The Archer: Lost Omegas Book 1

Agreement

CYRENE

Cyrene awoke with a start. Her head was throbbing, her mind muddled. She looked around, trying to get an idea of where she was as memory slowly came back. She was in a tent. Her wrists and ankles were bound together with rope. A gag was in her mouth. Why? Where was she?

Poisoned! Lead Kohn poisoned me! The memories came back in a rush. How long had she been out? She tried to work the gag out of her mouth, but it was secured too tightly around her head to move. Her mouth was incredibly dry, her lips sticking to her teeth. Abandoning her efforts with the gag, she tested her bound arms and legs, stretching them out before her. Her movement was limited from being restrained, but she could move, a beautiful feeling after being paralyzed slowly by the poison. She wiggled her toes and fingers then let out a sigh of relief- the poison seemed to have not affected anything permanently.

The poison... she didn't want to believe that Lead Kohn had betrayed her. That he and most of the other Leads knew the truth, what they had agreed to and let happen to their own people: agreeing to provoke the Serpe by killing innocent children, allowing a whole Raposo village to be slaughtered, and paying a mercenary army to defeat their enemy with free women- women who had no say in this, no choice. This was not right. Yes, the Raposo people are starving slowly, but killing thousands, sacrificing our own... this was wrong. This was not the way.

The Raposo people need to leave their crowded villages, the land around them is barren. They need to start anew, somewhere they can plant crops and hunt game. But annihilating the Serpe Rhumba, their army, to conquer the entire Serpe territory will only bring hatred and more war. The Serpe people will never forget these acts. The civilians will surely fight the Skulk when they invade within the next few weeks. They may not have the training of Rhumba soldiers, but all people will fight to defend their homes, their land, their livelihood.

The Leads broke the vows of the Skulk to defend and honor their people. These acts did neither. Cyrene felt her heart break. How had the men she had admired, trained with, fought with, was willing to die with- how had they agreed to do this?

She kicked out her legs angrily, none of this has been fucking right! And now we are in a pit we cannot climb out of!

Doing the right thing had always felt so important to Cyrene. Her father had engrained this into her and her sister, Gwen, since birth. He had always told them that, "doing the right thing is a vow we never have to take." This is what led her to join the Skulk when she had shown talent with a bow as a child. She had not wanted to leave home, leave her sister and father. But she felt serving her people in the Skulk, where her talent was needed, was the right thing. Training hard, proving herself as worthy in the Skulk, was the right thing.

Her people's leaders- the Leads, the Commander, the King- had betrayed their own. Hidden their actions. And when she wanted to share the truth she was labeled traitor, imprisoned, given to the Lobo Berserker to keep her quiet. The thought infuriated her as much as it saddened her.

What the hell am I going to do?  Who will listen to me? Lead Jaecar? She prayed the man was one of the few Leads that did not know the King's plan. She had sent the Vibora there with Galena. She sent up a quick prayer that the Vibora honored the life debt he owed her and delivered Galena to Lead Jaecar safely. She should have never let the woman come with her when she escaped. Cyrene shoved the guilt and regret down. It would not help to become emotional, she needed to focus on a creating a new plan. Starting with how the hell to get out of these bindings.

DEIMOS

He could feel her emotions swirling in the bond. Cyrene was awake. He felt conflicted in his duties. He needed to see to his mate's punishment for shooting his king to appease his warriors, but he also wanted to complete the claiming ceremony. Surprisingly, he regretted that he would have to punish her at all. He did not wish to harm her for her actions, wrong as they were, he understood why she had shot the king- to escape. Trapped animals were always the most dangerous. He had underestimated her, and now he would have to deliver the punishment personally, as was his duty as mate, though the thought of what he must do disgusted him. The law of the Lobo said that she would meet with the lash. Struck until she bled, tied to a pole. This would be in front of the warriors, penalty for harming their king. This was the least severe penalty for harming the king. King Laran was their leader, the man who united their tribes allowing them to defeat the Oso as a Pack. He alone held the Lobo people together. His life was precious. But to Deimos, so was hers.