Page 18

IRIAN

I was so fucking excited to know that Talius had spoken to my father. I hadn’t been mistaken after all. Everything had pointed to Talius and I being destined to be together when we were older, though it had never been certain in what capacity. But he’d just confirmed that he intended to take me as his mate.

“Mate,” I said the word to myself when I was alone later. It sounded right to me. We weren’t going to break any rules and get off to the wrong start together, but he’d made his intention clear. There was even that moment when he’d looked unsure… as if anyone would be reluctant to partner with such a fine handsome alpha, and one with modern views as well. I chuckled. The thought was absurd.

But apart from all his attributes, there’d been something calling from his wolf to mine for a very long time. We’d just been friends, but wolves knew these things. Their instincts were keen.

There was no doubt at all that this was what I wanted too. I wondered how I was going to broach the subject with my parents - that I wanted to choose my mate, not have them do it for me. Talius was right, once I’d turned 19 they could well register a claim if they really were planning an arranged union. I was going to tell them I knew about Talius’ intention to claim me and that I was accepting him. My birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks. I would need to talk to my parents very soon.

But maybe we were worrying unnecessarily. For a change, Marius hadn’t been bothering me at all these holidays, and strangely my mother hadn’t made any comment on how little time I spent around Alpha Moray and his family. Maybe she’d given up her plans after all, especially since Talius had notified my dad of his intentions. Regardless, I wasn’t going to take any chances. My birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks. I was going to talk to my parents very soon.

In July, the holidays were shorter than at Christmas, and before long I was back to my normal school routine, and with each passing day as my 19 th birthday approached, I grew more and more excited. I knew Talius would make a formal claim as soon as he was able. I was both excited and proud to be claimed by such an amazing alpha. There would still be years before we could formalize a union, but I had no doubt we’d still want to do it when the time came.

The day of my birthday fell on a Friday, and as I was exiting the campus with a group of classmates after finishing classes for the week, my mother’s imperious voice rang out.

“Irian!” she called; her strident tones easily heard over the conversation around me.

“Oh, there’s my mum,” I said, when I saw her white sportscar pulled up curbside. “Guess I’d better go. See you guys next week.”

The guys hurried to say farewell and gave the car a wide berth as they crossed the road and continued down towards the bus-stop. It was true my mum gave off a weird aggressive vibe. I bit my lip. I kinda wanted to go with my friends, but my mother never turned up at the school, so I knew I’d have to go with her. Maybe she was planning something for my birthday?

The driver's window slid down as I approached. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“Get in.”

I sighed. She was dressed in the clothes she usually wore for council meetings. The red power suit inside the sleek white sportscar made for quite a statement. No wonder my friends took off. I wasn’t intimidated but I knew better than to push her. I went around to the passenger's side and got in.

With a roar! of the engine, she pulled out and accelerated down the road.

When we came to the fork in the road where we usually turned right to head home, we turned left instead.

I cocked my head at my mother, curious. Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. I tried again.

“So… what’s going on? Where are we going?”

“To the estate. I thought we’d spend the weekend there. For your birthday.” She took her eyes off the road long enough to flash me a terse smile that didn’t even reach her eyes.

The estate was like our country house, but we rarely went there. It was an older style mansion, three stories high, with extensive grounds, set in the middle of a forest. On those occasions where my parents entertained, this was where they did it, hosting weekend parties or get-togethers with important members of various committees. At those times, the house and grounds would be bustling with people, and I either had to play the role of host’s son or wander around the forest for hours to get some peace. It was a strange place to come for my birthday. I had no particular attachment to it.

“Oh, how come? Do you have a party planned or something?”

“No. Nothing like that,” she replied, but didn’t offer anything more.

I shrugged. My parents often did things for reasons I couldn’t figure out, but it usually had something to do with their all-important careers. I was a little annoyed that I couldn’t have maybe gone out with my friends to celebrate, but decided that was poor-spirited of me, and said nothing. She obviously had something planned.

When we pulled into the familiar driveway that curved a long winding trail up to the house, it was uncharacteristically deserted. Usually there would be a flurry of staff preparing the grounds for an influx of visitors, but today all was quiet. If there was to be no party, I couldn’t help wondering why we were really here. My alpha mother wasn’t one to seek the peace and solitude of the countryside.

An unfamiliar car was parked at the rear of the building, but I didn’t think too much about it, since there were often tradesmen working here. An historic building, it took a lot of resources to maintain it in elegant condition and there was always something that needed doing.

“Go to your room and I’ll be up in a minute. I need to talk to you,” said my mother, finally revealing that there was some purpose to our visit here. It didn’t seem like we were actually going to be celebrating my birthday, but I figured I was about to find out what was going on. When I went to get my suitcase from the trunk, she waved me away.

“James will bring that up for you,” she said, referring to our longtime house manager.

My curiosity was piqued. She was clearly in a hurry of some sort. Entering by the back door, I stopped to pull off my shoes. I loved the feel of the plush carpet slipping between my toes as I made my way up to the third floor. I padded along the hallway, my footsteps deadened by the thick fibers.

