Page 19 of The Demon's Pet

Bran’s father looked much like him, and he was watching us with hard eyes as if displeased by all of this.

“Well, it’s a little unconventional, but I suppose we can start the choosing now since the son of our alpha has decided it,” the priest said warily.

“I do,” Bran said, easily stepping into the role of authority that had been handed to him.

I had to admit it, I was impressed by how he was handling this. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing to be mated to an alpha, if he could just see me as an equal.

Maybe he could help me escape, or we could leave this place together. He’d stood up to the priest. Maybe he liked me, not as an omega, but as me.

Maybe this was the start of our romance novel.

Something inside me still felt sick with dread, but at least my outburst wasn’t ending with stoning.

Bran reached out to stroke my cheek, and I let him. The first time I let an alpha touch me without resisting him.

I tried to lean into it, to see if I could feel anything that made my heart less icy about the proposition of belonging to an alpha.

But I wasn’t sure.

Bran gave me a nod, as if he felt he had my full agreement, and then moved down the line in front of Sara.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips as well.

Her eyes flew wide in confusion, and she looked over at me.

Bran gave us both a doting smile as he turned to face the part of the congregation in front of him.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the celestials have given us a new dispensation as alphas. From now on, an alpha may mate as many omegas as he can support. There is no longer a restriction on owning only one omega.”

Did he just sayowning?

I glared at him as he continued to explain to all of them that strong alphas, like him, would be able to bless and protect more than one omega and that the gods had given their blessing.

In the congregation, people whispered with shock, and the wind blew through the mostly quiet clearing.

I almost wished the celestials were here so I could ask them about this stupid new rule that only benefitted alphas, when only alphas had been in the meeting with them to hear about it.

“I demand you call back a celestial to confirm this change,” I yelled, my hands in tight fists, my anger turning infernal when Sara let out a gasping sob of shock.

She was one of those omegas who’d tried to gracefully adjust to this situation, but this seemed to be too much for even her.

The idea of sharing a mate… when mates were supposed to have a sacred connection.

Her father stood, a good beta who’d become alpha of her family but never used his power for bad that I’d seen. “This is not in the book of precepts!”

“Many things are not,” Bran said, turning to face him with folded arms. He looked around at the other alphas. “Besides, it’s just what the angels told us, isn’t that right, alphas? And we have to do as the celestials say.”

He walked to Sara. “This one I will take as my true mate. Gentle, kind, in need of my protection.” He touched her chin, and she didn’t jerk away, though I saw that she wanted to.

It was so sad. She’d wanted Bran, and now she had to share him.

Bran walked in front of me, taking me by the shoulders. “This one, she’s feisty, impossible for anyone else in the village to control. She’d be stoned without me, after turning down an alpha. Something is wrong with her mind, and she can’t accept her place as omega, though her position deems her a blessed daughter of the gods.” He puffed his chest and looked around solemnly, as if announcing he was about to run into a burning building for all of them. “I can keep her in her place.”

The others applauded tepidly, barely rising above the hum of the cicadas in the wet grass.

I think they were hoping for a stoning.

He leaned into me, keeping his hands on my shoulders. “Do your best for me, and I promise to always protect you.” His lips got close enough to graze my ear. “I know you’re difficult, but the fire you’ll bring in bed should be worth all the trouble. So much fight in you—”

---