After his conversation with his sister, his heart sank. Now Hicante had even more reason to locate Greyness. Everything going on pointed to Greyness potentially being neither Alpha nor Omega, which wouldn't be wrong under any other circumstance. In Brilliance, it would be fatal if some ignorant fool attempted to force a relationship upon him during the rutting period.

How coincidental that almost every Alpha and Omega was going into heat right when Greyness arrived. Yeah, this wasn't something that wasn't triggered, no, not at all. Not to mention that it occurred right after most citizens gathered at the Shrine to hear the news. Someone or something must've spiked the food and water within the Shrine. Otherwise, there wouldn't be many pheromones in the forest right now.

Now extremely worried about the situation, Hicante Moralez streaked toward the healer's house through the woods. The last thing he wanted was for Raj to do something unintentional that would set off the vampire's curse on Greyness Gideon Farthing. Even as he ran, he tied back his unruly black hair out of his eyes and blinked before uttering a stream of expletives.

An odd aroma floated through the woods, and his fur bristled. Damn, one of those creatures roamed about in an evident rut. Hicante's nose was wrinkled. He suspected that Greyness had no idea of what kind of situation he'd wound up in. "Someone screwed this land when they brought him into the mix."

Hicante shook his head wearily. "Someone didn't get the memo about his spiraling into severe depression." No doubt doing it with the notion of him saving Brilliance. That might've worked if Greyness cared about different worlds anymore. By Hicante's reckoning, he'd stopped caring about other worlds' fates about two hundred years ago when his vampiric curse activated. He destroyed an estimated three galaxies' worth of civilizations. "When something like that happens, it is no wonder someone's faith in their control over abilities takes a huge hit."

Since that happened, Greyness hadn't bothered to bring victory to the worlds he'd been dumped on without warning. He'd just let them wither and die with them. Thus, setting the reincarnation and return to his home in a never-ending cycle. Hicante slowed and stopped running shortly before halting in front of the beautiful small building. He took a moment to appreciate it before realizing something wasn't quite right.

*

Throughout this debacle, Samira was speechless at all the craziness within minutes of Grey's arrival. All the hair on her body stood upright because of the latest electrical strikes happening. There was no mention of potentially fatal lightning strikes occurring, much less rain beginning to fall either.

"Is it just me, or do we have a bizarre event that not even an Oracle could predict?" Samira was exasperated and began sneezing when other scents began piling nearby.

"Don't worry about the weather," Raj advised. He tossed her a different cloak to cover herself with. He wrapped one around Grey and did the same for himself.

"Thank you for the cloak, Raj," Samira appreciated his thoughtfulness.

"I noticed an alteration in the atmosphere and building density of the clouds." Raj inclined his head politely. "As for the sudden fragrances," He paused and looked around with concern. "This just isn't right. How long have we been wandering around in a daze?"

Samira and Raj frowned at each other when they realized they'd been led into a pheromone trap. "Damn," Samira muttered. "Of all times for this to happen." They didn't even know if Grey was an Alpha or Omega and were surrounded by this mess.

Samira sighed and took stock of the situation with rising discomfort. She didn't need a rut set in at all times. This was awkward and potentially undignified since neither she nor her fiancé had marked one another. Who would have thought something like this would take place in the middle of a primarily uninhabited forest?

Raj grunted. "Cover your nose so that the other senses won't activate." Samira glanced at him and realized why his voice was muffled. He didn't hesitate to take his advice. As for Grey, there was no telling what he might do while they were taking a breather.

Samira did as advised. She heard another hissing noise. "Another one is about to strike." She yelped. Right then, Hicante showed up and took in the situation. He was not yet affected but was aware of Grey's odd circumstances. He may have some helpful advice to give them.

Even if he didn't, he would be one more person who would at least help them get Grey to the healer's hut.

Raj glanced at Samira and then Hicante. "This is about to get complicated." All heard him grumble at them.

"I'm not going to ask why other than assuming it has to do with all those damned pheromones floating around?" Grey grunted from where he rested on Raj's shoulder.

They'd barely managed to dodge that strike.

"They're going to be more as long as we're out in the open," Grey warned. "Someone didn't want me coming here, and we're about to receive a third strike." His low voice rumbled. "Someone approaches us, but his intentions are at least somewhat noble, unlike a few others that were scared off by the lightning strike.

"In other words, even if the strikes were dangerous, they also provided minor protection for the three," Hicante mentioned wryly. "We need to get out of here.

