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The older omega is named Lyn, we later learned. She’d grown up in Goldenrod until she was released by her mate—Camilla’s father—for not producing a son. I haven’t gotten the whole story on that, but it sounded very messy.
We also met Jade, an aloof omega with straight blonde hair and a bouncing baby boy on her hip, and Jade’s sister Lulu, a precocious twelve-year-old.
While Jade and Lulu have kept their distance, viewing all the betas with either distrust in Jade’s case or worried fascination in Lulu’s, Lyn hasn’t had a problem communicating with us and intervening on our behalf.
She’s the one who told me about the coupon books. She’d heard the news from Camilla, and although she wanted to go, she was wary about venturing into town. We were washing dishes in a barrel of rainwater this morning when she mentioned it.
“I can go!” I immediately volunteered, almost dropping the plate I was drying.
“Are you sure?” she asked nervously. “I’m sure it will be crowded, and Cami tells me that spirits are … strained. There are rumors, you know.”
She eyed me nervously, but I ignored her and smiled confidently. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ll take Beth and Cleo. We’ll get the books and let you know if the council or Noa—” My smile faltered but recovered quickly. “Or if the Administrator says anything worth hearing.”
Lyn raised a brow at me, clearly suspicious of my motives. “I’ll talk to Rill and Elizabeth about it.”
I swallowed my annoyance, my ghost ratcheting inside me. She needed to ask permission? Who were any of these people to tell me what I was and wasn’t allowed to do? I tried not to reveal my irritation, instead nodding with a tight-lipped smile.
But I couldn’t resist eavesdropping outside the dining room when I knew she planned to bring it up with them. Rill barked out a loud laugh when she asked.
“Yeah, they can go ahead,” he chuckled, “but I don’t think any of ’em in Goldenrod is gonna say anything worth hearing.”
And now that it’s all over, I can’t say that he was wrong.
But at least I saw Noah—only from a distance, and luckily, he didn’t see me.
This time, I can’t push away the thought of him, and my heart pangs—an image of him standing in front of town hall floats through my mind. He looked terrible. He’s lost weight. And his hair is so short—almost shaved, really.
But as soon as the vein of worry opens in my brain, I close it. He doesn’t deserve my care or even my pity.
Hardening my heart, I follow Beth through the kitchen door.
The Cypress House kitchen is nearly identical to the one in Sage House—with the one exception that it’s much busier, and messier. Right now, it’s especially bustling with Jade and Lulu cutting vegetables on the far countertop and Lyn directing a few betas on how to best pack up the dishes in a tall wooden crate.
I pause—that’s strange. Where are they taking the dishes?
But before I can think too hard on it, I quickly become distracted by a teary-eyed Cleo, holding the armful of coupon books tight against her chest while a disapproving Colleen stares her down.
“Two hours?” Colleen spits at her. “It takes you two hours to do what a child could do in fifteen minutes?”
Cleo squeaks, a tear escaping and falling down her cheek as Beth stifles an annoyed growl. I grab hold of her arm, shaking my head in warning.
“It was really crowded, Colleen,” I chime in, pushing Beth behind me. “There was no way around it. But look what we brought.” I nod toward all the coupon books that Cleo is holding onto for dear life and hold up the single one in my hand.
Colleen sighs in resignation, taking the book from my hand and flipping through the pages. “I am happy to get these. Alpha Rill may not think they’re necessary, but it’s a relief to know we have them.”
“You’re quite right,” I say soothingly.
She sighs again, her disapproving gaze moving between Cleo and Beth. “All right, you two! Go out back to the fire pit and help the others with the stew.” When they don’t move right away, she snaps, “Be quick about it!”
Cleo jumps and drops the coupon books on the table, but a few fall to the floor in a waterfall. We all watch as she picks them up and drops them again in a mad rush. Finally, all the books are on the table, and she scurries out the back door.
Beth doesn’t move the entire time. Instead, once Cleo’s gone, she stares at Colleen like she wants to tell her exactly what she thinks of her.
“Is she ill?” Colleen asks me, eyeing Beth suspiciously before turning her back to us to peruse the books Cleo left behind.
“You’d be happy if I was ill,” Beth mutters darkly under her breath. “Wouldn’t you?”
“What?” Colleen barks, her head shooting back to stare at Beth. “Did you say something?”
