Page 3 of Fated or Knot (UnseelieVerse: The Omega Masquerade #1)

3

LARK

T he sun set while I navigated to the castle through noisy crowds of beta revelers around each street corner. Even though I cringed at every touch, both accidental and not, I didn’t have any essence to spare to fly to my destination. Besides, I needed to slip in after the presenting ceremony, where each and every omega walked in on the arm of their guardian while the attending alphas looked on.

Cymora had been planning for this moment meticulously. That was the only reason I knew it existed. My lack of an introduction shouldn’t matter—I had to focus on what did. I was there to steal enough valuables to afford a magirail ticket and the services of an essence spinner to touch up my suppressant tattoo before my journey away from Ilysnor. In the process, I might enjoy the attention of a few alphas before I left to start my new life in the one place my stepfamily and Pack Ellisar wouldn’t find me.

My foot dragged painfully after blocks of dodging the celebrating fae, and my anxiety was at an all-time high. There were so many fae here, and I was an omega on her own. A number of awful things could’ve happened under the anonymity of a crowd, so I kept as alert as possible for potential danger.

Don’t bring attention to yourself. I tried not to jump from every shadow and motion of those around me. It only earned me glances and perusals of my illusioned-on dress.

Any drunken, grasping fae that noticed me were typically reaching for my body, not my mask. Habitually, I checked the edges of it, making sure it was still secured. By the time I made it to the closed gate in front of the castle grounds, extra tendrils of fatigue pulled at my limbs. I briefly considered taking a nap behind one of the shrubs in the castle gardens.

Still, I kept my voice light for the pair of guardsmen standing sentinel behind the gate. “Am I too late for the Omega Masquerade?” I asked, fluttering my lashes with a forced, tired laugh. “I, um, took too long getting ready.”

The pair of betas exchanged a glance. They had the power to turn me away and ruin my plan without cause or remorse. The seconds passed with excruciating sluggishness as they spoke behind their hands and gestured before coming to a decision.

“Right this way, miss,” the one on the left said, opening the gate long enough for me to slip inside.

Not all betas are like Cymora and Laurel, I reminded myself in relief. The guard seemed surprisingly nice. He even offered his arm with a friendly smile.

I wavered, unsure why he’d extended his elbow my way. I’d seen other females rest a hand on the forearm of their companions. I tentatively placed my hand on his arm before he gently took my fingers and fixed them to rest properly in the crook of his elbow. Then he steered me up the path to the event. The stone walkway was lined with spring blooms glowing brightly with essence from within.

“You’ve missed the presenting ceremony, I’m afraid. I could still try to announce you, if you’d like?” the guard offered. He slowed his stride, shifting to accommodate a particularly bad limp that sent fractals of pain up my right leg.

“No,” I puffed out. “That…that’s okay.”

He glanced down at me, face creased with concern. “Where is your guardian, miss?” Once we entered the castle, I saw that he was a forest elf with strands of gray shot through his leaf-green hair. He had kind eyes, though I suspected he saw more of my secrets than I would’ve liked. I hadn’t expected anyone to care enough to ask that question.

In an unguarded moment, I said, “I am without one.” Like any fae, I couldn’t lie, but I still kicked myself a moment later for telling the whole truth to this stranger.

His brows rose past the visor of his helmet. “In that case, at least let me escort you to the royal pack,” he said.

“No…I don’t…” I stammered.

“It’s protocol, miss. The queen greets every omega who attends the masquerade.” His face smoothed into a comforting look. “She’s the kindest female I’ve ever worked for. You have nothing to worry about.”

He’d led me through a couple of corridors, to a spiraling staircase that took us a while to climb. My cheeks burned like little suns as I puffed and struggled. The guard became one of my favorite people by providing his support along the way and not commenting.

Eventually, we made it to the top of a railing looking over a ballroom in full swing. We were on eye level with a chandelier dripping with specialized essence that glimmered in crystalized drops, providing gentle illumination for the sight below us. The ballroom was gigantic, lined on all sides by massive windowpanes adorned with ornate drapes.

