I had never planned on taking an omega. They were few and far between in Logres, and while my father could have found me a lovely maiden to warm my bed and give me babes, I had no desire to leave my post at the round table.
They were my family now more than my own had ever been.
But the wizard’s next words stood to threaten my peace.
“The men who will be a part of the first ever pack in Logres are already here.”
Arthur wheeled around to look at us, his flushed face and wide eyes making me want to shrink as his power rolled off of him in waves.
In all of my years serving my king, I had rarely felt the flush of his alpha power as Arthur made a point to rule his people with the side of his brain that was of men rather than instinct.
However, as I felt it ripple over my skin like sandpaper, I barely managed to resist the urge to sink to my knees in front of him and bare my throat.
My eyes dropped to the ground and for a brief moment I was worried that Arthur would attack us because of the words of the wizard.
“Knock it off!” The omega’s pert voice cut through the sheer density of Arthur’s power followed by the sound of a smack that echoed off of the trees around us.
It was enough to release us and I felt my shoulders slump with relief as I finally managed to pull in a chestful of air.
“Did you just strike me, omega?” Arthur rounded on the woman with a growl.
“I did! I don’t know how you people do it here, but in my time alphas don’t bully those around them. King or not!” the omega replied fearlessly as she stood nose-to-nose with Arthur.
Suddenly, a soft rain started to fall overhead.
Confused, I stared up at the otherwise clear and star-filled sky.
There had not been a cloud in days—a part of the unseasonably dry spring we had been experiencing—and yet now the wet droplets clung to my hair as I continued to watch the omega argue with the king.
“I cannot tell if she is brave or stupid,” Gawain whispered wondrously behind me.
“Hush, pup,” Bedivere responded mildly as he stepped around me and approached the pair. “Your highness, it is not good to frighten your betrothed.”
“Betrothed?” Arthur asked him incredulously.
At the same time Gwen glanced over at the older alpha as if he were insane. “Frightened? Who is frightened here?”
Bedivere seemed taken aback by her words. “My lady, I was only trying to help.”
The softness of his voice made the omega’s straight spine relax ever so slightly. “Canyousend me back to my time?”
Bedivere shook his head, clearly not understanding her words. “I am afraid I cannot.”
The omega’s resolute expression faltered, showing something more vulnerable under the sharp facade she was wearing as her full lips wobbled and she turned to Merlin. “What do you want me to do?”
The wizard sighed and raked a hand through his hair, making the dark sandy-colored curls stand on end. “For now, you two will have to get married—”
Both the omega and Arthur opened their mouths to argue but Merlin held up a hand to stop them. “This is the gods’ will. Donot test them any further than we already have. We can take it slowly, but for now, Gwen, your father approaches.”
“By which magic did you create her existence, Merlin?” Bedivere asked with a frown as I quickly glanced over my shoulder to the distant approach of torches.
“It was not my magic but the gods. Guinevere’s existence has always been in this time…sort of,” Merlin explained with a careless shrug that grated on my nerves.
“Sort of?” I asked, my mouth feeling strange as I said the odd words out loud. “What does that mean?”
Merlin let out an irritated huff as he finally looked at me and threw his hands up in the air. “Must I explain the intricacies of magic to someone who clearly abhors it? Guinevere was always an existence in this world. She was always going to come here and she was always going to be the daughter of Leodegrance and his queen. It is her fate and yours.”
As if Merlin’s words had conjured the king himself, Leodegrance’s voice found us as he approached with his usual set of courtiers. “Guinevere, my daughter? Is that you?”
