The blood in my veins turned to ice.
This could not be happening.
“Child-bearer,” Konrad finished.
The crowd was silent. The occasion called for cheers, but they held back. For the first time, it felt like someone else was experiencing a fraction of my despair. For once, I wasn’t alone in seeing the dark cloud.
This was not right.
But then the cheers came. Quiet and uneasy at first, then louder and brighter until the air rang with their congratulations.
Even Rorik cheered, but quietly. Across the crowd, Charon looked dismayed, yet joined in anyway. Neither could stop the rising tide of approval.
My ears hurt. So did my chest. I breathed harder, pushing past the painful tightness in my throat.
I had to say something. I wasn’t eloquent. I wasn’t brave, or good at speaking, or confident in front of a crowd. But for my brother’s sake, I had to saysomething,or else I’d have to live with this sick feeling forever.
Standing on all four paws, I stared straight at Konrad and yelled over the cheers: “He’s not old enough!”
I understood the crowd’s abrupt, horrified silence. Nobody argued with Konrad. Nobody. But especially not a young omega freshly assigned his duty. He was well within his right to strip my new title away and shove me down the hierarchy until I was the clan pariah, the lowest of the low.
Konrad let out an easy laugh that calmed the crowd. “Of course, Poppy. That’s obvious.”
What?I thought.
Konrad spoke in slow, calm words. “I know that. I figured you were smart enough to know it, too.”
I swayed on my paws, disoriented. What was going on? Had I misheard him earlier? Did my brain lie just to have a concrete reason to distrust our clan alpha?
Suddenly, I felt a sharp, burning glare on the side of my head. Sorrel was shooting daggers at me. His ears flicked forward aggressively, and his lip curled above his front teeth. He was enraged.
His furious expression knocked the wind out of me, but I stayed grounded. I couldn’t drop the topic until I knew the truth—the full truth.
It took all my courage to speak up a second time. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand,” I replied, my voice beginning to tremble. It was bad enough I’d caused a scene. Now I couldn’t even speak steadily? I was pathetic.
“Why announce it now? Why not wait until he’s older?” I asked.
My question felt perfectly reasonable until it hung in the air for a few long, silent moments. Discomfort crept over my pelt like marching ants. Then I began to doubt myself. Was something wrong with my hearing, or did I completely misunderstand Konrad’s words?
“Of course Sorrel won’t be a child-bearer right away,” Konrad said slowly, as if speaking to a clueless pup. “He needs time to mature.”
He was saying all the right things. So why did they feel wrong?
I felt the burn of everyone’s eyes on me. My fur prickled, and my skin grew hot with shame. If nobody else was incensed, then it made me look like I was overreacting. I looked like a fool.
“It’s best for Sorrel to know now so he can prepare. I’m doing him a favor, aren’t I? Now he doesn’t need to waste his time learning skills like hunting or fighting. All he needs to do is take care of his body and grow.”
My legs shook. I suddenly didn’t trust them to keep me upright anymore. My haunches collapsed, and I sat on the ground, dazed, as his honeyed words flowed over me. When he put it that way, it made sense... didn’t it? I wanted to believe him, but my stomach kept twisting.
“It’s all right, Poppy,” Konrad soothed. His voice was oddly kind, but carried an undercurrent of pity. “I understand that your alpha’s plans might not make immediate sense. But trust me, please.” His eyes flashed with hurt. “Or have you lost faith in me?”
Everyone’s stares turned cold and accusatory. Their gazes stabbed at me from all angles, silently prodding for an apology. The heavy ache in my chest twisted into physical pain. My body wouldn’t stop shaking. I felt sick.
“N-no,” I managed. My voice was thin and choked.
Konrad looked disappointed. “No? You have no faith in me anymore?”
The crowd’s angry aura flared. Their collective sway felt like a hundred blows to the head.
