18. RIVER

18

RIVER

A very flushed Nepheline exits the bathroom in her favorite fluffy towel, eyes wide as she bounds into the living room. I've been pacing for the last half hour, hearing my Omega scream out her pleasure while my Alpha fucks the ever-living daylights out of Remi. I'm not sure my cock has ever been harder. Unable to help myself, I reach down and adjust my cock in my pants before moving toward Nepheline.

"Where is Dari?" Nepheline's attachment to her Beta is stronger than her bond with us. She acts as if she is the Alpha and her Omega is no longer in her sights, which is a strange notion considering the circumstances.

"Nepheline, he's just in the clinic with Asani. He needed some fluids and the setup wouldn't work out here. I need you to listen to me, sweetie." My Omega blinks and then stares up at me, clutching the towel around her. Her ability to take care of all of us without even meaning to is a gift I'll never take for granted. "Hey, love, how are you feeling?" I cup her cheeks in my hands, loving how much fuller they are than when I first met her. She leans toward me and her lids flutter close for a moment, her entire body relaxing just as Maverick reenters the room. He throws me a silent nod before sitting on the couch. "Sweetie, I need you for a moment."

"What's wrong?"

"Mateo isn't dealing with the news of his father well. He-"

Nepheline tears out of my hold and rushes to our shared room where her main nest is. The bed has been pushed to the wall as we rarely use it but it's getting more use tonight than it has in the last week. Pleasured cries flood the room as we step inside, Mateo ramming into Remi like the world is ending. If I didn't know that the little Alpha enjoyed the pain, I would rip Mateo off in a heartbeat.

Our Alpha is trying to fuck himself out of his sorrow but it'll never work. He needs his Omega in a way that we can't fulfill him. If Nepheline hadn't survived that night, Remi and I would have never been enough for Mateo and his wolf. A wolf that is slowly growing more feral as we speak. He's been trying to hide it for years but in the last few weeks, I've seen a wolf that can't be controlled. I have no idea why Mateo is being singled out but if his wolf truly does turn feral, it will be disastrous.

Nepheline pauses a few feet from the bed, eyes wide as Mateo snarls and growls. The Alpha flips Remi onto his back and then plows back into him, fucking him so hard that I can't see how it's pleasurable. Still, Remi is moaning and whining as he pushes back for more.

"Give it to me, Alpha. Give me your pain. Fuck, right there." Remi, the selfless Alpha, the one who has always been here for us is sacrificing himself. Mateo roars through his release, knotting Remi immediately after. Remi cries out as he comes on our Alpha's chest and stomach, the two locked together. Their heavy breathing fills the room as Nepheline stands just beside them, wondering what to do.

Maverick followed us up here but the worried look I expect to find on his face isn't there. In fact, he's watching with a smile on his face, the smile widening when Mateo finally catches our Omega's scent in the room. Moments pass until his knot deflates before he pulls from Remi and grabs his shirt from the floor. He wipes off his cock before reaching toward Nepheline. She's standing in her nest, frozen in place by either fear or waiting for her Alpha to direct her. The excitement flitting through her expression tells me it's the second one.

His wolf is driving his actions as Mateo wraps a firm hand around Nepheline's throat and pulls her into a punishing kiss that has me adjusting myself in my pants again. Nepheline mewls into the embrace, Mateo's purr following as he leads her to the ground. Her towel falls away, the new crest just visible before he drapes himself over her. His growls have lessened but the rumble that hangs in this room is something more than just his Alpha. It feels like the magic is thick and present in here as Mateo slides into our Omega.

She clings to his arms as he starts thrusting into her with nearly the same force as Remi. Nepheline is enjoying every last bit of it though as she moans every time he spears her with his cock. Her head is thrown back, Mateo sucking on the bite in her neck, their scents surging through the air. I move to the bed, pulling Remi up into my arms as we watch our Alpha and our Omega.

It's like prey and predator, the size of our Alpha dominating our Omega.

"Remi, you alright?"

