My Mate Is An Omega
My Mate Is A Virgin Chapter 44

Jasper

POV

Before I met Andromeda, there used to be a heavy weight on my shoulders, a consequence of the problems I had been avoiding all my life. It slowed me down, keeping me trapped in the past, even if I wasn't fully aware of the negative impact it had on me. After I met Andromeda, it seemed to gradually fade away as she encouraged me to stop running and to believe in myself.

A huge part of that weight was lifted off me on the day I recognized and confessed my insecurities to her - and to myself. I felt even lighter the moment we completed the mating process, which was when I finally came to terms with who I was so I could work on becoming better. Then, my confidence started overshadowing my fears on the night of my coronation. The news about my unexpected powers overwhelmed me at first, but it didn't take too long for me to learn how to control them. Still, I never felt lighter than I did after our simple, perfect date.

Honestly, I don't even know what had gotten into me; all I knew is that I had never been more...me. It all came so naturally, like I wasn't even trying. Phoenix helped me plan part of the date, yes, but the words that came out of my mouth... That was all me. It was possibly the first time the l**t I felt for my hot mate didn't speak louder than the love I felt for her. I wanted nothing more than to tell her exactly how much she meant to me, and I did.

Considering my past, I never imagined I would turn out to be the romantic type, but I guess the flames inside of me were also burning down my inhibitions.

"No." Phoenix's strong voice took me by surprise. "They were already melting down before our powers were awakened. We wouldn't have gotten them otherwise."

My wolf's wise observation made me stop and think, but I couldn't dwell on the matter for long as my queen soon burst through the door of our room. Noticing her queen aura, I immediately knew it was time to get to work.

"The details for welcoming the warriors are all in order," Andromeda informed me. She headed straight to the bedroom mirror to style her hair in her classic up-do, not bothering to look at me as she went on, "Adriana told me the members of Silver Tooth Clan have already crossed the borders of our territory. Are you ready to come greet them with me?"

With only three days left for the war, the warriors our few allies agreed to lend us were already arriving at Snow Pelt. We would spend the next seventy-two hours training them, and making them familiar with the strategy we had carefully developed to defend our clan. It wasn't a lot of time, but it would be enough to prepare them.

In the middle of this stressful situation, I found some joy in knowing that among the men and women we would be welcoming into our clan were fifty members of my old pack. Although Lance didn't specify exactly which wolves he would be sending, I was sure I knew most of them. I might have even battled alongside some of them in the past. It was exciting to think we would have another chance to fight together even after I left Diamond Tempest.

Taking a deep breath, I switched to my king mode as I marched to my queen's encounter. She stiffened when I wrapped my arms around her waist without warning, but I didn't miss the way her stern features softened, her muscles soon relaxing against my touch. I firmly spun her around to bring her to face me. For the first time since she entered our room, her attention fell on me.

"Yes, I'm ready, My Queen." I took a step back, offering her my hand. She showed me a small but sweet smile before her face turned serious again. Together, we walked out of the Queen's Chambers and towards the entrance of the castle.

The moment we stepped outside, we could already see the army of thirty foreign lynxes approaching us. The head warrior of Silver Tooth was the first to greet us. He was the one to whom we passed the instructions regarding the cottages they would be residing in during their stay, as well as the training schedules and meal times. Not long after he excused himself, taking his men with him, the warriors of Shadow Storm - our second and last ally clan - also arrived.

Because Diamond Tempest was located further from our lands than our other allies, it was only natural for them to be the last to arrive. I stood beside my queen in front of the castle, trying my best to conceal my excitement about seeing some members of my old family again, but when my eyes locked on who was leading the wolves, my stern façade fell.

I thought Lance would send Brett, one of his best warriors, as commander of the army. Or maybe even Charles, his new Gamma; I heard Cordelia had enchanted the bionic arm I designed for him in order to allow it to transform with him when he shifted into his wolf, thus making him capable of fighting again.

Instead, he sent his Beta.

"Luke?" I whispered in disbelief, my eyes wide as they locked on the blonde man.

