Page 7 of Bound to Four Alphas (Silverthorn Alphas #1)
Selena didn’t think she’d ever experienced such potent bliss as the bath prepared for her by the priestesses. She had lingered in the steaming water for hours, using every oil and cream left for her to scrub her skin until she was pink and raw. The priestesses had chattered away in the bedroom beyond, and Selena had dozed lightly as she listened to their whispered excitement about the magic, about her.
Soon enough, when her fingers had started to prune and the water began to cool, the priestesses bustled in to wrap her in a gloriously soft robe and sat her in front of a roaring fire to tackle her mane of black hair.
Perhaps she should have been slightly more wary of them, more cautious and alert, but she sensed no ill intention from them and found herself unusually warm in the face of the evident sisterhood between them.
They were all omegas for one thing, and the easy acceptance with which they drew her into their conversations warmed something deep inside her, something she hadn’t ever realized was there. She found herself flushing at the gentle compliments about her skin, her eyes, the length of her hair, her full figure; it was also distinctly calming to be surrounded by the soft floral scent of fellow omegas after days of practically drowning in the overwhelming scent of alphas.
Even if something curled unpleasantly within her at being so suddenly ripped away from the presence of the four alphas.
She shook her head, pushing away those thoughts. The past few days had been a complete nightmare. Apparently, none of them needed regular sleep, and kept up a constant, brutal pace. Until the last day, they had refused to put her down, and she spent nearly all her time squirming in the arms of Ronan or Kaelen, fighting away the constant voice in her head that was purely omega urging her to relax, to lean into them, to bury her face in their necks and submit.
At least Elian had provided some measure of distraction, quipping jokes and telling stories of his home in the Marble Halls to the west. Even if he seemed to delight in flirting outrageously with her.
And Malek. She hadn’t seen much of Malek, but she knew he had been there. The unease caused by the monster made her somewhat ashamed of herself, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that of the four of them, he was somehow the most dangerous.
A few times she had thought about running away, escaping into the forest, but never had the opportunity to—and at any rate, Kaelen would have just dragged her back again kicking and screaming. But now that she was with the priestesses, even after only a few hours, a small flame of hope had been lit within her that maybe she could stay here. She was an omega, and as far as she could tell, some of the priestesses were human like her. It seemed like a nice existence, free from judgment or danger. There were even gardens that she might be allowed to help tend.
“How are you feeling, my dear?” The priestess with the silver circlet, a Fae named Rania, came to sit beside her as several pairs of gentle hands combed through and braided her hair.
“Much better, thank you,” Selena offered her a small smile. “The bath was lovely.”
Rania nodded, pleased. “I have sent for an evening meal to be delivered here to your rooms. I took the liberty of including plenty of vegetables and fresh fruits. I am not sure what you had access to during your travels, but I suspect it wasn’t varied?”
Selena laughed softly, shaking her head as she remembered the various chunks of roast meat she had been given throughout their journey. At first, she was delighted at the novelty of so much meat, but it quickly became heavy on her stomach, so unused as she was to such rich food. Kaelen in particular had seemed very put out that all they could offer her was hunted game, grumbling often that he hadn’t had time or reason to adequately prepare for travel.
“Your alphas requested to eat with you tonight, but I turned them down. We have much to discuss Selena, and I would rather we talked undisturbed.”
“They aren’t my anything,” Selena shot back with a warning glare.
Rania frowned delicately. “I trust they didn’t cause you any harm on your journey?”
“No,” said Selena quickly. “I mean, they’re alphas, aren’t they? Not always the gentlest. But they didn’t … that is to say … well—”
“They didn’t defile you?”
Selena was sure her cheeks were on fire, “No, I wasn’t forced to mate.”
Rania nodded once, seemingly satisfied. “Excellent. There would have been severe consequences if you had.”
Selena barely choked back a laugh but shrank under Rania’s cool stare as the high priestess said in a clipped voice, “You don’t believe they would be punished?”
“Well, no.” Selena looked down at her hands, picking slightly at a fingernail, all too aware of the curious eyes on her. “They’re alphas. Can’t they mate any omega they desire?”
To her surprise, it was Rania’s turn to laugh, high and silvery. “I forget how much the humans have forgotten about the old magic. Yes, it is broadly true that alphas may claim any unmated omega they desire, but the temple of the Forest God has long been a safe haven for us. Young and old, mated or widowed, any can request sanctuary here. If they are chosen, they may remain safe within our walls and serve the Forest God as a priestess. We have our own ways of ensuring our safety.”
Selena frowned. “I thought that the Forest God was gone.”
The other priestesses had finished braiding her hair and came to sprawl out on the plush cushions in front of the fire, their faces open and earnest as they listened to the high priestess.
“Have you ever heard of The Breaking?”
