Page 25 of Sins of His Wrath

“You expect me to hold on to my worry and fear for years when I can’t do anything about it?” The Mother shot back, her brittle voice hard. “You expect me to make myself sick with anger and anxiety at the way you and your parents have left Omegas vulnerable and weak?”

Naya’s mouth tightened. “They are not weak. Many of them are with their Alphas and they have families.”

“Do you think that is all we are?” The Mother’s voice deepened, and she rose from the bed, face contorted in fury. “Do you think being bred is the sum of what Omegas are good for? So just because we’re no longer being abused to the degree we were, our lives are perfect and fulfilled?”

Everything in Naya tensed, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn’t argue with this woman, not with the empire at stake. Besides, they wouldn’t get anywhere if they were both angry.

“Omegas are the most special dynamic in the Known Lands,” the Mother continued. “Only we can naturally and inherently control magic with harm. What makes you think that we’re not meant for more than fucking Alphas and raising children?”

“I’m not saying we’re not. I’m just pointing out?—”

“Have you even spoken to any of the Omegas in the village?” the older woman continued. “Do you know if they’re satisfied?”

“Yes, they tell me they’re happy,” Naya said forcefully. “They’ve been telling me and my mother that they’re happy for years. Just because they’re satisfied with their Alphas and their families doesn’t mean they’re weak and vulnerable.”

The Mother was silent for a long moment and then sat back down on the bed, her face still in a sneer. “What would you know? You have no interest in magic or how it could enrich Omega life. You are a trophy child, celebrated for what you represent, not for anything you’ve done.”

The words hit Naya like a pail of cold water, drawing out all the insecurities that had been smothered by Akoro and her experience in his land.

“You are paraded around as some kind of important symbol, but what do you actually do?” The Mother leaned forward, a hint of malice in her eyes. “It was me and the other Mothers who took steps to actually preserve Omega life for over a hundred years—made the hard decisions and took an incredible risk to keep Omegas safe—and yet we are considered criminals.”

Naya kept her expression neutral, though her heart thrummed rapidly. “You have a conveniently rosy view of your own actions, but let’s not pretend that’s the full story.”

Mother Freya’s gaze turned steely, but she didn’t reply. Something shifted in the way she held herself, and the air between them suddenly felt charged.

“Regardless of what happened in the past or what you think of me and my parents, that has nothing to do with the dangers we are all facing now.”

The Mother shook her head slowly. “It has everything to do with it.” Her low voice was heavy and weighted. “You’ve studied at the Records Keep. You know exactly how history impacts the present—you know how opportunity and risk can be tied to certain choices and decisions. Your parents’ lack of interest in magic has directly left you at a disadvantage now.”

That was debatable, but Naya wasn’t going to argue about it now. She waited for her to continue.

The Mother looked her over for a long moment, her eyes roaming over her body as if assessing her. “You were destined to be strong even without help from me and my sister,” the Mother murmured after a silence had built. “With the purity of your parents, you were always destined to be incredibly powerful, but you haven’t honored that at all. Neither has your mother or father.”

Naya had heard that the Mothers had helped her before she was born, but the terrible things they’d done always outweighed that moment. “How did you expect us to honor it?”

“By making sure that you, the most powerful Omega in the Known Lands, were well trained in all aspects of magic available to you. It isn’t good enough to have magic at your fingertips if you do not know how to use it; if you don’t know its true strength and power; and if you don’t use it in ways to benefit other Omegas.”

“My mother trained me in every way that you trained her.”

“Your mother doesn’t know everything,” the Mother shot back. “Yes, she is powerful in her own right, but you have the potential to levels unseen before, Naraya. I saw that yesterday and so did you. You can do things that even Mother Azia had trouble with. But, you require training from the best.”

Naya pressed her mouth into a thin line. Mother Azia had been the most notorious Mother—the leader—but she was dead. “You mean learn from you?”

“No. It’s too late for that.” Her voice was brittle and dangerously quiet. “My sister is dead—they all are. So much talent and knowledge gathered over decades gone. Wasted! Your mother was willing to let it disappear forever, so I don’t see why I should entertain your questions now.”

Naya stared at her for a moment, then drew in a deep breath and lifted her eyes to look around the room, thinking quickly. She had to try a different tack. Mother Freya was angry and bitter, with long-held grievances against her parents that had festered over the decades. Mama had told her that the five Mothers had been very close and now the last remaining one was alone and old, and she clearly missed the others. Why should she care about what happened to the empire?

Naya watched her settle back on the bed, facing away. So much about the upcoming war hinged on their understanding of magic. Her people were trusting her to protect them, and she’d told Papa she could get this woman to help them. She moved over to the wall opposite where Mother Freya sat. “Over in that other land… the Northern Lands, as my parents called it,” she began, “there are no Omegas in the city.”

Mother Freya’s back stiffened.

“I thought they were dead or didn’t exist, but they’ve been banished because they attract the white fire,” Naya said. “They’re expected to fend for themselves in a desert environment unlike any I’ve experienced before. It’s brutal. Their society and culture doesn’t include Omegas out of necessity to survive the white fire. So when those people come here and conquer our lands and kill our people, they’ll no longer have a need to banish Omegas, so what do you suppose will happen? How do you think those Alphas, who have never been around Omegas before, will behave? They have none of our history to learn from. It’ll be a society without me or Mama or Papa. No Lox army for protection, nothing. It will be a society who will make enemies out of our allies and roll back time on Omega treatment.”

The old woman’s entire body was rigid now.

“That is what will happen if the Lox Empire is conquered by the Sy Dynasty. That’s what will happen to all those Omegas. That’s what will happen without your help.” Naya exhaled slowly and waited for a response, but long moments passed and Mother Freya said nothing.

Finally Naya walked toward the door, keeping at bay the jitter of urgency getting stronger in her stomach. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I needed to know more. Maybe there was a need for Omegas to train in magic and make their Alphas and the public fearful of them for their knowledge and power. But it’s too late for blame. I need to understand the white fire so our people, including all Omegas in our lands and theirs, have a chance. If you don’t teach me, I’ll figure it out.”

---