"can the damn chains come off?"

"So you're running again? COWARD!" Alix shouts after him.

asra stormed outside, forcing himself not to cry " just take to me! " he yelled at the sky

Alex stubbornly refuses. He'll have to just live with it.

But it still hurts.

Alix, meanwhile, storms out to Asra. "He won't talk to you. Not before it's your time, at least."

" then when is my time?" he asked. he hadn't meant for it to be so cold but that's how it was. and deep down he knew it would hurt Alex, but if he could have just held out long enough…

Alix shrugs. "That's for fate to decide and you to wonder."

asra turned away, " my mate was my everything. I literally have nothing without him. I failed as an omega and a mate. couldn't even bare an heir "

Alix shrugs. "Adopt. Find someone else. Just make sure you do something, besides sit around waiting for Death to clame you."

She strides close to Asra. "And if need be, take me. We are, after all, Paragon."

"we?" he asked a little confused

Alix grins. "Yes, we. I am Alix Paragon. I thought I said that, but I suppose not."

asra sighed, scootching so she could sit " you have my mates body. so it is hard not to look at you any differently "

Alix shrugs and sits. "Yes, well, not much I can do about that, I'm afraid."

asra sighed and nuzzled into her " just.. don't fuck it up."

Alix shivers, and grins. "Trust me, I won't."

She stays silent for a bit, then speaks up. "So what next, Asra?"

" im not honestly sure.."

Alix nods. "That's fair. We do still need to talk to the clans properly. I'll leave that to you. I've said enough."

"you've wrecked my progress with them. we decided on a voting system. we were one.."

Alix snorts. "I know them. These are not the cowardly, snivelling wretches I once knew. You've unified them, and they'll not break that bond over some stupid words of mine. Even if I am Alix."

asra hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, " you think so?"

Alix grins. "I know so, dear."

asra flushed when she called him the pet name, nuzzling into her chest

Alix grins, then wraps her thin arms around Asra. She lifts him easily. "Now, let's go back in there."

"!" asra willing stayed in her arms " l..like this?"

Alix chuckles. "Why not? It'll prove a point."

" a..alright.." he said and nuzzled into her neck

Alix walks back into the chamber, and all eyes turn to her and Asra. A few covert glances and titters are passed between the council, and Alix grins. "Yeah, yeah, plenty of time for gossip later. Now. Down to business. Out of the 500 Clans, there are only 15 left. What happened?"

Christain speaks up. "All either killed or absorbed by Kuranparagon, Alix."

Alix sighs. "Fun. Now, how many of you are roughly as old as the council itself."

Christain and one other raised their hands, and Alix nods. "You aren't liers. Good. Christain and Faust, step forward. You two are Paragon's second and third, with the next oldest taking either of your places in the event that a clan is wiped out."

"The rest of you, listen closely: you are the backbone of our army. You are just as important as the rest of us, if not more so," she says. "So try not to die."

She finally looks down at Asra. "And as for me and You, well… we have other matters to attend to."

asra tilted his head "?"

"You know very well what I mean." Alix says playfully, striding out of the council chambers as a flurry of activity swells up inside.

"mm no im not sure i do alix" he said and looked at her

Alix groans. "I really have to spell it out, huh?"

She presses a kiss against Asra's lips, then draws back, grinning.

asra flustered lightly ". . . Ohhh! oh my gawd!" he soon realized it and blushed even darker