Page 5 of Brandy Snap: Part One

We could only hold back Caspian to a degree. Whenever she descended into another session of hate towards our omega, we were far less inclined to help. The last time she pushed them both, it resulted in Caspian’s rogue state dominating him just enough for him to leap for Zania. It ended with his fathers tackling him to the ground while Zania and Kai watched in amusement.

In rare cases, highly strung alphas and omegas were subject to frenzied states where they would submit to their most primal instincts, attacking anything in the vicinity they could in a mad fit of rage. For alphas, it was a rogue state, and omegas would go feral. And the result was permanent physical and mental damage, which made them more prone to violence in the future.

A state that Kai was all too happy to encourage in Caspian.

Zania sighed as everyone else hung in silence. “We have just over a month until the Selection Ceremony. I’ve arranged several parties, starting next week. You can assess who would be best suited for you. Though I have made notes beside each of the benefits it would bring our family should you choose them.”

It was impossible to hear thoughts through a pack bond, but I was certain there were cries ofNoNoNoNocoming from both my mates.

Since Kai joined our pack, we had been fighting to stop exactly what was happening now. We had our omega, we had our sisters, and we had our friends. We needed nothing else. Including disapproving family members.

My mother sniffed as she raised her nose. “It’s either pick a lady from the list, or watch Camille join the Hiscox pack.” She held my gaze, the weight of her words holding greater meaning than Zania’s. If Mother thought the Hiscoxes could help with Camille’s condition, then she was deeply mistaken. One pack had already tried to restrain her, and failed spectacularly.

I blinked, breaking away from her manipulative gaze. “Kai’s heat is due, so there’s no guarantee we can attend,” I said as I swiped the folder from the table. It was better to remove it. Camille stared at it with wide eyes as Caspian resolutely ignored it, while Kai was seconds from stealing forward to rip it apart with his teeth.

“Then make it a guarantee,” she sniffed. “There are replacement alphas you can hire for him if you’re busy. I’m sure he’s cheaper to service than a female.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Kai whispered, but it was drowned out by Caspian’s low growl.

Kai’s pain at Zania’s barb quickly morphed, and his desire for revenge raged. Laughter bubbled within him, and he was close to biting back at her, even though I asked him before every meeting to hold himself until we had left.

“The first party will be in eight days,” Zania continued with a satisfied smirk. “That is definitely enough time for you to prepare. Though it would be best if you left Kai. We wouldn’t want to turn the ladies off before you’ve even begun a conversation.”

A snarl ripped from Caspian as he surged upwards, and I lost my grip.

The dainty cups floating amongst platters of untouched biscuits rattled as his aura sailed from him with a burst of well-honed precision, and Camille shook along with them. A tidal wave of energy poured from him, dragging oxygen from the room in his rush of fury.

Our auras were fields of energy that surrounded the bodies of alphas and omegas, and could be controlled depending on one’s skills and mental stability.

We could take any abuse our parents hurled at us, under any pretext, but insults to Kai or Camille were an entirely different matter.

The silk sleeve of Kai’s shirt slipped to his elbow as he tugged on Caspian’s hand in full view of the room. My omega gave a harsh growl, eclipsed by another snarl from Caspian.

“Say that again!” Caspian shouted as my hand dropped like a stone to clench the hard muscle of his flexing thigh.

“Caspian, don’t worry about it,” Kai pushed to be heard over the relative chaos. “You know I’m never going to miss a chance to spend time with your lovely mum.”

My omega’s voice danced with playful warning. His widening grin found Zania as he quirked a brow.

“That is the very opposite of what I was suggesting,” she responded with obvious disgust. “Who knows what kind of disease I might contract around such filth?”

Kai’s amusement and her disdain were thick with equal measure.

“Mother!” Caspian choked out. Caspian was too close to losing control, and Zania wouldn’t stop simply because her son was distressed. Antagonisation was her forte, after all.

Our uselessness was apparent as Caspian wrenched himself from Kai’s grasp. We didn’t need him to snap “Get off me,” but he still flattered us with his effort.

Caspian’s head shot downwards, glaring at Camille with wild eyes, as if to blame her for the ridiculous situation. She was no more responsible than we were. Less, even. It was her whimper of fear that pushed Caspian to the edge.

He swept his arm, knocking me away as he turned on one foot and tore out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Kai’s pain shattered through our bond, and Zania’s chuckle made his shards of resentment that much sharper.

“You are taking this too far. You may control this situation with Camille, but we have our limits,” I said.

With Caspian rapidly leaving the circumference of our bond, it was easier to find my own unique anger at the futility of our situation. Caspian tended to take himself and his rage to the boundary of the Risler estate and vent his usually repressed emotions out there.

“It’s not too far if it is true,” Zania replied with the slightest shrug, as if she was blameless. My mother snorted at the ‘joke’ as the rest of our families looked on with smug smiles.

“Is that everything?” I asked. I refrained from scowling. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. “I believe you’ve made your points, so we’ll take our leave.” I instantly reached for Kai, looping my hand through his.

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