Bound by Destiny: The Omega's truimph

Chapter 3 The Rising Threat

Liam’s POV

As I stood at the brink of the territory gazing out over the woodland separating Bloodfang territory from those of the Shadow Fang Pack, the strain in the air was evident. Days had gone by since I last experienced any kind of serenity; every hour seemed to be tightening the noose around my neck.

Alaric Thorn started his travels, little at first—just scouts, pushing the envelope, looking for flaws. But now they were becoming more audacious, their visits more regular, approaching our borders. The pack was tense, and I sensed their uncertainty about my capacity to guide them through this.

Still, that was only one aspect. The rumors about Aria had only gotten louder and more nasty. And I could sense the gulf opening every day. It was about the future of the pack, the anxiety I would bring us into disaster by deviating from custom, not only about me being married to an Omega. And I knew Selene was engaging in her game, feeding those worries under cover of darkness.

At the idea of her, I tightened my hands. Selene had always been someone I could rely on, but she now obviously had her own agenda. She had always yearned to be Luna, to be by my side as a mate. But everything changed when the vision showed Aria.

ARIA. Just considering her set something strong inside me, a conflict I couldn't get rid of. Though I had attempted to detach myself from her, it made no difference. Unquestionably, the link was there, and I could not drive her away no matter how hard I battled it. Every time I saw her, something calm and strong beckoned to me.

But given the pack was almost at war, how could I concentrate on that?

Footsteps behind me, I turned to find one of my scouts walking toward me. His face was pallid, his eyes wide with anxiety. His voice shaking, he said, "Alpha." "There has been yet another invasion. They are not only scouting this time. Forces under Alaric reached the boundary. They are pressing toward our territory.

I was tense. "What is the count?"

"A dozen, maybe more." Their concentration is in the eastern frontier.

My blood was frigid. One of our weaker spots, the eastern outpost was only barely defended. Alaric would have a footing in our area if he seized possession of it; it was near the line. This no longer was only a test. This signaled the start of something more significant.

"Get the warriors ready," I said, voice steely. "We will face them squarely."

The scout nodded and quickly vanished into the forest, leaving me alone with the weight of the choice bearing down on me. I was pressed for time, so I cannot consider Aria or the worries regarding the pack. I needed to act.

Deep down, though, I understood this was simply a starting point.

Except for the sound of the fire on the hearth, the healer's home was still. With my hands resting on the table, I watched the lowering sky from the window. Something felt off. I could sense it, a tension in the air causing my skin to prick.

The pack was restless; their discomfort mounted daily. I had heard the murmurs and the stories of Alaric Thorn's army invading Bloodfang land. Though no one spoke it clearly, I knew they were blaming the link I had with Liam. I was to them a vulnerability, a challenge to the pack's equilibrium.

How much more of this I could consume was unknown.

I stood fast, my pulse beating, startled from my thoughts by a tap at the door. Nobody came by to see me here. Usually avoided by them even then, not unless they had business with the healer.

Selene was waiting there, her emerald-green gaze icy and calculated, as I opened the door. I contracted right away. Her presence seemed to set me on alert, a chill running through me every time she got close.

"Selene," I responded, sounding wary. "What are you working on here?

She grinned, but it escaped her view. "I wanted to talk," she remarked, entering without waiting for an invitation. "We haven't really had time to get to know one another."

I locked the door, my discomfort mounting. "I thought we had not much to talk about."

Selene leaned on the table, her smile broadening as she looked about the home. You know, recently I have been thinking a lot about you. About your position in all of this. She stopped, eyes darting to mine. "You have to understand the circumstances you find yourself in.

Unclear where she was going with this, I wrinkled. "What are you meant to mean?"

You are an Omega, she added plainly. And yet Liam has selected you as his partner. Do you honestly believe the pack will tolerate that? Do you suppose Liam will be open to that?

I swallowed hard, the knot in my gut deepening. The Moon Goddess decided on the relationship. We have little influence over this.

Selene moved forward, her voice falling to a menacing whisper as her eyes closed. If you believe the link will shield you, you are foolish. This bundle is based on heritage and strength. Liam's father, the council, will not allow you to obstruct their path.

I looked at her, not backtracking. Liam won't give up on me.

"Won't he?" Selene slanted her head and a nasty smirk pulled at her lips. Is he not already separating himself from you? How long until he acknowledges that you are a liability—a weakness he cannot afford?

Her comments really cut close to the very worries I had been attempting to ignore. Though I had convinced myself it was due to pressure, I had seen Liam withdrawing. If Selene was correct, though, what then? What if, at last, he chose the pack rather than me?

As Selene saw the uncertainty flutter in my eyes, her smile became wider. "You ought to be careful, Aria," she remarked gently. Weakness in a group like ours is perilous. Furthermore, right now you are the weakest link.

She turned and departed, the weight of her words like a vice pushing down on me as she left the cottage.

At the eastern outpost, a little, defendable station tucked away in the woodland, we encountered Alaric's soldiers. As we watched the Shadow Fang warriors approach, their eyes glistening with hate, the air dense with suspense. Alaric vanished from view, but I knew this was the starting point. He was probing us for weaknesses in our defenses.

One of my fighters shouted, "Alpha, they're making their move," his voice tense with expectancy.

I nodded, watching the attacker get near with narrowed eyes. "Hold your ground," I told him. "Don't allow them to pass over."

Our fighters battled valiantly to keep the line, the clang of metal on metal echoing throughout the woods. I battled alongside them, my mind tuned on the fight, my instincts keen. Still, I realized this was simply a diversion even as we held them off. Alaric left the outpost not here. He came here to test his pushing capacity before we broke, therefore undermining us.

I turned to see one of our fighters fall—a Shadow Fang wolf standing over him with a cruel grin—after a piercing cry from the left. My rage shot through me, and I leaped forward to swiftly and brutally dispatch the wolf.

Still turning, though, I noticed something. A person just beyond the treeline seeing the fight play out. From the shadows Selene watched, her demeanor was icy and distant.

She was here?

As understanding hit me, my heart hammered. Selene was not only representing the council. She accompanied Alaric in his efforts.

The idea set me ablaze with rage, and I ran for her, but she disappeared back into the woods before I could get to her.

I would address her later. Right now I have to concentrate on the fight.

Driven back across the border with a last effort, the Shadow Fang warriors left a mark on our army but their withdrawal was quick. My chest heaving as the dust cleared, I stood in the aftermath looking at the damage.

This was only the starting point. Alaric was arriving, and right now I had an opponent right inside my own pack.

As I stood outside the healer's hut, the wind whirled through the trees, Selene's words still audible. I had attempted to distance them and persuade myself Liam wouldn't desert me. But uncertainty had grown strong and I couldn't get rid of the impression she could be correct.

My heart skipped a beat when a howl suddenly tore over the woodland. There was something occurring. anything great.

I had to track down Liam.

I inhaled deeply, turned, and began sprinting toward the pack house while my head whirled with doubt and terror. Though I had no idea what was ahead, one thing was very clear.

The storm was still getting started.