Fever (The Omegaborn Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  I grinned.

  “Let’s fucking do this,” I smirked, and the gathering roared all around me.

  We were all prepared to go to war.

  Chapter Two

  Nikki

  The omega sanctuary was overcrowded. There were far too many of us. Once abandoned apartment buildings were now full, many just days away from being rightfully condemned, but we all knew the city never put any funding into this travesty of a place. It was just a prison for all of us and a Band-Aid for those who ran the domed city of Tharia.

  Everything I had planned had gone wrong. There hadn’t been enough time to make it to the city walls after we had released the anti-suppressant, a drug we’d developed in the omega underground to counteract the effects of the airborne suppressant. All of the omegas I had planned to get out of the city had gone into heat, including me, far more quickly than any of us had planned for. The newly awakened alphas had been unable to resist us, and we’d all suffered. Some of us had lost our virginity that day, thrown to the ground and fucked through the worst of estrous, but not me.

  My heat had only just begun when a group of alphas had targeted me, thinking they would best the leader of the omegas. I’d fought hard, putting a number of them down with my tranquilizer dart gun, but eventually they’d overwhelmed me, torn off my clothes, and captured me. They’d carried me off with the worst of intentions, but the beta army had been watching. Every single moment, they’d been watching.

  They’d watched as the group of alphas touched me, pinched my nipples, and slid their fingers through the growing wetness between my thighs, a small hint that my heat was approaching soon. They’d watched when those alphas had pawed at the cheeks of my ass and spread me open to their view, despite my protests of shame. The alphas had growled with their dominance and the omega within me had faltered slightly, unused to that kind of power.

  Just as the group of alphas that had grabbed me were about to throw me to the ground and fuck me senseless, the beta army had intervened. They’d fought off the furious alphas by sheer overwhelming force of numbers and taken me captive instead. A number of the alphas had died in that fight, and the rest involved with my capture were banished outside the walls.

  I never learned any of their names. I didn’t even remember their faces.

  Instead, the betas had forced me into a cell. Had injected me with suppressant and my heat had thankfully faded under the chemical intervention of the drug. All remnants of estrous had diminished within a very short time span, including the feverish heat and uncontrollable arousal.

  I’d become myself once again in a matter of twenty-four hours.

  Now I was back where I started. Prisoner within the omega sanctuary once again. And I blamed one person in particular for everything going to shit.

  I fucking hated the city, but most of all, I hated Philip Savile. He was the leader of the domed city of Tharia, a beta who hated the existence of all alphas and omegas. He detested that omegas would never desire him, but most of all, he loathed that he was physically smaller and inferior to any natural alpha. He’d spent countless time and energy trying to expose every alpha and omega in the city. He’d even devised a way to permanently alter our kind and get rid of our natural instincts once and for all.

  He’d been working for some time on something called ‘The Omega Solution.’ It was a scientific based treatment that worked by genetically modifying our DNA. Essentially, it would permanently erase our omega natures and would do the same to any alpha as well.

  Since we’d been captured and imprisoned within the omega sanctuary, he’d been ramping up efforts to maximize development and approve its widespread use. Destroying our natures was something he’d always worked toward and he wouldn’t stop until he had accomplished that.

  I also knew that no matter what he did, we’d never be free if we stayed within the city walls. We’d always be jailed and treated as animals unless we could make it out.

  Since my last escape attempt failed, I didn’t know if we would ever have another chance. I hung my head in my hands, feeling like a failure. My mind was full of could haves, would haves, and should have knowns. It was difficult to focus on anything else.

  I looked at a map, my eyes glancing over the mostly uncharted lands of the wilds.

  I wondered if Ellie had made it safely outside the walls. It had been several weeks since I sent her out there. She was another omega who had lived in the omega sanctuary with me for a long time and had been a crucial part of developing the anti-suppressant here in the omega underground. During the chaos of our failed escape attempt, she’d been claimed and bonded to an alpha who went by the name Ehsan. He was a gentle merchant man and seemed to care for her. With his protection, I’d sent her out into the wild to meet up with Triss, one of the only omega women who had managed to escape with the help of her own three alphas.

  I hoped Ellie had survived. It was a gamble, but we needed those outside the walls if we would ever make it out of here. Our only chance at escape was with the help of the alphas from the wilds and those banished from the city. If they were to agree to assist us, we’d have just the slightest chance at freedom.

  Was it too much to hope for?

  I lifted my head and stared down at the blueprints I had garnered of the city layout. Some of the blueprints were our own, underground tunnels that we’d dug and expanded over the years to travel to various corners. Right now, I was underground in the omega sanctuary, an area we’d kept painstakingly secret from any of the guards or government officials.

  It was our own place, where we lived free from prying eyes and abusive guards, and where we planned our initial attempt at escape. It was where we conducted our own scientific investigations and developed our anti-suppressant, where we sold our wares and made food from what resources we had. It was the only place we called home. It was also the base of the Omegaborn, an organization I led that was devoted to ensuring the eventual freedom and escape of every mistreated omega forced to live in the sanctuary.

