Could it really be true? Has the curse returned? Is history about to repeat itself?
What reason would that girl have to lie?I hear that last thought in my mother’s voice, and she has a point.
Why else would the stranger break into the castle unless she was desperate?
Closing my eyes, I replay the interaction over and over again in my head.
She smelled so sweet, like moonflowers and honey, with an underlying hint of something else I couldn’t place.
I couldn’t see much of her face, huddled as she was in that huge cloak. She was short, though, even for a Beta. Her accent was strange, almost as if her mouth was unused to forming words, but her voice was clear and sweet despite the desperate urgency in her tone.
She was asking for help, and I…
I roared at her, like the monster I am. She displayed no fear, nothing but curiosity, until that moment. I could smell it: her sweet, moonflower scent turned sour with panic, and—
The thought hits me like a thunderclap and I shoot to my feet, my heart suddenly racing in my chest even as the rational part of my mind is arguing that it can’t possibly be.
Her scent was intoxicating. And only one kind of female smells like that to an Alpha.
An Omega.
But there are no Omegas left in Medela.
Can you be sure of that?Again, I hear the question in my mother’s voice.
The answer is no. While Omegas are rare, they are not entirely extinct. There could have been one born to a Beta couple—just because I’ve never seen that in my lifetime, doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility. There could also be some older ones in hiding, no longer hunted now that they’re beyond their fertile years.
I shake my head to clear it. First things first—my people need my help. While I could not save them the first time, I’ve been given a second chance. I will review my research and, if I can make a cure, I’ll send mywhispsout with it.
In the meantime, I set thewhispsto continue cleaning the castle. One of them is missing. I wonder if it escaped with the female. That would be another sign of my waning power. But if that is the case, it could prove useful, since I must find her again.
I have to know if my suspicions are true. If she is an Omega, that could change everything. Possibilities I had ruled out forever could suddenly be within my grasp.
I hardly dare to hope, but if Ulf has truly seen fit to send an Omega to me, I know one thing for sure…
I will make her mine.
FIVE
Rose
A gustof wind whispers across my face, waking me. My window must have blown open again.
My legs are aching like I’ve run a marathon. My arms are hurting like I was gardening all day—which is kind of true. I hacked my way up a mountain, and ran back down with the wind at my back. On my way out of the castle, the gate swung open as if by magic, and the vines behaved themselves. They seemed as cowed by the blood-curdling roar as I was.
Rolling over onto my belly, I pull the pillow over my head, and groan. My mission was a complete failure.
I went to petition the king, and all I got to show for it were some lousy scratches from his overly aggressive shrubbery. Not even a t-shirt.
Was that shadowy, hulking figure the king? Why did no one tell me he was a giant, roaring beast? I’ve seen plenty of big Alphas at the market, but his enormous, imposing frame was a whole new level of terrifying. His face was in shadow because of the hood, but he was ridiculously tall.
His scent was amazing. The memory makes my mouth water.
But his brutal roar still echoes in my head.
“Fuck him,” I whisper, rolling back over and staring at the ceiling. Maybe no one knows the king is like this because he’s been lurking in seclusion all this time.
A breeze caresses my face. Something flutters in the corner of my eye. Sitting up, I look around properly for the first time since I woke up. During the night, the vines crept in through my open window and twined over my bed. My room is filled with flowers.
