His Rebellious Omega (The Royal Omegas Book 3) Read online

  My eyebrows shot into my forehead.

  “He’s not my boss,” Charolet snapped. “I would go with or without his help.”

  Rielle ignored her and stared at me. “Isn’t this treason or something?” she asked.

  “No.” My voice was sharp, and it needed to be. I wouldn’t let anyone think I was attempting to betray my pack. Most especially, Charolet. “This is a covert mission to gather information and to keep the queen’s lady safe on her journey.”

  “Well, yeah,” Charolet said. “That’s technically what it is, I guess. But it means more to me, Riri. I need to know what’s going on in the Human Keep. What if the humans can offer us true freedom? I have to know.”

  True freedom. In this moment, Charolet’s deepest desire was laid bare. I wanted to give her that. Wanted to give her everything. But was our world ready to accommodate her wishes? The speed at which true change happened might never be enough for her.

  Rielle stared at Charolet. “And if they can? What then? Will you be leaving Luxoria to join them? Will you give up on the Badlands and your family? Because that’s what it feels like, Char. It feels like you want out, for good.”

  Charolet opened her mouth to speak, her face stricken, but nothing came out.

  Rielle waited for her answer.

  “I’m not… I would never give up on you.”

  “But you’ve given up on Tavia, haven’t you? You don’t trust her anymore. And Zee, the same thing. Have you forgotten that they survived the same atrocities you have? How they fought beside you in the Badlands? That they’re still fighting?”

  I watched as Charolet absorbed her words, and I could see they went straight to her heart. She respected Rielle, and the female seemed to have a good mind about her. She would be perfect for Evander. Two thinkers. Put them together and what do you get?

  More trouble, probably.

  “They’re fighting for the wrong things,” Charolet argued. “They’re blinded by their bonds with the alphas. There is more for us than living in a castle while our homes get knocked down.”

  Blinded by their bonds. Is that what my omega thought? That we made them weaker?

  Rielle sighed. “No amount of restitution is enough for you. No number of promises to do better. Nothing Tavia or Zelene can do. None of it is enough, is it?”

  “No.” Charolet threw up her hands. “I guess not.”

  “What will be enough for you?”

  Her throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “All I know is I have to go to the Human Keep. I have to see for myself what is going on there. Maybe they have something we can bring back to help our people. Rielle, I want you to come with me.”

  Rielle stared at her, and I recognized the expressions rolling across her face. Fear. Trepidation. And finally, a decision. “You have no idea what you’re asking of me,” she murmured nearly under her breath.

  Charolet frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I will go to the Human Keep with you.” She looked at me. “Please tell me you have something for me to wear besides this dress.”

  I nodded. “In the Humvee.”

  Without another word, Rielle hiked up her skirt and crossed the sand to the vehicle, rummaging around inside for a uniform.

  There was something suspicious about her reaction to traveling to the keep. I knew she wouldn’t do anything to put Charolet in danger, but something… my gut told me Rielle had a connection to the humans or the omegas who now lived there. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I would watch her.

  Charolet turned to me, glaring. “This is your fault.”

  Her absurd accusation pulled a laugh from me. “My fault? There is no reality in the world where this is my fault, woman.”

  She pressed her lips together, knowing I was right. “Maybe if we hadn’t sent your man. If I could have explained things first…”

  “I don’t think it would have made Rielle any more ready or willing to cross the desert to the Keep.” The wind picked up and I reached over to brush a lock of blond hair from her face. In the distance I could hear the construction beginning in the Badlands. Oddly, the sound gave me some satisfaction, knowing that Dagger was keeping his word to help the omegas. Was it only because it mattered so much to my mate, or was I beginning to see the strength they could add to our pack?

  Maybe it was both.

  “What do you mean?” Charolet asked.

  “Rielle doesn’t want to go to the keep. She’s only doing it for you.”

  “You don’t think she’s concerned about the omegas there?”

  I stared at the Humvee. The windows were darkened and I couldn’t see her inside where she was changing. Charolet’s touch gripped my chin lightly and she turned my face back to hers. It was almost a thoughtless move, a comfortable move, and my hand came up to shackle her wrist and keep her there. Her breath caught, but she tried to play it off by raising an expectant eyebrow.

  “Well?”

  “I’m sure she cares about them as much as you do. I haven’t met an omega who doesn’t. But something feels… off. There’s something going on with her.”

  Charolet stiffened, her chin jutting defensively. “There is nothing wrong with Rielle. Never even imply it, because the next time you do…”

  “What?” I challenged, stepping closer. I didn’t realize I’d done it until our bodies brushed. “What will you do, omega?”

  Her breath came harder, its heat hitting me in the sternum. “I won’t let you weaken her with unsubstantiated concerns. Rielle is strong. Brave. As much a fighter as any of us.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” When she didn’t answer, I continued. “I don’t doubt her bravery, but there’s a connection between her and the keep, and whatever it is, could be dangerous. You should find out what she’s hiding.”

  Charolet narrowed her gaze. “She wouldn’t hide anything from me. Especially something dangerous.”