With a subtle gesture, he signaled for the wolves behind him to stop. He flashed me a small smile before kneeling in front of me, lowering his head.

"It's an honor to serve you, Your Highness," Luke said playfully before I commanded him to stand back up. He then greeted my mate, showing her even more respect. "My warriors and I will fight to the best of our abilities, Queen Andromeda." "Thank you, Beta Luke." She nodded her head at him.

"Where's-" before I could even finish my question, a blur jumped in my direction.

"My drinking buddy!" Megan chanted happily. I remained unmoving, surprised by her sudden bear hug. I could feel the lynxes of my clan staring at us in confusion, and judging by how the Beta Female soon pulled away, I guessed she did too. "Holy, cats aren't used to warm greetings, are they?"

"Not really, especially when it comes to their leaders," I confessed, fighting to hold in my laughter. "But we're working on it."

"Either way, it's nice to see you again." She tapped me on the shoulder.

My queen cleared her throat, catching the wolf couple's attention. "Make yourselves at home. We have prepared a special room to accommodate you two. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to come to me." "Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Andromeda." Megan bowed her head at my mate, who gave her a curt nod in response.

"Well..." A mischievous smile played on my lips as I turned to my former Beta. He had once been above me in our hierarchy, but it seemed times had changed - and I wouldn't miss the opportunity to mess with him. "Welcome to my kingdom..." I opened my arms, gesturing towards my lands. "Where I make the rules."

"Actually, I make the rules." Andromeda soon put an end to my fun, making me frown. She could have let me abuse my power for a little longer. Smiling at my friends, graceful like the queen she was, she continued, "Leave your belongings with the servants. I would like to personally show you around."

"Are you sure, Queen Andromeda? We don't wish to burden you," Luke politely observed.

"Family is never a burden," she insisted. I couldn't help but smile at her words. Diamond Tempest's second-in-command dismissed his warriors before he and his mate followed us.

First, we took the Beta couple on a tour around the castle. Although Diamond Tempest had a far larger territory, they still seemed quite impressed with the grandiosity of our home. I could understand it though; my old pack had a pretty modern Town Hall, but it didn't compare to how pompous our castle was.

Once we were done, we guided them across the snow covered hills surrounded by tall gates. There was nothing too special to be seen, but our majestic lands were quite a sight to take in. Arriving at the woods near the border, where we had more privacy, my mate and I were able to put our royal masks aside for a moment so we could relax with our friends. They updated me on what was going on back at their pack, and I proceeded to tell them about how chaotic the month following the discovery of my powers had been. "Have you any idea how dramatic your friend is?" My mate scoffed as she talked to the Beta couple. "The day he found out about the Phoenix Spirit, he acted like it was a curse."

"Oh, I can believe it!" Megan laughed. "I'm sure it was just like the day when he met you and realized he would one day become king. So many shifters would die and kill to be in his shoes, yet he'd rather hide away in a corner!" "There was also this one time when he-"

"Okay, that's enough." I glared at Andromeda. She simply chuckled in response, clearly amused at my embarrassment.

"Back to the subject of your powers..." Luke changed the topic, a huge grin on his face. "You said you learned to control them. What exactly can you do?"

"Want me to show you?" I replied with the same excitement, easily understanding his proposal.

The next second, we both stood up from the fallen tree trunks where we were seated. My eyes were locked on the man who would soon become my opponent, but I could still feel Andromeda rolling her eyes at the amount of testosterone filling the air, something she definitely wasn't used to.

"Are all male wolves this hot-blooded about biting each other? Are they descendants of fighting dogs?"

"It's not only the males who enjoy it," Megan confessed, laughing. "It helps release stress and keep us in shape. Plus, it's a fun pastime.

“།

I guess there are some things I'll never understand about your kind." My mate sighed.

"You think you can beat me now, stray?" Luke teased, already removing his shirt. Even after all the hard training I did with Adriana, he was still way buffer than me.

