Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen

Chapter Nine

Darien had once again been wokenbefore the sun came up, throwing on his armor and heading out across the island to where the most recent batch of pirates had been spotted. It had been relentless, non-stop attacks for the better part of a week, and all concentrated away from the castle. That was different from the pirates’ normal approach, which was more random and spread out. This felt more organized and that left him uneasy. Were they being drawn away from the castle on purpose, or had the pirates just decided they were concentrating their attentions on the wrong location? Either way, Darien had his work cut out seeing off that day’s round of invaders.

“At this rate, we’ll need to start recruiting more men to join the royal guard,” Thorne said, surveying their group of tired and unkempt soldiers in dire need of respite.

“We have a third of the able-bodied men on the island fighting by our side,” Darien said. “If we take any more, there won’t be people enough to tend to the crops and animals.” It was more important than ever that their island kingdom be self-sufficient.

“Well, then. Let’s hope the pirates tire before we do,” Rex said, his smile thin.

The three of them walked a little way down the beach together, out of earshot of the rest.

“Are we still holding training tomorrow afternoon?” Thorne wondered.

“If there are no attacks between now and then, we should,” Darien replied.

“Will you invite your new beau to watch?” Rex teased. “He’s barely seen you in human form let alone in all your shifter splendor.” They always incorporated some shifting into their training since their men never knew when they might come up against an alpha in combat. They didn’t want them to lose their nerve when suddenly faced with a seemingly wild animal.

“He doesn’t want to see that. Those pampered princes think shifting is something only the uncivilized do.” That had been strongly impressed on him during his summer away.

“Their families’ alphas shift too,” Thorne said in disbelief. “Do they call their own uncivilized?”

Darien shrugged. He didn’t know the logic behind it. “It’s all ceremonial to them. You know, when someone’s being crowned, they have a lion present. Once a year on the solstice, there’s a tiger standing sentry.”

“Sounds confining,” Rex said with a grunt. “I’d go crazy in my skin if I could only change during yearly ceremonies.”

“You and me both,” Darien said, rubbing at his tired eyes.

“Have you seen much of Prince Raine since the wedding?” Thorne inquired with an air of innocence.

“You know I haven’t,” he grumbled. “There’s been more important things to worry about.”

“Well, Rex and I can finish up here. Why don’t you head back? If not to see him, then to catch up on some sleep. You look like you could use it.”

Darien could have slept for a week, but he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. “I want to talk to the prisoner we took. He might know something.”

It was doubtful though. The pirates were consistent in holding their tongues once they’d been captured. They were far more afraid of whoever they worked for than they were of Stormshield.

It was midmorning before he headed back to the castle, taking the long route to get a chance to clear his head. He trudged along the wet sand, the wind doing its best to blow away his dark mood. And then he spied someone above him, on top of the cliffs. Who on earth would be standing so close to the edge with such strong winds blowing? They were practically asking to be thrown off.

He changed direction, taking the quickest way up to tackle the foolish wanderer. But when he got closer, he realized that the foolish wanderer was his foolish wanderer. Prince Raine. He stalked toward the omega, who saw him coming and turned his way.

Prince Raine opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Darien was on him. He grasped the omega’s arm and pulled him away from the cliff’s edge.

“Have you got a death wish? Standing right at the edge with gusts this strong?”

Raine stumbled but managed to right himself, staring at Darien wide-eyed.

“No, I… I was just watching the sea.”

“Any closer and a broken neck would be the best scenario, not the worst.”

He looked the omega up and down, frustrated to realize Raine was wearing only a light jacket more suitable for autumn than the cold of winter. Not to mention the shoes on his feet that would probably fall apart at the first sign of rough terrain.

“What on earth are you wearing?”

“…Clothes?”

A closer look at the omega revealed pale skin, chapped lips, and a persistent shiver.

“How long have you been out here?”

Raine avoided his gaze, frowning slightly. “A while, I guess. I got distracted.”

“Hypothermia is what you’ve got,” Darien growled, turning Raine around and marching him toward the castle. “What were you thinking?”

“I just wanted some air.”

“Without donning a single piece of winter clothing?”

“I didn’t exactly plan to make my home on a frozen lump of rock,” Raine snapped.

It was the first true emotion Darien had seen him express, but he took the criticism to heart.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stormshield’s climate was well-known to locals and outsiders alike.

“I didn’t pack a winter wardrobe.”

“Your family will send on your things.”

That was how it worked, wasn’t it? Omegas didn’t usually get married right off the airship. They normally went home, collected their belongings, said their goodbyes, and returned for the wedding. He and Raine had done things differently, so they were still catching up.

“Right,” Raine said, letting out a laugh that sounded oddly hollow.

Darien didn’t know what to make of that, and he was reluctant to ask. The less he knew, the easier it would be to keep his distance. But there were limits to that, and letting his new husband become ill from hypothermia would be frowned on by everyone, not least his father.

They entered the castle through a side door and were greeted by two guards. As soon as he saw them, he started giving orders.

“Ask the castle physician to attend Prince Raine in the north wing. Tell the servants we’ll need a fire, hot water bottles, and blankets warmed through.”

