Reiya’s fingers curled into tighter fists, the steadying pressure of Solmaz’s words anchoring her to herself.
“It’s hard to remember that… when they try to overpower you.”
Solmaz exhaled, the sound low and worn with understanding.
“It is a test,” she agreed. “One you never asked for. But here’s the truth, little one—only you decide what those moments mean. No Alpha, no fear, no instinct can touch the part of you that knows who you are.”
Her words unfurled inside Reiya like a slow, stubborn flame—small, but refusing to be extinguished.
Here, in this quiet place, it was easier to believe autonomy still belonged to her, no matter the pull of instinct or the demands others would place upon her.
“It does seem unfair,” Solmaz mused, her voice turning thoughtful, “that an Omega, at her most vulnerable, should be so easily swayed by an Alpha’s influence. That’s why it matters—who you spend your Heat with. Trust is everything.”
Reiya lowered her gaze, voice barely a whisper.
“It’s only been six months since I presented. I haven’t had my first Heat yet. At least… I don’t think I have?—”
Solmaz chuckled, indulgent and knowing.
“Oh, child. Trust me. When the Heat comes, you’ll know.”
The comb stilled in her hands. Solmaz set it aside and shifted, frolicking around the pool for a moment before settling. Her gaze flicked to the faint bruise along Reiya’s neck, a shadow passing through her eyes.
“Now,” she said, voice lighter but threaded with real curiosity, “tell me—why does a beautiful Omega like you travel with merchants and caravans, and not with a strong, handsome Alpha at your side?”
The question hung between them—teasing, but kind.
“Some time ago, I eloped with a Beta man,” she admitted. “But things . . . didn’t turn out as I’d hoped. I left him, found my way to the merchant family, and . . . well, here I am.”
Solmaz clucked her tongue in gentle reproach.
“A union with a Beta would never have satisfied you. There’s a hunger inside you, whether you want to name it or not—and only an Alpha can meet it. Had you stayed, you’d have spent your days suppressing yourself, denying what you are. You would have withered, piece by piece, while he grew bitter and restless beside you. That’s no life, child—not for him, and certainly not for you.”
Reiya pressed her lips together against the ache rising in her chest.
When she’d made that choice—choosing Castiel, choosing flight—she hadn’t understood what it would truly cost.
She’d imagined a life unchanged: a quiet existence, side by side, untouched by the tides shifting inside her.
It had never crossed her mind that loving him would mean silencing a part of herself—or how that silence would’ve slowly, inevitably unravelled them both.
A sharp, hollow ache twisted deeper.
Had Castiel seen it even then?
Had he understood, long before she did, that their bond had been born from fear, not love?
She had clung to him as an escape.
And he . . . He had used her for purposes still veiled in shadows.
“I was . . .” Reiya hesitated. “I was afraid of being with an Alpha. So many stories taught me Omegas were meant to serve, to submit. I was raised to believe our purpose is to pleasure and breed with them, to fulfill our destiny through obedience, especially during Heat.”
She swallowed. “Alphas take, and Omegas submit,” she said quietly. “Isn’t that . . . the way of things?”
“Is that what your mother taught you?”
Reiya let out a small, humourless laugh, looking away. “My mother is a Beta. She tried to prepare me, but how could she teach what she never lived?”
