked with silver, he reminds me a little of Thorus.

Of course, there are differences between them. For example, even though I was something of a problem child, my first father never spanked me. Thorus, on the other hand, has spanked me at least once a day since we have returned to the Central Ruins. The first spanking was a punishment for putting myself in danger by coming to rescue him from that prison.

The rest I asked for.

Literally.

My second father looks different. He's just as tall and broad as my first father, but his skin is a deep shade of brown, and he wears a dense black beard of tightly coiled hair. He is the most skillful hunter of the three, and he probably did the most to encourage my own interest in hunting.

My third father is the youngest. He has fair skin and flaming red hair. His expression is usually as stern as my first father's, but in reality he's just a big pushover. When I was little, he used to let me get away with everything.

As we walk down the street, my fathers and I don't talk much. There isn't much that needs to be said. Over the past several days, all three of them have told me about a thousand times that they are glad I made it back to the Central Ruins safe and sound.

I'm glad too.

My fathers were there during the rescue at the prison. I didn't find out about that until later. If I'd known that at the time, I probably wouldn't have made so much noise while my mates were sharing me in one of the cells. Then again, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep quiet if I tried. My heat had progressed so far at that point, I didn't really care who heard me, and I screamed so loudly, I'm pretty sure everyone within a mile radius heard me—including my fathers.

It makes me blush just thinking about it.

Of course, my fathers and I didn't discuss any of that afterward, but we did discuss other things. They told me, for example, about how Markus came to the Central Ruins looking for help.

It almost didn't work. The first alphas Markus encountered outside the city recognized him as a deserter. They tried to capture him so they could bring him before the High Council to face judgment, but he fought them off and made his way to the center of the Ruins, calling for my fathers.

"I don't think I've ever seen an alpha run that fast," my first father told me, "or holler that loud. By the time he reached us, he looked half dead. I think he must have sprinted the whole way from the prison."

I think that was part of it. I also think our mate-bond was a factor. Being far away from me took a real toll on him. It wasn't until he was inside me and knotted that the color really came back to his face. After three or four more hard matings, he was back to his old self again.

And I was back to my new self. The one who likes having three alphas inside her at the same time. The one who likes being shared and spanked and knotted.

The one who likes to be dominated.

I blush again. I shouldn't be thinking about such things while I'm strolling with my fathers. It's highly inappropriate.

Then, I think about where my fathers are taking me, and my blush deepens.

They know what's going to happen to me in a few hours. They will not stick around to witness it, thank the Source, but they still know. They went through the same thing with my mother, so many years ago.

Occasionally, as we make our way deeper into the city, passing alphas offer their congratulations to my fathers, grinning and clapping them on the shoulders.

"A proud day for every alpha father," they say.

My fathers agree.

I don't know if it's a proud day for me, though. To be honest, I'm nervous as hell, and more than a little embarrassed… but excited too. All those feelings blend together inside me, until I feel dizzy with anticipation.

And then, just as the golden hour is ending, and evening is setting in, we arrive at our destination.

It is a building that I have walked past many times over the years, but I've only been inside it once before, and that was nine years ago. I wasn't supposed to be there that night. I had to climb up the vines on the side of the building and sneak in through the ventilation system on the roof. Markus was with me that night. He was just a boy then, the runt of his litter.

A lot has changed since then.

That was the last time I went inside the old hotel, and I honestly thought I would never go inside it again, especially not like this.

Tonight, I will undergo the ritual with my three alpha mates. Tonight, our bond will be made complete. Tonight they will strip me naked and share me in front of the Tribe, so that everyone knows to whom I belong.

"Well," my first father says. "Here we are."

"Yup," I say, blushing even harder than before.

My fathers know what's going to happen to me in there. They won't be in attendance at the ritual, but they did it once with my mother, and I'm pretty sure they've witnessed other rituals too.

It's a bit weird.

But is it really?

Tonight I will be joined by the three most loving and steadfast alphas an omega could ever ask for. My fathers are happy for me. They approve of my mates. Thorus is one of the most respected alphas in the entire Tribe, and Brik is following in his footsteps. As for Markus, he has been welcomed back into the Tribe, thanks to the role he played in rescuing me and the others.

"Before we go," my father says, "there is something we would like to give you."

He is wearing a necklace with a braided leather cord and a metal pendant. He has worn it for as long as I can remember, but it's never occurred to me that I should ask him about it. It's just part of who he is, like his hair, or his eyes, or his permanent stern expression.

Now he takes the necklace off and places it around my neck. The metal pendant settles between my breasts. I lift it up and look at it. It resembles a small crescent moon, but with little steel balls where the points should be.

"What is this?" I ask.

"It was your mother's," he tells me. "She used to wear it through her navel, as a symbol of fertility. I think it worked, because she gave us the strongest, most amazing daughter and alpha could ever want."

"I can't accept this," I say.

"Of course you can, Syra. I insist. Your mother insists too. She would have wanted you to have it."

With tears filling my eyes, I hug him. Then I hug my other two fathers too.

"Thank you," I tell them. "Thank you for always putting up with my shit."

My third father laughs. "Oh, it wasn't that hard, Syra."

"We love you," my second father says.

"And we are proud of you," my first father adds.

More tears begin flooding my eyes, and I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking down and blubbering like an idiot. Thankfully, before that can happen, I'm interrupted by a voice calling to me from the direction of the hotel.

"Hey there, Syra!"

I wipe away my tears and look to see who it is. An omega is standing in the entrance to the hotel. I've never seen her before, but she's waving cheerfully, like we're old friends or something.

"You are Syra, right?"

I nod, and the omega smiles.

"Thought so. My name's Hines. Come with me. I'm going to get you ready for the ceremony."