Page 27 of Owned by Four Alphas (Silverthorn Alphas #2)

Agony rocked through her, every single muscle in her body contracting and ripping and shredding .

“That’s it, you’re nearly there,” said Castien, maneuvering her onto her back, his scent awash with calming, omega pheromones.

It wasn’t working. Her mates were trapped, bellowing in pain, unable to reach her. She needed them, needed them so desperately that she thought she would die .

“Why?” she sobbed, her vision clouded, her ears ringing, “why do this?”

“Humans killed my family,” he said, “and Theldir…Theldir promises power beyond our wildest dreams. I’m so sick of being weaker than everyone, of every alpha looking down at me, underestimating me. Once Theldir is free, it will all be different.”

“What if he’s lying to you?” she wailed, gritting her teeth as agony rocked through her. “He lied to me, why would he tell you the truth?”

“Theldir would never lie to us,” said Castien, his voice resolute. “We are his followers. He shows us the way. And he will reward us for our loyalty.”

“You’re an idiot,” she cried. “He’ll kill us all.”

A sudden commotion had Castien glancing up, his face contorting in worry.

“What! What is it, what’s happening?” she asked, trying to twist and see.

“Nothing,” said Castien through clenched teeth, “just focus on giving birth. You’re nearly there, I can see the baby’s head!”

She kicked out but missed him, the movement sending pain rocketing through her. She threw her head back against the stone and screamed , everything in her body heaving in one great push—

A sharp, clear, ringing wail echoed from the stone.

“You did it,” Castien breathed, holding a small, bloody body in his hands with gentle reverence. “It’s a girl!”

“Give me my baby,” Selena shrieked, clambering onto all fours, unable to move further, “give her to me!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” said Castien, wrapping the squalling child in red cloth. “She belongs the Theldir now.”

“NO!” Selena screamed, reaching towards him. Her hand glowed silver, magic thrashing around her, whipping out in fury.

She was dimly aware of her mates, battling iron and steel, desperate to get to her. Kaelen twisting in the net, Elian and Ronan facing the Order members. She couldn’t focus on them, couldn’t even think about them, all she knew was that Castien had her baby.

Her baby girl .

Tears fell down her cheeks, her heart wrenching, panic clawing her throat.

Her limbs wouldn’t move, her magic wouldn’t obey her, she was utterly helpless to do anything but watch as Castien turned towards the opening door, and the raging pit beyond.

A shadow fell over her. And almighty, thunderous growl spewing forth. Castien froze, and turned.

Malek, standing over her, shadows and blood dripping from his teeth.

“You will give me the child.”

Castien stumbled backwards slightly, holding the baby close to his chest. She screeched in protest, and Selena’s heart wrenched. From his robes, he withdrew a dagger.

“I’m supposed to throw her into the pit,” he said, his voice wobbling, “but I’ll slit her throat here and now if you come any closer. As long as she dies, Theldir will be free.”

Malek snarled, crouching low over her. Her silver light shone against his black fur. His eyes were black, utterly devoid of any humanity. There was only the beast, but that didn’t matter. He answered to her magic.

“Malek,” she said, her voice echoing, cracking and breaking, her hold on her magic paper thin. “Malek, free Kaelen.”

Malek roared and launched forward, leaping over Castien and the baby, paws thundering against the stone. With his teeth and magic, he ripped the iron net open, and Kaelen spilled out in a pool of fire and rage.

Castien staggered back towards her, and her magic lashed out against him, uncontrolled and furious. She gasped, clutching it, reining it back in. She couldn’t hurt her baby. She couldn’t .

Malek and Kaelen advanced, teeth snapping, eyes furious.

Another set of growls behind her. She turned, seeing Ronan and Elian stalking forward, covered in blood. At their feet, pools of blood and bodies.

They had decimated everyone.

“You weren’t supposed to come,” Castien yelled, waving the knife, her baby shrieking.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but watch, her heart pounding, her limbs trembling and useless.

Ronan stepped in front of her, hackles raised, lips peeled back in a snarl. Elian crouched onto one knee next to her, pulling her onto his thigh, his magic coursing through her, healing what he could. She clutched his bloodied clothes, desperate and wild. “Get her back! You have to get her back!”

“Hush, Omega,” he said, a knife glinting in his free hand.

“Don’t come any closer, I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her right now!”

Her three mates didn’t stop their slow, relentless advancement on him. Dragon, wolf, and beast.

Selena let hope glimmer momentarily in her chest.

Castien spun towards Kaelen as he snapped his jaws. He raised his hand, dagger glowing red. A blur of movement from Elian.

A sudden, wet, gurgling gasp.

Castien falling to his knees, the dagger clattering uselessly to the ground, Elian’s knife embedded in his back.

Kaelen lurching forward, shifting midair, his human hands catching their baby before she hit the ground.

Castien slumping to the floor, eyes turning glassy.

Selena sucked in a choking breath.

“ SELENA !”

The voice howled from the pit, terrible as a sea storm cracking a great ship in two, terrible as the oncoming storm of winter.

It promised fire, it promised death, it promised despair.

Selena screamed, her magic exploding out of her, silver light thrashing against fiery red.

He was coming. Theldir was coming.

The rock around them groaned as her magic erupted against it, battering into it, her fear and panic and pain pouring from her.

