Page 21 of Of Daggers and Deceit

Musical laughter filled the room as he glanced at me and gestured to the chair. “You are welcome to sit anywhere you choose.”

I pulled back the dark wooden chair as it slid along the hardwood floor and took my seat adjacent to the Supreme, who had seated himself at its head. I had a feeling there was an unspoken seating arrangement, and I was glad I stuck with my guns and sat off to the side.

Riley placed a large bowl of steaming pasta down on the table before serving us. I thanked her when she placed a slightly larger helping onto mine with a quick smile, though it did little to quell my nerves.

I didn’t move to pick up my utensils until I saw the Supreme pick up his own and take the first bite with a light moan of approval.

“So good, my Rose.”

I looked at Riley, assessing her response, but she only looked back at him with adoration in her eyes. Something about it unsettled me, but I gritted my teeth determined, grabbing my fork and dipping it into the pasta to swirl it around a few times before lifting it towards my mouth.

A burst of flavour coated my tongue as I fought back a smile at the memory. It had been such a long time since I’d tasted Riley’s cooking, and it was nice to share this with her again, even if the moment was fleeting. Even if he was present.

Silence ensued as we devoured our meals, the only sound the scrape of metal against the ceramic.

“Thank you for inviting me to your home, Supreme.” I broke the lingering silence, unable to bear it anymore.

He looked my way with an emotionless stare. “Please, call me Zander.”

It felt weird to be so personal. I didn’t want to know his name. My body felt strange, like I was betraying my mother to be so at ease when her knees were on the dirt, her body exposed to the brutality of our weather, her life now in my hands.

“Zander,” I repeated stiffly. “Thank you.”

He set his fork down, lining it up as it was before we had eaten, and took a long sip of his wine before dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. My eye twitched.

“I am told you request that your mother’s punishment be reconsidered.” His sharp eyes assessed me as I gently placed my fork down to address him.

“I do.” My answer came out more tentative than I wanted it to. I dared not speak to him the way I spoke to the guards.

“Why?”

My body flushed cold at the question as I readied myself. Riley sat frozen, a single strand of pasta hanging from her fork as she awaited my reply. I had practised my ‘why’ repeatedly before coming. I knew it would have to be expressed in a way that aligned with his vision, his goals.

“My mother is a sympathiser, but she is also an Omega. I consider it my duty to both advocate for her or serve an alternative punishment, given we must protect all Omegas at all costs. I worry she will be exposed to the infiltrating Dominants and we will lose another Omega to the beyond.”

I could feel a trickle of sweat drip down my back as Zander contemplated both myself and my response. To my dismay, he answered with a question that threw me completely off-course, as seemingly irrelevant as it was. Still, I acted normal, no matter how off-kilter I felt, and even managed to lift my fork to twirl another strand of pasta.

“Raya, do you know the story of how the Haven began?”

I looked up and shook my head, the intensity of his gaze lifting the hairs on the back of my neck. I didn’t know why this mattered now. My mum had told me some stories, but I’d never been told directly from his mouth, and the look on his face told me there was only one true answer he wanted to his question. Even if I couldn’t see it, there was a reason he wanted to tell me.

“People believe it was my dream that started all this, but it actually began with my parents. They dreamt of a world where Omegas were revered and protected from the dominance and aggression the Dominants and Alphas inflicted. Back in Asrar, the city beyond our shield, Dominants ruled, keeping Omegas as slaves.”

I listened to him speak, allowing my silence to be his encouragement, eager to entertain him.

“Thousands of years ago, Alphas and Omegas needed each other. An Omega would go into a heat, a time where they would be most fertile, and that need could only be quelled by an Alpha. Back then, Alphas could not breed with each other, so Omegas were seen as diamonds.” He paused to check if I was following along as he took another sip of his wine.

“Our kind was scarce then, so there was an inherent need to breed, survive, and prosper. Over time, as we evolved, our primitive sides diminished, and our hindbrains had less of a need to dictate our day-to-day functions. In response, our biology changed to what it is today. With the help of medical advancements to curb the lingering effects of an increasingly rare heat, the only difference between any of the biological designations of Dominant, Alpha, and Omega are now our shifted forms.”

His face pulled down in pain whilst he spoke, though it quickly returned to its usual impassivity.

“Omegas lost their value to the prosperity of our kind long ago, when Alpha females became able to carry a child. We excelled in tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and caring rather than in positions where bravery and strength were needed. The birth of an Alpha then became most desired, and the life of an Omega became worth only what they could offer in service. Omegas were forced to live in subordination.”

My gut churned painfully, and I looked at Riley, who was staring down at her empty plate. I wonder if she had known about this all along. We knew the Dominants were cruel and vicious things, but I struggled to reconcile Alphas being cruel when I lived amongst them. Still, I knew that was only because the Alphas of the Haven were the only decent ones left. That’s what my mum had said.

I found myself asking another, curious question, one that had come up a few times over the years, though had never truly been answered. “What of the Dominants, then?”

Zander’s expression darkened, and I briefly panicked, wondering if I’d asked something inappropriate, but he answered gracefully, allowing me to exhale in relief. “In Asrar, Raya, a Dominant is what they call the leader of a pack. They wield a terrible, dark magic that can forcibly bind someone to them. Both Dominants and Alphas agreed on and enforced the subservience of Omegas. Dominants are like an Alpha enhanced.” He leaned forward in his seat. “They don’t cherish an equal love pairing as we do here in the Haven. They like to have their bedmates serve them. A pack is built by the Dominant, who chooses his packmates and ultimately their Bonded. They do not value connection as we do here. They only know how to take, conquer, and use. That is why Omni has decreed packs a sin. She wants us to experience true love and devotion that can only be experienced through our one bonded mate.”

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