He groans something intelligible but the sloppy smile on his lips tells me he enjoyed every last moment of it. I'll have to find the salve so that he doesn't wake up too sore. "She's so pretty," he mumbles.

I'm about to agree when Mateo throws his head back and roars, shaking the very foundations of this house. He partially shifts, his claws elongating into the sheets on either side of Nepheline's head, a sprout of hair running down his spine. I brace myself, ready to pull our Omega away if needed but I can't move. Something keeps me here as Mateo roars again, Nepheline whimpering and snarling at him as if she's just as lost to her wolf as he is.

His roars heighten in volume until that dark trail of hair turns a deep crimson color, the same one present in Nepheline's wolf. We both sit forward, in awe of the magic unraveling right before us. When Mateo roars again, Nepheline's wolf lets loose, her eyes changing and her claws digging into Mateo's arms. It feels like a call I can't resist, throwing my head back in a howl of my own as the shift overtakes me.

What the fuck?

I've never been subjected to an Alpha's call that is so powerful I can't help but shift and yet, that's the only explanation for this change. Mateo flips onto his back so that Nepheline is now riding him, both of them lost to their wolves as he knots her. Energy shoots through the space, slamming into my chest as I involuntarily bow my head to our pack leaders.

The others' presence gathers at the door, even Darius' but I can't look away from Mateo and Nepheline. Slowly, but surely, his tattoos begin to change. The intricate designs make way for a crest much like Nepheline's but larger, covering his entire chest and torso.

Darius pushes forward, his silver fur glistening in the dim light. I hold my breath, waiting for him to be ripped apart as he enters the nest and encroaches on Mateo's territory but nothing happens. The wolf sits beside Nepheline and runs his snout against Nepheline's cheek, essentially announcing where his loyalty lies.

Darius is hers . Whether that bond will extend to Mateo, we'll have to see but I've never seen a wolf be able to deny their Alpha's call.

Unless… Darius doesn't have an Alpha he submits to.

Just our Omega.

We stay in our wolf forms until Mateo's knot loosens, Nepheline crumpling to the side with Darius shifting before immediately gathering her into his arms. He doesn't seem aware of what he is doing as he curls her into his chest, delicately inspecting every inch of her to make sure that she is okay. In a very different way, the Beta is her protector.

Our wolves retreat, Mateo sitting up a little confused that his Omega is no longer in his arms. He doesn't rage though. The moment is interrupted as Maverick steps inside, his eyes almost clear. His focus is far away, the Alpha staring at nothing as he drops to one knee and then bows his head toward Mateo.

"You are the Alpha. The one who will return the ways of old to the pack lands. The one who will honor Mother Nature and the sacrifices she made. You will rid this place of evil and the stench of death." When his head rises, his vision is pointed toward Darius who is still cradling Nepheline against his chest. "You will be her protector. Her lover. Her companion." Maverick stands and meets each of our gazes in turn. "You will live for your Omega and submit to your Alpha. The magic is here. Embrace it."

Maverick weathers an awkward smile as his eyes return to their normal color, the Alpha moving to the entrance to escape our pointed stares. Darius' expression is one of awe as Nepheline shifts to face his chest, a cute little snore interrupting our thoughts. "You have an Oraculum? The seer! Do you know nothing?" He gestures to the wings spread across Mateo's chest. "The crow. It is an Oraculum's symbol, the eyes of the pack. The… magic hasn't returned. It has always been here. You just needed all the pieces."

My head is going to burst from all this information.

Oraculums don't exist.

Just like how Omega wolves are an impossibility.

Just like how someone stole Darius and Nepheline's memories of each other for some nefarious purpose.

"This is too many coincidences," I blurt out.

Darius nods. "Which means that they aren't. Mother Nature has been trying to talk for a very long time but some have been silencing her."

I narrow my gaze at the newest pack member who has gone from unconscious to faring pretty well on two legs and speaking as if he belongs. He truly does with the way Nepheline is holding onto him but there's no fucking way he healed that fast. It doesn't make any sense. My head is also about to explode and I can't deal with any more information.

I'll let the others handle Darius' sudden awakening.