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“No problem here,” the alpha says quickly, his tone shifting to one of innocence. “Just a misunderstanding.”
The delta looks unconvinced. “I suggest you move along then,” he says firmly.
The alpha hesitates, glancing at us one last time with a look of resentment before finally stepping aside.
The delta enforcer waits until he’s walked away before turning to us. “Are you two alright?”
“Yes, thank you,” I reply, my relief immense. “We’re fine now.”
The delta nods, giving us a reassuring smile. “Be careful. If you have any more trouble, don’t hesitate to call.”
As he walks away, Violet and I let out a collective sigh of relief. “That was too close,” she says, her voice still shaking.
I nod, feeling a mix of fear and gratitude. “Let’s get out of here.”
We rush back to the car, our earlier buzz now overshadowed by a harsh reminder of the dangers hidden in seemingly safe places. I quickly toss my dress in the back and slide into the driver’s seat, my fingers trembling as I grip the steering wheel and start the engine. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the delta enforcer standing guard at the shop entrance, his gaze fixed on us.
Every so often, I sneak a peek at Violet. Each time, she’s nervously chewing on her lips, lost in thought. “Don’t let them get to you,” I encourage, trying to penetrate her cloud of worry.
“It’s never going to stop, is it?” she asks, her eyes meeting mine. The same words she muttered just minutes ago, but now they are soaked in a different, deeper meaning. “Wherever wego, there’s always someone bigger, someone more powerful, ready to knock us down.”
Her words land heavily in my chest, a resonating truth that’s hard to shake off, but I’m not about to let it defeat us. “We’ll stand our ground,” I assert with conviction. “Together, we’ll face them head-on. We’re not their playthings.”
Violet’s eyes light up with a newfound resolve. “You’re right,” she agrees. “We’re not backing down.”
As we drive, the setting sun casts a warm, orange hue across the landscape, offering a sense of calm despite the day’s events. The steady hum of the car is soothing, and I find myself lost in the rhythm of the road, my thoughts drifting.
I recall my mama’s words from years ago when I left home. “Don’t ever let anyone make you feel small.” Back then, it seemed like typical mom advice. Now, it’s a mantra that fuels my determination.
I’m determined not to let anyone belittle us, no matter how hard they try. Today, at least, we stood our ground, even if just barely, and I silently hope that when the next challenge comes—and I know it will—we’ll be just as strong, just as fortunate as we were today.
CHAPTER 6
Devlin
Closed-door meetings makeme want to gouge my eyes out and jam them into my ears just to escape the droning voices of these old men. They aren’t even supposed to arrange these damn gatherings, but here we are, enduring their endless debates about how to revert things back to the good old days—before they found themselves outnumbered and the world recognized them for the emotionless, apathetic fools they truly are.
I barely stifle a yawn, knowing it’ll burst forth the moment I’m out of this room. However, I can’t contain the sneeze that escapes, drawing all the men’s attention, including my father.
“Are we boring you, son?” he snaps, his words laced with a cruelty one wouldn’t expect a father to use on his only child, but my father is a ruthless bastard, and I loathe him to my core. His cruelty runs deeper than the surface, and it’s the very reason my mother and her pack fled from him. They didn’t look back once, and that truth stings like a fresh wound. You see, back then, my father made the rules. He decreed that the lead alpha retained custody of the children if the omega departed. He still clings to the power to claim any future offspring she might have.
I despise him for what he did and live for the day when I can overthrow him. I imagine it every day, but my pack isn’t complete, not yet. I must exercise infinite patience. The day we find our omega will mark the beginning of my plan to unseat him once and for all.
I grind my teeth and don the mask I learned to wear at a tender age when facing my father and his henchmen. “Of course not, Father,” I reply, layering on the charm as thick as possible. “We are, after all, hiding in the castle library—the very place you barred omegas from not a month ago. It’s quite dusty in here, wouldn’t you agree?”
I can see the tension in my father’s jaw and the narrowing of his eyes as he glares at me. Devlin Armana Senior despises it when I talk back, almost as much as I hate sharing his name and likeness. He once told me that when he looks at me, all he sees is disappointment, because I’m like a mirror reflecting his failures. Unlike him, I choose to lead with empathy for our nation, not apathy, and certainly not with an iron fist. He should understand by now that such tyranny is the root cause of a kingdom’s downfall, yet he remains indifferent.
“Well…” He clears his throat. “I’d love to hear your thoughts on omegas strolling down the streets, working jobs, and going to stores alone.” His face flushes with red spots as he continues speaking, his olive skin taking on the hue of a tomato. His anger radiates throughout the room, and I can feel the intensity of his alpha aura.
I hum softly under my breath as the other council members shoot me disapproving glances, mostly his loyal followers with a few exceptions. Absently, I run my thumb along my bottom lip, as though deep in thought. I firmly believe that omegas and now gammas should enjoy the same rights as everyone else in Terra. Unfortunately, not everyone in this world shares that view, and it leaves them perpetually vulnerable. That truly scares me morethan anything else. There are individuals who would stalk and abduct omegas just for the purpose of breeding.
“You concur,” my father interjects before I can respond.
An immediate chill runs down my spine. I shouldn’t have hesitated.
My father appears almost pleased, his chin rising as he regards me with newfound appreciation. Damn.
“In part.” I sigh, resisting the urge to flee the room by gripping the armrest of the leather chair I sit in. I know I need to offer him something, but not everything, so I choose my words carefully. “Terra isn’t quite prepared to see omegas on the streets, and while the gamma union has successfully integrated gammas into the workforce, they have faced challenges recently, as some packs without omegas have attempted, and failed, to abduct them.”
