Epilogue
Nikki
We had worked hard for our triumph and for a short time, it didn’t feel real. But it was. We had taken Tharia and made it the property of the people once again.
The beta army had surrendered completely that day. I’d lost a fair number of the Omegaborn, far more than I wanted to and it hurt me deeply. Over the next few days, the wilds honored them with brightly lit funeral pyres, with flowers and with prayers to the gods. The alpha horde had lost a fair number as well, but they only grieved for them after they paid their respects to the omegas who had died that day on the battlefield. They had insisted on it.
The beta army had lost the greatest number of people and we spent several days both burying and honoring their losses too. In the wake of such civil war, we were all equal. It didn’t matter if we were omega, alpha, or beta. We were people and we all deserved a chance to grieve. We all deserved a chance to come together and rebuild as one.
Over the weeks that followed, many things changed. Stocks of suppressant were handed out to all the omegas, something we’d prepared for in the aftermath. A number of Damiyen’s allies volunteered with handful of alphas to lead the city together and abolish the use of the omega sanctuary. Most important, the Central Gathering agreed to live in peace with those in the wilds as well as open both travel and trade routes when needed.
Many of the omegas chose to venture out into the wilds, but a fair number of them decided to stay in the city. A number of the banished alphas decided to return as well, helping to rebuild the city walls and the dome. A voting system took place and those who decided to stay had chosen to reinstitute the suppressant system. Only the alphas and omegas who decided to live in the city had participated in the vote, indicating that they felt happier without their natural instincts fueling their decisions. They’d said that it made things easier, simpler, and ultimately safer for the betas who they would live with within the city walls.
During the state of rebuilding, the omegas had all faithfully taken doses of injectable suppressant, ensuring the safety of everyone involved.
Raven, Triss, our men, and I helped to institute a variety of systems and put them in place before we all made preparations to depart the city. Triss and Raven stayed and designed a more permanent suppressant together. Once completed, those who decided to take it would have their instincts suppressed pharmacologically for as long as they needed. The only way to reverse it would be to take an anti-suppressant to counteract it. They worked as colleagues and friends, together with many of their coworkers from their original place of work, Genwell.
Soon things began to fall into a rhythm, to feel normal in the city.
Ellie and Ehsan had returned to help too, but I ensured that she spent more time in her alpha’s arms than working around the city. Occasionally, I would send her on missions to deliver messages to important dignitaries, but it was only just enough to keep her busy on occasion. Tomorrow, I’d tell Ehsan to run away with her, to throw her over his shoulder and do what he wished with her. She’d been instrumental in the war and she deserved a just reward, even if it meant a good, hard fucking from her alpha. I grinned at the thought.
All alone, I stood atop the wall, watching the sun set through the dome.
I knew it was almost time to go, to leave Tharia for good. I knew Raven and Triss would want to follow me too now that everything had fallen into place. I didn’t want to stay here. There were far too many bad memories for me. Instead I looked out into the wilds, seeing my future in those dark and mysterious woods.
Footsteps sounded behind me and I turned.
It was my mates.
“There you are,” Ethan said. I lifted my eyes to meet his and he grinned, the skin around his eyes crinkling with excitement. The four of them approached me and reached for me. I melted into their embrace, feeling the effects of day after day of planning, meetings, and keeping up with my responsibilities as leader of the Omegaborn.
Damiyen passed me a rather large silver flask, smirking knowingly.
“You work too hard, Nikki. Live a little,” he whispered, and I giggled softly.
I took it from him and lifted it to my lips, taking a large swig as I did so. The whiskey burned as it spread across my tongue, slipping down my throat and making me shiver from its fire.
“Take another. There’s more where that came from,” he promised with a wink. His good mood was infectious, and I did what he said, enjoying another swallow of the hard liquor before they beckoned for me to follow them.
The five of us walked along the rebuilt wall, watching as the sky gradually grew darker. When the first glittering stars shone bright from high above, we ventured down into the streets of the city. They’d come alive with people, alphas, betas, and omegas alike, no longer afraid to move about at their leisure.
It really happened. I’d freed the omegas from their oppression, with the help of a great number of people. I was so happy.
I walked with my mates, lost in my own head until I realized that we’d come upon the neighborhood I’d grown up in before I had been forced into the omega sanctuary. We walked a bit further and stopped in front of a building that I recognized very well.
It was my childhood home.
It had long since been abandoned, but it appeared as though someone had taken the time and effort to clean it up. I bit my lip and turned to look back at my men.
My gaze slowly meandered from Viktor, to Alaric, to Ethan, and then to Damiyen.
“You may not decide to live here, but we wanted you to have the option if you wished to stay here,” Ethan began, and a gentle warmth spread through my heart, the bond pulsing between the five of us.
“It’s not a great adventure, I suppose, but if this was what you wanted, I’d stay for you,” Alaric replied.
Viktor didn’t say anything. His eyes met mine, sparkling with amusement. He knew what I was going to choose.
“I don’t want to stay in Tharia,” I replied. “I want to explore the wilds with the four of you. I want to experience the wonders of the world beyond the walls.” The four of them nodded with understanding, turning away, but then I cleared my throat. They looked back expectantly and I smirked.