The Lycan Prince's Forbidden Omega

Chapter 8

Ash

I woke up in his lap.

It took me a long moment to understand what was happening. My face was pressed against his neck. My legs were on either side of his hips. His hands were on my waist—not gripping, not pushing, just there. Like he'd been holding me for hours and forgotten how to let go.

I remembered climbing into him. I remembered his scent making the pain stop. I remembered—

Oh, Goddess.

I'd been mouthing at his throat.

My face burned so hot I was surprised it didn't catch fire. I tried to pull back, tried to scramble off, but the movement sent a spike of pain through my belly. My wolf whined. My body refused to cooperate.

"I'm sorry." The words came out slurred, half-delirious. "I didn't—I wasn't—"

"Stop." Kael's voice was rough. His hands didn't move from my waist. "You're sick. It's fine."

It wasn't fine. I was in a Lycan prince's lap, sweating through his clothes, making sounds I couldn't control. Every alpha I'd ever known would have thrown me off by now. Would have called me disgusting. Would have—

"You're thinking too loud," Kael said.

I blinked. "What?"

"I can feel you panicking. Stop."

"Sorry."

"And stop apologizing."

"Sorry—" I caught myself. Closed my mouth. My face got even hotter.

Kael made a sound. It took me a moment to realize it was almost a laugh.

The healer came. Luca must have fetched her, because one moment the room was empty and the next an older woman was pressing cool fingers to my forehead.

"The heat has gotten worse," she said. Not to me. To Kael. Like I wasn't even there.

"Why?" Kael asked.

"The suppressants aren't working anymore. They were masking his scent, but the bond is amplifying everything." She pulled her hand back. "You have two options. Mate, or wait it out. It will break by sunrise either way. But the waiting will be painful. For both of you."

My stomach dropped.

"I'll wait," Kael said.

No hesitation. Just... I'll wait.

The healer nodded and left.

I stared at his chest. I couldn't look at his face. "You don't have to. Wait, I mean. I know I'm not—"

"Ash."

I stopped.

"Just sleep."

I didn't argue. I didn't have the strength. The fever was pulling me back under, and his hand was still on my waist, and my wolf had finally stopped crying.

When I woke again, the heat had broken.

I was in the bed this time. Not in his lap. The blankets were tucked around me, and someone had changed my clothes. My face burned at the thought of who might have done that.

The room was full of people.

Luca stood near the door. He wasn't grinning. He was holding a letter.

And there was a woman. Older, elegant, with silver-streaked dark hair and grey eyes that looked exactly like Kael's. She stood near the window. When she looked at me, her expression wasn't cold like the King's. It was something else. Something I didn't know how to read.

"You're awake," she said. Soft. Gentle. "Good."

I looked around for Kael. He was standing near the bed, arms crossed. He looked tired. Had he slept at all?

"Who..." I started.

"My mother," Kael said.

The Queen Mother. I tried to sit up straighter. Tried to look like I hadn't just spent the night sweating through her son's sheets. I pulled the blanket up to my chin without thinking.

She smiled. It was small, but it was real. "You must be Ash."

I nodded. My voice had stopped working.

"I came to see what was happening." She looked at Kael. "The entire palace is talking. Your father is furious. You attacked a diplomatic guest in front of the council. You refused a direct order. And now there are rumors..." Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Kael. "Rumors about why."

Kael said nothing.

"I've never seen you like this," she continued. "In all your years, you've never lost control. Not once. And last night you nearly killed a man in the throne room." She paused. "I wanted to understand."

Kael was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "He's my mate."

The Queen Mother went still.

"I found him at the border," Kael said. "He was dying. I didn't know what he was at first. But my wolf did."

She stared at him. Then at me. Her expression wasn't angry. Wasn't cold. It was something else entirely.

"I prayed for this," she said quietly. "Every day since you were born, I prayed the Goddess would give you someone. You were always so alone. So closed off. I was afraid you'd never..." She stopped. Swallowed. "And now she has."

She looked at me. Really looked. Not with calculation. Not with disgust. Just... a mother looking at her son's mate.

"He's very small," she said.

"He's been through a lot."

"I can see that." Her eyes dropped to my bandaged hands. To the way I was curled in on myself. To the bracelet on my wrist. "What happened to him?"

"His pack," Kael said. His voice was flat. Deadly. "His pack happened to him."

The Queen Mother's expression tightened. She didn't ask for details. Maybe she didn't need to.

Luca stepped forward. "Not to interrupt, but we have a problem."

Kael's jaw tightened. "What kind?"

"The council met at dawn. After what you did to that wolf last night—" Luca's eyes flicked to me, then away. "—the Silverpine Alpha petitioned for Ash's return. Formal petition. Council vote. They sided with him."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"The King signed the order an hour ago," Luca continued. "Ash is supposed to be handed over by nightfall."

I couldn't breathe.

Of course. Of course they're sending me back. I should have known.

Kael's hand found my shoulder. "That's not happening."

"I know," Luca said. "But it gets worse."

He held up the letter.

"The Silverpine pack sent another message. If we don't comply by nightfall, they'll consider it an act of war. They've already mobilized at the border."

A war. I was going to start a war.

You ruin everything. You should have let Damien kill you. You should have died at the border.

"—Ash."

Kael's voice. Too close.

"—Ash, look at me."

I couldn't. I was staring at my hands. They were shaking.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry, I'll go. I'll go back. You don't have to—"

"Ash." His hands were on my face now. Tilting my head up. Forcing me to meet his eyes. "You are not going back. There is no version of this where I hand you over."

"But the war—"

"Is not your fault. They were looking for an excuse to cross the border. You're not the cause. You're the excuse."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that even if you went back, they'd still come. They want territory. They want power. You're just what they're using to justify it."

I didn't know if I believed him. But his hands were warm on my face, and my wolf was quiet, and for one stupid moment I let myself not think about any of it.

The Queen Mother was watching us. Her expression was unreadable.

The door opened.

Rowan stepped inside.

He looked around the room. At Kael. At me. At his mother. At Luca. His smile was slow. Amused. Like he'd walked in on something he'd been expecting.

"Mother," he said, nodding at the Queen. "I didn't know you were visiting."

"Rowan." Her voice was careful.

His eyes landed on me. "Father sent me to fetch the wolf. Again." The smile widened. "But hopefully for the last time. Because it seems you're going home."