The crush of fae below reminded me of the meadow outside of my stepfamily’s rented cottage. The gemstone brightness of glowing pixie wings stood out here and there in pops of color. No one would notice a faded bloom slipping in amongst this number of vibrant souls.

As we descended slowly so I wouldn’t trip down the stairs, I took in the setup of the room. Guardians milled about with drinks in hand, mostly gossiping and sitting at the round tables to the side of the ballroom. Several couples danced, following the melody of a soaring, upbeat song played by a live orchestra. I couldn’t see the musicians, but I felt the vibrations of sound through the thin soles of my slippers.

A fine mist hazed over the whole event, smelling like…well, nothing. Given that my nose wasn’t assaulted by the mixed scents of hundreds of alphas plus at least fifty omegas, it had to be a cloud of scent blocker. How was an omega was supposed to find a scent match with this much mist hanging in the air?

By the time my feet reached the end of the stairs, I was sure I’d made a terrible mistake. There were more people here than the entire population of Osme Fen, and I had no idea what to do in such a large crowd.

From listening to my stepfamily plot, the whole point of the event was for omegas to meet alphas from across the country. But was I supposed to meet this many alphas? I made a shy cringe at the notion. My earlier desire to be seen as an omega felt like utter foolishness now. I needed to get in and out of this event as quickly as possible.

“This way,” the guard said, interrupting my thoughts. He led me around the edge of the dance floor. The far side of it had a set of five raised thrones for the royal pack, though each high seat was empty. “When an alpha offers you his hand, what do you do?”

“Huh?” I glanced up and saw the set of his jaw. He was still a little worried. “I shake his hand?”

“In any other situation, yes. But at this event, he will kiss your fingertips and take a brief smell of your wrist. You don’t have to let every alpha here do this, miss. Only the ones you like.”

“Oh, for scent matching,” I said. My stepfamily hadn’t talked about this part of the masquerade.

“This is the biggest crowd of alphas we’ve hosted in a long time. You’re going to have some that will try to insist you’re a match when you’re not,” he continued. Now he was simply sounding almost…fatherly. “Since you are without a guardian, I strongly suggest you don’t leave the castle grounds with an alpha you meet tonight. Any guard would be happy to escort you home if you’re feeling unsafe.”

I was a little choked up all of a sudden. I managed a wobbly little, “Thank you.”

“And here we are.” He jerked his chin, drawing my attention to an omega dancing nearby. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her like a pennant in the wind, along with her deep blue skirts and the pretty pink and yellow of her pixie wings. It must’ve been a quirk of her essence, but she didn’t get tangled in anything as she danced. We stopped nearby and waited as the music naturally came to a high point, suggesting the song would finish soon.

This far into the room, the light was a romantic suggestion from garlands of glowing flowers and a few decorative lanterns on the tables and pillars behind us. Still, I’d need to be blind to miss that the queen was an omega of impeccable grace, and the alpha who danced with her met her in a choreographed whirl of their bodies.

His skin was such a vivid shade of red that I blinked in surprise. Only a dragonsblood salamander, a rare type of Seelie shifter, would be such a color. As the music came to a brief pause, he wound his arm around her waist and dipped her, lifting his mask to kiss the breath off her lips. I blushed, feeling like I was intruding, and dropped my gaze with an all too familiar hunch to my shoulders.

The guard must’ve gotten their attention, as the next thing I knew, the queen and her crimson king were heading our way. I fumbled into a curtsy and held it. “Oh, a late bloom? I’m so glad you could make it.” The queen’s voice was coming closer, and the next thing I knew, her slender fingers were tilting up my chin and she took my hands in hers.

I stood there, absolutely stunned this was happening. The salamander alpha and the guard started chatting a few feet away as if nothing was out of the ordinary here. My mind had chosen to freeze, thoughts stuttering. This was… the queen? Queen Alora? Touching me?

