Jewel met my gaze with something like tenderness, but I looked away, fighting the urge to run and hide.
“We think they targeted vulnerable omegas, those without families or people who would ask questions about them, along with some omegas, like you, whose parents were part of Glen’s inner circle. Your fathers worked with Glen since before the Designation Government took over,” Jewel said.
My skin felt tight and I was fighting against my tears. I didn’t want to break down in front of everyone, didn’t want to be seen as weak.
Cam kept his arms around me, supporting me. “I’ve got you,” he murmured in my ear. He knew I was on the verge of falling apart, could sense it, and he was still here, still with me, not letting me go.
“Was I the only one, then?” I asked.
“No,” Clementine said quickly. “We know at least three other omegas who went through the same... program you did, for lack of better words.”
“Torture,” Theo spit out. Clementine looked taken aback by the vehemence in his tone. “That’s the word you’re looking for,” he said.
I reached back to touch him. He captured my hand and held it firmly in his.
Westin shifted on the couch. “Obviously, what Josie went through at the DA was horrific, and this new program is pure evil. But isn’t it enough that we’ve had these oppressive, anti-omega laws forfive years? No driving, no jobs, our only value to society is breeding. Isn’t that bad enough for people to get it?”
“The government has done a great job convincing alphas that those laws are what’s best for omegas,” Maximo said gently. “Alphas are built to protect omegas, and it’s not hard to convince them that keeping omegas separated from society is safer for them.”
Poppy scowled at her alpha.
“I know that’s not true, darling,” Maximo said, holding up his hands. “But it’s an easier sell, especially to alphas who really just want an excuse to be controlling bastards. This device is part of a government-sanctioned pilot program, and I have no fucking clue how they’ll convince the legislature to expand it to be mandatory. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Glen and Jericho must have something on the other senators to leverage over them,” Theo said.
“Amirah told me that one of the legislators who had always supported omega rights, Senator Cole, suddenly changed sides and voted for the pilot program. When asked why he changed his mind, he gave some vague, bullshit answer. Amirah is convinced Glen blackmailed him somehow and that he’s probably done the same to a ton of the senators. We just don’t know what he’s holding over them,” Clementine said.
“What could be extreme enough to make them change sides?” Poppy asked.
“Threatening their families,” Jewel said bitterly. Her scent grew stronger with anger, the unnatural metallic edge filling my nose until I felt like I was going to sneeze. All the omegas in the room stiffened automatically at her scent. Jewel grimaced.
“Sorry,” she said, standing as if to leave the room.
“Don’t go,” I said quickly. “It’s fine.”
She met my gaze and hesitated before giving me a terse nod.
“I wonder…” Theo’s brow scrunched. “There was that senator that accused Jericho of kidnapping his omega.” His thumb made soothing circles on the palm of my hand before he added, “What if they’re stealing omegas?”
Silence hung in the room like a tangible thing.
If they were taking omegas, they were more powerful than I thought.
The device itched under my skin, and nausea rolled in my stomach at the thought of how extreme that would be. And yet… it made sense.
“Well, that’s what we need to do,” Poppy said, eyes blazing. “Figure out if omegas are being taken and how to get them back so we can get the senators to stand up to Glen.”
Her words hung in the air.
“Alright, I like it,” Emir said, rubbing his hands together. “What’s our first step?”
“If they are taking omegas, there has to be some sort of paper trail—who they are, where they’re being kept,” Ben said. “Charlie and I can try to obtain communications—emails, electronic files, text—that might give us an answer.”
“Do we think the omegas would be kept at the Academy?” Maximo asked.
“That doesn’t seem likely,” Clementine said. “There are too many people in and out, and I feel like that’s where the senators would look first.”
“Maybe there are real estate records that could give us an idea of where they might be,” Theo suggested. “We also need a way to find out who is missing.”
