Page 42 of Iris
There’s also the fact that the Gardener’s garden grows so many damn Omegas, the Monarch holds them at a higher pedestal than most. For that reason alone, many people are putting their money on Iris to be named the big L.
And if she is…
There’ll be a new target for the other Omegas to sink their stingers into.
- Queen Bee
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Killian
Iris Gardener.
She didn’t tell me her last name, but Sabine City isn’t overly big. And when there’s a Season Omega named Iris being blasted all over social media, it’s not hard to put two and two together.
The name means nothing to me personally. Yeah, I’ve heard about the Gardeners, a family of so many Omegas that they are the Monarch’s wet dream. The oldest brother has even drifted in here every now and then for a drink and an escape.
He never talks to anyone, just sits in the corner booth alone and drinks. A complete loner.
But his sister…
Iris.
Icy.
Iris Gardener.
She’s not the oldest sister—Violet was last Season’s star—and I know only because no one could shut the fuck up about herand that Emporian movie star. It was the most excitement this boring island has seen in decades.
But Iris being who she is, connected to who she is connected to, can not only be hurtful to my plans of expanding, but it can jeopardize everything the Nightshades have worked for. Our membership numbers are the highest they’ve ever been; we’re getting a lot of young people involved and hungry for a change. And that’s just what Sabine needs.
A change.
A big change.
It is a nice place, on the surface.
The rich here aren’t just rich, they’re old-money rich. Sabine used to be the place the Council began, where all the most wealthy families settled to separate themselves from the unworthy and lower class. It’s expanded since then, became home to others, but for the most part the outdated laws of the past govern this place. Omegas may be cherished, but they’re also the most oppressed. Alphas live like kings. Even for the Alphas on the Lower Side, we still hold more influence over Betas, Deltas, or Gammas. It’s something the Council’s always blamed on DNA.
Well, I say fuck that.
Your affiliation at birth shouldn’t determine your place in society or your worth. People on the mainland don’t live by such restrictive laws and they’re living their lives just fine.
If there wasn’t a risk of Emmie’s mother taking her from us, we would’ve stayed there. But we moved here because I have tenuous ties, or my mother did, and Emmie’s safer here as an Omega. We just need to stay until she comes of age. Then, Tamara would have no legal claim to her anymore and Em can live the life she chooses, wherever she chooses to live it.
But until then, I’m going to make sure my daughter has the best life I can provide her. And I know Xavier feels the same. Everything we do is for Emmie. She’s our world.
So we’ll live in Sabine, under the heavy hand of the Council, save every dime, and try to make the future better.
That’s where the Nightshades come in. Sure, it’s risky for us to be involved in the organization, but it’s still very much underground, most of the work put in recruitment and information gathering for now.
We can’t risk what we’ve started. Not for anyone, especially some bratty, virginal Omega like Iris Gardener.
A squeal of laughter grabs me from my thoughts, and I grin as I polish the bar some more.
“Daddy! Look it me! I rule!”
