by Juno Wells
His eyes widened, and Daisy opened her mouth, prepared to intercede. She didn’t want Mother Risa sending them away from the planet before she had a chance to learn more about her family.
It was unnecessary though. Ryder said, “I only know what I’ve experienced myself, but I know several decent Alphas, my brother among them. I met a man recently who was an incredibly good Alpha to his Omega, Maya. They had a child, a little girl, and it was obvious he would’ve died to protect her too.”
Risa’s eyes widened slightly. “As I said, I’ll defer to you on the assertion. I haven’t met any besides you.”
His eyes widened. “You’ve never met Alphas besides me?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Why would I have? My mother was a founding member of the convent, and I’ve never left Paladin. I’ve never wished to.”
Ryder let out a sound that was similar to choking, and Daisy gave him a repressive look. His lips twitched for a moment, but he didn’t say anything more. He just finished his meal quietly, and she was relieved when they were done eating, and Risa had finished as well.
When she rose, they got up and followed her from the dining hall through the hallways of the convent to her office. She gestured for them to sit in front of her desk as she moved to a wall of microdisks, using A.I. to call up Daisy’s. Less than a minute later, she presented a small chip to Daisy. “This is everything I know about your origins. I hope it helps you find what you’re looking for, Daisy.”
Daisy sensed it was time for them to leave, and she knew everyone at the convent would rest easier if they weren’t there. They would sleep on the ship for tonight before heading out in the morning. At least, that was her plan unless Ryder had a reason not to.
She stood up, moving over to Mother Superior and hugging her spontaneously. “Thank you for everything, Mother Risa.”
Risa looked like she might cry for a moment as well. Her eyes blinked rapidly, but then she regained control. She smoothed curls off Daisy’s face and cupped her cheek lightly for a moment before saying, “It was a pleasure to have you here with us. Take care of yourself, dear.” She looked at Ryder then, her expression hardening, and her voice stern. “And you take care of her as well.”
“I certainly will, Mother Risa.” He bowed his head deferentially.
Daisy stepped away from Risa and moved over to Ryder, wrapping her hand around his as they quickly departed the office, and then the convent a few minutes later. Azaria was waiting in the garden as they walked by, and she paused long enough to trade goodbyes with her dear friend. “I hope to see you again, Azaria.”
Azaria smiled. “I hope to as well, but I suspect that won’t be happening. We’ll have to content ourselves with communicating electronically, since I have no plans to leave Paladin, and I think you know you can’t come back.”
Daisy absorbed the information, though she already knew it, with a stoic nod. “I realize that. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, my friend.” Azaria looked over Daisy’s shoulder to Ryder. “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Strang. And thank your brother for me as well.” Her expression closed as soon as she mentioned Quinn, and she turned away from them without another word.
Daisy was curious what had happened, but she couldn’t push her friend to disclose it, especially under the circumstances. Perhaps when some time had passed, Azaria would feel like confiding in her if she needed an ear and a shoulder, even if it were offered remotely.
9
Once they were aboard, Ryder sat down and pulled Daisy onto his lap before pushing the disk into the computer on his ship. It didn’t take long for the A.I. to translate the language it was written in and interface, and her file soon appeared.
They scanned it together, gleaning the name of the planet from where she hailed. When he asked the computer to bring up information about it, it turned out to be a small agrarian planet owned by a man named Lucien Collins. He looked at Daisy when she gasped. “What is it?”
“Collins is my last name.”
He blinked as he realized he’d never learned it until now. “He might not be any relation.”
She nodded, “I know, since it’s a common last name, but it’s a small planet, so it gives me tenuous hope. Can we please go there?”
He frowned. “Of course we can.” He was unlikely to deny her what she most wanted, and he was hurt she had even asked. He reminded himself to restrain the sensitivity, since they still had a period of adjustment until they both realized the depth of their feelings for each other and the extent of their devotion to the other.
They had the bond between Alpha and Omega, but they still had to build another bond, one that was even more intimate and deeper. The loving bond between Ryder and Daisy required more attention and construction than the natural connection forged by their biological imperatives. Though it was well on its way to being established, it was still faltering at the moment.
“I’m suddenly nervous. What if he told her to send me away?” She was nibbling on her lower lip in her anxiety.
He reached up to gently brush the full lip from between her teeth, getting her to stop the nervous habit. “Perhaps he did, but I find it unlikely. You said there’s someone in your past who gives you warm feelings. Maybe it’s this man. Or someone on the planet.”
