Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 882: A Touch of Winter ()

Howls echoed from the distance, loud enough to split the skies. One...two, and then dozens, too many to count or keep track of, blended together in a terrifying chorus.

A harmony that foreshadowed the carnage that was to follow.

Dozens of Eclipse warriors flooded the courtyard, blocking her view of Alessio as they lunged. They moved with such speed, it was difficult to keep track of where they emerged from or just how many they were.

Dozens, hundreds... one could hardly tell. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Lucas and Dane exchanged a look. Their grim expressions mirrored each other. There was no avoiding this battle and everyone knew that.

They’d known it since they decided to stand up against Alessio, far away from the backing and support of their respective packs and warriors. And the territorial advantage of their own lands.

Rather, they were right in Alessio’s palace. Surrounded by his warriors. It was the most disadvantageous way to begin a rebellion. But here they all were.

Lucas turned to Neveah then. This was their first meeting, to Neveah’s knowledge. Though she’d been told she was well acquainted with the young Alpha.

A complicated look flashed through his eyes, it was a blend of too many emotions...concern, weariness, relief...and many more Neveah did not quite understand.

Then he smiled, his eyes settled on one emotion, now shining with fondness, "I waited for a sign. And then I heard of your return from Dane..."

He paused briefly, his hands clenched at his sides.

"And somehow, I knew then that I won’t die today. Not by beheading...not here."

The certainty in his tone baffled Neveah. For whatever reason, Lucas Varleston seemed to trust her. Enough to bet his own life on the line.

Alessio said she’d been a woman no different than he was. But each day she learned that she was in fact different... she was a woman many considered precious and were willing to trust with their lives.

She was a woman who could move an army across domains, initiating the first war between two main domains in centuries.

She couldn’t have been as pathetic as Alessio. It didn’t make sense for so many people to rise to her command if she was.

"We will cover you." Dane’s words drew Neveah out of her thoughts. "Everything else is up to you."

Dane and Lucas led the defected Alphas to meet the first onslaught. The distant sound of thudding paws still echoed all around the courtyard.

The defectors were already outnumbered. But they leaped into the fray fearlessly, shifting mid air.

The courtyard became a blur of wolves and claws. Growls shook the earth, bones crunched beneath powerful jaws, blood spurted out of dismembered limbs, staining the grass.

The defectors were all Alphas, that would give them a slight advantage in the beginning. Their only advantage, truly.

But Alessio’s warriors still poured in steadily, rallying from all around the palace and the settlement of the royal pack.

Some Eclipse Alphas had also chosen to stand with Alessio. So he didn’t only have the advantage of numbers. He had solid warriors on his end. Even the Eclipse warriors that weren’t Alpha blooded weren’t to be underestimated.

She’d known he wouldn’t be easily overpowered, but she hadn’t realized he still had so many loyal to his summon.

"Capture Alpha Queen Neveah!" Alessio’s command propelled the warriors to turn on Neveah.

She retreated slowly as Scott moved to shield her. Dane and Lucas deterred their advance, keeping them distracted. But they wouldn’t hold for too long.

Alessio wouldn’t spare anyone or anything that stood between them both.

"Focus." Scott encouraged. You asked me if you could do it. And I said I believed in you..." He trailed off, his hand moved to his belt in a flash,

Pulling out a dagger, he hurled it at a wolf that had leaped over Dane, and shot straight for Neveah.

The dagger lodged right into its neck and it crashed to the ground with a thud.

"That’s because you’ve already done it once." He continued.

"I’ve watched you do it before. You sent hundreds of us back home to the winter domain without having been there yourself."

"So there is no doubt in my mind, My Lady. And you have King Nolan’s absolute trust."

Neveah pursed her lips, turning away from the battle. If she kept watching, she wasn’t sure she would be able to find that focus.

And by everything, she needed it now. Especially now.

The air rippled behind her, and as naturally as exhaling a breath, a portal tore open.

It was a small tear, wide enough for one traveler at a time. But for hundreds of winter wolves, it would not do.

The portal itself was a swirl of golden light, no defined routes or no link to any set destination yet.

Neveah bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood, reaching within, she searched for the power laying dormant within her... she reached as deep as she could, with all the will she could.

For a heartbeat or two, nothing happened. And then finally, she felt it.

A searing pain burned through her veins as an overwhelming force surged through it, flooding every crevice within her.

The world faded all around her. The sounds of the battle fell away. All that remained was her. Her heavy breaths, and the will she desperately held on to.

The flood of magic burned like fire in her blood. Like her veins were being forced open to accommodate a power far beyond its capacity.

Neveah’s knees buckled but she held her ground.

She wouldn’t fall. She couldn’t.

Gritting her teeth, she reached even harder, and pushed, forcing out the overwhelming surge.

The portal tore open wider, and wider, until it grew as large as a walled gateway.

"Stop her!" Alessio roared from somewhere behind.

It sounded distant. Far too distant to reach her.

Neveah kept her focus. The portal blinked in and out of view, and just then, a chilling cold gust of wind wafted across the courtyard.

It was freezing... like a touch of winter itself.