“Welcome, dear,” she said warmly. “Tell me about you. Where are you visiting from?”

I cleared my throat, willing myself to rally and not make a fool of myself. “I…I’m Lark.” And I couldn’t help the nervous quake in my body. She was still the queen. “I’m from Osme Fen. It’s a little…tiny farm town?”

Her painted lips pursed thoughtfully under her glittering sapphire-dusted mask. “Oh, yes! I just met your sister, I think. Laurel?”

“Step,” I said a little too fast. “Um. Stepsister. Yes.”

“Well, how delightful that you both could make it. We’re always happy to have citizens from across Thelis attend, but especially those from so far away,” Alora said. “Don’t let me hold you back from enjoying your evening.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” My shoulders loosened with relief. I could start achieving what I’d come here for rather than dare to stand here in front of a queen while wearing an illusion over plain servant’s garb. She wouldn’t have been so quick to touch me if she’d known. Or maybe she still would have. I’d never know for sure.

I started to skulk off in shame. “Oh, and Lark?” the queen added. I turned back to look at her. The guard was gone, and she was resting her hand on her alpha’s arm. “If you happen to run into my daughter, Glory, will you let her know I’m looking for her? Her wings are this shade of red. You can’t miss her.”

She patted the salamander king, and I nodded, mustering enough nerve to say something else while they were both looking at me. “Yes, Your Majesty. That guard…the man who brought me to you. He is very kind.” I hoped the clumsy compliment would help him in some small way.

Both of them smiled. “Loren has been a loyal member of our household since before I was born,” said the king, his voice a deep rumble. “I’m glad he continues to treat our guests well.”

“Enjoy the festivities,” Queen Alora added brightly.

I went the opposite direction they did, heading for the tables laden with food at the very back of the room. Stars, this was already not going how I’d expected it to. All I’d known about Queen Alora and her pack before now was that she had one child, the omega crown princess, and the folk of Osme Fen gossiped about her lack of fertility.

They were afraid, maybe, but that fear had made them cruel. They compared her to the Queen of Serian, who was rumored to be pregnant yet again. The Unseelie had more than secured their next generation, while the Seelie continued to wait for Queen Alora to birth another child.

Maybe she didn’t want to. Maybe one was enough, despite the impatience and worry from her subjects and the weight of responsibility Crown Princess Glory must feel as the sole heir.

I entered the line for a turn in front of the refreshments, behind a pixie with beautiful evergreen wings. Her blonde hair was up in a braided coronet on the back of her head, exposing the slender golden column of her neck. The dress clinging to her curves had a leaf pattern.

I was still admiring her dress when an alpha came over and nearly wedged between us. “Ladies,” he rumbled. First, he offered his hand to her and took a breath of her scent. Looking disappointed, he released her and did the exact same thing to me. Muttering, he turned his back, leaving me to exchange a glance with the other pixie.

“Some of the males here are so rude,” she declared with a huff. Her mask was small and white, with painted flowers dotting it for pops of color.

“You look very pretty tonight,” I blurted before I could second-guess the compliment.

Her wings fluttered as she smiled back. She fell into step beside me as the line inched forward slowly. “So do you! I’m Poppy of Clearvince. This is my first time at the Omega Masquerade.”

I introduced myself and nodded in agreement. “My first, and hopefully last, time,” I said quietly.

She giggled openly. “That’s the spirit! Are you hoping to find a solo mate or a pack tonight?”

“Um…” Neither, honestly. I wanted a ticket out of the city, a new heat suppressant tattoo, and a leisurely night’s sleep, not necessarily in that order. “My parents were a couple. I think one male would be plenty for me.”

“Well, don’t be afraid if you do get scent-matched to a pack. I come from a happy pack with five alphas and two omegas. I’ve got more siblings than I know what to do with,” Poppy said cheerfully. “I’m half-dryad, but my brothers are orcs, dryads, and selkies. Never a dull moment at home.”

