Page 49 of Marked By the Alphas

A murmur rippled through the room. It felt like the council was now divided, with half of them agreeing and the other half disagreeing with us.

“Balance?” Thorne scoffed. “How can there be balance when our very nature is at odds with theirs?”

“We are not at odds, Thorne.” I insisted. “We are different, yes. But different does not mean enemy.”

“So, what now? We invite any and every Omega that shows up in our territory?” another official asked.

“As long as they pose no threat, then, yes,” I responded, and Daniel scoffed.

“We might as well open our gates to rogues then, since it really doesn’t matter anymore. Or better still, we could invite Silas and his thirsty men right in, since we’re wining and dining with just anybody now,” Daniel said

A heated debate erupted at his words. Accusations flew, voices rose and soon I pounded the table, silencing the room. “Enough!” My voice echoed in the space.

“It’s just a single Omega. How much harm can she cause in her current unconscious state? We will wait until she wakes and then we can question her. After that, we decide if she leaves or stays. This meeting has been adjourned until then.”

I watched as they dispersed until only Rhys, Rowan, and myself remained in the room. I released a breath I didn’t even know I had been holding.

“It’s not your fault some of them are being so hard-headed about this,” Rowan said, and I shook my head.

“I just don’t understand how they could be so against something they don’t even know anything about at all,” I responded.

“I guess you have the answers already. Men like Daniel live by only two values: tradition and order. Both of which seem like they’ve been taken away from them. Their reaction is only expected. Give it some time, they’ll come around,” Rhys added.

But I didn’t think so. Elara’s situation had been different. She was our mate, and she also had the mark of the prophecy. It was different for this new Omega, and while I had nothing against her staying here, especially seeing how attached Elara was to her, I knew it might be harder to make the officials accept her.

Elara had managed to mean so much to me in such a short time. She had quickly become the source of calm in the midst of the chaos that I’d battled with for a long time. And while I knew little about this new Omega, to cast her out without giving her a chance felt unjust.

“We should head home. I haven’t seen Elara all day, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m itching to spend some time with her,” Rowan said, pulling himself to his feet as he spoke. I was about to do the same when it hit me.

Smith wasn’t present at the meeting.

“Do any of you have an idea where Smith is?” I asked.

Chapter 25

Elara

I ran the towel softly across Naya’s body, trying to clean her up as best as I could without rubbing against her healing injuries. She watched me with a soft smile on her lips, her eyes glistening with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher yet.

“Thank you, El. You’re so amazing,” she said as I moved to dip the towel back into the water.

“Don’t mention it. You're going to be okay,” I said, pulling the quilt higher up her body once I was done arranging her clothing properly. I moved off the bed but before I could leave, Naya reached out a hand toward me.

“I really can’t thank you enough for everything Elara.” She squeezed my hand as she spoke, her voice filled with gratitude. “For everything. You’ve literally saved my life.”

I squeezed back, my throat tight. “Don't mention it.”

Naya studied my face for a long moment, her eyes filled with a depth of emotion I couldn't decipher. “You need to rest, El. You look like you haven’t slept in a week. You've been a rock for me, and I appreciate you so much, but you need to take a break. I’ll be all right by myself,” Naya said. I hesitated, wanting to argue with her that I needed to be close by, but I knew that she was right.

Now that Naya was awake and all the anxiety from her ordeal was starting to ease, I could feel the exhaustion settle over me. I needed to recharge.

“I’ll be back soon,” I assured her.

I made my way down the stairs, smiling when a chorus of greetings came from the maids. Rose even moved closer to pull me into a hug.

“How are you doing Elara? I’m so glad you decided to rest. I’ve missed coming up to your room to bother you,” Rose said playfully and I laughed at her words.

“I’m doing all right. Our guest is finally awake, and I wanted to take a break and rest. I was hoping to ask if you could keep an eye on her?” I asked and Rose immediately nodded.

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