Selena shook her head. It had been mentioned a few times, mostly by Elian, but he always managed to dance around the deeper questions she wanted to ask him, and as such, she still had no idea what it truly was.
Rania folded her hands neatly into her lap, “Long ago, over five centuries, the Forest God that had governed the realm abandoned his throne. This event became known as The Breaking. Without his guidance, the very magic of the land became disrupted, wild, a force of its own. Nobody knows why he left, but it is rumored that he became angered at the fighting of the magical species he governed. The humans took advantage of the weakened state of the magical realm to grow stronger, forming a kingdom of their own, your Silverthorn Kingdom.”
Selena leaned forward, enthralled by every word the high priestess spoke.
“Out of the chaos, many shifters left seeking greener lands and new gods to worship. Those that remained are fractured, each blaming the other for the supposed death of their God. Over the years a tenuous truce has developed, but it cannot last. Especially as the humans look to our lands, hungry to conquer the remaining territory once governed by the Forest God.”
“But the alphas were bonded into a pack,” said Selena, confusion lacing her voice, “they can’t fight each other now. Can they?”
Rania gave her a small smile, “No, not at the moment. But four alphas together in a pack with no omegas to bring balance? They’ll tear each other apart before long, even with the ancient magic binding them.”
Selena sat back, pulling a thick woolen blanket over her lap. “Can’t others join the pack?”
The priestesses exchanged glances, and Selena shifted as uneasiness settled in her stomach.
“Not in the traditional sense,” Rania said carefully, with a warning glance to the other omegas, “but there is a way. One that would appease the magic of the Forest God.”
“The dead Forest God?” Selena replied, slightly more harshly than she’d intended, suddenly on edge.
“Well, that’s just the thing. The Forest God didn’t die all those centuries ago. Nobody knows what really happened to him. Some say he was uprooted. Others that he was indeed angered by the fighting of his subjects. Some simply believe he recognized that after a millennia, the era of his rule had reached its end.”
Rania leaned closer, lowering her voice almost conspiratorially, “It’s the belief of us priestesses that he has been roaming the forest, waning in power, until very recently. There was a disturbance some few years ago, like a ripple across a lake, too subtle for most to notice. But we noticed. His power moved on, as he did. It lives now in various objects of power. His throne. His scepter. His crown. It still lives, even if he no longer does.”
Selena’s eyes narrowed. “But why would it bond those four together? Surely, it can only end badly.”
She watched Rania, waiting for her response, as the high priestess stood and began pacing in front of the fire, her fingers twitching nervously. The other priestesses glanced between them, their faces a mix of curiosity and pity.
“As I said,” Rania came to a stop before Selena, taking her face in her hands, her skin cool, “there is a way.”
Selena’s stomach dropped, her mouth growing dry at the intensity of Rania’s bright green gaze. Surely not. Surely she couldn’t mean…
“No,” Selena said, her voice firm and unyielding despite the frisson of fear that ran down her spine, “no, I don’t want to be part of their pack. I want to go home. Or stay here and be a priestess. Can’t I claim sanctuary?”
Rania’s eyes were soft, her hands gentle as she swept a few strands of hair from Selena’s face. “That is your right,” she murmured, “but you have to be chosen. And I don’t believe that is the path the magic has for you.”
Selena’s eyes stung, “Can’t I at least try?”
“Selena,” Rania’s voice was warm and kind, “of course you can refuse this. It is too much to ask of anyone, especially one as young as you. But we have been waiting for the coming of the Omega of Prophecy for five centuries. You may be the key to unlocking the deep magic that will turn the tide in the war against those who would destroy us.”
“Omega of Prophecy, w-what’s that?” The panic was starting to claw at her throat, the tears well in her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to bury herself in her bed and hide from it all.
“The last known promise of the Forest God before The Breaking. He proclaimed that amongst war and chaos, an Omega of Prophecy would rise and unite the strongest in the realm against an oncoming storm.”
“A-and, you think that’s me? ”
Rania sat beside her again, taking her hand. “I think that everything happens for a reason. And if you decide to turn your back on this, we will understand and we will welcome you. But Selena, they will destroy each other. The realm will fall.”
The words struck Selena straight in her chest, heavy rocks that lodged themselves in her stomach. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run.
But unbidden, the memory of Ronan’s strong arms swam into her mind. The smoldering intensity of Kaelen’s stare. The slight curve to Elian’s smirk. The surprisingly soft scent of Malek that lingered in the air. She was scared of them, terrified even, but there was something else. Something deeper. Something that she didn’t have a name for.
They would destroy each other. Tear each other apart. And the realm would be left open for King Dorian and his soldiers. He would burn everything in his path to strengthen the Silverthorn Kingdom. Could Selena really live with the weight of such bloodshed on her hands?
She looked up at Rania, her throat thick. “What do I have to do?”