That was common in a pack of mixed fae races. Pixies, as omegas, had more pixies for their daughters and sons that reflected the race of their fathers. Had my parents lived, I would probably have at least one alpha wind sprite brother. Couples were frowned upon and considered an incomplete pack; omegas were so rare that the collective sentiment was that they needed to be shared by more than one alpha or, at the very least, a mixed pack of alphas and betas.

“I’m half-wind sprite,” I told her. “And, well, I’m an only child.”

“How lonely! Where’d you say Osme Fen is? I couldn’t imagine not having a big family.” Poppy fluttered her lashes. “I’m here with my best friend, but I don’t know where she’s gone. I’d better get her a sticky bun. She’d hate having to stand in this line.”

“I just hope there’s some food left,” I murmured. My belly grumbled in agreement.

As we chatted, we attracted attention from the alphas roaming the edges of the ballroom. Several stopped and offered their hands with barely a word of hello. I didn’t tell anyone no, letting myself get used to the ritual of strangers brushing their lips over my fingertips before they scented my pheromones.

Most breathed a sigh that sounded something like defeat. “It seems we are not a match,” more than one alpha said before he went about his evening.

No one asked to dance, nor did they seem to think we were matched, which was just fine by me. If they passed too close, I took the opportunity to sneak my fingertips in their pockets or occasionally over wrists and belts. Poppy didn’t notice, too happy to gossip and giggle as we waited in line.

Anything I lifted, I quickly dropped into the front of my invisible smock to sift through later. No noble male alpha noticed their rings or coin purses disappearing… Stars help me if they did. I’d practiced as much as I could so tonight could go off without a hitch.

“Oh, there’s my friend. Coral!” Poppy exclaimed, pointing out a petite, blue-winged pixie with soft gray skin and waves of dark hair, who waved on her way by.

“Get me something!” Coral called back.

Poppy pointed at her, then raised her thumb and brow at the same time. The other pixie flashed a thumbs-up back. “Tell you later,” she added in a loud whisper. She was being escorted between two alphas who appeared to be arguing over top her head.

Poppy shook her head with a playful sigh. “She’s always getting herself into something. It looks like they’re going out to the balcony, so I’ll check on her later.”

I nodded. The event seemed relatively safe, but I hoped the balcony had guards. It was always potentially dangerous for an omega to spend alone time with two unknown alphas. They were so much larger and stronger than us.

It was soon our turn with the table of food and beverages, I was momentarily dazzled as I took in everything alongside Poppy. Towers of pastries and pyramids of tiny sandwiches were all piled up with little tongs. We noted everything that looked good, eager to start piling up our plates. Goblets of sparkling wines and juices were lined up and neatly marked for whether they contained hallucinatory fae fruit.

I reached for a plate, just to turn and startle when I realized an alpha had snuck up on me and put his big hand right in my path. I was of half a mind to tell him to leave me alone since the food was right there , but I’d already gotten used to this ritual and put my palm in his.

He was a wind sprite, tall and turquoise with an artfully tousled mass of light blue hair. Instead of wearing a suit like most of the other alphas here, he was in plain everyday clothes and took a much longer sniff of my wrist than any other alpha had. His gaze flew to mine as he shot upright and said, “You smell exquisite, little lady. See for yourself that we’re a match.”

With a tug on my arm, I tripped forward into his chest, and he trapped my head against his shirt. I smelled wood and smoke, and it threatened to choke me. My eyes started to water. I may not have dreamed of meeting scent matches, but even I knew that any fated alpha of mine would smell extra amazing.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Poppy exclaimed at him as soon as she turned to see me squirming in his hold.

“No—” I tried to protest.

“Let’s take this next dance, and I can tell you about my pack,” he said, ignoring us both. He swept me off my feet without so much as a grunt of effort.

I reached for the delicious-looking pastries with a longing swipe of my hand as he carried me away from them.