Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (23 page)

All his erratic crazy behavior was because he was fighting himself, fighting his mind, his nature. He’d been ingrained with the same teachings as the assassins around him, but even his master realized that Omega did things in a unique way. He knew he could love. That had to be what he was feeling, because the nervousness and flutters in the pit of his belly whenever Lion was close to him or caring for him – he’d never felt those feelings before. Lion was his, forever. Would even that be long enough? He shook his head, then pushed his thumbs into his temples. The headache was trying to take over, too many echoes of what he should or shouldn’t do. His natural reflex was to run, run from the conflict, from the difficulty… but he couldn’t. It didn’t work last time he’d tried that – he’d barely survived it – this time, it just might kill him.

Lion slowly pulled Omega’s hands down from the rough kneading he’d been giving himself and began a slow massage over his temples, moving almost sensually to the backs of his ears. Lion’s touch felt so much better than his own did and he felt himself calming.

“I can say all the right things, but I can show you better,” Lion finally answered his question.

“Show me,” he said quietly, before he thought through the significance of his words.

Lion ducked his head so his lips brushed the corner of Omega’s mouth when he spoke. That soothing but masculine tone gave him serenity from head to toe. He felt the words down in his bones before Lion purred roughly, “Yield first.”

Omega gasped then took a couple large gulps of nerves. His head still pounded as ideas, possibilities, regrets, and new beginnings all swam around in his head. Now he had to yield. He’d almost forgotten about this part. It’d been so long since he’d yielded. He’d only done it twice in all his thirty-plus years. He, of course, had yielded to his master. Then he yielded to Alpha. A lifelong promise, more binding than any metal circle he could put on another man’s finger and just as easily remove it whenever he chose. But when he yielded, he did it from deep inside and there were no takebacks. 

“You need this and you know it. Your mind is warring with itself again. How will you fix it?”

Omega took his time, but not another second was required. The afternoon was disappearing, the sun low in the sky, leaving behind an array of colors that could only be described as romantic. It was perfect. He’d made his decision and it was soothing him already. Omega looked up into Lion’s gorgeous eyes.
Gods, he’s all mine.
He stared until he was satisfied, stared until he remembered every detail on Lion’s handsome face. His smooth forehead, sharp nose, and those lips. He could kiss them right now, but first…, “I’m not going to fix it.” Omega paused, maintaining eye contact to show his strength, then he very slowly, seductively, lowered his lashes over his eyes and turned his gaze down to the earth beneath his feet. He felt Lion release a gust of air, like he’d been holding his breath. Lion needed this as much as Omega did. He didn’t let it his eyes stay down long, this wasn’t a submission. No need to get on his knees to show his respect. An assassin always looked a man in his eye, whether they were simply conversing or he was getting ready to kill him. For Omega to cast his eyes down for even second was him recognizing Lion’s command over him. “I don’t need to fix, because… you will… my cherished… my alpha. I will obey you, honor you, and trust you to guide me through life… forever. I will fight beside you always, until the day I fall. I yield to you, Firuz Nikahd, man of triumph.”

Lion kept one hand behind Omega’s neck, with the other he cupped his chin and lifted his head higher. Lion placed the most delicate kiss on his lips, accepting the yielding. “Thank you,” he whispered. “
ātashé del-am
– fire of my heart. I won’t fail you Erik, leave you, or desert you. Although you won’t need it, I’ll protect you with my life. If we fight together, we’ll be victorious together or we’ll fall together. I will honor you forever, Eriktor Amjad, man of glory.”

No massive ceremony was needed. No flowers or cake that reached the ceiling, no witnesses. Only them, nature, the gods, and a kiss. Lion kissed Omega like he’d never been kissed before. Pulled him tight in his big arms, squeezing him against his broad chest, and Omega’s mind eased. The voices were quiet, nothing pulling him in a million directions. Just his cherished, making everything click into place. He never thought he’d see the day.

While they solidified their union under the evening sky, Omega caught the sound of a whirring, like a machine. Odd. He was sure everyone was inside. He pulled back and Lion frowned a moment before recognition dawned on him, too. Something wasn’t right. The piercing shrill of the protective raptor in the sky had both of them dashing around the house at the same time Alpha, Call, and Hawk ran out the front door. Another man was with them, and Omega recognized him as Viper, Call’s engineer and technology specialist. He and Lion had been so consumed in their pairing they hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

Omega pointed out what he saw: the hawk was trying to capture a flying device that was hovering around the second floor of Pierce and Hawk’s home, the slight flashes on the drone indicated it was taking pictures. It was a powerful one, one that even the raptor was having a hard time bringing down.

“Is that yours?” Lion demanded, turning and speaking to the new arrival.

Viper shook his head, snapping pictures with his own high-tech gadget. “That’s not even American.”

“Hawk!” Call ordered, “Take that thing out.”

By the time the long-range eliminator could get to his rifle that thing could be gone. The drone had already began to descend to get better shots of them and Omega sprang into action, Lion right beside him. “It’s too high,” Lion spoke calmly.

“No it’s not.” Omega kicked into second gear. He was always fastest on foot. When the drone circled around to the side, it dipped lower but was still just under the second level. The average man with a running start could vertically jump about three feet. The second floor of Hawk’s home was at least sixteen feet from where he stood. He’d need a boost. He turned the corner, rounding the side of the house, the other men trailing, trying not to let that drone disappear. When the device dropped another few feet, he saw it as his only chance. He was more focused than he’d ever been and it felt great. He noticed Lion fall back, taking note the drone was flying back towards them. Omega slid to a halt and changed direction, running directly back towards Lion. When the drone flew over Omega’s head, Lion crouched his large body and Omega leapt, using Lion’s back as a spring board. As soon as his Tabi boot touched Lion’s broad back, he felt his cherished bolt up, propelling him the few extra feet he needed. With his arms outstretched, he grabbed the sides of the device and held on like it was a football and he was right at the end zone. A surge of victory flooded him as he prepared his body to fall. He tucked and rolled when he hit the ground, Lion right there to break most of the fall for him. They were in sync already.

