Beyond the city walls, the coastline stretched into the horizon, untamed and boundless. The beauty of it, so vibrant and alive, only deepened the ache within her. It mocked her with its freedom while she stood here, trapped in silk bindings.
Her quiet voice broke the silence. “I never asked for this.”
Her mother’s sigh stirred the air. “No, but the honour was given nonetheless. The fever, the sharpened senses—they were Luneth’s will.”
Those words unlocked the memories like a key to a box of unpleasant dreams.
Fevered heat had pressed against her bones, so relentless she’d thought her skin would crack. At first, she’d dismissed it as a passing malady, too much time spent on the shore without a cloak. But the symptoms worsened. Each day, her senses sharpened—sounds swelled, scents thickened until they overwhelmed. And the Alphas . ..
Their presence became suffocating.
She couldn’t explain it—the way her body responded to them, raw and heightened, as if she no longer belonged to herself.
“I thought I was dying,” she whispered.
Her mother’s hand brushed her arm. “The physician said it was your Awakening, your presentation as Omega. You were taking the first step into who you were always meant to be.”
Reiya stepped away. “I never wanted to be one. I was happy as a Beta—like you, like father, like Torsten and Leif.”
The queen sighed. “No one chooses their caste, Reiyana. Among a thousand women, only one will Awaken as you have. That rarity makes you precious, and precious things must be protected.”
“Controlled, you mean.”
“Guided,” her mother gently corrected. “Do you think I don’t see your fear? Your anger? This isn’t a punishment, my dear—it’s anopportunity. One day, when you hold your little Sunborn Alpha or Moonfire Omega in your arms, when your children fulfill the prophecy and usher in a golden age—hailed as the greatest rulers the nine kingdoms have ever known—you’ll understand.”
She paused, a sad smile at the corners of her lips. “And when that day comes, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Reiya looked away, her mother’s words echoing in her ears.
After her Awakening, her existence had been reduced to a single purpose: To carry the hope of a Sunborn or Moonfire child. Their births were seen as divine omens, a blessing from Solthar or Luneth, heralding a golden era for the kingdom that bore them.
Aethonia had once known such a ruler—Adrian the Bright, the only Sunborn king in its history, who’d secured the kingdom’s prosperity generations ago. Through maritime trade, strategic alliances, and the construction of a grand harbour, he transformed Aethonia into a vital crossroads of commerce.
To this day, he was revered as the greatest king Aethonia had ever known.
Now, the pressure to bring another such ruler into the world rested on her shoulders—heavy as the pearls around her neck, each one an invisible thread binding her to a fate she had no voice in shaping.
“There’s no guarantee I’ll bear a Sunborn or Moonfire,” she pointed out.
“No, but there’s a chance. A Beta like me will never bear them.”
“Achance.” Reiya’s voice turned dry. “What a wonderful consolation for a life shackled to an Alpha.”
Her mother’s smile was quiet, knowing—not triumphant but patient. Long-suffering.
“I know this isn’t what you want, but think of duty as armour, my dear. It protects you, even when love falters.”
Her voice softened. “And sometimes… love finds its way, even in the marriages we didn’t choose for ourselves.”
Leaning in, her mother pressed a kiss to her forehead, the warmth at odds with the disquiet in her chest. For a fleeting moment, she closed her eyes, caught between the familiar comfort and the chains tightening around her.
“We will begin the opening ceremony soon.” Her mother caressed her cheek in a final gesture of encouragement. “Don’t be late.”
As the door closed, silence settled over the chamber. Reiya returned to the mirror, staring at her reflection. The pearls gleamed in the light, mocking her. One hand brushed over their flawless surface; the other tightened around the wing-shaped crystal still resting in her palm.
It was more than an accessory. It was a piece of herself, a promise between her and the man of her choosing, a reminder of who she was before the Awakening.
Slowly, she unfastened the pearls, letting them slip from her neck onto the vanity below with a quiet clink. Lifting the pendant, she clasped it in place, the crystal resting against her skin like a breath of freedom.