As the rocks fell, thundering to the ground, a furious roar echoed from the pit.

She glanced up, her eyes locking on the baby clutched to Kaelen’s chest, her heart stopping as a hand, clawed and terrible and vast , reached up. It was followed by a horned head, the skin made from the very cracked volcanic rocks that held it, and raging eyes of pure fire.

And for a moment, it was just them. Selena and Theldir, surrounded by raining fire. As she stared into those great, terrible eyes, every single one of her fears echoed through her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as it heaved itself up, climbing out of the pit.

She opened her mouth to scream.

She couldn’t hear, couldn’t see anything but the god before her.

He was going to kill her. Kill her baby.

Her magic wasn’t enough. She hadn’t stopped him in time.

She had failed.

Her mates surrounded her, in their human skins, pressing her child into her arms.

She doubled over, wrapping her limbs around her baby, breathing in the sweet scent of her little head.

This moment was all she had left.

But then, in a flash of red and gold, a mighty dragon launched into the air, its wings beating in time with the pounding of her heart.

Theldir looked up, his terrible mouth cracking open, lava spilling from his teeth.

Too late, she realized what Kaelen planned to do.

She screamed, reaching an arm out, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

The dragon glanced down at her. His amber eyes flashed with love.

“I told you,” he said, his rumbling voice echoing from the stone, “I would burn it all down.”

“No!” she sobbed, reaching helplessly towards him, everything in her breaking apart.

“Be safe, Little Omega.”

He spread his wings out, then flew forward, claws extended, fire coating his skin.

He made contact with Theldir’s face, claws and fangs scraping down, teeth embedding in one flaming eye.

Theldir bellowed and fell backwards, losing his grip, falling into the pit.

Taking Kaelen with him.

Selena shrieked, launching forward, Ronan’s arms wrapping around her in a steel trap. Elian took their child as she clawed and scratched, kicking and fighting and pleading for Ronan to release her.

“Fuck,” Ronan said, pulling her back as larger chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling above the pit, crashing down onto the god below.

Onto her mate .

“ Let me go !” she begged, her whole body gleaming silver, “ You have to let me go !”

“I can’t, I can’t, sweetness,” Ronan’s voice was rough with emotion as he yanked her further away. “ Fuck !”

More rocks were falling now, Theldir’s howls of rage shaking the floor. The cavern began to shake, shards falling on their heads.

It wasn’t the same as before. As her magic exploded from her, she was no goddess, she couldn’t speak her will into reality. She could only watch, helpless and distraught, as the ceiling cracked.

“We have to get out of here,” shouted Elian through the din, “the cavern won’t hold much longer!”

“I won’t leave him ,” she shrieked, “you can’t, he’s part of the pack ! He’s my mate !”

Ronan, half turned towards the tunnels, hesitated.

Elian’s face fell.

“You can’t.”

“Get them out of here,” Ronan growled, pushing Selena into Malek’s arms.

“Ronan, he’s gone, you’ll die too!”

“He’s not dead yet,” snarled Ronan, before shifting.

“Ronan!” Elian bellowed as the wolf took off into the chaos, dodging falling rocks and cracking earth.

Selena could do nothing but scream, hands reaching for her other mate, but Malek had her in his arms and was running after Elian towards the tunnels.

The rocks thundered and crashed around them, shuddering and unstable.

“Fuck, it’s about to cave in!” Elian yelled, wrapping his shadows around the baby.

They were sprinting at full speed now, dodging and turning. Selena could do nothing but hold on tight to Malek and bury her face in his chest, her tears still flowing.

The air was getting thicker, dust sticking in her throat. The floor beneath them shuddered and boomed. Elian swore, skidding to a halt before a fork.

“Do you know the way?” Malek yelled.

“Yes,” Elian yelled, “I think so!”

He darted down the left-hand corridor, his arms shielding the baby, his legs Fae-quick.

Malek grunted as rocks tumbled onto him. “Elian!”

“I know, I can’t stop it,” Elian shouted, “my magic isn’t powerful enough!”

“Elian, we’ve only got seconds!”

Elian roared in fury, his shadows swirling around them, cushioning them from the worst of the debris.

There was light ahead, she could dimly make it out through the haze of her tears. Light, and breeze.

First Elian cleared the tunnel, followed by Malek, leaping out onto the rocky side of the volcano, skidding away as a great plume of dust and smoke and rock exploded from the entrance.

They had done it. They were free.

But not all of them.

“No,” she said, her voice breaking, scrambling out of Malek’s arms and staggering towards the pile of rocks, “no, no it can’t be, they can’t be…”

She was dimly aware of hands on her shoulders, two large bodies behind her, the mewling squeal of her baby.

But she couldn’t focus on it. Any of it. How could she when Kaelen and Ronan…

She fell to her knees, a choking sob escaping her, her finger scraping over the stone.

She couldn’t lose them. Not like this. She wouldn’t survive it. She couldn’t survive it.

She had thought she was strong. She thought she could be like her mother. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t let her baby grow up without all of her fathers …

She needed her pack.

She needed her mates. All of them. And they needed her. She had fought it for so long, tried to do everything by herself for so long.

She didn’t want to be alone anymore.

She didn’t want to fight against her magic anymore.

She couldn’t.

So finally, after months of fighting, of wrestling with everything, of being at war with herself and the world…

She simply let go.