Oberon's Ultimatum
Oberon's Ultimatum:2353words
Update Time:2024-11-01 09:41:04
[Austin] The fire in the center of the room never stopped burning, even after I noticed that there was nothing fueling it. It was the only thing keeping those creatures from coming into the center of the room. I noticed a torch above the opening we came through as well. They were keeping the creatures in here with just the power of light. Their eyes, at least the ones that had eyes, glinted with a malevolent gleam. But despite their obvious hunger and aggression, they didn’t dare cross the boundary of light. I thought being locked in the cells for a week was bad. This was so much worse. There were no silver bars or taunting Alpha’s son, but those creatures were much more frightening. I knew they were strong, and I knew there was nothing human in them. A shiver ran down my spine and Carmen reached out to take my hand. “Trust in our Alpha, Austin. Trust in our goddess. It will be alright,” she said, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “I wonder how long it will take. I don’t want to spend the night in this place,” I answered. “Me, either.”Time seemed to drag on. Every so often, I would get up and walk around the fire before sitting again. Sometimes Carmen would come with me. She would hold on to the collar her father’s wolf wore and guide him around in a circle around the fire. It was the safest place for us. My nerves were on fire as we waited for anything to happen. The entire time, my stomach twisted uncomfortably. Carmen looked calm, though. I tried sitting still and closing my eyes, hoping that was the answer, but I jumped at every sudden noise. “Austin, hold my hand. Let’s ask the goddess to watch over our loved ones and help us get home safely. Come on,” she whispered to me. I opened my eyes and saw her holding her hand out to me. Gemma told me that Carmen believed in the goddess harder than anyone she ever met. Carmen was grateful to the goddess even though she was born a blind werewolf. For a lot of my life, I was mad that the goddess didn’t stop my old Alpha from taking me away to raise as his son’s companion. The hurt and the way they treated me made me mad. I was even more mad about how I saw the other omegas being treated. They practically spoiled me compared to what they did to the others. I was mad that the goddess allowed it. She loved us, but she let people like that live and have power over others. For a long time, I didn’t believe she really loved us. She couldn’t if she allowed them to hurt the weakest members of their pack. Gemma wasn’t as religious as Carmen was. She showed me how the goddess loved us, but couldn’t always protect us. Because she wanted us to be happy and curious, she gave us freewill. Gemma said that giving us freewill was for our own good, but that it meant others could choose to do bad and terrible things. The goddess couldn’t get directly involved, because that would take some of our independence from us. Instead, she guided the right people to the right places. If they followed her guidance, then they would be rewarded. I took Carmen’s hand and closed my eyes. I breathed in deeply. It reminded me of when we prayed for Willow, the human who died because of these creatures. I had an intense feeling of warmth fill me. It could have been the goddess, or it could have been Carmen who was saving me again. Either way, it made me smile, and I calmed down. Suddenly, the air shifted. It was almost like the temperature had dropped, but it was more than that. The hairs on my arms stood up and my wolf was on high alert. Carmen squeezed my hand, and I opened my eyes to find her turned toward the entrance to the cavern. A tall man stood under the torch. He reminded me of Carmen’s friend Rosario, but he was different. His hair was white as snow and very long. He definitely looked like someone with a title. “Even in these conditions, you believe in the goddess? She will not save you. No one is going to save you,” he said. I stood up and stepped between him and Carmen. It was obvious that I couldn’t beat this elf, but I could slow him down and I could make it take a hell of a lot more effort to take her away. He sneered at me and looked down his nose like I was trash. I’d seen that look for most of my life. It wasn’t as painful coming from someone who wasn’t important in my life. “You think you can play the hero, wolf? You’re the reason she’s here. Carmen agreed to come with my men in order to spare your life. She’s not impressed by your show. She’s annoyed. Her instinct was stronger than her sense of self-preservation. Carmen couldn’t stop herself from protecting you. Now she’s going to die.” My heart dropped into my stomach. Ever since we’d met, she’d protected and cared for me. Gemma told me how strong Carmen felt about protecting others. Carmen protected everyone from bullying or being picked on, despite her blindness.Carmen’s dad stood by me and started growling. I could hear Carmen standing and felt her hand on my shoulder. I didn’t want to look. Seeing that he was telling the truth was too much for me to bear. “I didn’t realize that giving up on our goddess made elves less honorable. I suppose if you can give up your vows of loyalty to her, you can give up on anything,” Carmen replied with venom in her voice that I had never heard before. The elf’s sneer deepened. “You are in no position to talk about honor. You are a blind werewolf, an abomination made of fae magic and a greedy man’s ambition. You have no place in this world.”Carmen flinched, and I could feel her grip on my shoulder tighten. I growled at the elf, but he didn’t seem impressed. Carmen closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and frowned at the elf. “I was created for a reason, Oberon. My grandfather might have been greedy, wanting power without paying the price for it, but that doesn’t mean my existence means any less than yours. The goddess values all her children,” Carmen responded. “You heard what the wolf called me earlier and thought you could impress me with your knowledge? How very pitiful,” he scoffed. Carmen’s grip on my shoulder tightened, and I could feel her body tense. She was ready for a fight, but I knew we couldn’t win against him. Oberon was too powerful. The air around us felt heavy and thick like a storm was brewing. “Your arrogance will be your downfall. The goddess doesn’t look kindly upon those who abuse her children,” Carmen replied, her voice low and dangerous. Oberon chuckled, the sound sending shivers down my spine. “And you would do well to remember that you are no match for me, little wolf. That is why you’re in my dungeon, and not the other way around. Your goddess isn’t here to protect you. All you have is a blind old wolf and a frightened omega. I have much, much more.” “Did you just come here to bicker and gloat? Or is there a reason you’ve graced us with your overbearing presence?” Carmen asked. “Were you not getting enough attention? Were you not feeling special enough?” I turned to her with my eyes wide. What the hell was she doing? Insulting the guy who owned the dungeon wasn’t the best way to get out of said dungeon. “I’m here because you’re here. I have a proposition for you,” Oberon told her.