Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (12 page)

“Alpha will not allow you to live if he—”

“Not Alpha! You!” All Omega could think about was what Alpha would do to them if this went bad, but Lion wasn’t worried about that. He needed Omega to be concerned about him, not Alpha. Omega had to find him worthy of his loyalty now… not Alpha. With one arm still wrapped around Omega, he used his other hand to get a hard grip on Omega’s chin. He brought that beautiful face up so he could gaze on it as he spoke. Omega must’ve finally realized that he would never beat Lion, so he didn’t put up a fight or buck against Lion’s hold. “I’m not here to win your brother’s affection. I’m here to accomplish a mission – build an army – that was tasked to me by our Elders.”

“And.”

“And to take back with me what’s mine.” Lion reluctantly released Omega and watched sullenly as the man shook his head at him with a look of disgust in his pretty eyes, disappearing into the woods’ darkness.

He didn’t give chase. He was the alpha in this relationship now; Omega just didn’t understand it yet. But Lion could see the prophecy being fulfilled. He looked up at the sky and blew a melancholy sigh. He knew in his heart this was meant to be, but was unsure of the challenge he’d been presented. There was something Omega had to do before they could began their journey. So much fire. That stubborn man would never yield. Lion shook his head sadly, begging any being that could hear him to help him make the right decisions to win Omega’s trust. They had to start there. He turned and began to reassemble his scarf, then stopped suddenly. He honed in on the image and was sure he saw two flickers of fire in the distance. His eyesight was perfect. He wasn’t imagining the blazing eyes in the middle of the night.

Omega

Omega went in the opposite direction of Hawk’s house. The moon was still high in the sky so he had plenty of night left to collect himself. What the hell had just happened to him? There wasn’t a soul on this earth that could beat him, not hand-to-hand, anyway. Only Alpha.

Omega walked another two miles before he felt sure that Lion wasn’t following. He wasn’t sure if he was even upset – it felt like he was. So many things rolled off his shoulders that it’d been a while since he felt – or let himself get upset, and it was pissing him off that Lion was unsettling him.
How the hell did he beat my snake?

Lion was probably in his early forties, but he looked thirty. Their training kept them looking and feeling young. It would take a lifetime to learn to defend all the animal styles. Lion just wasn’t that old. There was something Omega was in the dark about and he didn’t like it. He wanted to talk to Alpha about it, but would his brother feel betrayed if Omega went off to fight alongside another? From their conversation earlier, he’d say no.

When his brother had met Call face-to-face the first time, he’d been sure that the man was perfect for him. Regardless that they were both in the middle of missions, when they saw each other, it was as if neither of them wanted to fight or kill ever again. His brother said that’s what your cherished did for you. It was like coming into contact with the other half of your soul. The better half, according to Alpha.

Omega pressed his back harder against the rough bark of the tree and dropped his head back with a painful thud. He squeezed his eyelids tight and thought about the way he’d felt when Lion first removed his hood. It was like looking at an angel. A very manly, large, aggressive angel. His silent power drew Omega to him and he was defenseless, literally. Did being around Lion make Omega want to settle down and pick out matching towels? Fuck no. He wanted to fight even more now. That meant he and Lion weren’t meant to be together. No one – and he meant no one – was going to have him holed up in some boring village, playing house and living out their days staring at each other longingly. While he probably could stare at Lion for a long time, it could most likely be attributed to his dry spell. He was always one to play the field. Alpha was the mature one. And since Omega wasn’t ready to settle down, it wasn’t possible for him to want to feel cherished.

It was his smell. It was hypnotic. Lion must have some type of agent or aphrodisiac in his fragrance to mess with his mind. Omega huffed in annoyance. He hadn’t thought so silly and recklessly since he’d left the security and guidance of his brother to venture into the world alone a few years ago. The other world. The world of dishonesty, discord, and pure wickedness. He’d thought he could do good from the inside, but all it did was corrupt his own soul. If it weren’t for Alpha, Omega might be dead right now. Hawk surely would’ve killed him for kidnapping his husband. Pierce was an important man to his government before he retired. His head was wanted by many criminal organizations. Omega had been a hired gun at the time, having lost his way. If it hadn’t been for his brother and his embedded teachings, he would’ve done a huge injustice to America by taking Backhander away. That wasn’t what the assassins were groomed to do. They were made to tear down those organizations, not assist them. Omega would never make that mistake of straying from what was right again.

If only he were able to think clearly. It unnerved him that another assassin could so easily kill him. There was no one better than him and Alpha, or so he’d thought. He remembered his master’s teachings. His prophecy for Omega’s life. Omega was a boy, maybe nine or ten, when he was recruited. Not yet Omega, hell not yet Eriktor. He didn’t have a name. He was a scoundrel. 

Omega had been living on the dirty streets of his homeland, Gaza City, for almost two years. A long strip of land that was the largest in Palestinian territories. Also one of the most dangerous. The population had seemed infinite to a boy his age, but back then it was statistically less than half a million. He’d lost his mother in a religious demonstration that quickly turned deadly and his father became nothing but a shell of a Muslim man who had failed to protect his wife and child. It left Omega to fend for himself and that’s exactly what he did.

