Chapter Eleven
Nikki
Most of my omegas made it out. I’d seen a number of them fall, which I’d known was going to happen, but it still tore through my heart just the same. Their faces forever entombed in the finality of death would be permanently seared into my memory for the rest of my life. For a second, I allowed myself to grieve, but then I quickly pushed it aside.
Now was not the time to focus on death. We had a war to win.
Behind me, I could hear the alpha horde roaring with their approval. They were ready to fight. With the Omegaborn safely out of the city, I climbed up onto a boulder, lifted my arm up into the air, and shot a bullet into the sky, signifying it was time for the horde to invade.
The wilds went insane with their battle cries. Now that I was out on the battlefield with them, I could see even more of the army they had built. This area of the wall had a clear sight for miles, with trees edging around the grassy plains. The number of people fighting with us covering the lands was both a terrifying and imposing sight.
I looked out across the frontlines and saw a line of colossal elephant-type creatures with massive tusks and dark brown fur running toward us. They were huge, at least several stories high and angry. Metal armor guarded their sides as well as the top of their heads. On their backs were large baskets that held a fair number of alpha soldiers prepared to fight on the front lines. The elephants hurtled forward, trumpeting with fury and waving their tusks formidably back and forth as they did so.
In that moment, beta soldiers came pouring out of the city and the whoops and cries of the alpha horde surged forward. Hooves and paws pounded into the ground and at the edges of the plains, a quiet thunder rumbled, the sound formidable and ominous.
I remembered the red eyes of the beasts in the trees, the ones that breathed fire into the air above. I turned toward where I saw them last in the forest and then, they began to emerge from the trees. I didn’t recognize them. They crawled forward on all fours, their movements like those of a mountain lion. They appeared as though they were gray, almost as if they were covered in soot in the light of day. Their faces were feline, with scarlet eyes, sharp teeth, and giant bull-like horns that glowed red just beneath their skin, almost as though actual fire burned within its veins. On either side of the battlefield, ten of these creatures raced forward, their movements like a cheetah racing across the grassy plains.
Beside me, Damiyen grunted his approval.
“The skotaurs haven’t gathered in those numbers since ancient times,” he said softly.
“They’re terrifying,” I responded quietly, breathless as I watched them move across the battlefield with both grace and deadly speed.
The skotaurs reached the first segment of beta soldiers, attacking first with vicious claws, but then something changed. Their nostrils breathed smoke and when they opened their mouths exposing vicious fangs and brutal roars, they breathed fire down onto the beta soldiers.
They had no defenses from that kind of attack. They’d expected gunfire, knives, and even small explosions, but nothing like this.
The elephants reached the outpouring of beta soldiers next, sweeping their tusks back and forth, knocking them over, crushing a great many more, and skewering others with a vicious intensity that left the beta army reeling. The elephants stopped for no one. Once they reached the wall, they jumped up on their hind legs, placing their front feet on the edge at the top and allowing the alpha soldiers to use their bodies like a ladder. The soldiers within the baskets climbed out onto the walls, firing their guns and swinging their swords as they took out the horrified soldiers who watched with a sense of disbelief.
The alpha soldiers met the beta army with a fervor that spoke to their feral natures. They tore through the superior numbers, surging toward them like a hot knife to butter. Overhead, the great birds soared back and forth, some of them dropping large boulders from high above onto the dome. The riders atop their backs took out a fair number of betas guarding the walls.
With the alphas at the forefront of battle, the Omegaborn joined in with them, using their smaller size and stature to weave easily in and out of danger, cutting the tendons behind their enemies’ knees with precise slashes that left them defenseless.
The horde fought hard and soon enough, they had gained ground, edging closer and closer to the wall. The betas still poured out of the city, trying to keep the alphas out but even I saw that it was a losing battle.
I stood tall on my boulder, watching. Observing. Prepared for whatever this battle was going to throw at me.
To my right, I saw a redhead fighting beside her men. I quickly realized it was Triss. Next to her, another woman fought by her side. I didn’t recognize her, but she was a brunette, likely an omega by the looks of her. They fought through a few beta stragglers and then made their way over to me.
“Triss. It’s good to see you alive and well,” I grinned.
“You too, Nikki,” she said, while watching as my eyes turned to her fellow soldier. “This is Raven. She’s been tremendous help to us in furthering the cause,” she then replied, cocking her head toward the brunette omega female.
“It’s good to finally meet the woman who inspired all of this,” Raven said, and I couldn’t help but smile warmly in her direction.
“You’ve gathered quite an army out here, you two,” I observed, glancing out along the field to see the numbers rushing the gates, the massive amount of people who had come to help free the omegas from their prison and the oppressive beta rule they’d suffered under for so long.
“We’ve had a rocky past, us two but when we come together, we’re a force to be reckoned with,” Raven said and Triss smiled.
“Never thought I’d see the day where the two of us would fight together as allies, side by side,” Triss replied honestly, her gaze nervous as she glanced back at Raven.
“How about fighting side by side with me as a friend instead?” Raven asked, meeting Triss’ eyes warmly. The air between them held a slight air of tension, but it quickly withered away into nothingness. I had a feeling these two had a rich history, but whatever it was had been pushed far away in the interest of coming together in order to fight for what was right.
“I can do that,” Triss grinned and then they turned to me, their faces serious then, but they paused when Ellie and Ehsan ran up to join us too.
“Nikki,” Ellie gasped, slightly out of breath. Her eyes looked worried and the lines at the corners of her eyes were crinkled with anxiety.
“What is it, Ellie?” I asked, glancing around us to ensure that we weren’t in any imminent danger. I saw nothing so I turned back to her instead.