Three Alpha Princes for an Unwanted Omega

AYLA

I stood very still as Ares came into view at the mouth of the cave, his face hard with anger and behind him were Cassian, Damon, Amara, Willow, and Alistair.

Cassian and Damon’s eyes immediately dropped to the knife pressed against my throat. I could tell they were barely holding themselves back.

I wanted to tell them that I was okay but all I could give was a wobbly smile.

"Welcome." Lucius said cheerfully. "Sorry I cannot invite you in. I am sure she has told you why."

"Let her go, Lucius." Damon stepped forward.

"Why in the name of the goddess would I do that?" he laughed.

"Because this is over," Damon snapped.

Lucius’ arm tightened around me, the knife pressing harder against my skin. One wrong movement and the blade would cut me.

"This isn’t over," Lucius snarled, his eyes sweeping over the people standing outside the cave.

"This is the part where I get what I want."

"Brother." Alistair stepped forward, his hands raised. "You do not have to do this. Surrender, and Ares would spare you. I give you my word."

"Brother?" Lucius spat. "I am not your brother. You lost the right to call me that when you sided with our enemies against your own blood. If our father could see what you have become..." he tsked. "...And you, Amara. What happened to our promise to each other? What happened to you giving me the world?"

"Lucius," Amara began, her voice strained. "This is not what I wanted."

"Not what you wanted?" His voice rose. "You saw a man who was grieving his own daughter, and you turned his mind upside down for your own petty revenge.

"I never..."

"You wanted this."

His voice cracked.

"You wanted me angry. You wanted me powerful. You wanted me to become exactly what you needed so you could use me and now you only turned against me because I refused to conform to what you wanted."

"That is not true."

"If you all think for one second that she is on your side then you have another thing coming. She is going to betray you like she has done me. Mark my words."

"Lucius." I muttered, my voice steady despite everything. "Elysia would not have wanted this."

I felt his body still against my back.

"She is right, brother," Alistair pressed, stepping closer. "Your daughter..."

"Shut up!" Lucius snarled, the knife biting into my skin. I winced as a thin line of warmth traced down my neck. The blade had nicked me.

"You have no idea what my daughter would have wanted," Lucius hissed. "None of you do. You speak her name like you knew her but you did not. I was the only one who knew her. I was her whole world, and I could not save her."

"What do you want?" Ares snapped, taking a step forward.

"Speak, Lucius... let us cut to the chase, shall we? What do we do to get Ayla back?"

Lucius’ grip on me tightened. He seemed to gather himself before he spoke.

"You will let me walk free," he said. "You will all remain here while I leave this cave with her and when I am sure I am somewhere safe, I will let her go."

"We cannot take your word for it," Cassian cut in.

"Then she dies."

"You are not going to kill her," Ares countered.

"Do you want to wager?"

"You will have nothing if she dies. No leverage... nothing stopping us from killing you." He took a step forward, his eyes locked on Lucius. "But you have my word that I will not pursue you once you are out of this cave. My men will stand down. That is my offer."

I stared at Ares, wide-eyed.

What was he doing? He couldn’t be serious.

I would much rather be dead than let Lucius walk free after everything he had done.

"Once you are out of the palace, you will turn Ayla over to us." Ares continued.

Lucius was silent for a long moment in consideration. "I cannot take your word for it either," he finally said.

"Ayla." Amara’s voice cut through the standoff.

My gaze moved to her.

"It is broken," she said. "The connection is broken."

"What does that mean?" Lucius barked, his grip on me tightening. "Stop speaking!"

My eyes widened as Amara gave me the faintest nod.

The connection... the linking spell between Lucius and Ares. She had cast it to bind Ares’ life to Lucius’, so that harm to one mirrored the other and now she was telling me it was gone which meant I could use my powers.

I closed my eyes and everything around me disappeared until it was just Lucius and I.

My breathing slowed.

I could feel the spark of my own power and I reached for it.

"Ignis" I chanted.

Lucius screamed, his body jerking backward. The knife at my throat clattered to the ground.

I dropped, snatching the blade from the ground and spinning around to face him

Lucius was on fire.

Flames crawled over his clothes and they spread across his arms and chest. He screamed and desperately tried to beat them out.

I got to my feet as Lucius stumbled toward me, trying to grab me again.

"Ayla!" Ares shouted but I didn’t look at him.

This was my fight.

I took a step forward as he reached for me and I drove the knife into his heart.

Lucius’ eyes snapped wide with shock.

He looked down at the hilt protruding from his chest, then up at me, blood sputtering from his mouth.

"I told you I was going to kill you," my voice was cold as I drove the knife deeper into his heart.

Lucius staggered, his hands clawing uselessly at the knife, his face scarred from the fire.

He turned, his gaze finding the glass box where his daughter was, and he began to stagger toward it, his feet dragging across the stone.

"Elysia..." he gasped.

Then his knees buckled underneath him and his body collapsed to the ground.