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Sam and I were both complicated and hot-blooded, plus I was impulsive. I worried if we started something and unknowingly pushed each other’s buttons, I’d push him over whatever edge he was balancing on.
“Sam is so full of rage, yet despite how much dominance he leaks, he’s so contained. Was he like that as a kid?” I asked Maia.
Maia’s smile fell, too. “No. Sam was fiercely loyal, protective, and generous with himself. He looked after me even before my mom disappeared, when he was little more than a kid himself. He was a lot like Leif like that. Sam always put Ben and I first, making sure we were fed and tucked in safely at night. He even went without, giving us his own food when there wasn’t enough. He was our shield against the world.”
Maia was staring blankly out the window, lost in her memories for a moment.
“Yet he disappeared without a word when you were still a kid. Did he explain why?” I wasn’t there when Sam arrived and I hadn’t found out what he said to Maia when he showed up. The intruders had struck just after he arrived, then Maia had gone into heat.
Maia didn’t answer immediately, as she slumped back down onto the couch next to me. Her fingers fidgeted restlessly with the buttons on the long cardigan she was wearing over a cute floral mini dress, as if she was considering her words.
“I’m sorry to push.” Maia’s conflicted emotions were clear on her face. “I just sense there’s trauma there now. That guarded look he wears, that says he’s trying desperately not to unleash his damage on other people. I’ve seen that before. I don’t want to hurt him, but I’m worried I will without meaning to if I don’t know what I’m dealing with.”
Maia flicked her gaze at me and nodded. “He seemed shocked that I thought he disappeared without a trace. He said he wrote letters and sent money, and Dio backed him up, but I never saw any. We didn’t get time to talk about the details, about why he left and where he was that left all that darkness. He just said he had no choice.”
She blew out a long breath and scoffed lightly. “To be honest, I’m being a coward. I’m so relieved he’s here. Part of me always believed he’d be back one day, but I’m avoiding talking to him about why he left. I’m scared that his answer won’t be enough and I don’t want to be disappointed or angry. I just want my brother back.”
Maia stared straight at me now and I could see that core of steel she hid so well. “That damage. I can see it too and I want it gone from his eyes. If you’re his mate, I’m hoping you can help me with that.”
Our gazes stayed locked for a moment until I gave her a small nod. I didn’t know how I could help, but I’d face his monsters if I had to. For Maia, and for Sam.
Maia sat up again and seemed to shake herself mentally, giving a rueful smile as she reached for some more bacon. Bear perked his head up and she threw him a piece.
“As for omega training, Lex, you don’t need it,” she said. “The Palace tries to break omegas and train them to be submissive, because when left alone to develop naturally, we’re not really submissive at all. Except maybe in the bedroom.” She gave me a quick, cheeky wink.
My smile bloomed in response to hers. She had that effect on people. “I hear you, but how am I supposed to know if I’m doing things wrong with Dio? How do I know what he needs? I don’t know how any of this works and instincts will only get me so far. Part of me is a little worried I’m going to break this perfect thing we’ve just thrown ourselves into blindly.”
She reached out and touched my arm gently. “There’s really no right or wrong way to do this. All alphas and omegas are instinctive creatures. Your instincts have kept you alive, Lex. You may have repressed the obvious signs you were an omega, but I think your omega instincts have always been there. The same as mine. It’s what makes you so empathetic to people and helps you recognize when someone’s in trouble. So listen to your instincts. It’s your time. You’ve got this.”
I sat for a moment quietly, just taking in what she said. It made sense.
“She’s right,” Ava said, breaking the silence in a way I was coming to realize was typical of Ava. She said little, but when she did, she’d thought it out and said it with utter conviction.
“The Palace wasn’t the safe space for omegas they made people believe. They’ve twisted the natural instincts of alphas and omegas. To the point where we’re dying out. Yet still they persist for their own power.”
“Wow,” Maia said, with her mouth hanging open slightly, “and here I thought you were a Palace princess, that you’d bought the fake fairytale. I was honestly worried about you coming up to your debut,” Maia said, looking a little surprised.
Ava just grinned, and it was like a curtain lifted and we got to peek at the magic that flourished in the shadows. It was illuminating.
“No, I just rebelled in my own way. I made them think I was the perfect princess, so they mostly left me alone. I never intended to make my debut, though.”
“Wow, you had me fooled. Do I even know you at all?” Maia asked, looking at Ava as if she’d never seen her before.
Ava looked upset at the question, a frown marring her gorgeous features. “Of course you do. I was only ever myself around you in the brief moments we got together in the library. You were my lifeline in there, and I didn’t want to ruin it by talking about things we couldn’t do anything about at that point.
“Besides, I didn’t want to risk saying anything because I couldn’t be sure no-one was listening, even in the library. There was too much at stake for both of us.”
Maia’s eyes raked over Ava, looking for signs of deception. All I got from Ava, though, was sincerity, and a little distress at upsetting her friend. I held my breath, the moment feeling fraught, but Maia relaxed finally on a deep sigh and nodded at Ava.
“I believe you. That place twisted us all, but you were my lifeline, too. We’re circling back to this whole ‘rebelling in my own way’ thing later, though.” Maia made a circling motion with her finger and narrowed her eyes at Ava. Ava looked relieved and bent her head to pat Bear, the dark curtain of her hair falling over her face, as if she needed a moment.
Maia and I glanced at each other. There was a lot there we needed to dig up. Ava, it seemed, was a dark horse in the perfect sweet disguise. Before we could bombard her with a million questions, she carried on, as if we’d never deviated down an intriguing path.
“Anyway, you don’t need omega training. You’ve built something amazing here, helped so many women. Maia’s right. You’ve been following your instincts for a long time. You just need to trust yourself, and us, now. We’ve got you,” Ava said with a quiet dignity.
I was deeply humbled by the strength and grace of these two women who had been through so much, yet were here taking care of me. Instead of resenting the way I avoided being sent to the Palace, the way they were. They were championing me. Making sure they had my crown fixed firmly on my head.
I leaned forward and grabbed both of their hands, feeling lighter. “Thank you.”
