The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 233

Alexander

My vision tunnels as I collapse to the floor of the Great Ballroom, the crystal goblet shattering beside me. Cold fire races through my veins, a painful contradiction that feels like being simultaneously frozen and burned from the inside out. Every nerve screams in protest as something fundamental inside me begins to tear apart.

Through the haze of agony, I hear my father’s roar of rage, see guards surging forward, feel the collective shock rippling through the assembled dignitaries. But most clearly, I see Selene’s face above me, her perfect mask finally slipping to reveal complex emotions–determination, regret, and something that might be remorse.

“Only I can save him,” she announces to the horrified crowd, her voice carrying with practiced authority. “The prophecy has been set in motion. The ritual must be completed tonight, or your heir will die.”

The betrayal cuts deeper than the physical pain. Despite my suspicions, despite all the warnings, some part of me had hoped she wasn’t fully complicit in her delegation’s plans. But the ceremonial words falling from her lips confirm everything–the Northern delegation has orchestrated this moment meticulously.

The splitting begins at my core, where the dual nature of my powers has always resided in uneasy balance. I feel my Alpha strength and healing abilities pulling away from each other, no longer complementary forces within one being but opposing energies fighting for dominance. The sensation is exactly like my nightmares–being torn in two, each half of my nature becoming distinct and separate.

Chaos erupts around me. My mother rushes forward only to be intercepted by members of the Northern delegation. My father bellows commands to his guards, but somehow Selene’s people have positioned themselves perfectly to create maximum confusion. Through it all, Selene kneels beside me, her hands moving in ritualistic patterns as she continues to speak words in

an ancient dialect I barely understand.

“Fight it,” I gasp, trying to resist the splitting with every ounce of willpower. “Whatever they’ve given me

“It’s too late,” she murmurs, her eyes meeting mine with unexpected honesty. “The dream flower essence has triggered the division. Your dual nature is manifesting physically.”

The pain intensifies beyond anything I thought possible to endure. My vision doubles, then triples, reality fracturing along with my essence. I reach desperately for the mate bond with Lyra, clinging to that silver thread as my only anchor in the maelstrom of agony and confusion. My last thought is of the beautiful woman I never had the chance to get to know, to claim as mine, and

my heart breaks right along with my body.

And then, with a sensation like glass shattering inside my very soul, I split apart.

Alexander’s Alpha Half

I wake to chaos and restraint. Strong hands hold me down, voices shout orders, and rage–pure, primal Alpha rage–courses through me with unprecedented intensity. I struggle against my captors, a growl building in my throat unlike any sound I’ve made before.

“Secure him!” Baron Krell’s voice cuts through the din. “The Alpha essence is stronger than anticipated!”

Alpha essence? The words penetrate my fury momentarily. I look down at my hands, expecting… what? Something different? They look solid, normal, except for a strange quality to my skin–an almost luminous intensity that pulses with my anger.

Comprehension crashes over me. The splitting ritual succeeded. I am no longer whole–I am only the Alpha half of Alexander Sterling, all dominance and strength without the tempering influence of healing ability.

173

Chapter 233

+25 Bonus

“Where is the other half?” I demand, my voice deeper and rougher than normal. “What have you done with my healing essence?

Magistra Vega appears in my field of vision, her severe face calculating as she studies me. “Fascinating,” she murmurs. Complete separation, yet full cognitive awareness in both aspects.”

11

“Answer me!” The Alpha command in my voice makes several guards flinch.

“Your healing essence has fled,” Vega informs me dispassionately. “As expected. It is of no consequence to our purposes.”

Fled? The concept makes no immediate sense, yet some instinctive understanding forms. If I am here, restrained by the Northern delegation, then my other half–the physical manifestation of my healing essence–must be elsewhere. But where? And in what form?

I reach inward, seeking the familiar presence of my healing abilities, and find nothing but absence–a hollow space where half my being should exist. Yet strangely, I can sense a distant connection, a tenuous thread leading away from this room, away from the palace center entirely.

The mate bond. Even split apart, that silver connection remains, and my healing half would be drawn to Lyra just as instinctively as I was when whole.

Momentary relief washes through me. If my healing essence has found its way to Lyra, she might understand what has happened. She might know how to help. But immediate concerns demand my attention as Selene approaches, now dressed in ceremonial robes of silver and blue.

“The binding circle is prepared,” she informs Vega, her eyes deliberately avoiding mine. “The moon reaches its apex in thirty minutes.”

“Excellent.” Vega gestures to the guards holding me. “Bring him. And ensure the restraints are secure–his Alpha essence without the moderating influence of his healing ability is unpredictable and dangerous.”

As they haul me to my feet, I realize we’re in a private chamber adjacent to the Great Ballroom. Through the partially open door, I glimpse the aftermath of chaos–royal guards engaged in standoffs with Northern forces, diplomats being escorted to safety, my mother’s voice rising in authoritative command despite the confusion.

“My father will tear this palace apart to find me,” I warn as they lead me through a concealed passage I didn’t know existed.” Whatever you’re planning won’t succeed.”

“Your father is currently occupied with a diplomatic incident of unprecedented proportions,” Krell replies coldly. “By the time order is restored, the binding will be complete.”

“And what exactly is this binding?” I demand, testing the strange metal shackles that somehow suppress my Alpha strength.” What do you hope to accomplish by splitting me apart?”

Vega glances back at me, her expression clinical rather than malicious. “The prophecy speaks of balanced power restoring what was sundered. Your unique combination of Alpha might and healing ability makes you that balanced power–but it remains unfocused, undirected. By separating these aspects and binding your Alpha essence to our bloodline, we ensure the prophecy fulfills itself according to its original intent.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify