“Do you remember Earth?” I ask.
“A little. I remember some commercials.”
“Oh, fun. I remember a few things, but they’re fuzzy.”
“Emma and I wonder if that’s a weird side-effect of the Omega serum they gave us. Amnesia. Maybe the magicians will figure out how to get rid of it, or circumvent it in future.” She doesn’t seem too concerned either way.
I rub my chest. I need to talk to Hunter. But what will I say?
There’s a growl outside the room. It’s our only warning before the door bursts open. Kim leaps to her feet, shifting to a fighting stance. But the delicious scent rolls over me, and my limbs relax for the first time since I entered the room.
Hunter is on me before I can speak his name.
I wave to Kim, who’s chuckling. “Good catch,” she calls and sinks back on the couch, muttering, “I thoughtmyguy was big and bad.”
I blink at Hunter. He’s intimidating as a storm cloud, features twisted into an intent scowl. He’s in his usual ready-to-hunt outfit—leather breeches, with a knife tucked into its worn sheath on his belt. His torso is covered in swirling tattoos and scars. His eyes are dark with an emotion I can’t pinpoint.
“Where are we going?” I ask, wrapping my fingers around the leather straps criss-crossing his pecs. We’re headed down the cavernous hall again, towards a huge set of doors.
Hunter gives me a grunt and nothing else.
“Back to being Mr. Grunty,” I say lightly, but inside I’m cold. I guess it’s time for the Kings’ Council. I should have asked Kim what’s going on.
I press my face into the junction of his neck and shoulder, seeking his scent, his warmth. “You’re making me nervous, Hunter.”
He stops and waits until I lift my head. He runs a finger along my jaw. “Mine.”
Just one word he's repeated so often, but this time I hear its echo in my heart.
The four-story tall doors in front of us glide open. Inside, the ostentatious gold decor is less shiny and more muted. Light spills onto a circular table in the middle of the room. The table has massive King Arthur vibes. A single Alpha sits on the far side, facing the door. Arranged around the rest of the table are empty seats with floating orbs hovering in them. Some glow white, some red. One glows black. Hunter sits down in the only empty space. Beside us is a floating orb that gives off no light at all.
The Alpha at the table is staring at me. Even the orbs seem to be fixated on me, which is ridiculous. It’s like I can sense the eyes behind the orbs. They're like the orb the Stone King used to appear in the palace in Arboron.
I shudder, and Hunter tightens his arms around me. I bow my head and let the hood fall over my face. I’m in Hunter’s lap, covered in his scent. No one’s going to hurt me. He wouldn’t let them.
The other Alpha rises, his chair scraping over the floor. He’s a big guy with gold armor that matches that of the soldiers we saw outside. “Greetings, Hunter King. I trust you and your Omega are well?”
Hunter just stares at him.
The gold Alpha chuckles, and for a second, his expression looks like Kim’s. This must be Aurus, her mate. The G-A.
I allow myself a small smile, hidden by my hood. Clutching Hunter tighter, I probe our bond tentatively, only to be brought up short by the hollow echo in it.
I wish I knew what he was thinking. How he feels about me. Was Kim right? Could Hunter see me as more than just an Omega to rut, the way Aurus now sees her?
It scares me how much I want that.
* * *
The Hunter King
“Seems we have had much to discuss,” Aurus says, settling himself back in his chair. “Since we last met, the Stone King has met his demise. An altercation involving this very Omega.”
Haley is motionless in my arms but the tension is radiating off her. I clutch her tighter to my chest. She’s coated in my scent but I’m still glad Aurus is the only other Alpha here. He has a mate so he’s not a huge threat to me.
“Thank Ulf.” A grunt comes from a white orb. The misty light clears to reveal Khan, the Wanderer King. He leans forward and his long, dark blue hair spills over his shoulders. “No one will miss that creepy fuck.”
There are a few murmurs of assent from the kings in the other orbs.
