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There was silence for a long moment, too long of a moment, before the gruff voice got back on the line. “Bring him to the house.”
“Yes, sir,” the other alpha, who had been called Arden, replied before hanging up. He looked at me with humor in his expression.
“Well, let’s go. It looks you’re having a family reunion.”
CHAPTER1
Jett
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“You know,there are other ways we can do this,” my brother and now legal guardian, Orion, repeated for at least the 15thtime since I made the suggestion yesterday. “There are professionals who are trained just for this. I know some people, people I trust to take you through your heat and treat you well. You don’t need to tie yourself to a mate already.”
I managed to stifle my eye roll, though my brother-in-law, Lyric, didn’t seem to have the self-control I did. Luckily for him, Orion wasn’t looking at him and didn’t notice the gesture. I hid my smirk and forced myself to take my brother’s concerns seriously. I knew he only had my best interests in mind, and I appreciated it.
Running away from my old home and sneaking onto Orion’s property was the best thing I had ever done. It was a bit of a culture shock going from the isolated mansion I grew up in in District 6 to living in the center of society with one of the most well-known alphas in the country. There seemed to always be people around, even though, technically, only Orion, Lyric, and I lived here. But ever since Orion took over for his family and essentially exiled Atlas Strongfire, which happened just shortly before I showed up, he had become responsible for a lot of people, and they were around all the time.
Not that I was complaining. Of course he would care for his mother and his full siblings that grew up with him. If he was kind enough to allow me to live with him and go to battle with my aunt to protect me, then I would never begrudge him caring for the rest of his family either. But they were here A LOT. And the little ones—well, my aunt’s mansion was just her, my omega father until he passed, and me. It was quiet and lonely. I was never around other children, and it could be a little overwhelming.
And that didn’t include Arden and the rest of the security team that was always hanging around as well. Sometimes, I loved having the full house and all the noise, and sometimes I just needed a break. Not that I would ever say that to Orion or Lyric. They’d been nothing but welcoming and kind since I showed up.
Still, when it became clear I was going to experience my first heat soon, I knew I needed to do something. I appreciated their charity, but I couldn’t rely on it forever. Plus, I was secretly hoping to find an alpha with a nice, quiet home I could make my own and just come to visit the crazy every once in a while.
“You know how much I appreciate that offer, but I think it’s best if I find a mate,” I told him, bringing the conversation back. “I trust you to help me find a suitable alpha who won’t be a total jerk.”
Lyric snorted as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. Sometimes, I was still blown away by the ethereal beauty of my brother-in-law. When I first showed up, his golden-blonde hair nearly touched his shoulders, but now it was in a shorter style with soft curls that just brushed his ears. It didn’t detract from him at all, though, and sometimes I found myself lost in his green eyes, even if I wasn’t remotely attracted to him.
“That narrows down the pool a lot.”
Orion glared at his husband, even though there was amusement dancing in his golden eyes, the only feature we both shared. “Kitten . . . ,” my brother warned even as a whiff of his arousal filled the room. I wrinkled my nose. That was the other reason I needed to leave. These two did not know how to keep it in their pants and clearly hadn’t learned about locking doors.
“What?” the omega said innocently, batting his eyes. Wow, he was good. I’d have to take notes. “It’s the truth. It’s not like you haven’t said the same thing many times.”
That was true. At first, I was shocked by how openly Orion showed his disdain to the fellow powerful alphas, especially regarding their treatment of omegas, but I was used to it now. I had been given a lot more freedom than most omegas growing up, but I always knew my aunt agreed with the laws limiting our rights and basically making us property, or at least stayed quiet about them. While Orion wasn’t having press conferences or screaming his stance off the rooftops, he had no problem sharing his opinions in the privacy of his own home. At least when no one else was around.
“Yes, but I can get away with things you can’t. And you know there are ears everywhere.”
Lyric shrugged but his cheeks flushed, and he went back to eating. Some kind of emotion must have been expressed across their bond because Orion scooted his chair closer and whispered into his husband’s ear before kissing the side of his face noisily. Lyric smiled, his expression filled with love and contentment.
I busied myself with my plate, hoping my envy didn’t show. I’d never even heard of fated mates before I got here, isolated like I was, but after seeing Orion and Lyric together, there was no denying their connection. It was still a little hard for me to wrap my mind around how an arranged marriage neither of them wanted turned into this, but it was amazing. And it gave me this tiny tendril of hope I was trying hard not to feel. I knew I wasn’t going to get that lucky with my alpha. Fated mates were rare. What were the chances of me finding mine as well? I just had to hope to find a good alpha who treated me decently and was able to handle my occasionally outspoken ways, and that would be good enough. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
Breakfast went on, and we continued to discuss my potential mate. I understood why Orion was so nervous. This would be the first time he was responsible for finding a suitable match for one of the omegas under his guardianship and he took his responsibility seriously. Most alphas only cared about finding an arrangement that most helped them and the family. Like my aunt. All she cared about was money and had no interest in my welfare. I might have only known my brother for a short time, but it was clear he wasn’t like that. He wanted the best match for me, not his wallet.
“What about using the ball?” Lyric asked eventually, once again bringing me out of my thoughts.
“For what?” I asked. Strongfire Enterprises was hosting a huge holiday ball in a few short weeks. Everybody who was anybody would be there, and not just from District 8. It was quickly turning into the Christmas party of the year, and not being invited was considered a huge slight. On the surface, it was supposed to be a celebration of new leadership and growth at Strongfire, as well as a networking opportunity. However, the people closest to Orion knew he had a hidden agenda. He and Arden had been working tirelessly, along with secretly using my and Lyric’s help, to find influential alphas who were known for being sympathetic to omega rights. You see, my brother was on a mission. Mating Lyric had awakened him to how archaic the laws regarding omegas really were and he wanted to make some changes. His status wasn’t stable enough to go public yet, and he was terrified of the repercussions, especially for Lyric and the rest of the omegas under his care, but he was hoping to use this ball as a way to weave his web and start to find supporters and spread the seed of discontent.
“To find you a mate. Duh. Everybody who’s anybody is going to be there. I’m pretty sure every alpha in District 8 and the bordering districts will be in attendance. I’m sure we can find you a mate there.”
I went to dismiss it entirely. The ball was extremely important. I didn’t want to distract from the mission just to find someone to take me through my heat. But Orion tilted his head thoughtfully, thinking it through.
“We don’t need to do that!” I rushed out, not wanting to be more of a burden than I already was.
But Orion shook his head and ran his hand through his dark-brown hair that looked nothing like my reddish-brown locks. “No, it’s actually a good idea. Lyric is right. Pretty much every alpha will be there, and there’s a few of them I’d actually trust with you. Besides, it’s a good cover. Everyone will be talking about the mating arrangement and may not look closely at what is going on behind closed doors.”
“Society does love a good holiday romance,” Lyric agreed, grinning. He was more than a little happy his idea was a hit. I glared at him. My annoying brother-in-law just popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and smirked. My aunt always called me a brat, but she’d clearly never met Lyric.
“You know what? I take back the idea. Just find me a heat partner.”
