Ellington.
“And Prince John…?” I say, quietly.
This is tough. Maya is Bird’s mom, after all.
She may have reduced his status and punished him. She has never treated him as equal to his brother, Hatton, simply because they have different dads.
But still, she is his mom. And I know how tangled up his feelings must be on that.
Bird looks conflicted. “I know what Mom has done. I never realized just how bad things were, until I was sent down here to be a HO. Now, I’d do anything to free the HOs and the staff. And that includes taking down my own mom. I always hated how she treated Papa. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt like a…bad thing. It’s not simple. I grew up thinking that Mom loved me, even if she loved Hatton more. But for a long time that was enough.”
I reach to take his hand. “I lost one of my dads. Then our family came together, and I don’t love any of you more than theother. You know that, right? I would have loved Maya too if she had acted like a real mom to me. She made it clear that she never wanted that. She is one of those rare Alphas who only needs Omegas around her and not other Alphas or Betas, but I think that it is more about control. She can’t use Alpha Commands on other dynamics or reject them. She moved in like a predator on Dad at the funeral for his mate, when he was suffering from Shattered Bond Syndrome. He would never have bonded with her, if she hadn’t found him at his weakest, barely keeping himself alive because he had me as a baby. I hate that she did that to him. I won’t forgive her for it.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
I struggle up in the nest, before leaning under the mattress to pull out my hidden, most prized possession: A small, oak box.
This is the only thing that Dad managed to smuggle to me, when I was sent down here from the penthouse.
It contains my most precious two possessions.
I slip open the box, taking out the photograph on top.
It’s the only one that Dad was able to save, which shows the previous Alpha, Ryan, who was my Omega Dad’s scent match.
My two dads were high school sweethearts.
They are younger than me in the photograph, and smile from it with their arms casually around each other. It looks like it was taken after a soccer match.
Ryan was a handsome jock with black hair and eyes that twinkle with playfulness. He is wearing a soccer kit, looking tired but happy like he’s just won a match.
It’s hard to recognize Cooper — Dad.
I have never seen Dad look so happy and carefree.
It hurt me when I first saw the photograph because it showed me what Dad looked like before Ryan’s death and the Shattered Bond Syndrome.
Dad may still be prettier than most Omegas.
He may still have raised me with love.
But heisshattered.
He gave me the most precious item that he possessed, however, to make sure that I would have a way to remember the past.
How much did it hurt him to part with this photograph?
How much did it hurt Dad when that bitch Maya burned every other photograph, painting, and letter? When she wiped Ryan’s films, emails, and texts?
But she can’t wipe Dad’s memory.
I hold up the photograph in front of Zoe.
Maya can’t control me here. Plus, I can start to form memories for Zoe, even if Maya keeps Dad away from his own granddaughter.
“Grandad.” I point to Dad. “Can you sayGrandad?”
Zoe drops the scarf, pointing at the picture with a smile. “ ’Andad.”