I paused at my bedroom door, my hand on the cold metal of the old-fashioned knob. The quiet was unsettling. It was strange not to have seen a single staff member. Why weren’t they here? Or if they were here, why were they staying out of sight? A prickling sense of unease crept its way up my spine.

When I entered the room, all was as it should be. The four-poster bed was in its usual place, the bed made up and the filmy curtains pulled halfway along the sides. The wooden desk in the corner was as I had last left it… neat and tidy, pens standing upright in the penholder carved into the wood. The ornate legs were shiny and dust-free… so the staff had to be around somewhere.

But the silence… the silence was oppressive, weighing on me like a living thing. It draped itself over me, pulling my spirits down, down…

I jumped at a noise from the doorway, my gut churning, but it was only my mother. My shoulders relaxed again. Why was I so jumpy?

“Where is everyone?” I asked, unable to stand it any longer.

My mother shrugged as if it was of no consequence.

She waved away my query with an airy hand. “That’s of no importance. What I’ve come to speak to you about, however, is.”

“O-k-ay,” I drew the word out, wondering where this was going. I wasn’t exactly worried – yet – but a coil of anxiety was starting to form low in my gut. Something did not feel right.

It made no sense because this was my home, or at least one of them, but my instincts were screaming run! run!

“Sit down.” It was a definite command, and I felt the slight tug of a compulsion. I stiffened.

“What is it?” I demanded, covering my sudden foreboding with anger.

“Sit.” My mother’s features had sharpened, her eyes hardening with fine lines appearing at the corners. Her lips had thinned. This was how she looked when she was doing business. She was a formidable force and I knew not to obstruct her. I’d seen how she tore her opponents to shreds in Council meetings.

If she was prepared to use her compulsion on me, it was pointless to resist, so I spared myself the unpleasantness of trying and sat. As the silky plushness of the upholstery gripped my thighs, I felt trapped. My instincts were still yelling run! run! but there was nowhere to run. And anyway, how could I?

I brushed away my unease. Really, what could happen to me here? This was my family, after all.

Silence dominated the room. My eyes tracked my mother as she took a few paces towards me. She was standing tall and confident, a self-satisfied look on her face. Her sharp, knowing gaze pierced me, and I felt a sudden chill. She knew about Talius and I, of course. My father would have told her. Was she planning some sort of retaliation?

I shouldn’t have had anything to worry about, and yet she looked so confident…

“You are 19 now,” she began, “Arrangements have been made between ourselves and Alpha Moray’s family. Arrangements that we believe will be beneficial to both families.”

“I…”

She silenced me with an upheld palm, even as I opened my mouth to speak.

“You and Marius are to be formally mated, thus joining our two families. It’s an arrangement that will be highly beneficial, since the Morays, like ourselves, are also one of the founding families. In addition, as you know, Alpha Moray presides over the Council. It’s a good match. You should be very grateful for the opportunity.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I exploded, the thud of my feet as I leapt to my feet deadened by the plush carpet, the sound as small and inconsequential as any consideration my parents might have had for my feelings on this matter.

“Not at all,” she snapped back. “It’s highly beneficial to both families, and it’s your duty to comply. That’s what you were bred for, after all.”

If she’d slapped me across the face, I couldn’t have been more shocked. I was… a commodity, a pawn to be played when it suited my parent’s political objectives.

But… I wasn’t a pushover, even if I was an omega. She hardly knew me if she thought I would agree to this.

“I won’t do it,” I told her, barely keeping the quiver of fury out of my voice, “I don’t even like Marius.”

“That’s hardly relevant. He’s here now with his father and the mating will take place shortly.”

I frowned. It wasn’t possible, and she must know that. Perhaps she’d forgotten the rules in her enthusiasm to make this match and secure political gain. Goddess knew, politics blinded people.

“I’m not having anything to do with this,” I insisted. “This is ridiculous. I’m obviously not mating now, and when I do it will be to an alpha of my choosing.”

I could feel the heat in my cheeks. I was angry and outraged, but there was a little frisson of fear underlaying it all, which I was careful not to acknowledge, lest my mother caught the scent of it. Standing up to an alpha was always dangerous.

“How dare you! Such insolence! You are an omega, and if your Alphas tell you to do something, that’s precisely what you will do!”

“I’ve already promised myself to an alpha,” I told her, crossing my arms defiantly over my chest.

“If you mean that boy you’ve been hanging around at the Morays' pack,” she began, eyes glittering dangerously, “I don’t care what you’ve said to him. We’ve tolerated your friendship with him long enough. His family aren’t even on the Council! It’s now time to fulfil your obligations to this family.”

I bristled at her dismissive tone. Talius was a very fine alpha, the perfect blend of fierce and gentle, with modern attitudes

regarding omegas as well. As far as I was concerned, he was the only alpha I was interested in.

But in any case, I was still too young for a formal mating, although apparently my mother had forgotten this.

“You’ll do what you’re told.” Her tone was final.