Running From An Alpha by Rachel Starkie
Chapter 6
The natural path was wide and flanked by trees. Now that she was behind the gates of a dragon den, Zoya was enjoying the scene. She knew that no matter how it turned out, at least the wolves were no long nipping at her heels so closely.
The canopy of green opened before them, and she was faced with the colossal home of this clan. It was carved from the natural rockface so as not to disturb the mountains too harshly. She could see the homes and paths that led into the mountains and was suddenly hit with the overwhelming sense of just how deep into the territory she had driven.
Thinking back to the pursuit, she had not truly gaged the road, but at the speeds she had been traveling, it was easy to have passed through the area and not even realized it happened.
Another two guards stood at the top of the knee-breaking staircase, one to either side of heavy and massive doors. The whole place was built to accommodate them, be it in humanoid or bestial forms.
“You must leave your things here,” A guard stated plainly, which made Zoya cock a defiant brow.
“No way in hell, I will leave then,” she barked, then lurched herself around. Bent on going back the way she had come, only to feel a hand gently touch her shoulder.
Her eyes cut as Stefan gently spoke. “It is okay.”
Zoya watched as his attention turned to the now bowing guards, making him smirk with a dismissive hand. They watched him closely as he continued. “She is okay. I will watch her. The Queen is waiting. Please let us through.”
Before nodding, the guards looked at each other. They sidestepped to open the bespelled doors, making them swing open in steady silence.
“That was easy,” Zoya’s voice lifted, not with surprise but a touch of the impressed.
Stefan smirked, “I am a touch higher-ranked than them.” A low chuckle-cough from Maxwell had Stefan glaring. The idea that this High Guard was a much larger fish in the pond than he was letting on invaded her thoughts.
More like a shark. I bet
They entered, and though surrounded by opulence, Zoya was unaffected by the bright and shininess of her surroundings. They were dragons. It was to be expected. Through a grand archway, they were given access to the large throne room.
On a massive dais sat a female in a cushy and gilded chair at the furthest side of the room. Behind her hung from the vaulted ceilings tapestries of cream velvet, with images of the snow-capped mountains and trees.
The Queen glanced up from her nails, looking completely bored out of her mind to Zoya. Then her eyes moved and brightened as she jumped to stand.
“Stefan, baby, there you are.” She made a mad dash toward them. Her black off-the-shoulder gown billowed behind her to reveal a beautiful coral-hued gradient. “Mummy was worried.” Maxwell winked at Zoya, who snickered behind her hand.
“Well, now that’s that out of the bag,” Stefan muttered darkly through his towering mother’s overly dramatic hug. With a smile, he gently shrugged her off so that she turned her attention to Zoya.
“Who are you?” The Queen’s tone commanded power, making Zoya’s wolf want to show belly. While her human nature was pushed to be strong and aggressive, her wolf was far faster to submit. Unless, of course, she were truly threatened or angry, then she was like any cornered animal. Perhaps even more dangerous because she knew that freedom was worth fighting to keep.
“I am Zoya. My pack is hunting for me because I took off, not wanting to be some Alpha circle jerk fuck-toy.”
The Queen’s eyes widened in shock. “Why would you be a fuck toy? Are Omega’s not to be protected and cherished?”
Zoya sighed, “Not that shithole pack. They have an innate history of treating Omegas as the lowest of the low. We are all either baby makers or cumdumpsters. Unless you are fortunate enough to be mated or otherwise protected, you are passed around to fulfill the pleasures of the single males and higher-ranking females. My father, Fin, was killed a year ago. Until then, he had been my protector, my trainer, and my mentor. As soon as I was given my right to mourn, I took off and have been running and pursued ever since.” She stated this matter-of-factly, giving a shrug. It wasn’t that she did not care. More simply, this was her life, and there was little she could do to change it.
The Queen saw more. She saw pain, loneliness. She could feel the fight in Zoya’s spirit as well as her exhaustion. “You may rest here. Maxwell said you were headed to the Featherfly?”
“Not to be rude, but who exactly are you?” Zoya pursed her lips. While a better-mannered person would ask for a name, she wasn’t that well versed.
The Queen feinted her smile, then laughed. “How rude of me. I am Queen Tiana of the Snowtip Dragon's Den. It is a pleasure.”
The Queen’s name was not unknown to Zoya, who now bowed her head in respect. “Yes, a pleasure. Queen Maisy spoke highly of you. From what I remember of my time with her.”
Shock and curiosity filled Queen Tiana’s tone. “You know Maisy?”
“My mother lived with them for a long time before she met my father, and they mated. I spent some time there as a child before my mother was killed.” The bitterness of Zoya’s words cut into Queen Tiana, making her frown. “Like my father, I had always believed our pack Alpha Morgan had my mother killed when she refused him. He felt that being Alpha meant he could have anyone. He went to my father to claim me, but my father refused, and just over a month later, he was killed. Only this time, I saw the body and knew it was a lie that he had fallen from a cliff. As a healer, I know the difference between marks of a fall or a claw.” A growl worked its way from her frustrated lips. She had only spoken of this to Dale, and he had betrayed her. She hoped this would not be a repeat case. A deep breath had her centered, and her eyes settled on the Queen once more.
“It seems your pack is not a good one,” Queen Tiana spoke softly, looking to her son, who stood stoic and silent. If he were feeling anything from Zoya’s history, his training was such that not an ounce of it showed.
“They certainly are not, but the council doesn’t care. Morgan pays them well enough that they turn both eyes blindly. They do nothing while I run and am being hunted. I need to reach the Featherfly Den, so I might regroup before moving on again.” Zoya sighed heavily.
“Rest here for today.” Queen Tiana urged. “The sun will soon set. Stefan will take you the rest of the way to Featherfly tomorrow. That way, I know you will get there safely. We are watching the two cars which followed you, they claim to be your mates and trying to find you. My men know this to be a lie. We dragons can smell lies rather well, as they tend to be as pungent as any offal. They were turned away, but they know you are here-” She stopped and looked up as two guards entered.
Zoya growled, quickly stepping from view to disappear behind Stefan. She watched as Sean and Dale appeared. Sean let out a growl seeing her with her hands on this other male. Dale elbowed him in the ribs to silence him.
“My Queen, this male claims to be the girl's mate,” a guard presented Sean.
Stefan turned his head to stare down at Zoya. “Is this true?”
“Yes, but he rejected me.” She sighed as the room filled with angry snarls and growls.