Page 107 of Daughter of Garnet

With that lost hope cast into the universe, I slam my hand down on the garnet.

My body burns, and my dragon screams inside me, fighting to come out. I force her down, breathing deeply as I count down from five.

Five.

I can feel my teeth elongating in my mouth.

Four.

My back cracks, and I slump over, breathing through my nose to try and force myself to stand straight.

Three.

Dominic's fearful eyes well with tears.

Two.

Scales ripple across my arms, and I hear the first gasps from the gathered crowd.

One.

My dragon bursts from my skin, and I hear commotion as the priests dive out of the way. I'm not an eleven-thousand-pound prehistoric crocodile, but I can still do some damage to the building and those around me.

The shift hasn't even fully taken hold of my body when something sharp pierces my shoulder, where my scales haven't thickened yet, and I fall, human once again. When I try to get to my feet, I realize my body isn't listening to commands. I try to speak, and no words come out.

All I can do is lie here and listen to the old men around me argue about what to do.

Dominic crashes onto the stage and places his body in front of mine.

"She's my scent match." The words stop the arguments in their tracks.

The Archon turns to face his son with an unreadable expression. "What was that, son?"

"I felt it. As soon as she touched the stone. She's my scent match. My beast has claimed her."

"Interesting." He crosses the stage and squats, eye level with his son. "And why do you think I care about that when there is an Omega dragon lying on the floor beside us?"

So I shifted enough for them to figure out what I am.

Fuck.

If I could move, I'd do what Viv said, but there was no opportunity before they shot me with whatever paralytic is coursing through my system.

"Scent matches are sacred," Dominic responds, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's mine. You can't take her from me."

His father rises to his full height and straightens his tie. He lifts his voice and looks at the Alphas still in the chapel. "I know this is your first time in close proximity to an Omega, Dominic, but just because she made your cock hard doesn't mean she's your scent match." He laughs, and the other Alphas join in at Dominic's expense. "You'll have to forgive his outburst. I'm sure all of you remember your first time around a scent-sensitive Omega, don't you?"

Dominic tries to argue, but the death glare his father shoots him makes him clam up. He leans close to me, so close it would be seen as inappropriate if anyone were paying attention to us. They're all chatting excitedly as the Archon talks about what a success this event was and how lucky they are to have found an Omega Blessed by Ilota.

"I'll get you away from him, Zoe. I promise. If it's the last thing I do, I won't let him have you."

Tears line the eyes of the man whom the Gods chose as my Alpha, and I can feel them reciprocating in mine.

I know this is the end and that there is no surviving now. Ilota warned me.

Something sharp is pressed into my thighs, and my ears fill with cotton. I can't hear Dominic anymore, but I can see that he's yelling at someone through my blurry eyes. He turns back to me, grabbing my limp hands, lips moving so fast that even if I knew how to read lips, I'd probably miss most of what he has to say.

Darkness clouds the edges of my vision, narrowing in to where the last thing I see is Dominic's dark, fearful eyes before the world goes black.