I reached over with my small talons and scratched around Emory's leg band. He let out a content sound of relief.
"Thanks, Farley," he said. "You know, you're not as bad as people say. Sure, you're grumpy and have a bad attitude, but deep down, you're a really nice guy."
I snorted. I didn't know who exactly was saying that about me—probably everybody, let's be real—but they weren't wrong. Ihadto have a bad attitude because nobody else did. Sitting around being content with our shitty situation wasn't going to solve anything. Somebody had to do something and if that meant being an asshole, then so be it.
"It's like, you're totally different than the other omegas, you know?" Emory went on. "We’re all just chilling and hanging out, but you're always staring up into space and brooding." He said it with a soft chuckle so I knew he didn't mean any harm, and I wasn't offended anyway. What he didn't realize was that I wasn't brooding. I was planning escape efforts.
Either that, or thinking about punching alphas in the face.
"I'm not staring into space," I said. "I'm staring at the sky. Remember? That giant blue thing above us?"
Emory laughed. "You crack me up."
"Why is that funny?" I asked, frowning.
"Well, it's just the way that you talk about it, like this big dramatic thing instead of just… I don't know, a thing that's there."
Dread settled in my stomach. Was that really how Emory and the other omegas who were born into the Society thought? It was horrifying to hear.
I lowered my voice. "Emory, listen to me. It's not normal for shifters to be in a cage like pet birds. We’re supposed to be free and wild, living out there–" I gestured forcefully with my wing towards the aviary wall, a heavy mesh fence with wiring too tight for us to fly through. "Not cooped up in here."
Emory tilted his head like he legitimately didn't understand. "But it's dangerous out there."
Frustration built within me. "How do you know? You've never been out there."
"I don't have to," Emory said. "I've seen all the predators. Wild cats, hawks, bears... I don't know if they're shifters or mute animals, but they’re definitely all looking for an easy snack. That's us, you know."
I couldn't contain my total bafflement. "Emory, shifters don't eat other shifters," I growled. "It's taboo."
How did he not know that already? Was hethatsheltered?
Stupid question. Of course he was.
"Who told you that shifters are going to eat you?" I asked.
"The alphas." He said it so casually that I barely had a second to process my shock. Emory gasped. "Oh, and foxes! They’re the worst, because they can climb and dig and they have those sharp teeth." He shot a worried glance at the bottom edge of the aviary where the mesh met the ground. "The alphas should do something about that. What if a fox gets in here? Ooh, I have an idea! What if they fortified the aviary wall? That would be awesome!"
I withheld a resounding snort of derision. While I was trying to get out, Emory was trying his damned hardest to stay in.
"Shifters are not going to eat you," I told him firmly. "And besides, did you forget that you can fly? You could easily escape an entire pack of wolves, foxes, bears and cats combined."
Emory yelped. "Wolves? I have to worry about wolves too?"
I wanted to tell him that out of his entire list of concerns, a hawk was the only valid one, but I was starting to regret opening my mouth.
"No," I said bluntly. "That's the complete opposite of what I'm telling you."
Emory shuddered. "Well, it won't be a problem if I stay here in the aviary. The Society alphas will protect me. Do you think one of them will choose me soon? I hope so." He sighed dreamily. "He's probably living it up with his alpha in the brooding wing." He chuckled, giving me a sidelong glance. "Theotherkind of brooding, like sitting on eggs, not the kind that you do, Farley."
I didn't say anything. There was no point. Emory was so steeped in his own fantasy that I didn't want to tear him out of it. If that was what made him happy in this place, then I could let it be for now.
But privately, I was thinking that I couldn't imagine anything worse than brooding a clutch of eggs with one of the Society alphas. I'd rather rip my wings off. Why the fuck would I want to spend my life with an alpha who only treated me as a baby-making machine? That was what the Society was all about. The alphas didn't actually love us or care about us beyond what we were 'good for' in their eyes.
It was total bullshit.
And yet being chosen by an alpha was Emory's goal in life. I couldn't wrap my head around it. But I had to remind myself this was all he knew. He couldn't fathom any other way of living because the alphas here had been lying to him, warping his thoughts to suit their own goals. Assholes.
But Emory wasn't alone in his desires. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't recognize that deep down, yeah, I wanted a family too. But not likethis. I craved a partner who loved me, who treated me like an equal. A partner who was loyal and caring, And a doting father to our children.
