FOUR

Calmed and reassured, Lillah still felt cautious. The King had all the right things to say but only time would tell if words were all he had to offer.

“Now then, Lillah, come round the desk and sit in my lap.”

Hugging her middle, Lillah shuffled round the desk, doing as the Alpha King had commanded. She hesitated when it came to actually sitting, unsure of exactly what kind of ‘sitting’ he was asking for. Lillah didn’t want to get it wrong and embarrass herself any further in front of the King.

Keegan simply looped an arm around her waist and lifted her onto one knee, then hugged her body close to his. They were about to share a deeply personal moment but not in the way Lillah had thought.

“I, Alpha King Keegan Conrad Skyborn, accept you, Omega Lillah Cora Straite, to be part of the Skyborn Nest and Dragonlands. In the name of the Goddess may our minds and souls be connected, may the Dragonlands bring you peace and serve as your home from now until your last breath.” The King spoke with reverence. Lillah, enrobed in his warm embrace, was in shock. She hadn’t expected to ever be more than a rogue, banished and alone. Keegan took her hand and sliced her palm with a claw, then his own and pressed them together. A deep heat flowed through Lillah, reconnecting everything in her that had been severed but not to the South Marsh pack – to the Skyborn.

“Say the words, Lillah.” Gaz prompted. Lillah turned to him, eyes wide with wonder, so blue they could make the sky jealous.

“I, Omega Lillah Cora Straite, accept the place you, Alpha King Keegan Conrad Skyborn, have offered. In the name of the Goddess I will be bound.” Lillah gasped as the bond hit her. It wasn’t painful like becoming a rogue, it was beautiful. Like watching a thousand sunsets, dancing in the rain, howling at the moon. The King pulled her tighter, his blood infusing with hers through the cuts in their palms. Neeri was stirred from her slumber, invigorated by the new packbond. The feeling was overwhelming, glorious. The heat stirred deeper. A feeling began to grow low in her belly. The King pulled her tighter still. “Oh,” Lillah moaned, overcome. She turned her face into the Alpha’s chest, crushing herself against him with all her might, breathing in his scent. He smelled like home, like safety and happiness.

The Omega cried out and bit the King’s shirt as an orgasm ripped though her body. He held her, letting her have this moment entirely to herself. When she was done shuddering with the pleasure of the newly forged bond to the Skyborn pack, Lillah found herself entirely embarrassed.

Don’t be embarrassed, Lillah. Gaz spoke into her mind. That was a perfectly normal reaction.

Without thinking Lillah sighed in relief and sank further into the King’s arms. She was so happy to feel the pack in her mind, to not be so entirely alone that all else was forgotten. Lillah thought this was something she’d never feel again.

“Hum, I think I should have clarified.” The King said, amused. “Lillah, when I said you would still be a breeder, I didn’t mean for me.” Although he took his hand from hers, he didn’t shoo her off of his lap.

“I’m sorry, Alpha King – I didn’t mean to.” Lillah blushed.

“I know, it is just the depth of the packbond, but I did worry that I might have given you the wrong idea.” He gave her a little squeeze before moving her to stand on her own two feet. “You are mine, I am your Alpha now but you aren’t mine.”

Ah, but Keegan, if we were but a hundred years younger we would. She is so precious. Galcalar mused.

Don’t let Joel or Wade hear you say that. The King warned his dragon. Joel and Wade were his mates. They had been together for a little over fifty years and had already had a child together. By dragon standards it was relatively quick.

Pfft, I’m sure they would enjoy her as much as we would, but fine, let her proceed to the choosing. Galcalar conceded.

“Beta Gaz will take over from here. Sorry I can’t spend more time helping you get settled, my dear, but I have much to be getting on with.” Keegan smiled at Lillah, confident that she would be happy in his pack.

“Thank you, Alpha King.” Lillah bowed before turning towards Gaz.

“My King,” Gaz dipped his head. “Come along, trouble.” He put his hand out for the Omega to take.

“Where are we going, Beta?” The tiny blond asked after the door was shut behind them. “Am I to be yours?” Lillah was hopeful. Gaz was handsome and had been nothing but kind to her.

“Would you like to be mine?” Gaz bit his tongue. Too late though, he shouldn’t have sad that.

“Who wouldn’t.” She giggled.

