Omega's Truth - Nora Phoenix Page 0,86

next to Palani. “Look, asshole, this has taken long enough. I want to see my mate. Right fucking now.”

In the back, the two soldiers cocked their guns. Lars spun around at the same time as Palani. “You hurt even a hair on his head, and I’ll fucking tear you apart limb by limb,” he snarled. He looked to be seconds away from shifting, his eyes already feral.

Both soldiers immediately lowered their weapons and stumbled back. Lars growled again for good measure, and Palani’s heart warmed at the way the beta had defended Kean despite their difficult relationship.

Lars caught his look. “What?” he snapped at Palani. “He’s my brother, ain’t he?”

Brother. Well, that would work. Dropping the word stepson was probably pushing it.

Palani pivoted. Armitage’s face hadn’t regained its color just yet. “Harm any of us, and I’ll promise you that the wrath of Lidon Hayes will rain down on you,” Palani said.

He breathed in, felt it flow through him, his mate’s power. Kean was right. They had waited long enough. He lifted his chin and looked Armitage dead in his eyes. “Bring us to him. Now.”

“You’re…you’re alpha compelling me…” the general stammered. “That’s impossible. You’re only a beta.”

“I am Lidon Hayes’s mate, his beta, and as such, I have the full weight of his power. Bring. Us. To. Bray.”

29

Lidon waited until Healey had walked inside with Palani and the others, leaving the other guy—Jones—behind. Jones still looked a bit pale, his knuckles white as he clutched his rifle. Lidon had spotted the man’s reaction to his name, and his instincts told him he had an ally here. A reluctant one, a hesitant one, but Jones wouldn’t rat him out.

And so he stepped out from behind the bushes where he’d been hiding. Jones didn’t immediately spot him in the dark, but a low growl from Lidon helped. The soldier stood stock-still. Then he dropped to his knees. “Don’t kill me… Please don’t kill me.”

Lidon wanted to roll his eyes. Why the fuck would he want to kill him? It probably spoke volumes about Armitage’s reign of terror. He padded up to him, keeping his ears wide open for any sounds of someone coming. Jones’s hands were shaking, which wasn’t very reassuring, considering he still held his rifle. Lidon gave him a few moments to collect himself and realize Lidon wasn’t going to kill him.

Lidon trotted toward the front door and pawed it, then looked over his shoulder. “Y-you want me to let you in?” Jones stuttered. “That could get me killed…”

Lidon growled again.

“So could you. Good point.”

He strode to the door and opened it. “You’re…you’re Lidon Hayes, aren’t you?”

Lidon dipped his head briefly in recognition.

Jones sank to his knees again, and a shiver tore through his body. “Alpha…” he whispered as he bowed low, and Lidon slipped past him into the hallway.

As soon as he was inside, Palani’s voice drifted toward him, then another man’s. Armitage, he assumed. Two soldiers were patrolling the hallway. He gave a low warning growl. They stopped dead in their tracks, letting him pass without even moving a muscle. The smell of their sweat, their fear, tickled his nostrils. Was it wrong to derive pleasure from that? Probably. Not that he cared.

Headmaster Treese. That had to be where Armitage was, judging by the armed guards outside his office. Lidon scraped his claws over the ground. They took one look at Lidon and inched back against the wall, their hands in the air. Sheesh, not one of these men was willing to fight him to defend the general. Not a good sign for the morale of the general’s men.

Bray’s growl came to him, then another voice he didn’t recognize. “Lidon, your grandfather started all this. He’s the one who paid for the initial research into bringing the shifters back.”

What? Who the fuck was saying that, and what the hell was he talking about? Lidon padded past the headmaster’s office and followed the sound to a thick, wooden door with a window in it. He soundlessly jumped up against the door and peered through the window. He spotted Bray instantly. The big wolf was lying on the floor with his back against the far wall, facing the door.

Bray dipped his head in recognition of Lidon’s presence. He would’ve heard him, no doubt, just like Lidon had heard him. A wolf’s sense of hearing was amazing. Lidon couldn’t see who was talking, though, but it sounded as if they were sitting with their backs against the door. He lowered