TWO

At the Nest, a giant stone castle built atop a volcano, the three dragons landed. Switching to their bipedal forms Gaz took Lillah down into the steam rooms where the heat would sooth her and help sweat the toxins from her body while Alpha King Keegan and Gamma Darc went to check on the three previously acquired Omegas.

Once Lillah was warming in the steam she began to stir.

“Here, have some water.” The Beta offered a bottle of iced water. Her blue eyes were wide and fearful as she looked around. Lillah whimpered when she tried to move away. Everything hurt. Her head pounded, her skin crawled and her teeth ached as much as her heart. “The nightshade will be out of your system soon, then Alpha King Keegan will see you.”

Lillah took the water, wary of the dragon shifter before her. She pulled the jacket closer, snuggling into the warmth before realising the jacket wasn’t hers. Panic made her heart leap, but the thin white dress was still on her body. Alpha Aaron had possessed her, forced her, taken her body in all the ways he wanted but that was his right as her Alpha. She was Omega, she belonged to the pack. Not these dragons. Yet – that was no longer true. She was severed from her pack, gifted to dragon shifters because of some ancient treaty.

“Anything you want to ask, Lillah?” Gaz tried to encourage her to speak but instead she shook her head, more vigorously than she’d intended; almost causing herself to vomit. “Ok, well – if you change your mind feel free to ask.”

The main thing that worried her was why she was in this steamy room with the hulking Beta when she had been gifted to the King as part of his breeder harem. Would he be jealous that she was alone with another male? But then again where would he leave her, other than in a locked room? After all, no fire dragons were female. She sipped the water, trying to ignore the oppressive emptiness of her mind and the taste of nightshade that still lingered in the back of her mouth.

Her wolf was still asleep, exhausted from the ordeal

 At only 18 years old, Lillah had only shifted a handful of times. The first time had been two moons ago, on her birthday. Neeri, her wolf was a quiet soul, so it wasn't her voice she missed but rather the underlying hum of the pack. The knowing that they were there - one whisper of the mind away. In the emptiness her thoughts were too loud. Hot sweat formed at the back of Lillah’s neck and the jacket now felt stifling in the steam room.

The Beta was sitting peacefully next to her, his eyes closed. Slowly, Lillah slid off the jacket. Not only was it hot wearing it but it was heavy. As an Omega, she was only small -around 5' 2". Male wolves were usually 6' plus but dragons were taller still. This Beta had to be at least 7'. His jacket was more like an overcoat or a duvet with sleeves.

Someone else entered the steam room. She couldn't quite make them out through the white swirling air but now Lillah knew where the door was.

Anything had to be better than staying here.

Mustering all the strength she could, Lillah threw the jacket at the unsuspecting Beta. Dragons might be bigger, stronger but she was faster and nimble. With only her own frightened thoughts echoing in her mind she ran out of the steam room and into the humongous hallway. The size of it was jarring, clearly it had been built to accommodate both shifted and unshifted dragons. A gust of fresh air came from the left. Lillah turned to follow it, praying all the while to the Goddess that it was an exit.

Gaz caught the jacket she'd 'thrown'. The weight of it had been too much for her to be able to put a lot of power behind it. He watched as she ran through the steam and out of the door. Lillah wasn't the first to run. She wouldn't be the last. There was nowhere for her to go though - unless her wolf had wings. Gaz chuckled and jogged after her.

She's fast, Breeth mused in his mind. They both watched as Lillah turned, darting out onto the landing platform. You think she will stop before the ledge or will we have to catch her?

She's a brave one - I think she will jump. Gaz shook his head, pushing his jog to a run.

Lillah glanced back. The Beta was gaining on her. All her thoughts screamed 'run!' Bare feet pounded the stone path. She had made it outside of the castle walls, but other than the stone path before her there was nothing. Just sky. She ran and ran and then suddenly there was nothing, no stone beneath her feet and she was plummeting through open sky.

I don't think she even realised that was a ledge... Gaz told Breeth as Lillah screamed, free falling through the sky. Gaz stepped off the ledge shifting into Breeth as he did. The huge dragon tucked in his wings, slicing through the air so he could reach the screaming Omega. Her blond hair was flapping, white dress pushed up by the air looking like a comets’ tail as she fell.

Smoothly, Breeth caught her, instantly spreading his wings and stopping the free fall. A couple of wing beats later Breeth was placing the trembling girl back on the landing platform.

You think she'll do that again? Breeth chuckled, looking at a crying Lillah.

Once she gets over the shock of it, I wouldn't put it past her. Gaz was grim. There had been the odd Omega that had managed to make it to the bottom. He shifted back, reaching to pull the Omegas dress back down.

"I'm sorry," she screamed, cowering as the dragon shifter’s hand came for her.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Gaz stopped, dropping his hand. "I was just going to pull your dress down."

"But... but I ran away." Lillah panted, scrambling to pull her ruined dress back over her body. It was so unnerving that these dragon shifters kept their clothes after a shift.

"I wouldn't really call that running away." Gaz scratch his chin. "More like a learning curve." Breeth chuckled in his mind.

Lillah shivered. Gaz took off his shirt and put it over her head. With big blue eyes she looked up at him, shocked that he was being so kind.

"Thank you." She stood, hugging her middle against the bitter wind.

"Go on, take a look." Gaz grinned, tilting his head towards the ledge.

Lillah shuffled nervously over to the edge of the landing platform. Her stomach flipped at the sight. There was a break in the clouds through which she could see the ground. It was very, very far away.

Look at her face! Breeth laughed.

Don't be mean, it's quite the day for the girl.

"So... is that the only way out, Beta?" She wasn't sure what was going on. Alpha Aaron would never have been so lenient. So far the Beta had been gentle with her, patient, but she wasn't going to test him by being out-right rude.

"Yes."

A single tear fell from her face, tumbling through the air and into the clouds. Gaz felt for her, she had lost a lot today but hopefully she would soon see what she had gained.

Lillah however had other thoughts. Mostly she was thinking about Neeri. For herself, life as an Omega probably wouldn't be too different in  dragon packlands compared to the wolf one she had come from but Neeri? She wouldn't get to run or hunt. There wasn't any grass up here or dirt to dig in. Neeri would be lock away inside her. That was the saddest thing of all.

"Come along, Lillah. It's time to go see the Alpha King." Gaz took her elbow and led her from the ledge.