Page 6 of Happy Valentine's Day, Omega
With a pop, my lower lip slides out from my teeth and I tug the twine loose. Carefully, I slip a finger between the wrapping paper, unwilling to tear something so pretty, and unwrap the gift.
Sitting in the palm of my hand is a matte black box. It's flat and obviously made for jewelry.
The Omegas titter at a rapid frequency.
"Open it." A gently encouraging murmur and nudge from Cara spurs me on.
The box opens with a finalizing click.
Nestled within the burgundy velvet lining is a diamond-encrusted choker necklace strung with three giant dangling rubies.
Air leaves my lungs in shock and my hands begin to shake. Cara says something, but I can only hear the rushing of blood in my ears.
There's no card, but the necklace delivers a crystal clear message.
I'm being courted.
And not just courted. Exclusively courted by someone who has agreed to pay any rate the academy demands. Even my family will receive benefits. Money is no object – they want me all to themselves.
In the eyes of society and archaic Omega laws, I'm engaged to be mated.
5
"No, no, no. This is a mistake," I whisper to myself. Shock settles through my bones.
Over time, some Omega courting practices fell out of fashion.
The growing Omega rights movement encouraged an acceptance of more modern thinking. A law passed which enforced an Omega's right to choose her mate.
The Omega Academy found a loophole to this restriction. They offer a selection of Alphas for an Omega to court.
The Alphas pay a fee to the academy for the privilege, and the Omega can only select from that pre-selected group.
Technically, it's not a violation of the law.
If you ignore the barrier to less wealthy Alphas in favor of those with money.
The more archaic mating customs were abolished. Yet, a handful are exempt in the name of tradition. They're rarely used,and only available to select few – those of a purely Alpha and Omega bloodline.
It turns my stomach to know our society still places favoritism on those who spawn from bloodlines of only Alphas and Omegas.
Translation: Mated to a Beta? You're kicked out of club douchebag.
I've never truly considered myself one of the pure bloods, despite both sides of my genetic makeup coming from long and prosperous ancestry. My family never mingled with those in the upper reaches of society, a fact my parents made a conscious decision to do well before I was even a twinkle in my daddy's eye.
Beyond my parents' decision to raise their children outside of tradition, it also comes down to simple economics.
We are poor.
We can't afford to play pretend superiority.
Swallowing thickly, I stare at the twinkling necklace.
I know without a doubt that even one dangling ruby is worth more than my entire family will earn in our lifetime.
It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room.
And then the screeching begins.