“We have nothing to talk about. I am not doing anything for or with you,” Carmen replied.“You’re wrong. I think you’ll find that I’m not giving you a choice, my dear,” Oberon said.He stepped aside and two men in masks carrying chains and cuffs came in. They set it down on the floor in front of Carmen and me. Carmen jumped a little at the sound of the metal hitting stone. “What are those?” she asked. “They’re for you. The ritual chains created with certain metals in order to strengthen Drakaris as he uses you and feeds on your magic and life force. Your grandmother, the woman your grandfather wanted more than his mate, was half-human. Not particularly rare, but that human was the great-grandson of a Templar. A taste of your father’s blood told Drakaris that much. “Imagine how much power he could get feeding on a hybrid of the god and the goddess’ chosen children? With the activated fae blessing on you, you would give enough power for Drakaris to enthrall more followers. It will be enough of a boost that we can start converting more to our cause. “Unlike other people with goals like ours, we are in no hurry. After he feeds on you, we will leave the area. No one will ever find your body.” Oberon chuckled darkly. “I am not putting those on. I would rather die than give you what you want. Did you really think I would say yes to a proposal of my own death?!” “Of course not. We know much about you thanks to your father, here. So I will give you the option. Your life for your friend’s life. You put on the chains and give yourself to my demon and I will release the omega wolf. As an added bonus, I’ll let him take your father as well.” My heart sank at Oberon’s words. The situation was dire, and I could tell that Carmen was struggling to come up with anything to save us or buy time. We couldn’t let him take her life like this.“I won’t let you do this,” I growled, stepping forward. Oberon turned his gaze to me, his eyes narrowed. “And what will you do about it, little omega?”Carmen pulled at my shoulder, trying to bring me back to her side. I wouldn’t let her, though. I kept myself between Oberon and Carmen.“Austin, don’t. You can’t beat him. I love you. You are my best friend’s mate and also a dear friend to me. I won’t let him hurt you. But I also know that Oberon is a liar and is likely an oath-breaker. He’s taunting me with this offer. Once I have the chains on, he’ll just kill you and my father. I’m not falling for that, Oberon,” Carmen answered with a scowl. “It doesn’t matter what you ‘fall’ for. Those chains are going on you. You can choose to save your loved ones by coming willingly, or I'll sacrifice them to Drakaris as well if you don't. Though I would prefer the former, I have no issue with the latter,” he replied in a dark tone. I watched as Carmen’s face contorted with anger and frustration. She was fighting a battle within herself, trying to come up with a solution that could save our lives. But I knew we were running out of time. Oberon didn’t seem to be a patient man. It didn’t matter. I could see the moment when she decided. “Carmen, don’t do this,” I said, trying to talk some sense into her. “There has to be another way, something else we can try.” “I’m sorry, Austin. If I’m going to die either way, then a chance, even a slim one, of you living is more important than my pride. Gemma needs you. Don’t make her sad by trying to be a hero, okay?” she whispered. “No.” “Please, don’t fight me on this, Austin. I still outrank you in the pack, and I can order you to stand aside. I’m not being brave. I’m being realistic. We can’t fight our way out and there are hundreds of people between us and the entrance we came through. I know it’s not a guarantee, but it’s a chance.” I tried to fight the tears that I could feel forming in my eyes as I looked at her. My resolve was slipping away. I didn’t want to die, but I couldn’t let her go through with this. Not just to save me. When Carmen went for the chains, I moved in front of her and pushed her away from them. Carmen frowned at me. She tried again, and I did the same, stopping her from reaching them. “Austin, stand aside,” she ordered in a tone that made my wolf react. Ranked blood wolves could issue orders. They weren’t as strong as ranked wolf orders, but they didn’t need to be all that strong to work on omegas. I couldn’t stop myself. I took two big steps away from Carmen and the chains. A whine came from me as I fought the order. “No,” I said in a strangled whisper. Carmen gave me a sad look, then started putting the chains and cuffs on. She had to be using her magic to see because she moved as if she were any other werewolf. Her dad didn’t stop her, he just watched sadly. “Wonderful. Let’s go to the sacrifice room, shall we?” Oberon asked with a grin. “Let my father and Austin go,” Carmen told him. “After you’ve been a good little sacrifice. If you suddenly decide to fight back, I need collateral. Remember, you remain willing or I kill them, too.” Oberon turned and left the cavern. One of the masked men went to Carmen’s dad and clipped a lead onto the collar he was wearing. The other grabbed me by the arm and twisted it behind my back painfully. “Move, bіtch,” the man holding me commanded Carmen. She growled but did what he said. They marched her father and me out of the cavern behind her. Dear goddess, please don’t let Carmen die!