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Iris piles the plate with a mountain of chicken wings, managing to squeeze a large bowl of ranch in the center.
“They can nibble on these while we catch up,” she says, giving me a bright grin.
Her smile is infectious. My heart feels lighter as I nod at her.
“There’s beer in the fridge,” she says. “Do you mind carrying them for me?”
“Of course not!” I say, feeling unexpectedly cheerful in Iris’s presence.
Opening the fridge, I bring out two packed cartons of beer.
Iris notices me struggling with the weight and comes forward to help me immediately.
“Maybe you should carry the tray and I’ll carry these,” she says, easily picking up the massive cartons.
“Wow, you’re strong,” I say, surprised at her strength.
She winks and gestures at me to follow her with the tray of wings.
We go back to the hall where our mates are immersed in a discussion about the senator. They thank us for bringing them the food and go back to talking about the security measures they’re planning to implement around the facility that’s housing the rescued omegas.
“Come with me,” Iris says, leading me toward a different hallway.
“Where are we going?” I ask as she starts ascending a staircase.
“Hey, wait for me!” Julian’s shout makes me turn around.
Gasping hard, he comes to a stop at the foot of the staircase. “The discussion was getting boring,” he says, looking thoroughly annoyed. “They won’t allow me to go out until they’ve jailed the senator and his fucking minions.”
Iris chuckles. “What did you expect? They don’t want us or Rory being kidnapped a second time.”
“Were you kidnapped?” I ask immediately.
“Callahan kidnapped her,” Julian says, looking directly at me. “He dared to hold an entire restaurant hostage while he took Iris away before our very eyes.”
“I let him take me,” Iris says as a cold glint appears in her emerald eyes. “There’s no way I was allowing him to hurt more innocent people.”
“Weren’t you scared to follow that man?” I ask, remembering the icy fear that flowed through me when I followed the two beta women.
She nods. “I was scared all right,” she says with a hollow chuckle. “But, Callahan left me no choice. There was no way I was going to let innocent people die because of me. My parents already died to protect me. I wasn’t going to let anyone else get hurt on my account.”
“Callahan paid for his sins,” Julian says in a grim tone. “Iris showed him that an omega can be strong enough to bring down an alpha. I’m sure he’s cursing himself for his stupid beliefs every second he’s stuck down in the dungeons.”
“They should talk about you,” I say as Iris and Julian lead me inside a well-furnished modern gym. My gaze roves over the various exercising equipment filling up the space as I wonder if I could ever be physically strong enough to work with them.
“What do you mean?” Iris asks.
“Ever since I can remember, people have told me that omegas are delicate and precious,” I explain to her as a sliver of anger rises within me. “They said we deserve the adoration and protection of the alphas, that our very existence is something to be celebrated. It’s only now that I realize omegas are weak creatures who’re nothing more than sex toys and baby-producing machines.”
“Thank fuck I wasn’t sent to an omega academy,” Julian mutters.
“You didn’t grow up believing the same bullshit I was fed?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I grew up with Caleb and his brothers. Their parents fostered me from a young age and put me through the same training as their sons. My mates stopped me from going into the field after my first heat because they couldn’t bear to put me in danger. So, I decided to stay back and help them with spying and surveillance-related tasks.”
“That’s how he was able to track you so fast last night,” Iris says with a fond grin.
“You guys are so amazing,” I say, staring up at both of them. “Compared to you guys, I’m stupid, weak, and a burden on my mates.”
