Page 14 of Omega and the Beast
“Father Conal.” Callista swallowed hard and her trembling voice firmed. “I always knew he was foul, but he’s a monster. Something needs to be done about him.”
The fierce determination in her gaze sparked something in his own heart. Adonis felt the same. He didn’t know how, he didn’t know when, but Father Conal would pay for his evil.
“What about your parents?” she asked suddenly. “You said they went away, but they’ve not returned? Did Father Conal… did he…”
“They’re alive.” Despite that fact, his words were mournful. “I’ve seen them, when I run the perimeter of the territory. They’ve tried to come back so many times over theyears, but whatever barrier keeps me in, keeps them out as well. Only Betas seem to be able to pass through, and they rarely do, as far as I can tell. I don’t know for certain why, but I do know that a curse has a… sense about it, and the darker the magic, the fouler it feels. It could easily be that travelers no longer come here simply because the woods of my territory have that ill feeling about them. Travel is dangerous enough even without dark magic and hungry Beasts. If something feels wrong, it’s easier to simply stay away than to venture in, just to peddle ribbons and spice.”
“I wonder if my father has ever traveled beyond the borders,” she murmured.
“No.” Seeing her surprise at his swift answer, he had to smile, despite his mood. “I was able to speak with him after Mirkon and the others told him of the way of things here in the castle. He’s only traveled between the other villages within my territory. I suspect this, too, is part of the curse. Father Conal’s power is strongest over his village and notably weakens with distance. Whether he keeps the other village leaders under his control with dark magic or just with coin, I don’t know, but I do know that they, too, have solidified their power over their own villages by demonizing innocent Alphas and Omegas.”
This was not all he’d learned from Callista’s father. He’d also learned of Lachlan, a Beta male in Shining Village, the village closest to the edge of his territory, who, although outwardly loyal to Conal and his lackeys, remained sympathetic to non-Betas. He even produced a kind of suppressant that Broderick thought might help Adonis. Now, having met Callista, Adonis fully understood why Broderick had known about the suppressants.
Although Lachlan was not brave enough to stand against Conal and the rest of his compatriots, he was helping.How they might be able to use that to their advantage, Adonis had not yet decided, but it was an encouraging thought.
“May I see my father now?” Callista asked.
Adonis came out of his thoughts with a start and squeezed her hand again “Of course.”
Hopefully, the male didn’t try to kill him when he realized what Adonis and Callista had been up to the past few days. He liked Broderick. He didn’t want to have to hurt him.
8
Callista
Callista wrappedherself in bedsheets while Adonis clothed himself, then left her alone with a promise to swiftly return. Venturing away from the bed, she opened the heavy curtains, letting in more light, by which she was able to locate a basin with a little stale water in it. As she gratefully washed, a knock sounded. Adonis, with a clean smock and woolen kirtle in a pretty shade of blue. He left her alone to dress, which she appreciated, but he stayed right outside the door, and soon she was following him through the castle, her head spinning. The past few days felt like a haze, a dream. Her body still ached from the exertions, but she also felt replete, completely satisfied in a way she never had before. Between her legs, there was a dull ache, but she didn’t mind. It was like a pleasant reminder of what she’d done with… well, with a perfect stranger.
A very handsome, very kind, very thoughtful stranger,who had done very filthy things to her that had felt very, very good. She truly wasn’t sure what to make of him.
Yes, he was dangerous, just as Father Conal had claimed. However, Father Conal was the one who had made him so. Though looking at the way he moved and his powerful muscles, Callista could absolutely believe he didn’t need to be a Beast to be dangerous.
In bed, she had felt small beside him and beneath him, but somehow, she felt even smaller walking next to him. He loomed over her, easily the tallest male she’d ever met, and he walked with the grace and power of a predator.
“I live in the south wing, away from the others… for their safety,” Adonis explained as he escorted her through the halls.
“I thought you said your Beast doesn’t see people as prey once they’re here,” she said, and was immediately sorry to see his expression cloud.
“I don’t, but I never know if that will change.” A muscle in his jaw tightened, his amber eyes flashing. “I don’t know enough about the curse to be sure of anything. You must understand, everything I do know has only been learned through trial and… and terrible error. I don’t want to risk anyone.”
He would be a good leader. A far better leader than Father Conal, who often put himself before everyone else. After all, as he so often said himself, what would the village do without him? That was why he ate first and best, why he was clothed in the finest fabrics while children shivered in the cold, and why he took a tithe for nothing more than preaching about how terrible they all were and how the Gods would punish them if they did anything other than what he told them to.
It wasn’t enough that he made others suffer for hiscomforts, Father Conal was also sacrificing young women every three years, knowing the only reason there was a Beast at all was because of the curse he’d laid upon Adonis. Not just him, either. The other village leaders, too, each of them in turn so they didn’t have to send a woman from their villageeveryyear. And if any of their victims should dare to return after judgment, they were killed as if they were criminals, for no reason but to preserve the illusion of infallibility of those in power.
All of them using lies and fear to keep their position, to make the villagers so fearful, they had sacrificed their own to stay safe. Anger bubbled up inside her, but she pushed it back down. She didn’t want Adonis to think she was angry at him.
It wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t asked to be born an Alpha or to be cursed.
Ahead of them, at the end of the hall, were two huge ornate wooden doors. Adonis strode forward, pushing one open, revealing a bustle of activity on the other side. It felt almost odd not to be alone with Adonis as she stepped through.
The ceiling was just as high as the hallway’s had been, but the room itself was the biggest yet. Callista’s jaw dropped as she looked around, taking in the columns, the stained glass, the stunning decoration. All of this in the middle of the woods, and no one had any idea!
No wonder Father Conal didn’t want people roaming too deeply into the woods. She wondered what he would have done if anyone had come back talking about the castle.
She doubted they would have lived long.
Callista’s lips firmed. Something had to be done about Father Conal and the other leaders. This wasn’t right.
“Adonis!” Several voices called out at once, greeting theAlpha, all of them apparently happy to see him. Callista hovered shyly as he returned their greetings. She saw no fear, no hesitation as he moved among them, only the respect of a vassal for their lord, tempered by genuine friendship and high regard.
