I had not been certain before this, but had I been the only alpha fated for Guinevere she would have died here tonight and there would have been nothing that I could do about it.
My nod was grave, but the decision was made with a lighter heart than the one that I had been carrying ever since the night that the omega had fallen from the sky and into my arms.
There had been no care for her then—she was a strange omega from a strange time who argued something fierce with me—but our shared bond pushed the imperative to protect and care for her and even my instincts could not refute the notion that having four alphas would allow me to focus on more than just protecting her.
I was not alone in this any longer, I realized now as I watched Lancelot’s horse escape.
“Protect her, Bedivere. We will rejoin you later,” I told him resolutely and waited until Bedivere had disappeared after Lancelot and Gawain before turning to the battle which was already shifting into our favor. These measly Saxons would not end us tonight if I had my way.
“Do you now see why the gods have decreed your fate, Arthur?” Merlin said from next to my elbow, making me jump at the suddenness of his words.
The wizard’s presence had been scarce ever since we left Cameliard earlier in the day, but now he sat on his silvery mare, observing the carnage before us with a dispassionate interest.
I nodded grimly. “I do, but I will not force her to accept them if she does not want to.”
Guinevere’s reaction to my placing my bonding bite to her neck had made me reconsider my approach with the beautiful, but mysterious omega. She had not desired to have an alpha at first and I had made the mistake of assuming that she had changed her feelings when she accepted me into her nest.
I had been incorrect, and if I made it out of this dreaded village, I would work to learn exactly how to satisfy my omega queen’s desires—even if that meant sharing her with the men who I trusted the most.
But there was no more time to think about Guinevere. There was a fight ahead and if we all perished there would be no way for me to make it up to her and I desperately wanted to ease her anger with me.
HoldingExcaliburaloft, the sword hummed with pleasure as I addressed my men. “No Saxons shall prosper these lands, kill them all!”
My men roared in response, their efforts renewed as I droppedExcalibur, slashing into the nearest Saxon who dared approach my horse.
It would be a long night, but at the very least I knew that Guinevere was safe and she was protected.
And now it seemed I had a pack that would make certain of it.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of the clang of swords chased us as I steered Sarion away from the battle.
But it went against every single instinct in my body to leave my comrades behind.
Normally, I was right next to my king, fighting alongside him and protecting his flank, but now I was riding away from him with an omega and a small child clutched in my arms.
Protect, something deep and ancient whispered inside of my mind and I quickly pushed it away.
I had long pushed that voice—that alpha instinct—down. When I was a younger man it had urged me to fight back against the man I called father when he would strike me or spread his cruelty to Vivienne.
However, that would have only led to more turmoil in my already bleak family life, so I had shoved it down, almostcauterizing the sensation until I felt nothing of my designation except for the bloodlust that made me the consummate warrior I was on this day.
And yet, here I was riding away from a battle—away from my king—with an omega that smelled of sweet honeysuckle tinged with fear.
“Stop!” she squeaked, her voice quaking with the rough gallop that I was pushing Sarion into.
I ignored her, my eyes locked onto the distant tree line that would provide a safe cover for us in the event that there were more Saxons awaiting us in the farmlands surrounding the village.
The sounds of the hoofbeats of Gawain and Bedivere’s horses followed closely behind us, making me feel more secure as we approached the edge of the forest. I was not certain if I could protect Guinevere on my own, but I knew if the two of them were with us she would be safe.
“Stop!” she said again and this time I pulled on Sarion’s reins, slowing the panting stallion until his steps stuttered into a slow trot.
“We cannot stop, your majesty,” I told her, keeping my voice even as she straightened in my arms and turned to shoot me a stiff glare. She was putting on a brave expression, but even I could feel the rough trembling of her body and see the wobble of her chin as she spoke again.
“We have to go back—we can’t just leave Arthur alone like that!”
“He is not alone, your majesty,” Bedivere said as he brought his horse alongside mine. “He has the rest of our men there to protect him.”
