Page 27 of Omega's Faith

Alexander Colborne might be a disaster, but he's a rich disaster with lawyers who keep him out of real trouble.

Still. It's worth trying.

I run up to my bedroom and grab my wallet. When I left the Bureau after meeting Alex for the first time, David Sun gave me his card. I can only hope he answers the phone on weekends.

He answers on my third try. “Sun. How can I help?”

“It’s Jonah Wells. I’m due to marry Alex Colbourne.”

"Yes I remember,” he sounds amused. “How can I help you?"

"I’m contesting the match." My voice sounds steadier than I feel. "On grounds of alpha unfitness."

"I see,” he says, although I can tell that he doesn’t. “Can you provide the specific grounds for contestation?"

I launch into my carefully prepared argument. Alexander's drinking. His reckless behavior. The scandals. The public displays of irresponsibility that should disqualify him from omega partnership.

Sun listens politely, occasionally asking clarifying questions. When I finish, there's a long pause.

"Mr. Wells, I understand your concerns. However, there haven’t been any criminal convictions. No arrests in the past five years. No documented substance abuse treatment or legal troubles."

"But what about the recent incident where his assistant was hurt?”

"That was embarrassing and foolish but it was not illegal. Public intoxication would need to result in an arrest to be grounds for appeal."

My chest tightens. "What about his treatment of me personally? The way he—" I struggle for words that won't make me sound like a hysteric. "The inappropriate behavior during official meetings."

"Can you be more specific?"

"He touched me. During a family dinner and at the engagement photoshoot. Without my permission. Made me uncomfortable deliberately."

Another pause. "Mr. Wells, alpha courtship behavior can sometimes be... enthusiastic. Especially with high compatibility ratings like yours. Unless there was an actual assault, this wouldn't constitute grounds for appeal."

Alpha courtship behavior.That's what they call it.

"Your compatibility rating is incredibly high," Sun continues. "It’s some of the highest on record. Our algorithm measures genetic compatibility, pheromone response and dozens of other factors. It identifies prime matches regardless of surface personality conflicts."

Surface personality conflicts.

“This is more than that. I can’t marry him. He is not a good person. You can’t expect me to marry someone like that.”

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wells. Without criminal convictions or documented abuse, there are no grounds for appeal. The match stands. I expect you to present yourself on Sunday or you will face charges. Prime matches are mandatory, as you know."

The line goes dead.

I sit at the kitchen table staring out of the window as the sun sets. The church bell tower stretches toward the sky, same as it has my entire life. Same as it will after I'm gone.

Gone.

After Sunday, I'll be living in his house and I’m supposed to be grateful for the privilege.

For just a moment, I consider what would happen if this conversation leaked to the press. If they found out I tried to get out of the match. The headlines would be brutal.

OMEGA REJECTS COLBORNE HEIR. PRIME MATCH FAILS BEFORE WEDDING.

For a moment, I feel guilty. It would destroy him. Whateverelse Alexander Colborne is, he's still a person. He doesn't deserve to be humiliated in front of the entire country.

Then I remember his smirk when he touched my thigh at dinner. The way he deliberately aroused me during the photoshoot, fingers threading through my hair while cameras clicked. How he'd enjoyed making me react, making me flush and stammer while everyone watched.