  And now with the influx of all the awakened omegas from the city, it had gotten much more crowded than it used to be. Every apartment housed more than one woman, food was growing scarce, and clothes were hard to come by. We were suffering more than ever and as of now, I had no solution to any of our current problems.

  It seemed hopeless.

  A gentle knock on the door sounded and I lifted my head, trying to push away all thoughts of my defeat from my head. I sighed and shook my shoulders, putting on a strong and confident face. I had to stay strong for everyone who was suffering here. I was their leader and I had to act like it.

  “Come in,” I called out and sighed in relief as Gemma entered the room. Her tender smile met my gaze and I grinned softly in return. I noticed that she looked like she’d lost some weight. I’d have to see that she received some extra portions, even if they were my own.

  Gemma had been the subject of much abuse at the hands of the guards here and I took it as my personal mission to look after her. Some time ago, the guards here at the sanctuary had discovered contraband on her, a cotton t-shirt bra instead of the regulation undergarments we were supposed to wear. They’d beaten her harshly and without a care, resulting in a multitude of scars all over her body. She hid them with long-sleeved shirts and pants, but both she and I knew they were there. At the very least, the guards had left her face unmarred.

  As a result of that trauma though, she stopped speaking altogether. Instead, she communicated with her hands and with a sort of sign language the two of us had designed to talk to one another.

  Hurriedly, she signed to me to follow her. I cocked my head and lifted an eyebrow. The expression on her face looked worried, a little relieved, and quite a bit scared. She adamantly signed at me to follow once more. With a sigh, I pushed myself up from my chair and followed her down the hallway, toward the entrance to the underground. There was a group of people gathered there and as I drew closer, I tried to figure out who they were.

 
The first person I recognized was Ellie’s sweet little face. Her soft brown eyes met mine as she pushed her dirty blonde hair behind her ears. She looked happier and more content than I had ever seen her. She appeared to be stronger, had put on some much-needed weight and seemed much healthier, likely under the guidance of the alpha standing right behind her.

  “It’s good to see you two again, Ellie, Ehsan,” I murmured almost in disbelief.

  Her bright brown eyes lit up when she saw me and she smiled, cocking her head sweetly to the side. I was happy to see they had made it back safely.

  “I’m so happy to see you!” she exclaimed. She bounded toward me and swung her arms around my neck, and I gathered her in a hug.

  “I’m happy to see you too,” I whispered in her ear.

  It was then that I noticed that along with Ehsan, she’d brought back three strangers with her, three massive huge men who stood behind her and stared at me with inquisitive, challenging eyes.

  They looked like alphas.

  I’d sent Ellie out into the wilds in hopes of garnering their support. Instead, they sent three of their men, probably to take over my role as leader and undermine me here. I grimaced.

  Fuck that.

  One of them had dark, mussed hair that was on the shorter side and a full beard tinged with gray that gave him an intense salt and pepper look. His green eyes narrowed in my direction, full eyebrows angling slightly downward as he stared me down. He was big and beneath his buttoned-up forest green shirt, I could tell he was incredibly strong. The buttons of his shirt strained around his chest, indicating that he was hiding a chiseled physique underneath all that fabric. His shoulders were wide, his abdomen tapered down to lean hips, and his legs were thick and muscled. He stood with his hands behind his back, like a military man would do as he studied me. He was an intimidating sight. He was the one who worried me the most.

  The alpha standing directly next to him looked like a warrior from a far-off land. His hair was a chocolate brown, pulled back into a tight bun at the back of his neck. He had a trimmed beard, but the tattoos across his face caught my attention. A single black line surrounded his eyes and extended to his ears, giving himself the aura of a powerful fighter who wasn’t afraid of anything. His dark eyes met mine and he grinned smugly. I shivered, running my eyes across the furs on his shoulder and the intricately carved leather armor covering his chest. Dark black pants extended down to leather boots. Leather bracers guarded his wrists. This man looked like he was ready for war.

  The third alpha had dirty blond hair that was just long enough to run his fingers through. He looked at me lazily with deep blue eyes, almost as though he was deciding if I was worth the effort or not. He had strong features, a blond beard, and a tattoo that decorated his exposed right arm. He wore simple dark brown leather armor that covered his chest but left his arms bare and unencumbered. A thick leather belt hung low around his waist, holding up black cotton pants. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, just studying me as he did so. It was slightly intimidating, to say the least.

  The sight of the three men unnerved me. They looked like they wanted to say something, to admonish me for my role here, and I just didn’t have the will power to deal with men like that tonight.

  “I met with Triss,” Ellie began. “Outside the walls, the Central Gathering met, and it was decided that they would help us. They sent these three men to begin preparations, to help train the omegas and to coordinate our attack together,” she explained.

  “How is Triss?” I asked then, trying not to focus on the glowering alphas behind her.

  “She’s doing well. She seems happy with her alphas,” Ellie answered and then I turned my attention back toward the men she had brought with her. I’d have to deal with them, at least briefly.

  “My name is Nikki. I lead the Omegaborn,” I said, introducing myself to the three of them. The one who reminded me of a soldier stepped forward first.

  “I’m Ethan,” he replied, then offered his hand. I took it and he shook it firmly and with respect as a military man was trained to do. With a step back, he moved aside, letting the others come forward to greet me.

