Use. Me.
That voice.
It’s mine, but not.
It whispers from a place deeper inside. A pulse of something magnificent curled in my belly like a sleeping beast that is finally awake. It slinks along my nerves.
This time I don’t ignore it or try to push it back.
Ihaveto intervene.
Imust.
They need someone to save them.Right?This is aboutsurvival.
Maybejust ataste.
A little test to see if it works.
Just pick one target. One person to ease into it so I know it won’t tear me into a thousand irretrievable pieces.
My eyes flick to Zero, and then to his soldiers. I need them out of the way if I’m going to save everyone. I can’t haveanyonequestioning my authority.
It unfurls and winds itself around my voice.
It’s silky. Sinister.Delicious.
“Leave Rheamont. Take your troops. Go to the evacuation point and help get people to safety,”I tell Zero.
It works, and the pain is devastating.
Deep in my insides, something tears. A pulse of sharp pain stabs again and again, like blood vessels bursting. White lights dance in my eyes as a headache screeches to a level I didn’t know was possible.
It hurts like it’s never hurt before.
And yet, my usual chorus of endless self-doubt is blissfully silent.
Frack, I’d forgotten how it sings in my veins and feels like the air bends around me.
I’ve missed this feeling.
For a split second, Zero’s eyes widen in confusion as he recognizes I’m directing my compulsion at him. His jaw ticks as he strains as he tries to fight it. Of course he does. I’d be disappointed in him if he didn’t.
But my Omega Command is not like an Alpha Command. It’s something entirely different.
An Alpha Command is a sharp snap. It’s loud, aggressive, easy to spot coming, and capable of fighting off if the target has enough grit or fury in their gut.
My Command doesn’t shout. It slips beneath skin, curls around the spine, and whispers straight into the primal part of the brain whichwantsto trust an Omega.
A breath. A pause. Then… a sharp nod.
I win.
A smile stretches over my features as he turns and pushes through the chaos, striding toward the evacuation point. He shouts orders at his men, and despite their confusion, they follow their Prime Alpha’s retreat without question.
Rut damn, itworked.
My vision swims. Just a flicker, as if my brain shorted out for a second. I taste copper at the back of my throat and swipe at my nose.
