It didn’t make any sense. For an upper quarter omega to even beseenwith an alpha who clearly wasn’t of noble blood was frowned upon, like wearing mismatched socks or a hideous outfit in public. What was going on?
I strode closer. In the commotion, nobody was paying attention to me. All eyes were on the knights and the strange pair. Closer, I was able to hear their argument clearly.
“Mr. Woods, you know it is forbidden forhimto be here,” one knight said. He was the one gripping the alpha, while the other stood like a shield between him and the omega.
“No, you don’t understand!” the omega, Woods, cried out.
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand! What part of forbidden don’t you get?”
“Come now, Mr. Woods, let’s try to be reasonable here,” the second knight said.
“I can’t! Please, give him back to me!” Woods screamed, clawing at the air.
An audible gasp went up among the rubberneckers, who weren’t trying to hide their interest any longer. The statement made me raise a brow. What was so special about this alpha that Woods was willing to throw away his pride? His social standing?
I glanced to the alpha, who was gritting his teeth in what appeared to be agonized silence. It would be a crime for him to resist the beta knights holding him. At least he had the capacity for intelligent thought, unlike Woods, who seemed to have lost his mind.
“Take him back where he came from,” the second knight said to the first, sighing.
Woods gasped. He struggled against the knight’s gentle but firm grip. The beta was restraining him with great care, for Woods was still an omega, and still held superiority over him despite whatever misdemeanor he’d committed.
“Apples,” Woods cried out, desperation cracking his voice. “He tastes like apples!”
That settled it. Woodshadlost his mind.
A ripple of nervous laughter spread over the crowd. Woods was making an utter fool of himself. It was embarrassing. I almost felt sorry for him. He would never have a good reputation in the upper quarter again.
And all for what? An alpha who tasted likeapples? It was so ridiculous that even I couldn’t hold back a small exhale of laughter.
The knights were doing their best to manage the situation. The knight gripping the alpha quietly shuffled into the elevator that would take them down into the middle quarter, or perhaps even lower. To his credit, the alpha hadn’t fought back once, keeping whatever scrap of dignity he still had.
Woods on the other hand was a sobbing mess. The knight had let him go, standing awkwardly to the side as Woods sprawled on the street, wailing like an infant. The crowd dispersed. No one wanted to see a grown man—an upper quarter omega, no less—reduced to such a shameful state.
But I couldn’t move. I stood and watched until all the people had crawled away, back to their own business, until it was only me, the knight and Woods left.
Something came over me. I approached them.
“Your Highness,” the knight said, immediately bowing. “I’m sorry to cause a disturbance.”
I raised a hand to calm him. “It’s all right.”
“Is there anything I can do for you, Your Highness?”
“Tell me what happened here,” I said.
“Of course.” He hesitated, shooting Woods an uncomfortable glance through the slit in his armored helmet. “Mr. Woods was found… consorting with an alpha.”
That was not the whole story. Not by a long shot. The knight was keeping information back, though I didn’t know why he was reluctant to tell me the whole truth.
“Omegas are known to consort with alphas,” I said dryly. “I assume the alpha was not of noble blood?”
“No, Your Highness.” In a judgmental tone, he added, “Not even close.”
Woods hadn’t even raised his head to acknowledge my presence. Me, the prince. His future king. His wailing had quieted down, but his forehead was still pressed to the stone and his body wracked by consistent trembling.
“Tell me, then, where this alpha came from,” I commanded the knight.
He faced me nervously. A trickle of sweat beaded down his brow, visible through the helmet. He said the next words quietly, so that only I could hear them, like he was trying to save the pathetic Woods from any more shame.
