Page 14 of His Reluctant Omega

Wilder frowned. He’d heard the stories of omegas and harems when he’d been in school and wondered how a single alpha serviced them all while they were all in heat at the same time. It didn’t seem probable. “Just because alphas were greedy and horded omegas does not mean all of the omegas weretheirs. Any fertile alpha can impregnate an omega in heat.”

“True. Yet in ancient poetry, histories of the time, and oral tales passed down, the scholars have found lines that suggest that some alphas had more than one true mate. Even if that’s not true, how in the world did these alphas manage so many?”

“It would be unmanageable,” Wilder replied.

“Or perhaps he had help. I’ve read that it’s believed there was another bond between some omegas—similar to that between alpha and omega. For some, it was more brotherly than romantic. For others, it crossed into intimacy. It’s thought perhaps a link formed from their shared bond to their alpha. And if they were intimate, it would explain how one alpha could manage multiple omegas.” Gray smiled up at him. “Since researching the topic, I’ve wondered if there was a bond like that between your brother and me. The love I felt for Jamie… and he for me… I have no other justification. It was immediate, like aflashof lightning rushing through my body… do you have a better explanation?”

Wilder considered what Gray had said a moment. “What you suggest goes against the whole narrative they taught us in school. It goes against our very religion.”

“First off, it’s not whatIsuggest. These are learned scholars who’ve spent years combing through old texts. Experts in their fields. Facts, not faith.” Gray paused a second. “Second, are you going to tell me there aren’t other fallacies or half-truths fromthe Bookyou’ve found since leaving school? I have.”

“I have,” Wilder said. “But why wouldn’t an alpha sense he had another? We pass by omegas every day. There would be incidents if this was true.”

“They’rematedomegas,” Gray answered. “Once claimed, an omega’s scent changes. Diminishes. Might you pass by an omega who was yours and never realize it if he was mated to another? I think you could.”

“Perhaps,” Wilder replied. “But if he was mated, wouldn’t that mean he had more than one alpha?”

“We both know there are matings that happen outside the norm. Outside the balls. Political matings. Or the accidental ones. A young omega in his first heat. A cousin or family friend, or even worse, a stranger, in the wrong place, at the wrong moment… things happen and we both know they’re often covered up by a mating.” Gray paused a moment. “I’ve even heard of siblings surrendering to a first heat and forced to mate. I can’t imagine the tragedy of that.”

Wilder cringed. He didn’t even want to imagine it. Shifting back to their original topic, he asked, “Say I agreed with this theory, that alphas have more than one mate…”

“Not all alphas, of course. Some might only have that one, and considering the omega numbers have decreased so much since ancient times… perhaps they’re even more rare these days.”

Wilder frowned, vaguely remembering hearing something along those lines. “If I recall correctly from my college days, there weremanymore omegas than alphas after the Great Catastrophe…”

“Right. But over the generations, those numbers have decreased. A theory I’ve read intimated that the provincial government feared alphas would begin fighting over omegas and the peace they’d long sought would dissolve—so they outlawed the harems and instituted the quadrants, protecting unmated omegas. That also allowed the one-to-one pairing idea to take hold. The first omega the alpha bonded with was the only one he would ever get the chance to bond with. Once mated, he’d never attend another ball to seek another—there would be no reason for him to. How would he recognize there was someone else for him? Those like me, the others, were then left in the OQ to fade away.”

“What brought about all this research? Were you searching for an answer?”

“You’re aware my nephew’s in college. He was taking a history course and stumbled onto some interesting information while I was pregnant with the twins. He shared a book with me—and since reading it, I’ve sought more, with his help.”

At the mention of Gray’s nephew, Wilder’s body tensed. Young Abraham often came to mind, more often than was appropriate. “Are these the things the beta colleges are filling young minds with? I thought he was studying something in the secretarial arena?”

“Accounting.” Gray corrected. “Though he was made to take varied courses to complete his degree—which I’m in favor of. Weshouldlearn about our history. Or it might doom us to repeat our failures.”

Wilder smiled down at the omega. “True.” They walked on a few more steps before he worked up the courage to ask the question burning in his mind. “HowisAbraham doing in school?”

“Fine. He graduates in a few more weeks. If his exams go as well as expected, he just might graduate at the top of his class.”

“You must be proud,” Wilder murmured.

“Quite,” Gray answered, a bright smile on his lips. “More than you can even realize.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

An odd look came over Gray’s face before he shook his head. “He lost both parents just months before he began college. He feels he has the responsibility of his younger brothers and takes that seriously.”

Wilder glanced down. “But his brothers now live with you and Rohan, don’t they?”

“I finally convinced Avery to let them come stay with us—so he could focus on his classes. It isn’t easy to get him to accept help of any kind.”

“Avery?” Wilder asked, lifting a brow. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed Gray call Abraham that name. Each time, it was brushed away… but there was avisceralreaction within every time Wilder heard it.

Avery.The name was like some dark, exciting secret he wasn’t supposed to know. It only made him want to seek more of the beta’s secrets.

Gray’s head spun, and his eyes widened. “Did I say Avery?Abraham.” Gray stiffened a little. “Abraham’s middle name,” the omega murmured.

“As you’ve said before,” Wilder murmured, suspecting there was more to that story. “Why does it seem like such a touchy subject?”

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