"Are you kidding me?" Samira could have been more pleased. "Can we even outrace the strikes at this point?" She would prefer not to worry about being electrocuted by lightning, even if it was a product of Grey's appearance. "I'm wondering if we're sane to be out here right now."

Hicante grunted. "I only came out here because I knew that something potentially catastrophic might occur with his arrival." He rolled his eyes. "This was the last thing I thought would happen. Now I don't know what to think about all of this." He shrugged when Samira scowled at him.

"Okay, genius, do you have any good ideas of what to do, then." Her angry snap made the two men sigh.

Hicante held up his hands. "Other than ensuring that no Omegas or Alphas pounce on Grey, not a clue, sorry."

"Knock it off, you two. This isn't the time for this." Raj interfered and frowned at Samira. "Well, you were warned that it would be dangerous."

Samira grunted. "I didn't think it would be this bad." Nor had she considered the possibility of someone attempting an assault on Grey. Now that would indeed be catastrophic." A sigh escaped her.

"At least now we know why," Raj commented.

Samira shook her head. "No, I think this has something to do with my fiancé, though I don't understand the specifics." She folded her arms in frustration as she contemplated everything and finally gave up.

With everything happening, it wouldn't shock her that her erstwhile fiancé likely was caught up in an orgy by now. Depending on the number of participants. It wouldn't surprise her if the engagement were cut off. His antics weren't viewed with pleasure by her family at all. In the time spent away from the man, Samira realized she didn't think she was a good fit for him or the country, for that matter.

Raj slanted Samira a long stare. "Don't start brooding until we learn all the specifics." He suggested. "For now, we just need to survive the trek to the house." He stated. "Then do all the soul-searching you want to do. At least there, you can do it without interruption."

Samira didn't know how to express her concerns so that they would empathize with her.

Hicante threw her an enigmatic stare. "We might have to separate to minimize the danger." He stated.

Raj grimaced. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Samira threw her hands into the air. "Okay, so who is going to do the splitting off?" As much as she wanted to remain at Grey's side, Samira suspected she might pounce on him and didn't want to die early because of a stupid action of aggression brought on by her incoming heat-induced rut since she was, unfortunately, an Omega, unlike the rest of her family.

*

As Hicante seized up the situation, he realized no one was there. "Where is everyone?" Usually, Raj would've returned. "Unless someone or something delayed his arrival." Dammit, Hicante hoped that nothing happened to either Raj or Samira. He knew Greyness could survive anything.

Even as he thought it, the earth beneath his feet shook tremendously, and a loud crackling noise made him wince. "What the hell was that all about?" Hicante glanced around in puzzlement.

Rustling branches and scurrying noises made him sigh. He headed toward the one area where not a sound erupted. Three steps into the darker area, and Hicante froze. The unusual tableau before him made Hicante sigh.

Samira and Raj were fine. However, the figure hoisted on Raj's left should have made Hicante frown. "Should I even ask what happened?" He greeted them, his curiosity thoroughly aroused.

All three of them yelped and rolled when another lighting strike shot at them from a mainly black cloud. This time there were sparks in the air left over. However, none of them were touched, not even Greyness.

Thoroughly bemused, Hicante studied the sight of the beautiful golden light radiating around them. "So this is what a shield looks like." He murmured. "I vaguely recall seeing something like this surrounding Brilliance before it darkened and turned into the cold metallic darkness that it has become now."

Raj and Samira frowned at each other. They couldn't tell where it came from until they saw Greyness blinking and his hands outstretched in a semi-circle. From his palms, the golden light radiated. "I won't be able to keep this going much longer." He warned. "Getting to safety while the war remains intact is best."

Raj offered him a helping shoulder, as did Hicante. It was best that the two of them supported Grey while he remained conscious. The fact that Grey seemed relatively unhurt relieved Hicante. Still, he knew from past encounters that the outer appearance was deceptive.

"Just how badly did the earlier strike hit him?" Hicante directed the question to Raj and Samira.

"Very badly, and we have to split up definitely," Raj confirmed.

While Hicante wanted to ignore the fact that he couldn't remain in the proximity of Grey, he was reluctant to stay in the presence of Samira. He could already tell she was beginning to feel the discomfort of a rut setting in.

A sigh escaped him. "Fine, forget all of this. I'll take you somewhere neutral, Princess." Hicante glanced at Raj. "Please do what you can to shield him." He requested after offering a hand to Samira. He pressed a small capsule into her hand. "Dry swallow it. It'll reduce the effects of the pheromones floating around." As Hicante spoke, he did the same thing with another capsule.

He and Samira watched Raj and Grey disappear before another lighting strike shook the ground where the two had stood seconds before.