  “Maybe. I’ll await confirmation on that, omega.”

  “I trust her. Mister. Alpha. Sir.”

  The Humvee door slammed, breaking us apart.

  Rielle frowned, looking between the two of us. “What’s going on here? Am I interrupting something?”

  “No,” Charolet said quickly, brushing past me to the vehicle. “Ready to go?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  I followed, marveling as Charolet gave Rielle the passenger seat. Before I could ask why, she was sliding behind the steering wheel. She slammed the door and leaned through the window.

  “Give me the code. I’m driving.”

  Oh. So, she expected me to take the backseat.

  “I don’t think so, my little rebel.”

  “You said I did good driving.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t say I’d let you drive me all the way across the desert.”

  She shrugged. “I’ll take the first shift.”

  “Are you sure?” Rielle whispered, but I heard her clearly.

  Charolet wiggled her eyebrows, urging me to give her my code. I hesitated, measuring her.

  “On one condition,” I said, and it earned me an eyeroll. The action unexpectedly set my skin on fire. My omega rolling her eyes made me want to kiss the hell out of her before punishing her with my hands all over her body.

  “What condition?”

  “You consider what we talked about.”

  Her jaw went tight in defiance, but she wasn’t getting the code from me until she agreed. The question was, how bad did she want to win this little battle for control?

  “Fine,” she ground out.

  I nodded, “Fine,” and leaned into the vehicle, pressing against Charolet’s body as I tapped the code into the keypad.

  Chapter Ten

  Charolet

  “Oh, hell no.” Rielle turned to face Cassian. “You saw what she did in the armory. She drove straight through a wall.”

  I met his gaze in the rearview mirror as I revved the engine.

  “I
trained her,” he said.

  “Is that so?”

  My heart thundered as I pressed the clutch and put the massive truck into low gear. We lurched forward, and Rielle’s eyes widened. I couldn’t tell if it was fear or utter disbelief that Cassian was going along with this. As we rolled through the outskirts, the very worst parts of the Badlands, I got the vehicle under control.

  Rielle didn’t relax as we continued our journey. She’d always been wary of the humans, but I didn’t expect this level of resistance.

  Her accusation stung. I wasn’t turning my back on Zelene and Tavia, but I did feel like they were moving on without the rest of us. Their lives were bigger now, wrapped up in alpha politics. I had to make my mark in my own way. If we could pull a few lessons from the keep, and make life even better, that was an accomplishment.

  “What the hell is going on?” Cassian rumbled from the backseat. He leaned forward, gripping each of the front seats with his big hands. If he gripped any tighter, he’d rip them out of the truck.

  Clusters of omegas dotted the dessert, with bags slung over their shoulders. Some were carrying children.

  “They’re fleeing the Badlands,” Rielle said. “They don’t understand what Tavia and Dagger are doing will make their lives better. Rumors are flying about the happy omegas in the keep, and everyone’s conveniently forgotten the humans also are responsible for the mutants they’ve sent back to attack their own kind.”

  Would that have been me, if I hadn’t been able to convince Cassian to give us access to the truck? If he’d treated me as a prisoner? He’d given me much better treatment than I deserved. Certainly much better than I was used to.

  I honked and waved, the truck swerving in the sand.

  The omegas stared in astonishment and cheered when they saw who was leading the brigade.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Cassian was between the seats, with his hand on the wheel. “Don’t draw attention to us.”

  “Why not?” I turned to him, and the truck swerved again, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

  “Stop the truck. Now,” he growled. “Your shift is over.”

  I had half a mind to ignore him, but the alpha was close to tearing me out of the seat and taking my place.

  Our bodies bucked forward as the truck stopped short in the sand. My furious heartbeat drummed in my ears, and a chorus of cries grew louder.

  “They think we stopped for them.” Rielle had turned around. “Unless you plan to grow your army with a band of rogue omegas, make this switch quick.”

  I stared at the omegas running toward us in horror. If I was true to my word, I’d let them come with us. But if they traveled with an alpha and omega from the queen’s court, they could assume we’d guarantee them safe passage. We barely had enough supplies for us…

  And I had nothing to offer them but conspiracy theories and empty promises.

  “Charolet,” Cassian barked the word. “Get out of the driver’s seat.”

  I stared at him, open-mouthed. “Yes, mister alpha sir.”

  My legs were jelly as I climbed into the backseat. The omegas were closer now, close enough that I could see their faces.

  Cassian shifted into high gear immediately, and the omegas were obscured by the dust the rear wheels kicked up as we left.

  “Wait,” I pleaded. “We’re leaving them behind.” If I could see their faces, they most certainly saw mine. They’d know I’d abandoned them. The keep was far, even in the truck. The omegas would die out here if they didn’t have the proper supplies, which would be a miracle for any omega under the best circumstances.

  “I agreed to bring you to the keep so you could conduct your research. I did not agree to lead an omega revolution.” His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I will not overstep another alpha’s leadership in his district.”

  “That’s the problem with alphas. They’re all too willing to step aside and let someone else take care of it.” I crashed against the backseat. “Maybe if someone had the brass tacks to stand up for us, we wouldn’t be making this trip at all.”

