Page 4 of Brandy Snap: Part One

If anything ever happened to Camille, our worlds would end, and there would be nothing to prevent Caspian and I from serving justice for the suffering our families had brought on all of their children and their mates.

Camille leant forward to contribute, but was quickly silenced with a sharp hiss from our mother.

I would not have caught the way Camille’s wiry bodyguard tightened if we had not met eyes in that moment. I sent him a warning look, to which he instantly responded. His entire body eased until no one, not even Camille, would guess what had just happened.

It had been clear from the day Flint stepped into her room that he was her scent match, but it was too dangerous for the pair to envision a life together. Not only because Zania or Mother might have him killed, but because of Camille’s condition.

“We already have an omega,” Caspian growled, finally calm enough to join the conversation. “We aren’t bringing another one into our pack.”

My sister’s gaze fastened to the carpet, and both Kai and I felt Caspian’s wince of pain in response.

My sister and Caspian stopped being lovers nearly a decade ago, yet they still insisted on entertaining their feelings despite the fact they both had mates.

Zania’s upper lip curled at the barest mention of Kai, our actual omega.

“You can hardly say you have an omega. What right does he have to call himself that when he can’t even give you children?” She turned her nose up at him as she took another sip before her attention swung to me.

Like female alphas, male omegas were born infertile, and shunned by many in society simply because they didn’t perform the primary function of an omega: bearing children.

“Sin, dear, you understand we must have an heir. Both myself and Vivian no longer have heat cycles. Lily is a complete failure, so either you and Caspian, or Camille must take the mantle.”

In a way, I was glad Caspian’s sister, Lily, was unable to bear children. It took the pressure off of at least one of the four children of the two packs.

Caspian advanced from twitching to shaking as Kai softly brushed his omega aura out over our mate to calm him. It wouldn’t do for all three of us to reach the peak of anger so soon. We usually endured at least an hour of their bitterness before Caspian surrendered to his instincts, namely the ones that told him to protect his pack.

“So, you are satisfied sacrificing Camille’s life and happiness in exchange for grandchildren?” I asked, my eyes fixed on my mother. It wasn’t a question for Zania to answer. The two might have been friends since birth, but Camille was her daughter, no matter how Zania insisted she knew best.

Mother paused, hesitating, glancing at Zania before she nodded. “Correct. Camille has wanted a pack for years. And it’s impossible to find a young pack who will accept her in her condition.” She frowned, her gaze dipping to my sister, who immediately bowed her head to avoid scrutiny. “This way, she will at least have a chance at a normal life.”

The problem was, only six out of the thirteen people in the room knew what Camille’s ‘normal’ entailed.

I pressed my lips firmly together, shifting my fingers from Caspian’s fist, reaching backwards to instead massage his lower back.

Zania twitched at the sight. According to their skewed ideology, alphas were supposed to be strong and handle themselves, and omegas were the ones that took on emotional burdens. The idea of alphas relying on each other was laughable to them. It was why I was also holding back my aura and my scent.

“It is your obligation to give us grandchildren,” my mother continued. “We did not raise you both to live a life without a real omega—without children.”

“He is a real omega,” Caspian snapped. A crack rang through our bond as Caspian made to jump from the sofa. My hand sped down to grip his waistband. Along with a harsh squeeze on his thigh and a quick thrill from Kai, it kept Caspian secured to the seat. Kai rarely spoke when all the family was gathered, but he was bubbling away with the potential fight that may arise should Zania continue her nonsense.

“Conceptually, yes,” Zania said, one brow raised, unimpressed. “But our business associates and sponsors have grown tired of your little rebellion. You’ve clearly made your point, but it’s time for you to grow up.”

I slowly closed my eyes, swallowing the sharp sting that pierced all three of us.

“We don’t want a female in our pack. We are fine as we are,” Caspian growled on a strained breath.

“You say that now, but what happens when you realise you want children? And your…your…pet.” She scowled, spitting out the word as if she was exorcising herself. “You still believe you ‘love’ him, but he can’t give you what you want.”

I pushed away my mate’s storming emotions as they dominated the bond, cluttering my concentration with their flares of sensitivity.

“Then, if our desires change, we can adopt,” I replied coldly. “We have no need for a female omega. If we must, adoption would appear much better for our family publicly than the addition of yet another young, white, wealthy omega.”

Caspian and I didn’t want to subject a child to the insanity of our lifestyle and blood relations, and Kai resolutely said no to children whenever I’d asked. In the end, it was our omega’s decision. I refused to force him into an undesirable situation ever again.

“No, I am sick of making excuses to our associates as to why I have no grandchildren.” Zania lifted her hand, and another of Caspian’s interchangeable fathers magicked a black folder and neatly presented it to her.

She whipped it away without a glance. “We’ve come up with ten eligible candidates, all from good families, all tested and perfectly fertile.” She slid the folder across the table, aiming for me.

“They may come with conditions.” Her thin lips pinched closed as she returned, straight-backed, to her crowning position, just in time for her to once again scowl at my omega. “Such as what to do withhim.”

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