"I might not have been the best warrior back at Diamond Tempest, but things have changed, old friend," I bit back, getting rid of my clothes as well until I was only wearing my boxers.

"Ha! We'll see about that!"

In the blink of an eye, Luke's beast took his place. It had been a good few months since I last saw the sterling white wolf with intense golden eyes and unique blueish-gray markings. King looked even bigger than I remembered, although it was probably due to the powers my former Luna gifted him with. When he was hanging by a thread after the battle where Diamond Tempest defeated the bears for once and for all, Caitlyn gave him her Original bite to save his life, thus enhancing his werewolf abilities.

"He was stronger than us two months ago, sure. But he won't stop whining after I set his a*s on fire." The moment I freed Phoenix, he let his tongue stick out of his mouth in a wolfish grin. Although I laughed internally at his remark, I kinda wanted to see that happen.

Like the strong born-Beta King was, he didn't hesitate to lunge at us. Since Phoenix had become used to fighting lynxes, who would patiently wait for their opponents to make a mistake, he almost didn't dodge in time. The adversary's sharp teeth grazed against his hide, but it wasn't enough to tear his skin. My counterpart shook his head to regain focus; we weren't fighting werecats now, we were fighting a wolf, and we couldn't forget that.

However, some of the techniques we learned at our new clan could come in handy.

After planning his next move, Phoenix pretended to go for the Beta's paw. When King retreated to avoid our fangs, we headbutted his chest instead, causing him to lose balance. With the agility we had to acquire in order to beat the skilled huntresses of Snow Pelt, we took the opportunity to grab the opponent by the scruff of his neck, spinning him around and throwing him a few feet away from us.

King's warning growl as he pulled himself back up let me know his adrenaline was starting to kick in. At the same time, I noticed the stares of a few lynxes who were silently gathering around us, eager to watch a combat between two wolves. Because they were sneakily hiding behind bushes or blending in with the snow, I doubt Luke was aware of their presence; I, on the other hand, had grown quite sensitive to it.

Eager to show us his power, King sprinted in our direction. My wolf quickly stomped the ground, causing a barrier of flames to arise in front of us, blocking the opponent's path. The Beta stopped abruptly when he noticed the fire. It was the perfect distraction for us to put an end to the fight before Luke learned all of our tricks.

And when I saw the white beast's eyes widened as we jumped right through the flames, Phoenix grinned.

After I started training to master my pyromancy, it didn't take me long to realize that fire couldn't burn me. No matter how long the flames licked my skin, they couldn't hurt me, nor leave marks. Honestly, it wasn't much of a useful attribute in battle, especially because I had to hide my powers from outsiders. However, as long as I remained within the walls of our territory, I could take full advantage of it.

With the surprise attack, Phoenix landed on top of King, who was still too shaken by what he had seen to think quickly enough to defend himself. The moment my black-and-auburn wolf wrapped his jaws around the opponent's neck, he sealed the end of the battle. Once the Beta acknowledged defeat, Phoenix proudly climbed off of him. King grunted in annoyance as he stood back up, shaking the snow off of him. I have a feeling he would have been able to beat me in a fair fight, but because he didn't know the extension of my powers, I had the upper hand. But then again, he had also been gifted with the bite of the last living Original, so I doubt it would be a fair fight either way.

I was about to suggest a second round when dozens of roars broke the silence around us. The lynxes who had been silently watching us came out of their hiding spots to celebrate their king's victory. One by one, they shifted back into their human form, and despite my shock, I found myself doing the same. It was impossible not to hear their whispers as I hurried to get dressed again.

"Look how amazing our king is!" One of the females chanted.

"Did you see how he stopped the other wolf with his flames? He will make our clan become one of the strongest in the country at this rate!" Another werecat uttered excitedly, her eyes glistening in amusement.

My concentration was broken when I felt Luke's hand on my shoulder. "It seems they look up to you even more than the wolves did." I had to blink a few times to process his words. "I'm happy to see you finally found your place in this world, Jasper." A smile spread over my lips as I realized he was right. "It seems I did."