Page 68 of Gold Sector
She was under the impression that taking a mate was her only choice.
Because her father prepared her for this, told her the worst—or at least allowed her to think that way.
No wonder she thought I was going to knot her immediately.
Fuck.
“Basalt is either dead or indisposed,” Rio says, his words entirely unexpected and seemingly unrelated to everything we’ve been discussing. “And I’m fairly certain his Second has aligned Obsidian Sector with the Djinn.”
I stare at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?” The alliance with the Djinn isn’t a surprise, given recent events, but hearing his thoughts on Basalt is certainly a shock.
“And what the hell does this have to do with your sister?” Onyx adds.
“You mentioned Keegan being my spy the other day and again today,” Rio says, ignoring my brother entirely and only focusing on me. “He’s more than a spy. He’s a fucking chameleon. He could have left with Taliana at any time, but he chose to stay in Obsidian Sector because hesensed something wasn’t right. Not just with Helena, but also with Basalt.”
Keegan palms the back of his neck and glances out the window, his shoulders rigid. “In nearly two decades there, I never actually saw him. Only Wes, his Second.”
“So where’s Basalt?” I ask.
“My question precisely,” Rio muttered. “Everything is being done in Basalt’s name, but it seems Wes is running the show.”
“Still not sure how this pertains to your sister,” Onyx drawls.
Rio finally looks at him, his expression riddled with irritation. “During the Infected Era, my father and Basalt’s father made a blood vow—the Drakonians of Obsidian Sector would stay out of Jasper Sector and Silver Sector if my father agreed to mate his firstborn Omega to an Alpha in Basalt’s family line.”
I inhale slowly, the mention of the agreement one that brings back a myriad of memories. Of times when arranged matings were common amongst the Drakonians.
Fuck, they’re still common. Mostly because that generation of Alphas still exists. We’re immortal. Heirs just commonly surpass their fathers in the ranks, our powers naturally strengthening in our offspring when mated to the right Omega.
Hence the purpose of these forced pairings.
Many Alpha fathers have offered me their Omegas, their goals being to align our families and turn their daughters into a princess. They all assumed I wanted a strong heir, too.
They learned quickly that my priorities rest elsewhere.
Thus, I refused all such arrangements.
But now I’m wondering if I fell into one by accident. “Who is your sister?” I ask, my voice lower than before.
He told Taliana to call himUncle Rio. He claimed she wasn’t related to him by blood. Said “no” when I asked minutes earlier about their relationship.
Except my stomach is churning with dread, my mind spinning with a thousand ideas. None of them good.
“She’s no one you’ve met, her existence one my family has kept secret for the last twenty-five years. But Basalt’s father recently reached out with a missive that made it clear he not only knows of her but is also very aware of her age. And he expects her to appear in Obsidian Sector before her next heat. To wed his youngest son, Alpha Wes.”
Keegan’s jaw visibly clenches. Though, I doubt this is news to him, given everything that’s been revealed thus far in this conversation.
He was sent here to see how Gold Sector handled Omegas.
Used his own daughter as bait.
All to test our Alphas and determine if the “rumors” about our treatment were true. Rumors I’m not entirely sure exist because all I’ve ever heard about Gold Sector is how cruel we are, how we bargain our precious metals and stones for Omegas, how fearsome we can be when crossed.
Nothing about what actually happens inside our walls.
So either Riordan has another plant—a spy I’ve yet to unearth—or he was merely guessing. And what a dangerous guess that could have been.
“You want us to help hide your sister,” Onyx says slowly, clearly having mentally waltzed down a path similar to the one I just did. Though I hadn’t quite reached that conclusion yet, it does feel right.