He’d worked out several cunning systems for securing food and shelter. He’d lived on stolen dates, olives and strawberries from local souks – always outdoors, using his swiftness and speed to get in and out without being caught. But the plan he’d devised to steal a handcrafted bronze artifact was nothing short of surprising deceit. Before the vendor even realized it was gone, Omega was halfway to an abandoned building he’d slept in the previous several nights while he hashed out his strategy. His face was dirty and his dark hair was matted beyond repair, but you couldn’t see it because of the way he draped his ratty scarf over his head and face. Regardless, Omega had finally got a huge payoff, one he’d hoped would make his father’s face change expressions… just once. He couldn’t bear to look at his cold, lifeless gray eyes any longer. But as Omega danced in with his stolen treasure, he was unprepared for the old man standing on his bedroll, looking out the makeshift window which was carved into the clay wall. His back was to Omega’s filthy face, and not thinking, he hurriedly grabbed a large hunk of hard clay and hurled it at the back of the man’s head. Without even turning around, the man simply tilted his head and let the clay go sailing out the cutout hole. Omega didn’t understand what was happening or who this silent man was, but he’d obviously seen Omega steal the two-foot piece of art and wanted to take it from him. Well he was going to have to pry it from his dead, rigid hands. The man wore the brightest white crisp cotton pants he’d ever seen; they were loose and free flowing. His long gown was buttoned up to his neck, which he held stiff and high like everything was beneath him, especially where Omega had been living. There wasn’t a speck of dirt anywhere on him and for the first time in a long time, Omega felt inadequate, despite the fact that he was still a kid. According to what he believed and had been taught… he was already a man. He’d started to inch closer, but the next words spoken to him in Persian halted him.

“You’re quite the sneaky serpent, young one.” That voice was so calm and disarming that Omega almost let his guard down… almost. At nine, he had a type of smarts a child only got from surviving. This man was someone important, if his clothes and speech were any indication, and since he hadn’t turned around to face him, he wasn’t afraid. He stood like he’d never been afraid of anything in his many years. And Omega knew at that moment that he wanted that power too. Craved it. The man was old. His long, silky straight hair was perfectly braided down his back and stopped just below his rear, and was almost as white as his gown. Omega watched him, hung on every syllable that came out of his wise mouth.

“Your name will be feared for years, even after you’re gone. You’ll do great things and your accomplishments will far exceed your predecessors.”

“I think you have the wrong kid,” Omega answered rudely, tucking his art securely under his shredded coat. He wanted to be respectful, but it was pointless. This was a case of mistaken identity. “My name is—”

“I will tell you what your name is when you’re ready,” the man answered, cutting Omega off before he could say his surname.

He watched the mysterious man take in his surroundings. His hands tucked neatly behind his back and folded into his sleeves. He didn’t look at Omega when he spoke, but even without looking into the man’s eyes, he wanted to believe him. Follow him.

“You’ll be educated. You’ll learn to care for yourself, protect yours—”

“I can take care of myself just—” He sounded like a stubborn child, but what else could he say? He’d been doing fine on his own. And when this stranger left, he’d continue to be fine. He didn’t need any help, especially if it meant degrading himself. Faster than the beat of his heart, the man’s coat flew up as he moved with startling speed and precision. The next thing Omega knew, his legs had been swept from under him and he was flat on his face, his stolen art broken into too many pieces to fix, crushed by his bony chest. Omega looked at the pieces in horror. All that work and now he was back to having nothing. He had nothing to take to his father. Omega tried to get up off the ground, but every time he did, he felt a foot land on the center of his back and push him back down.

“Stay down there. You want to live like a rat, then stay down there with them.” The man chuckled quietly as Omega squirmed beneath the black Tabi boot. All that taunting laugh did was make him uselessly fight that much harder. The old guy was so strong and he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. No matter what Omega did, he couldn’t budge. When he was satisfied that Omega had learned his lesson, he moved back and let him up. Omega was furious, he huffed air out his mouth, spittle landing on his little chin while he stewed in his wrath. He clenched his small hands into fists over and over until they hurt.

“Calm yourself,” the man said, a serious scowl on his face. He waited until Omega was able to take a few deep breaths before he finally looked him in his eyes for the first time since he’d found the man on his bedroll. Eyes, shiny and black, appeared to look right through Omega’s defenses. “I can make you a god amongst men.”

Omega didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said eagerly.

“Bow, and yield to your master.”

Falling to his knees gracefully, he did just that.

Omega took a deep breath, freeing himself from the memory. He remembered his feelings after that first encounter, after he’d been told of his destiny. He’d already felt powerful on his knees in front of his master for the first time in that abandoned shack of a building. He’d been so eager to learn and explore. Every lesson was treasured. Every move he was taught, he tried to take it to another level and make it his own. This was in his spirit; it was the core of who he was. He knew what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to help Lion and Alpha eliminate the rebellion and then he had more work to do. His own legacy to fulfil.

“Sorry Lion. I’m not your cherished,” Omega whispered into the silence.