I can’t finish the question.
He understands. “We were close. It sometimes feels like she was the only person who ever understood me.”
“Were? You’re not close anymore?”
“She died.” He goes silent for a beat. “When I was ten.”
“I’m sorry.”
He smiles sadly. “It was a long time ago, sweetheart. I promise I’m okay now.”
I don’t push, but the silence stretches, comfortable in a way I wouldn’t have expected. The rain fills it. His thumb traces absent patterns on my arm.
“What about your father?”
“He’s closer to my sister than me. Especially after she joined the Council as a high-ranking member. I think he’s grooming her to take over as a regional representative.”
I knew Silas worked for the Council, but I had no idea it ran in the family. “I thought you were also a regional representative. Isn’t that why you came to town?”
“No.” There’s a note of finality in his tone. “I’m an envoy. The person they send to check up on things.”
“An envoy?”
“It means I’m not a politician. I’m a tool.” He says it without self-pity. Just fact. “The Council in Chicago has a structure. High Chancellor Nicholas Whitlock at the top. Below him, regionalrepresentatives. They hold the real power, make the long-term decisions. Elected, or born into it. There are also a few chosen witches who work alongside the Council. That’s where Helena is. But between you and me, the Alpha Council is archaic. They’d never allow Omegas or Betas to join them.”
“That’s sexist.”
“That’s the system. Omegas are enslaved to their biological desires, and Betas have no power against Alphas. That would make them easy to manipulate.”
I go still against him. “Enslaved? Is that what you really think?”
His Adam’s apple bobs. “Sorry. I explained that wrong. But imagine—there’s an emergency meeting and the Omegas are unavailable because of their heat. They can’t control that. And the Alphas can barely function in their proximity in that state, so… a long time ago, it was decided that Omegas serve alongside the Council instead of as part of it.”
“Bullshit. Omegas are punished for something beyond their control.”
I feel the hesitation before he speaks. “Saying it out loud sounds bad, doesn’t it? Shit. I’m sorry. I was just regurgitating what I grew up hearing. I didn’t even realize how fucked up it was until I said it.”
I try to stand, but his arm stays braced around my middle.
“I don’t believe that. I swear I don’t.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“I know, sweetheart. I’m truly sorry. I… Fuck. That was a fucked-up way of growing up. It’s all I learned when I was younger, and I never even questioned it. I was plucked from school to work as an envoy, and all I saw was how much of an honor it was to protect our people. I just…” He pauses. “I hear all the time how the surges in this town are affecting the Omegas,making them unstable. All this time I thought the Council was trying to regulate the powers because they cared about you.”
“And now?” I swallow.
“I’ve seen what your town has to offer. How powerful June is, making a potion like that. I’ve seen Dahlia Cross. I’ve met… you. I don’t know what else the Omegas in this town are capable of, but I’m just now realizing—none of us actually understand how Omegas work. We think that because we have scientists studying their biology and figuring out how to minimize their heat cycles, we understand them. We’ve been so wrong.”
“That’s why you knew about wolfsbane. And the potion you gave me at the apothecary…” It clicks. “You study Omegas.”
“It’s part of our training. I’ve never thought much of it. Like I said, I’m only an envoy. I know as much as I’m taught. I know the surges are interrupting the ley lines, and unstable magic affects everyone. I know the unbonded Omegas’ magic is part of why the Rift is getting bigger. I know the Council believes regulating that’s what’s safe for everyone.”
I shift on his lap, turning my head to see his profile. “What does that make you, then? If they send you to places like this?”
“Problem solver. We report to the Council. When there’s a problem, we’re sent to assess and provide reports. Each of us has a specific skill set that’s valuable to them.”
“Yours?”