  “I’m Viktor,” the warrior with the tattoo across his eyes said. “It’s good to finally meet with you.” He stepped toward me and nodded in greeting and I smiled tightly in return.

  “Alaric,” the blond man leaning against the wall offered. He didn’t move from his position at all. My gaze crossed over him, sensing that there was more to him than met the eye.

  “It’s nice to meet you all. I’m sure you’ve had a long journey and are tired from it, probably hungry too. Gemma, see to it that everyone is fed and housed safely down here in the underground tonight. Ellie, come with me,” I commanded, and the alphas looked slightly put off at my dismissal of them, so I thought it might be best to pacify them, at least for now. “Let’s reconvene in the morning when everyone is well rested,” I offered then and that seemed to appease them, at least a little.

  I turned and gestured for Ellie to follow me into my office. The two of us walked down the hallway together, back into my office. Her alpha came along with her and stood against the wall, watching and protecting her. I didn’t protest. Thus far, he’d never interfered with my role here and I liked it that way.

  We sat down at the blueprint-covered table and talked a bit about her journey. I asked her more about the wilds and what they were planning, and she filled me in on most of the missing pieces. She told me that they’d snuck back in via the water drainage pipes that snaked deep underground and connected with our tunnel system. Then they’d made their way here. She had come in order to introduce the alphas from the wilds, so that they could help us begin preparations here in the city and connect us with some important allies among sympathetic betas that lived in Tharia.

  Another omega knocked on my office door, interrupting us for a brief second to inform me of another attack. Recently, a higher number of increasingly bold guards had taken it upon themselves to punish the omegas.

  “See to it that she’s well taken care of. If need be, move her down here and give her all the medical care she needs. Don’t be afraid to dip into the reserves if we have to,” I replied and the omega nodded, rushing off to fulfill her duties. I sighed and shook my head, rubbing my forehead with my fingers.

  “It’s not safe for you here. You should go back to the wilds, where you’ll be protected from the monsters under this wretched dome,” I finally said, and Ehsan grunted his agreement. I looked up at him, meeting his eyes and I knew then that the two of us were on the same page.

  “I will. When the time is right,” she answered confidently, and Ehsan sighed heavily. Ellie’s face fell just a little and she wiggled in her seat.

  “If I had it my way, I’d carry her off into the wilds and fuck her senseless. It’s safer than this place, even with all the alphas running around out there,” he said, and I giggled softly at him. Ellie narrowed her eyes in his direction, her expression blatantly daring him to try. Ehsan uncrossed his arms and dropped his hands to his belt and Ellie quickly turned away, a practiced look of feigned innocence crossing her features then.

  “Just you wait until you find an alpha that will tame you,” she teased.

  “Not likely. I’m far too independent-minded for just any alpha,” I answered, and her face lit up with amusement. She didn’t answer and Ehsan snorted as he tried to stifle a laugh. I didn’t comment, choosing to ignore their response.

  “You should get some sleep. I’ll meet with the alphas in the morning and together, we’ll devise a plan to prepare for the battle that is to come,” I added, and she nodded enthusiastically.

  “Good night, Nikki,” she answered. “Be nice to the alphas. They’re good men,” she added.

  “Sleep well, Ellie. Good work,” I replied with a grin and she gazed back at me, her expression unreadable.

  I watched her walk out of the room and I sat back, lost in thought.

  How was
I going to handle this new development?

  Chapter Three

  Viktor

  I’d seen the way this omega had looked at me. Her icy blue eyes had appraised me with scorn, likely unused to answering to anyone but herself. Her silver-colored hair, rich and soft, had shone in the ambient light, just begging to be pulled back so I could kiss those delicious little pink lips of hers. She’d be a difficult one to tame. Feisty. Furiously passionate and fiercely loyal. A true omega and a worthy treasure.

  I wanted her already. I wanted to purr and growl for her, wanted to make her pussy wet with slick as she trembled with need before me. I wanted to hear her beg for my cock and scream my name when I fucked her.

  I was used to getting what I wanted.

  And I wanted her.

  She’d brushed us off and hadn’t even waited to hear what we had to say, but I knew we had left her feeling off center. She felt threatened by the presence of three alphas like us.

  Good. She should be.

  Gods. I fucking wanted to teach her what it meant to be subdued by an alpha. A claimed omega blossomed under the rightful watch of her mate and I yearned to see what she would become. Here under the dome, though, she was stifled by the presence of the suppressant. But not us, we were all alpha.

  Ellie had seen to it that we were injected with anti-suppressant, a more permanent version that allowed us to maintain our nature as we were meant to be.

  The omegas had fed us and led us away to a small bunker that we could rest in. I couldn’t sleep though. Instead, I moved stealthily through the darkened hallways. The underground was mostly abandoned at this hour. The omegas had retreated back to their aboveground shelters, projecting normalcy to the guards that roamed above. None of them had any idea what existed down here, and I aimed to keep it that way.

  Alaric and Ethan had gone to bed, but I was restless. I had business to take care of though. I had to find and meet with Damiyen.