Her dark-brown eyes were filled with fear. “What if it’s not him? What if I get there and find out there’s no one left who cares about me?”
He pulled her into his arms, hating the hint of heartbreak in her features. “It’s a possibility, but it doesn’t mean it’s likely. If the worst happens, there’s certainly someone who cares about you. You’re not alone anymore, and you never will be again as long as there’s breath in my body. I will love and care for you ‘til the day I die, Daisy.”
She pulled back, having stiffened slightly when he used the word love. “What happens if I die first?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “That doesn’t mean my devotion will lessen. I’ve seen firsthand how an Alpha can continue loving an Omega even after he loses her. That will be me if something happens to you, but I can’t imagine that. Whatever might take you has to get through me first.”
She started to giggle, even as her eyes flooded with tears. “That’s exceedingly morbid, but I find comfort in it.”
“Then I’ve done my job as your Alpha.” He purred lightly, which seemed to soothe her, and she was soon napping in his arms. It was only after she’d fallen asleep that he realized she’d never reciprocated or told him she loved him.
He tried not to panic or worry about that. Their relationship was still new, just blossoming, and though he might be certain of his feelings for her, she needed time and deserved the right and respect to discover her own for him without being rushed into something.
10
The journey seemed to take forever, though it was only a few hours once they set out from Paladin. When they reached the planet, there was no sophisticated security system like there’d been to hide Paladin’s presence, but it was still a challenge to get through. Ryder was currently in conversation with a third flight control officer after the first two hadn’t yielded, trying to persuade her to allow a landing.
“I’m afraid I can’t authorize you to land, Captain Strang. We’ve had some thefts on the planet, so we’ve locked down security. Only authorized visitors and merchant transporters are allowed on or off.” Her face was stern, and her decision was clearly made.
Daisy stopped pacing, leaning over Ryder’s shoulder to look at the flight control officer. “I’d like to speak to Lucien Collins please.” She was acting strictly on instinct.
The woman’s expression didn’t change. “And who are you?”
“My name is Daisy Collins.” She licked her lips. “I think Lucien Collins is my father.”
The flight control officer looked skeptical, but apparently, she didn’t want to completely discount the idea and risk being disciplined. “Hold the line and stay in hover mode.” She disappeared from
the monitor a moment later.
Ryder took her hand, pulling her onto his lap to stop her ceaseless pacing. “Calm down, honey. Whatever happens, it’s okay.”
She nodded, unable to verbally express just how nervous she was. She was on the cusp of knowing more about herself, of understanding how she’d ended up at the convent, but that was all predicated on if she was truly related to someone on the planet, or if she could even get permission to set down to find out.
The flight control officer reappeared a moment later, and though her expression was still impassive, she looked a little less frigid. “Follow the coordinates I’m sending and land there immediately. Your weapons will be rendered neutral while you’re visiting the planet.” She disappeared from the screen.
“That’s maybe a good sign,” said Ryder encouragingly. He squeezed her hand before gently moving her to the copilot’s seat so he could program the computer to follow the coordinates relayed to them from flight control below.
Daisy sat there, nails digging into the upholstery of the seat as she anticipated a possible reunion with someone who might know or her care about her. It was amazing to have Ryder, and she’d never expected to find an Alpha of her own that she felt safe and content with, but there was still a part of her missing. The idea it might soon be filled was tantalizing, and it left her head spinning, even as her stomach twisted into knots from anxiety.
The Remedy sat down moments later, and Ryder frowned. “The weapons have been neutralized.” He sounded a little unhappy about that, but he didn’t appear overly fearful. He stood up, and he was the same confident man he always was when he took her arm and pulled her against him gently, giving her an encouraging side-hug. “Remember, we’ll get through it together, whether it’s good or bad.”
She managed to smile, though she was still feeling sick as they went to the cargo bay. The atmosphere on the planet was fine, having likely been terraformed long ago, so they didn’t require an E-suit. It was nice to step outside and feel real breeze running through her hair again after having been confined to the ship and in the box. The convent had been the same old, same old, but this felt new and different, yet somehow familiar.
She looked around at the endless expanses of golden fields, and an image came to her mind of a pair of steady black hands, much larger than hers, holding a sprout for her to examine and telling her in a calm, deep voice how to plant the seedling to keep it alive.
She was trembling as she walked down the gangplank. When her feet stepped onto the dust, it blew around and made her sneeze, but even that wasn’t unpleasant.
