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He sighs. “Yeah, okay, I didn’t think things through before we came here. I think partly I had forgotten how bad it is here.”

“They hate alphas?” I say.

“No, not if we keep to our place,” he says.

“Which is to be subservient?” I say.

He shrugs.

“That just doesn’t make sense,” I say. “If we’re supposed to be so subservient, why is the sex the way it is? Why do omegas submit to alphas in bed?”

“If we’re not subservient, why do omegas need more than one of us?” he counters.

I lift my chin, thinking about that.

“Look, I don’t know what I think, exactly,” he says. “I don’t think that either designation is subservient to the other. But we both have the capacity to control the other in various situations, and that’s undeniable.”

“Maybe,” I say.

“Look, I have to go to work today,” he says. “But the next time I have a day off, I’ll go and talk to one of Kyvelki’s alphas, see if he can find out any information for us about the teeth or the bites with you and Arrow, or anything else we need to know about a scent match.”

“So, you think that’s the best way?” I say. “Talking to one of her alphas instead of going straight to her?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Definitely.”

Which is why, after he leaves, I finish my coffee and get myself dressed and go wandering around the grounds.

After our conversation, I’m careful not to speak to anyone who scents like an omega. But I do chance a conversation with a beta woman who’s standing outside on her back porch hanging up wet sheets.

“Hi,” I say.

She looks me over. “You must be one of those weird alphas who’s staying in the punishment house.”

“That’s me all right,” I say. “Name’s Knight.” I offer her my hand.

“Oh, right, you’re one of the secular alphas. Introducing yourself and everything.” She snickers.

“That’s, uh, not done here.” I close my hand into a fist and pull it in against my body.

She laughs a little. “No, it’s fine. You stopped to talk to me for a reason. Is there something I can help you with?”

“I wanted to know about Kyvelki’s mates,” I said. “Who are her alphas? Where could I find one of them if I wanted to try to talk to them?”

“Wow,” she says, raising her eyebrows. “You think they’ll talk to you?’

“Am I being crazy to think that?” I say.

She tilts her head to one side. “What do you need to talk to them for?”

I’m thinking about how to explain.

“Got to be because you’re a scent match,” she says. “I heard that. That’s true, then?”

“It’s true,” I say. “We just don’t know anything about it. We don’t know what to expect.”

“And you think Kyvelki might.” She nods. “Yeah, it’d be worth a shot.” She clips the last clothespin in place and runs her palm over the hanging, wet sheet. “You play chess at all?”

“A little,” I say.