The two exchanged glances, looking almost concerned.
"I don't know if that's going to be possible," the first one said. "Security’s tightened up around here."
I frowned, glancing at the single guard. "Doesn't look like it."
The omega shook his head. "Don't let David's presence fool you. He's basically been demoted to a punching bag for the other alphas."
My feathers lifted in horror. "What?"
"When you escaped, Santino put the blame on him. Even though we were here in the aviary, we could all hear him taking a beating from the main building. Now all the other alphas hate him."
My stomach twisted in disgust. I'd watched Santino hit David, but I didn't expect it to escalate that badly. How could he treat someone like that? Especially one of his own?
For the first time since arriving back, I took a better look at David. He had bruises on his arms and face. His expression was sad and forlorn.
Righteous fury ripped through me. Even though David was an alpha, I was pissed. Nobody deserved to be treated like that.
"What's going on with the other omegas?" I asked. "Have any of them changed their minds about wanting to stay here?"
"Most of them," he confirmed. "Seeing what happened to David made them realize that the Society wasn't as safe as they thought it was. Because if that could happen to an alpha, what about the rest of us?"
I nodded. "Where's Emory?"
They both nodded in David's direction. A single finch was sitting on his shoulder.
I wanted to talk to Emory alone, but if he knew I was here, he wouldn't be able to keep his voice down about it. He might alert David to my presence.
I mulled the situation over in my head. If the omegas' opinions about the Society were shifting, had David's thoughts changed too? What if he could be our ally instead of an enemy?
Before I met Quinn, I never would've thought this way. Alphas were enemies, end of story. There was no way any of them would be on our side. But I knew now that wasn't true. I’d painted them all with the same brush because it was easier that way. In reality, yeah, trusting alphas was hard. But I wasn't going to take the easy route anymore. I had to push through my difficult feelings if we were going to build a better world for everyone.
"How much do you trust David?" I asked the omegas.
"He's never been cruel to us and ever since the incident, the alphas have all shunned him," one replied. "He's basically one of us now."
"Would you call him a friend?"
They thought about it for a second, then said, "Yes."
If I could trust Quinn, then maybe I could trust David too. And if the other omegas did, then I had to believe them.
It was now or never.
"Okay. Call Emory and bring him over here," I said quickly.
A moment later, a small finch fluttered over and landed on the ground in front of me. He gasped. "Farley! You came back!"
Unexpected happiness filled me. I didn't realize I'd be so happy to see him again. "I said I would, didn't I?"
Sure enough, David trotted over behind Emory. My muscles tensed instinctively but I forced myself to calm down.
"What's going on?" David asked, still clutching the book to his chest.
I noticed with a twinge of anger that his previously pristine book was now as beaten up as David. Santino and his goons must have taken his prized possession and abused it.
David skidded to a halt when he saw me. "Wait. Is that...?"
I was worried that David would resent me, since my escape was the reason Santino attacked him. But there was no animosity in his expression. For some reason, he actually looked happy to see me.
