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Lars wasn't strong, he wasn't a fighter, but to lay down and accept death without fighting back would be a final scar on his family name. That would be even worse than anything they could do to him. If he would be letting down his people by dying, he would at least do it with whatever honor a prince could muster.

He closed his eyes and touched the beast spirit that lay deep in his mind. He called it forward, opening the paths of mystic energy as he'd been taught when he was just a boy. His body changed rapidly; bones repositioning themselves, cracking and twisting into place as teeth became fangs, hands and feet formed into paws and a coat of golden-red fur erupted from his flesh. A tail grew from the base of his spine and his ears repositioned themselves on top of his head as his nose pushed forward, stretching to become a long muzzle.

He knew he would only have a moment to act before they cut him down. But to his surprise, there was hesitation. The soldiers recoiled backwards. Lars leapt up, snarling.

"He's an Omega."

There were murmurs.

"Wonderful," one of them said. "I've never fucked an Omega before."

"Looks like your chance."

Grins cracked on their lips. Lars threw himself at one of the soldiers, jaws spread. The man stepped aside, easily dodging his wild and telegraphed attack. They laughed.

"Ohh, he wants to fight."

Lars turned and went for another one. This man didn't evade. He swung with his weapon, bashing Lars against the side of the skull and sending him crashing back to the ground. His ears rang.

"Keep him down."

Two of the soldiers shifted into wolf form and pinned Lars’s neck against the ground with their jaws. Unable to move his head, his eyes darted back and forth in an attempt to see his attackers as his panicked breath kicked up puffs of dust. The world was spinning.

"Force him back."

A de-shifter was removed from its holster, a long steel rod ending in crackling sparks of purple energy. Lars's howl pierced the air and became a scream as they rammed the device into the back of his neck, forcing him back into human form. The two soldiers still had him trapped.

"Smells good," one growled.

Lars squeezed his eyes shut, despising the feeling of the wolf's hot and foul breath against his cheek. He thought of his parents and his home and took solace in the idea that he would join them soon.

"What's going on here?" a voice barked.

The pressure on his neck released immediately. Boots scraped on gravel. Lars opened his eyes and saw the two wolf soldiers sitting at attention, their ears pricked and tails straight. The other soldiers stood rigid and raised their hands to their foreheads in a tight salute. One stepped forward to address the approaching figure.

"Colonel! This Ekdolian Omega was attempting to sneak across the border."

Lars looked up and saw a towering beast of a man striding towards them. His golden collar was studded with three ruby stars that signified his military rank, and Lars could immediately tell that the man was an Alpha. His eyes were sharp and dangerous, smoldering like hot embers in the ruins of a burning city. This man was powerful. He was feared; Lars could see that from the way the men looked at him.

The man stopped a few feet away and glared down at him. The soldiers grabbed Lars by the arms and hauled him up to his feet, where he stood more than a head shorter than the Alpha colonel. Lars slumped, barely able to carry himself on his own feet. His body felt numb from the shock of the de-shifter and his head was ringing like a gong. He felt two massive fingers grip his chin and jerk his head upward. He looked up into the burning eyes of the Alpha. The man's narrow gaze felt like it was penetrating through Lars's skull.

"Just what were you intending to do with him?" the Alpha demanded.

"Partake in the spoils of war, sir," the soldier said. "I was going to—"

"No one partakes in anything without the permission of myself or the commander," the Alpha said. "This isn't some lowly unit. This is the Feral Fangs. I ought to execute you on the spot for this."

"S-sir, I..."

The Colonel reached out and tore the golden collar from the man's neck and tossed it to the ground. "You are no longer a part of this unit. Get out of my sight. Lieutenant?"

One of the soldiers stepped forward and briskly saluted. "Sir."

"Congratulations. You're captain now. See that such an offense will not happen again."

"Yes, Colonel Greer, sir."

"Escort the prisoner to my transport. We will take him back to base to present to my brother."