“No.” Alicia stamps her foot. “I have a plan for the Bonding ceremony.”
My temper rises as she talks about how she intends to humiliate our omega at the ceremony.
Not your omega. Not anymore.
The reminder hits hard.
“Enough. I’ll agree to the first part only.”
God knows it’ll get the message through to Sienna quickly that this isn’t going to be a straightforward Bonding Trials, and she deserves as much of a warning as she can get. She might even withdraw immediately. Alicia is enough of a trial on her own, without any of the other elements.
“Very well, then. Alicia, get ready to leave.”
Alicia gives me a final once-over before she exits, a gleeful grin on her lips.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Tristan.” Erikkson purses his lips. “We all only want the best for the ones we love.”
“Spare me,” I scoff. “You’ve got what you wanted. I don’t need the little sob story to go along with it.”
“Fine.” He waves his hand at me. “Look after my daughter, Tristan. Or it’ll be your head on the block, so to speak.”
Fucking hell. My pack is not going to be happy about this.
12
SIENNA
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. Today is the day!”
My mother’s shrill voice batters against the pain in my head. I turn away from the window, my eyes gritty with lack of sleep as she bursts in, her eyes scanning the bed before they land on me, her brows rising with surprise.
“Well, someone’s eager.”
I force a smile, not wanting to admit my exhaustion. Mama eyes me before taking a seat on the bed, patting the space next to her.
We sit silently for a moment, her hand creeping into mine. I grip it tightly, emotion a tight lump in the back of my throat.
“I’m scared, Mama,” I admit, my voice shaking.
No matter that I’ve spent years in training at the Omega Hub, that I could recite the principles of being a good omega in my sleep, that I can cook, run a household and dance acceptably.
I’m eighteen years old, and I’m leaving my family to live in a house full of alphas who don’t know me.
“What if they don’t like me?” I ask, vulnerability stripping my tone raw.
What if they look at me and they don’t like what they see?
My mother squeezes my hand. “If they don’t like you, sweetheart, then they’re not the alphas you need. My brave, beautiful, brilliant daughter. Of course they’ll love you. How could they not?”
A tear trickles down my chin. My mother doesn’t always have the right words, but today, they’re just the ones I needed to hear.
“The Trials are a time for you to get to know each other. The tests are inconsequential to that – just a box-ticking exercise for the Omega Hub to feel important. It will all happen naturally. But if anything doesn’t feel right, you come straight back home to us. My door is always open to you, mated or not.”
“Thank you, Mama.” My voice shakes a little, but I take a deep breath, pushing the nerves back as I stand.
“What’s the plan?” I ask.
Several hours later, I’m regretting my easy acquiescence as the hairdresser pours milk over my hair.
