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“I feel like throwing up,” she murmurs, her nerves suddenly coming through loud and clear as she fiddles with my mother’s bracelet on her wrist. “What if they say no?”

I know she is worried about Scarlett. Elaine tested her blood, and like her mother, she is Omega, but our daughter is never setting foot in one of those places. I will forge her documents if needed.

“They won’t. We have enough proof, enough supporting documents, and it won’t cost the city much. Half the work is already done. It’s mostly legalities now,” I assure her. She chews her lip, squirming on my lap as she tries to hop off. I growl, nipping her shoulder as Elder Cole clears his throat, and she quickly slips off my lap.

“We do this, and our city will come under hot water fast. So we’ll have to take precautions, Thane, and you must attend all council meetings until everything is finalized. But the council has unanimously decided: the laws surrounding Omegas will be abolished, and new ones will be written to protect them. We’ll start sending out closure notices for all rotation facilities within the city limits, and start the referral services,” he tells me. I can hear Harlow’s heart racing, as if it wants to leap from her chest in excitement.

Tatum slides a calendar over to Cole, who quickly flicks through a few pages before looking back up. “Next week at 5:00 p.m., we’ll hold another meeting to discuss employment agencies and security risks. Until this is fully managed, weekly meetings will begin starting then.”

“I’ll be here, and so will Harlow,” I tell them, glancing at her. She nods, reaching over and gripping my hand beneath the table. Her relief is so immense it vibrates out of her and nearly steals the air from my lungs. I know it is for Scarlett. Now she will be safe, and so will every other Omega living in this city.

We climb in the car, finally leaving after a long day. For once, I feel a sense of accomplishment after the hearing. This is the first time I’ve done something that truly matters, that will impact lives and make a difference. It only makes me want to do more.

Harlow remains quiet as I glance at her in the rearview mirror. If only I had done this years ago, or if my mother had succeeded, she never would have ended up in that place. I can’t fix that, but I can ensure I change it for the next generation, and that is exactly what I plan to do.

And once I gather enough evidence to prove this is safe and that it works, I will go to the state council, then to the Supernatural Parliament.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

ONE MONTH LATER

Harlow

I’m sparring with Leo, and I am drenched in sweat. My clothes stick to me like a second skin when he finally stops. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he pulls his whistle from his pocket.

He blows the whistle, signaling the end of class. Murmurs amongst the other Omegas break out through the enormous room. A few even let out sighs of relief as they move toward the bathrooms to change and leave. Leo really made us work tonight.

Exhausted, I flop back down on the mat. Leo walks over, peering down at me with his hands on his hips and an amused expression on his face. “I would get up if I were you. Training may have finished, but you know someone will be here soon to pick you up.”

I groan, quite content with dying here on this mat. I had a good run. I will risk their wrath.

“Come on. You don’t want your mates to think you’re slacking,” Leo scolds. I roll my eyes at him and sit up. Leo chuckles at my reluctance to move. Every muscle aches, I am saturated in sweat, and I know my ass will hurt when I peel it up off the mat.

We’re at the Omega refuge. Leo is one of the self-defense trainers here. Thane makes me attend every single class, never allowing me a night off. Despite most of the Omegas here only having to train three times a week, Thane makes me train all five, with no exceptions. Leo runs three classes a week. Raidon and Rhen alternate between the other two days.

Leo offers me his hand and I grab it, letting him pull me to my feet.

“Elaine told me Charles got your medical license reinstated?” I question, and he shrugs as we make our way across the room to the bleachers.

Pushing the hair that escaped from my ponytail off my face, I reach for my water bottle. I snatch it off the bleachers, and drink deeply.

“Charles got me a job at the hospital, but I turned it down,” Leo tells me, drinking his own water before moving to pack up the mats.

I follow, helping him clean up and pack away all the equipment. “So, you don’t want to go back?” I ask him.

“I can do more to help here. Besides, I already asked Thane if I can work as the refuge’s doctor on staff as well as handle the training, so I’ll have plenty of work to do,” Leo tells me with a shrug. He grabs one of the blue mats, dragging it to the closet while I remove the velcro tabs on the next as he returns, bending down to grab it.

“Because of Emily?” I guess, and he smiles.

“Yeah, she loves it here. She signed up for some of the night classes they offer, and Elaine got her a job at the clinic as a secretary four days a week,” Leo tells me, and I smile.

“Anyway, go on. One of your mates will be outside waiting. I’ll finish up here,” he tells me, taking the mat I’m unsuccessfully trying to drag to the closet.

Walking out of the gym, I move down the long corridors toward the rec room, which is being painted today. I know Thane is coming to pick me up, but I have no intentions of going to meet him. Rhen, Leon, and Raidon all made excuses about being unable to pick me up, knowing they’d already be here.

Walking into the rec room, I find the artist almost finished. Raidon is sitting on the couch with Scarlett, who is happily munching on her hand as if it is the tastiest thing in the world. Leon and Rhen are helping clean up and setting ‘wet paint’ signs out.

Leaning over the couch, I kiss Scarlett’s cheek, and she blows raspberry spit bubbles at me before going back to gnawing on her hand.