He nudged Raine past them when it looked like the omega was going to interject.

“Right away, sir,” one of them called, hurrying off through the castle.

“I’m fine,” Raine tried to argue through chattering teeth. “A few minutes inside and I’ll be…”

“That would be easier to believe if you weren’t practically shivering out of your skin,” Darien pointed out.

“I’m not…” Raine looked down at himself and spied his shaking hands. His shoulders drooped, and he sighed, looking resigned to his fate. “I didn’t mean to stay out there so long.”

“Well, you won’t go out there again until you’re properly attired. Do you understand me?”

He put every ounce of authority into his voice, a tone that made most of the guards under his command jump to attention.

Raine’s eyes met his, maddeningly hard to read, his expression as flat as his voice.

“Yes, darling husband.”

Somehow, Darien felt as if he’d overstepped, done something more than try to protect the omega from his own foolishness. But before he could contemplate that further, they reached the north wing and Raine’s rooms.

He helped Raine through the door that the omega indicated, glad to see the servants already had a fire going, though it wasn’t giving out much heat.

“Sit.” He nudged the omega onto the long settee, tugging the heavy throw from the back to wrap around his shoulders. “I’ll get you something to change into.”

He crossed the corridor to the room opposite, guessing it was the omega’s bedroom, but he was surprised when Raine’s voice carried after him.

“Wait!”

Darien paused just inside the door, taken aback at the flame-red monstrosity curled up in the center of the omega’s bed. Raine appeared in the doorway behind him, squeezing under his arm to stand between him and the bed.

“I can explain.”

“What is that?”

“That’s my cat.”

“That’s a cat?”

Raine looked confused. “Of course it’s a cat.”

“We have cats in Stormshield. None of them look like that.”

“He’s a sky flame. They’re rare. His name is Ferno.”

Raine looked on edge. He seemed to be waiting for something. What, Darien had no idea. He vaguely remembered Raine asking for permission to bring the cat along right before they got married. He hadn’t been all that receptive to the omega’s questions—he usually left stuff like that to the staff. Someone else must have organized it.

“You got permission to bring him in the end. Lord Alton arranged it, I assume?”

If possible, Raine turned a shade whiter.

“Uh… not… not exactly.”

“My father, then?”

Except Raine hadn’t spoken to his father until their wedding dinner, and the airship had been long gone by that point.

“My friend put him with my things. I guess he didn’t realize I hadn’t gotten permission to take him.”

Darien arched an eyebrow. “You smuggled him into the kingdom?”

The omega wrung his hands, watching him closely.

“Please. He doesn’t cause any trouble, and I don’t let him roam…”

Darien folded his arms, knowing his expression was stony-faced. Rules were there for a reason, and he wasn’t a big fan of those who broke them.

“There are regulations around the importation of non-native animals.”

He knew he was throwing his weight around without good cause, but if there was one thing that irritated him, it was spoiled princes who thought they were above everyone else.

His superiority quickly turned to awkwardness, and then shame, when tears gathered in Raine’s eyes. For a second, he considered that the omega might be faking it, but the shuddered breaths and visible struggle to keep himself under control said differently.

“Please don’t take him. Please. I’ve had him since I was seven. He was a gift from my late uncle. He’s my best friend. My only friend, now…”

Raine choked back a sob, and Darien suddenly felt like the big bad wolf. He was tired and irritable from all the raids, but that was no reason to take it out on the omega. In agreeing to marry him, Raine had been wrenched away from everything he knew. And it wasn’t like Darien was rolling out the welcome mat and making him feel at home.

“I’m sorry, Raine. That was harsher than I meant it to be. Of course, you can keep him. I’m sure any paperwork can be filled out in retrospect. I’ll ask Lord Alton to handle it. Just don’t let him run free around the castle. Unless he’s a decent mouser. They’ve been having trouble with pests near the food stores.”

Darien tried to smile, attempting to ease the tension, but was thrown by the way Raine sank to sit on the bed, his eyes sliding closed as relief shrouded his face like a veil. He immediately felt bad for having been the cause of such pain.

With a sigh, he crouched in front of Raine, resting a hand on the omega’s knee. Ferno took notice, hissing at Darien from his place on the bed.

“Ferno,” Raine chided gently, opening his eyes and looking down at Darien. “He doesn’t mean it.”

Darien slid his hand into Raine’s, squeezing gently.

“He’s protective of you. I can understand that.”

“So he can stay?”

“He can stay.”

Raine smiled, and Darien cursed himself for having been taken in so easily by a few tears, genuine though they might have been.

He heard the servants moving about in the hall, his cue to leave and let them do their work.

“Remember what I said. No more wandering outside in that getup.”

Once the omega prince had a winter wardrobe, he could go wherever he pleased, but Darien didn’t want him getting frostbite in the meantime.

Raine’s expression was a blank slate once more, ruined only by his watery eyes, but he nodded solemnly nonetheless.

“Yes, Prince Darien.”

Darien left him to the care of the servants, knowing he was in good hands.