I didn’t know what to do. All I had to do was say yes and he would hand the sword over. I could finally give it back to Meeko. Part of me wondered if this was another game, and he would back out of the deal. For all I knew, he could simply steal the magic and yank the sword away.
But for some reason, I didn’t think he would. All my cousins had entered into agreements with him willingly, and Animus always upheld his end of the deal.
Animus had fought Zak and Kamari, but he stopped attacking the second he found out Kamari was pregnant. Animus blessed Celeste with shadow wings whereas Mistral lied to Quinn about his ability to do the same. Animus saved the lives of Ashe and Bear when they were attacked by the earth spirit Terranus. Animus alerted our family when my twin River was kidnapped, then wiped the memories of the poachers who had kidnapped him so they would never do it again.
And now Animus was offering back my fated mate’s most prized possession... for what? In exchange for magic that was otherwise useless to me? The choice seemed easier the more I thought about it.
I looked at the natural way Animus gripped the hilt of the blade. It smoked in his hand like an extension of his soul.
I suddenly realized my theory was correct. If the sword could only be wielded properly by omegas, and it was a fully fledged weapon right now...
Then Animuswasan omega after all.
I didn’t dare bring it up again, not after his reaction last time. I had a mate and unborn baby to protect. I wasn’t interested in losing a battle with a spirit just to rub it in his face that I knew the truth.
Animus didn’t press me. He just stared, waiting for my answer.
My mouth opened to respond—
And then Meeko’s scream cut through the sky.
I didn’t think. The second my mate’s cry hit my ears, I exploded into flight and was gone.
17
Meeko
The pain wassharp and sudden. At first I felt a stomach cramp, like I'd eaten a bad berry, but then it quickly devolved into something different. This was a kind of pain I'd never experienced before.
That could only mean one thing—the baby was coming.
And Cloud was nowhere to be seen.
I gritted my teeth, trying to contain a cry as a new wave of agony ripped through me. My fingers clutched the grass hard enough to pry blades of it out of the ground.
Where in the hell was my mate?
"Everything's going to be fine, Meeko," Castor said calmly beside me.
I'd almost forgotten he was there. One second we were having a normal conversation, then my labour hit me like a brick to the face. I was glad not to be alone, but Castor wasn't my mate. He wasn't enough to fill the desperate need in my soul.
"Cloud," I said through a groan. "Where is he?"
Frowning, Castor scanned the sky. "He won't be long. I'm sure he's on his way."
Being on his way wasn't good enough. I needed him now.
Pain stabbed my gut. I could no longer stifle a scream. It tore out of me, ringing through the air. Sweat poured down my temple and I breathed hard.
I hadn't exactly been looking forward to the actual birth process, but this sucked. And the worst part was that my mate wasn't here. I needed him.
Cloud, where are you?
I tried to calm myself down. I squeezed my eyes shut as a rivulet of cold sweat trickled down my face. Throbbing pulses came and went like waves on the shore. According to Castor and the other omegas in Cloud's family, this was all normal. They'd walked me through the birth process about a thousand times but now that it was actually happening, it felt like all my knowledge went out the window. I was scared, nervous and in pain. I desperately wished Cloud was here to hold my hand.
"Meeko!"
I felt awooshof air as Cloud landed in the nest. My eyes snapped open and my body flooded with relief. When his gaze met mine, I saw the concern etched into his expression.