Lion extended his arm to Omega, pulling him off the ground with the large mechanical device whirring angrily in his grasp. He smiled broadly. Not because he’d gotten the drone, but because Lion had the most proud expression on his face, and it pleased Omega that he’d put it there. This was him. This was what he was all about. He was the man of glory. He couldn’t fail.

ἈΙ

aLPHA

He was in awe. Look at his brother. He didn’t know how or when, but at some point, Omega had yielded to another alpha. A myriad of emotions flooded him, but he kept his face impassive. He wasn’t jealous by any means. To be jealous was troublesome to others and a torment to one’s self. Alpha was unfamiliar with those feelings. It was an emotion impossible for him to feel. Only an insecure man could feel envious of another. He was still and always would be the Black Tiger.

As he watched Lion praise Omega on a job well done and for his quick skill and thinking, Pierce took the drone and quickly yanked out a few wires, the device making a sad groan before it died.

“What the hell, Hawk?” Call rounded on his third in command, the authority figure in him demanding answers.

Hawk looked just as confused as the rest of them. “I’m completely off the grid here, there’s no way it was led here by me or Pierce. Every device and computer hook up is fully secured.”

“How do you know for sure?” Call asked.

“Because all of Peirce’s equipment utilizes the same security the Pentagon uses, that’s how I know.”

“It didn’t arrive until Viper did,” Pierce stated. The genius was quickly working out the sequence of events before the drone appeared. “It had to have followed you, Viper. There’s no other explanation. Lion, Alpha, and Omega have been here a few days, now. If it was led by them, we would’ve seen it by now.”

Viper looked like he wanted to argue, but the facts were the facts. “I know how to move in silence, Backhander. Just because I’m not a damn assassin, doesn’t mean I can’t move under the radar. Call?”

Alpha shook his head. Sometimes he really didn’t understand the Beastmasters’ thinking. Why was this ex-Special Forces soldier looking to his man for the answers? He was the one that led it here, he needed to man up and retrace his steps to see where he faltered, but Alpha wasn’t addressed, Call was, and he’d let him answer.

“Viper. Start from the beginning,” Call ordered.

Once they were sure that there were no more invaders, they went inside and immediately moved to Pierce’s headquarters, which was basically a huge basement that held only high-tech equipment, as well as (most likely) a lot of programs and software that the average citizen didn’t possess, couldn’t possess without being federally charged or indicted. Alpha was rather impressed with the setup.

Viper sat down in one of the many chairs throughout the room and the others pulled in chairs to create a circle so the man could begin to tell how it came to be that as soon as he arrived, so did a foreign drone. Pierce was steadily tapping keys with Hawk standing over him, leaning in close as pages flew by almost in a blur. Alpha had no doubt that Hawk didn’t miss a single page.

While Viper laid out his daily activities over the last couple days, he busied his hands with disassembling the drone. Hopefully all the images that were taken hadn’t been transmitted to whoever was operating the device. Alpha didn’t understand the use of these machines that were invented to replace man. He did not believe a machine could do a better surveillance job than a man. Sure, it might be safer, but didn’t danger come with the territory? How did a man reap glory for the success when a machine did all the work?

“Like I said. Definitely not American. Unfortunately.” Viper paused. “If I had to guess, this was sent from within the US but operated by a Middle East organization. The manufacturer information has been eliminated, but the technology is not as advanced as what America has. There’s a lot of talk in the Pentagon of a small extremist organization that seems to have risen up out of nowhere, and they’re recruiting fast and stacking lots of money. I only got this through the grapevine –” Which Alpha figured was code for a Delta group that technically had no identity. “– but they have a wealthy benefactor who’s allowing them to grow exponentially.”

Lion stood, his long strands of golden hair had fallen free of his man bun from his and Omega’s amazing stunt act. Alpha had never felt more proud himself. He’d been Omega’s teacher for years, so he couldn’t help feel – know, – that he had a huge role in Omega’s development. His reign as one of the most successful assassins in the Order’s history wasn’t supposed to end when Alpha’s did, that’s why Lion was there. The elders had set Lion up to perform dual services. To not only build a reliable army to take down the rebels, but to also bring Omega back to continue on his path. He was glad that Omega had finally stopped fighting Lion, and yielded like he needed to, because as soon as he did… the man of glory Alpha had always admired showed up. It was like a switch had turned on and lit Omega up like the firecracker Alpha knew he could be. He’d leapt at least ten feet into the air, with minor assistance, and captured a flying object.

As if he felt Alpha thinking of him, Omega turned, and Alpha was so relieved to see the look of complete composure on his handsome face.

Lion’s strong voice surrounded them. “The benefactor is our Order. No one is funding their operation willingly. They are using stolen money – all those unknown transactions, sabotaged seizes – from their own brethren is what they’re using.”

“How do you know this?” Viper stood, eyes tight, as he looked Lion’s massive body up and down. “What’s your fuckin’ story?”

Omega stood behind Lion now, his position already rooted in his mind, primed and ready to attack at Lion’s – his new alpha, his cherished – command. Alpha smiled. It was amazing to see. He knew others didn’t understand their way of life, but Alpha thought it a beautiful thing. It was like a marriage. They’d promised themselves to each other. But this pairing was different, because Omega would not only receive the guidance he so desperately needed in the field, but also the love he’d craved but never admitted to needing.