My brow furrows, and I want to ask him what he means, but there’s also thetick tick tickof the clock, and I know my time is running short. “We’ll talk about this later. I’m due for a press conference with the queen. That is supposed to be starting right now. She’ll be cross with me.”
“And we can’t have that, can we?” he mutters, his tone full of derision.
The vitriol takes me aback. I hadn’t realized just how much he’s hurting, how much all of my pack is likely hurting. But of course they are. If I feel like I can’t breathe almost every moment of every day, then of course they feel the same.
They lost her just as much as I did.
A knock on the door pulls me to my feet. I smooth a hand down the front of my suit jacket before using that same hand to squeeze his shoulder. “We’ll talk about this later, yeah?”
“Sure,” he says, sounding like he doesn’t believe me. Maybe he doesn’t.
I can’t even blame him for that. We haven’t really talked in weeks. In fact, this is the longest conversation that we’ve had that hasn’t involved my schedule in a month.
I go to answer the door, squaring my shoulders and straightening my spine. Folding my face into the politely aloof mask I know my grandmother prefers. “Your highness,” Mr. Kerry, my grandmother’s version of Piers, greets me as soon as I step into the hall. I give him the barest nods of acknowledgment, even as his eyes sweep behind me, as though he expects to see the rest of my pack.
His mouth tightens when he realizes it will be only me attending. I’m moving before he can question me. I don’t owe him an explanation and neither does my pack. If my grandmother has a problem with it, she can raise her concerns with me. Not this puffed-up little sycophant.
He huffs along behind me, barely keeping up with my quick strides, rushing ahead of me to open doors, head tipping down in deference as I pass by him.
My sister and my grandmother are waiting outside the press room, both looking every inch the royals they are. I note that Elizabeth too has left her pack out of this. She’s been doing that more and more recently. Leaving Bree with Henri, Thomasand George, unless specifically informed that their presence is required.
My grandmother’s eyes sweep behind me in the same way her assistants eyes had and her expression darkens with disappointment the same way his did. She arches a brow at me. “You’re late.”
I bend and press a kiss to her powdery cheek. “Apologies, Your Majesty. Couldn’t be avoided, I’m afraid.”
She hums a displeased noise and I exchange a look with my twin. “We will talk about this later,” she warns, before stumping into the press room, making the murmur of voices inside hush and then silence all together. Lizzie and I flank her as she steps in front of the podium, spine straight and face composed with the gentle, caring expression she wears whenever she’s speaking with the public.
Elizabeth and I used to joke that she’s the living embodiment of Mom fromFuturama.Publicly, she appears as a sweet, motherly figure, but in private, she is evil, cunning and cutthroat.
Recent events have turned this from a joke into a reality, at least as far as I’m concerned, probably as far as Liz is concerned too.
“My beloved people of Bravonne,” my grandmother, the queen, starts. “Throughout our long and storied history, the strength of our realm has rested upon three pillars: stability, community, and care for our most vulnerable. In recent years, our society has evolved at remarkable speed. Packs form in new ways. Bonds are made across borders. Technology reshapes what was once left solely to fate. With change comes opportunity, but also uncertainty.
“It is the responsibility of the Crown not merely to celebrate progress, but to ensure that it does not leave our citizens unprotected.
“Today, I have formally enacted the Omega Welfare and Community Stability Act.”
Elizabeth and I exchange a glance. One where I ask if she has any idea what the hell our grandmother is talking about, and my twin replies that she bloody well doesn’t. That can’t be good. Whatever this new ‘Stability Act’ is, it isn’t for the good of the country.
“This legislation has one purpose: to safeguard the wellbeing of omegas across Bravonne.” Warning bells ring in my ear, and my fingers itch to pull out my phone, to figure out what exactly she’s been up to while the world has been distracted by that godforsaken dating show, by my betrothal to Isadora.
“Omegas, by their very nature, experience periods of heightened vulnerability. Historically, they have been at risk of coercion, abandonment, and exploitation — particularly in unregulated bonding arrangements. While many packs are loving and honorable, we would be remiss to ignore that not all are.
“The Act introduces a national registry designed to ensure that every omega has access to medical resources, legal protection, and community support. It establishes voluntary community forums, opportunities for unbonded omegas to connect in safe, structured environments, should they wish to do so. It clarifies bond recognition processes, so that no omega finds herself unprotected in matters of inheritance, custody, or legal standing.
“Let me be clear: this is not a restriction. It is aprotection.”
The way she stresses the word tells me she wants people to believe it, not that she means it.
“No omega should ever question whether her bond will be recognized by law. No child should face uncertainty regarding legitimacy. No family should be left vulnerable to dispute because the law failed to keep pace with modern realities.
“In addition, the Act clarifies certain dynastic provisions regarding noble succession. These clarifications ensure continuity and prevent future constitutional ambiguity. They are procedural in nature and designed solely to preserve the stability of the Crown — an institution that exists in service to you.”
Future constitutional ambiguity?What the hell does that mean?
Here she pauses, giving the room a soft, understanding smile, that I am sure they eat up. “Change can feel uncomfortable. Reform often does. But Bravonne has always endured because we act before crisis forces our hand. We protect before harm takes root. This legislation reflects our enduring commitment to the safety of omegas, the integrity of our families, and the unity of our nation.
“I ask you to meet it not with fear, but with trust — trust in a Crown that has guided Bravonne through war, famine, and transformation. Trust that our duty has never been to control, but to care.
