Page 66 of The Other Omega

Right. No more nervous joking with the High Lord.

“Then you need not concern yourself with another journey for some time. High Mountain has much to offer, and there are wonders here that no other kingdom possesses.”

I nodded, completely thrown by his response.

Then, just as Eleanor had told me he would, Magnus extended his hand.

I looked at Cedric beside me, then back at Samir and Matthias. All three gave me the same small nod.

Go.

Slowly, I released Cedric’s arm and placed my hand in Magnus’s.

My fingers looked tiny against his. His palm was rough and heavily calloused, his grip strong as his hand closed around mine.

The soldiers behind me spoke.

Thousands of voices answered at once, powerful and perfectly in sync. The short Kottarsht words echoed through the enormous hall, washing over me and raising goosebumps all over my body as Magnus turned and led me up the stairs.

Every step took me farther from Cedric, Samir and Matthias and closer to the five men waiting above.

Halfway up, their scents reached me with such force that my whole body jolted before I could stop it. My knees gave way, and I would’ve hit the steps if Magnus hadn’t tightened his hold on my arm and kept me upright.

Their scents cut through everything else in the room with impossible clarity. Each was different from the next, yet they blended together with enough force to make my whole body feel as though a current had gone through me. My heart stumbled, warmth rushed beneath my skin and I drew in another breath, greedily this time.

It was like a drug. One breath only made me desperate for another.

I looked towards the five men at the top of the stairs and knew, in some primitive part of myself, that they were mine. The certainty settled deep inside me, carrying another feeling just as powerful: I belonged with them as surely as they belonged with me.

I tightened my fingers around Magnus’s hand and followed him up the remaining steps. Everything around me gradually disappeared until all I could see was the distance between us getting smaller.

Magnus stopped with barely a foot between me and the first Alpha. My legs were still shaking when his voice finally broke through the haze.

“My eldest son, Alaric Stormforge, Head Alpha of Pack Stormforge and General of the High Mountain Army.”

Alaric stood directly in front of me, tall and broad beneath his midnight-blue military coat. Silver threaded his dark hair at the temples, and his grey eyes matched the first stone at my throat.

“Lady Elowen.” His voice was deep and controlled. “It is an honour to receive you in High Mountain.”

Every greeting Nora had forced me to practise disappeared.

“Alaric.” His name came out on little more than a breath. “You’re so beautiful.”

The words registered approximately one second too late.

“I mean—” I swallowed. “Thank you. I’m glad to be here. Finally.”

Something shifted behind his composure, although his expression remained restrained. Cedar and cold mountain stone strengthened between us, and my body immediately wanted to move closer.

What is happening to me? Get it together.

Magnus turned slightly. “My son, Caius Stormforge, Commander of the First Special Operations Legion.”

Caius stepped forwards, and the family resemblance I’d noticed in his image became impossible to miss beside Alaric. He was just as imposing, his scars doing absolutely nothing to make him less handsome, while pine smoke and black pepper sharpened the air between us.

“It is an honour to receive you, Lady Elowen.”

“Thank you, Caius.”