We could ask for her? A wistful Breeth proposed.

You know that’s not how this works. Gaz admonished.

Yes, but it only works that way because the King said it works that way. He could make it work a different way. Breeth tried to persuade him. Gaz was tempted. Lillah was lovely.

“Lillah, how much do you know about dragon-shifters and how they procreate?” Breeth grumbled in his mind, knowing where he was going with this.

“Um, that all dragon-shifters are male and that’s why you acquire Omegas through the treaty.” Lillah smiled up at him, almost skipping to keep up with the Beta’s large strides.

“Close, there are no female dragon-shifters but there never have been. We are perfectly capable of breeding on our own. However, those of us at the Nest are fire dragons and when we breed amongst ourselves we only produce fire dragons. During the war between your people and mine the population of ice dragons was decimated. There were only a handful of them left and they needed to repopulate but that is a very slow process. Dragons take a long time to mature and the gene pool was highly reduced. To repair the damage done by the war we made providing Omegas for breeding a requirement of the treaty.”

“So – I have to be with an ice dragon-shifter?” Lilah asked, curious.

“I see why you’d think that but no. When a fire dragon procreates with a werewolf Omega it produces an ice dragon.” Gaz opened the next door for her.

“So if all dragon-shifters are male, then are some of you like male males and some like Omega males and can get pregnant?”

“It’s more complex than that but it’s the essence of the idea.” Gaz mind linked everyone in the nearby vicinity, asking them to stay out of the area they had just entered. The Omega needed to wash and choose the dragon she would be breeding with. “There are three kinds of male dragons – Oemales, these are like your male Omegas. Males, what you would consider to be most similar to a typical male wolf-shifter and Vermales. Vermales provide the egg.”

“What does that mean for me?”

“You, Lillah, need to be with a Vermale.” Gaz got somethings out of cupboards. Towels, clean clothes, scentless soaps. The room they were in and the adjoining ones were set up for the induction of werewolf Omegas.

“Sooooo…. I’m going to lay an egg? A big egg?” Her face scrunched as she questioned him. It was adorable.

“There will be an egg, it isn’t going to be any larger than typical wolf baby would be.” He indicated with a nod of his head for her to follow him to the next room.

“Can I ask another question, Beta?” Lillah suddenly remembered she was speaking to the Alpha King’s second and hadn’t been very respectful.

“Now is the time to ask me as many questions as you want.” Gaz placed the clothes on the bench and hung the fresh towels outside the shower. The brand new soap went in the dish and he turned the shower on to warm up.

“If Oemales carry the eggs and Vermales provide the eggs, what do Males do?” Lillah began taking off Gaz’s shirt and the torn dress beneath it.

“Males fertilise the egg. It’s a throuple situation. Either one Vermale and two Oemales because an Oemale can’t carry an egg they have fertilised themselves or a Vermale, Male and Oemale.” Gaz took her ruined dress, placing it in the bin. Lillah was entirely naked. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a female devoid of clothing but, unlike the others, he found her highly attractive. She was perfect with slender legs, a soft swell of hips, pinched waist and pert breasts that looked to be the perfect mouthful. Not to mention the blond hair covering her sex was glittering in the artificial light of the room. Made it look like a jewel. Dragons loved treasure.

“Do I not need a Vermale and a Male, then?” Lillah looked up, feeling unbothered by her nakedness now that she was bonded to the dragon pack and felt at home.

“Nope, because unlike Oemales, you can self-fertilise an egg and carry it to term. It’s the combination of a Vermales’ egg and your egg that actually creates an ice dragon. If a Male or an Oemale fertilised the egg then you would have a fire dragon.” Gaz answered fully, waiting for her next question.

“What kind of male are you?” Lillah asked before thinking it through. Immediately she slapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh Goddess, I’m so sorry, Beta, that was rude.” She spoke through her fingers.

Look at that blush… Breeth sighed appreciatively in Gaz’s mind It’s everywhere

I know, but she’s not for us, so put those thoughts away. Gaz reprimanded his dragon.

“It is an inappropriate question generally. So don’t go blurting it out in public but I did tell you to ask all the questions you wanted. I am a Male.” He watched her face fall at the realisation that she couldn’t be his. “Get washed up.” With a kind smile he gesture to the waiting shower.