  Cassian stopped the truck. He’d driven so fast the omegas were out of sight now. He turned around, lines creasing around his narrowed eyes, the gray streak in the front of his dark hair almost the same color as the ocean of sand threatening to swallow us.

  “I could’ve thrown you into the dungeon for the stunt you pulled in the armory. But I didn’t. I taught you how to drive one of these damn things. It had nothing to do with this trip, Charolet. I want you to be able to defend yourself. It’s not my say what happens in the Badlands. We have a chain of command, too. I have to protect my people.”

  I looked away from him. “You keep saying that.”

  “Why are you helping us, Cassian?” Rielle was the only cool head in the truck. “Zelene is already distraught about not being able to find Charolet. I told her you took her… Anyway, once word gets back to the Badlands omegas have spotted us, all hell will break loose. Don’t think Tavia and Dagger won’t catch wind of this. So tell me, what’s in it for you? Charolet probably didn’t ask, since she’s preoccupied with what’s in it for her.”

  I gasped. “RiRi.”

  She gave me one of her signature smiles. I’d seen her use it many times to get her own way. Manipulation was one of her favorite weapons too.

  “You’ve always been unstoppable when you’ve wanted something, Char. Now you’ve been given the means to make it happen. It wasn’t an insult. But now that we’re equal with this alpha, there’s no harm in asking him what his motivation is.”

  Cassian softened, and he smiled at her, but in his expression was something I wasn’t familiar with. An air of respect. He’d given it to me too, but I hadn’t realized what it was. Whatever he was up to, this alpha had not underestimated us.

  “If there’s a way to make Luxoria better, it’s my duty to bring it to the king’s attention. Charolet claims life is better for omegas in the Human Keep. I was there with her on her last visit, but I did not speak to the omega. I was distracted by Rupert, their leader. It’s in our best interest to encourage the omegas to return to Luxoria and fight for us.”

  He wiggled the shift column and the truck moved again.

  “Then why don’t you want those omegas to know you’re with us?” she asked.

  “We can’t help all of them. Not right now. There’s another conclusion they could come to, as word spreads back to the Badlands and eventually Luxoria. They could think this is a declaration of war, and that we plan to attack the keep. So we better get there and explain ourselves before someone else does it for us.”

  Shit. I never thought of that. It was almost impossible for me to think of the big picture because I’d spent so long fighting to survive. As much as I didn’t agree with the way the reconstruction project was being handled, I didn’t want to bring more attacks to the city.

  The alphas would lose faith in us. Our reputation as lesser creatures who couldn’t be trusted with simple freedoms would be the reason. When I came up with this plan, it hadn’t been my way or Zelene and Tavia’s way. I figured they’d live happily ever after in the castle, and I’d find a better life elsewhere.

  The plan was backfiring.

  Not only because it troubled so many people I cared about, but because it also didn’t allow for a future with Cassian. And the more time I spent with him, the more I didn’t think I wanted to live without him.

  ***

  The last time we arrived in the keep, I’d expected to be immediately torn apart by mutant wolves. Omegas that used to be friends. Even after a favorable first visit, the old trepidation returned as Cassian tucked the Humvee into an alleyway between two huge buildings.

  He climbed out of the truck, seeming familiar with his surroundings.

  “This is it?” I asked, taking his hand as he guided me out of the truck.

  “Welcome to the Keep. You won’t have a chance to see how your omega friends are truly living if we call
on Rupert.”

  Rielle shook her head when Cassian opened her door. I would never admit it out loud, but she seemed scared.

  “What’s the matter, RiRi?”

  She pursed her lips. “What if we want to leave and we can’t?”

  “If anyone hurts either of you, I won’t hesitate to start a war.” Cassian held his hand out to her, and my heart melted. Shit. This was not the time to fall for anyone, especially an alpha general.

  “The omegas here may not have heard of the changes in the Badlands, and they’ll consider a visit from an alpha an act of war,” Rielle said softly, but she took his hand and climbed out of the truck. “And we’ll look like traitors, defending him. They’ll take us to their jails—”

  “We don’t know if they have jails,” I interrupted. I definitely didn’t think this plan through. “Just because we were treated like savages when we misbehaved in the Badlands doesn’t mean that’s true everywhere.”

  Cassian didn’t confirm or deny Rielle’s claim. He unbuttoned his leather jacket, folded it in half, and laid it on the passenger seat before he closed the door. Now he was only wearing a skin tight undershirt that looked like it was painted against his muscles. He might have been older than the rest of the generals, but he hadn’t lost any strength.

  He was absolutely breathtaking.

  “I’ll blend in a little better like this,” he said.

  Yeah, right.

  He turned to me. “Okay, Charolet. Show us what you think is so great about the Human Keep.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Cassian

  The Human Keep was just as I remembered it. Except this time we weren’t walking in the front door to a parade of mutant guards. I led Charolet and Rielle through a cut portion of the rusted chain link fence that surrounded the farthest outskirts of what used to be a great city in the days before the Great Dust Storm and resulting solar flares brought a thriving civilization to a halt.