Page 86 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
“You know, things an Alpha would expect their Omega to do.”
Viper’s eyebrows furrow.
“Why weren’t you in school?” Knox asks beside me. It doesn’t sound accusatory, rather genuinely curious.
“Father wanted to ensure I’d fetch a high price when I presented.” I shrug and avert my eyes. I’m regretting my decision to tell this story. It’s already giving too much away.
“High… price?” Viper intones.
I scrunch my face in confusion. This is common knowledge. A lot of families do it, but I explain nevertheless.
“I didn’t go to public school because my father was worried others would claim the Omega finders-fee before him. He wanted to wait until I had my first heat, so he could claim both the government payout and the amount an Alpha pays to mate with me. A double pay day.”
A tense silence yawns around the fireside as my words land.
They exchange disapproving glares and their delicious scents sour. The stew curdles in my belly.
Do they not know how Alpha and Omegas are paired? I suppose they’re not exactly the usual pure-bred, upper-class elite Alphas that live in the capital and hold the seats of power.
I glance at Knox. I don’t actually know anything about them. As a Prime Alpha, hemightbe eligible to receive an Omega mate.
Blaze erupts. “They fucking buy Omegas?”
A cacophony of snarling growls swarm around me.
I flinch and my shoulders hunch.
I’ve done something wrong.
Shade, ever my protector, comes to my rescue. He lobs a stick at Blaze, who swiftly dodges it.
“Hey!” Blaze objects, but the stern set of the Beta’s mouth makes Blaze settle. He glances at me, grimaces, and settles back down.
Knox makes a grumbling noise, muttering under his breath about “corrupt mother-fuckers.”
Shade smiles gently at me. “Go on. Tell us the rest of your story.”
Blaze props his chin in the cradle of his palms with his elbows on his knees, giving me his undivided attention and one of his one-hundred watt smiles. I think it’s supposed to make me feel reassured, but I can tell it’s forced. It doesn’t make his eyes crinkle in the usual adorable way.
I glance quickly at Knox and Viper. They’ve both schooled their features, and I exhale.
“Okay, well, my aunt had a distant cousin who was an Omega, and that made her the only person we knew who’d ever even met an Omega. In my father’s eyes, that made her qualified to educate me,” I explained.
“One fall, we had a bumper harvest of apples and my aunt decided to teach me to cook apple pies. She said it was to teach me to bake for my future Alpha. The initial three pies I baked were legitimate learning experiences, but the other fifty were just her exploiting free labor.”
“The old witch was selling them at the local market and pocketing the profits. For weeks, I made pie after apple pie. My hair smelled like caramelized apples, and I swear if you licked me, I’d taste like it too.”
Blaze shifted in his seat, opening his mouth to make a dirty comment, but pouts instead when Shade clears his throat in warning.
“When the apple supply finally dwindled, I thought I was done. No more pies. No more baking for hours and hours. Except, as I began on the last basket of apples, my aunt came into the kitchen with a box full of pears.”
I huff in exasperation. Even after all this time, I remember how that felt. The frustration at my aunt for moving the finish line and the pulsing rage at the injustice that simmered under my skin.
“I was so angry. So, I baked one last batch of apple pies using a new and improved recipe. My aunt wasn’t happy, but I assured her the new recipe was unforgettable and she had to try it for herself.”
The fire pops and a spray of orange sparks burst into the inky navy sky, soaring up and up.
“I convinced her to take a bite by scooping up a big forkful and telling her how good it tastes. I chewed long and slow until she put her own forkful in her mouth.”