As she took a few steps forward, a big black man suddenly appeared in front of her. He had curly silver hair and a neatly trimmed beard, and his size and breadth revealed he was an Alpha. He was an intimidating sight, especially as he rushed toward her. She was frozen in fear for a moment before her feet remembered how to function, and she took a cautious pace forward, disengaging from Ryder with an apologetic look. He didn’t seem to mind as she took a couple of hesitant steps toward the man rushing toward her.
He didn’t stop to shake her hand. Instead, he swept her into his arms and hugged her tightly, and as he did so, a wave of longing and familiarity swept over her. She recognized his scent, recalling his cologne mixed with the sweat of labor as they’d worked side-by-side more than once in the fields while he’d tried to teach her everything he could. Her memories went back that far, and the figure in her mind started to coalesce as she realized it was this man whose arms were around her.
“My dear, sweet Daisy. I never thought I’d see you again.” There was genuine anguish in his tone, and he seemed to find it difficult to pull back and let go of her even fractionally. His hands remained on her shoulders, and he stared down at her avidly.
Daisy was staring up at him just as keenly, seeing several similarities between them. They had the same nose, though hers was smaller and more delicate. His eyes were more slanted than hers, but they were the same shade. They had the same lips as well, though their ears were completely differently shaped.
He had a high and noble brow, and he seemed regal like a king, though there was a heaviness to his posture. Yet it seemed to lighten the longer he stared at her. “How did you ever find your way back, Daisy?”
Ryder stepped forward then, and there was a hint of protectiveness about him, though he did nothing more than take Daisy’s hand, which she clung to. “I think the more important question is, how did she ever lose her way from you to start with, sir?”
Her father growled for a moment, facing Ryder, then one of his hands dropped away from her shoulder. The other remained, holding her gently as he faced off with her Alpha. “That’s a long story, so explain to me why I should share it with you?”
“He’s my Alpha,” said Daisy firmly, moving between them and leaning against Ryder in an effort to prevent any hostilities. “He would never harm me, but he wants to make sure I’m safe. I think it’s a story we both need to hear, sir.”
“Call me Papa.”
As he said the words, she vaguely remembered the times she had run through the fields, shouting “Papa” at the top of her lungs in joy as she looked for him. She shivered as she remembered an incident where a shadowy figure had found her instead, dragging her into the house and whipping her. She shuddered, certain that figure wasn’t the man in her memory, but not sure who it was.
“Come up to the house, and we’ll have some refreshments and a discussion.” He seemed reluctant to release her, but he finally did, taking a step back and walking ahead of them.
Daisy and Ryder exchanged a glance, and she gave him a smile of reassurance. “I think he’s the man from my memory,” she said softly.
He still appeared wary, but he relaxed marginally as he nodded at her. “In that case, I’m prepared to hear what he says.”
Minutes later, they were seated outside at a patio that afforded a glimpse of the entire farmland around them. “It’s huge.”
Lucien smiled at her comment and nodded as he poured them both a glass of some ice-cold beverage. “It is. There are a few other families, but most of this belongs to us.”
Daisy shifted with discomfort, hoping he didn’t mean her in the us. It didn’t feel right to lay claim to any of this since she hadn’t grown up here.
“What happened to Daisy all those years ago?”
Her father sighed as he leaned back, pushing hair off his face. “I had a woman for a while, a Beta, named Omalla. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.” He appeared to flush as he made the admission, shooting Daisy an apologetic look. “I certainly didn’t expect to have a child with her. I’m sure you’re aware how difficult it can be for Betas and Alphas to procreate successfully.”
Daisy nodded.
“I had been prepared to send Omalla on her way before she revealed her news. She was always a little unstable, so I wasn’t entirely convinced I believed her. I kept her here on the farm until she was far enough along for the doctor to confirm you were my child. After that, I married her.”
He heaved a sigh as he closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. “It was one of the worst mistakes I ever made, but I thought I was doing the right thing. She was jealous of everyone and everything, and she was particularly awful to you, especially if I paid any attention to you. I didn’t let that stop me, and I soon had her confined to her own home on the other side of the farm.
“She had companions whose task it was to keep her in line, but she occasionally still slipped away. When she did, she was horrible to you. The last time she was alone with you, she beat you, and I nearly beat her myself. Only you calling for me to comfort you held me back, and I ordered her banished from the planet. It wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to destroy her, and heaven help me, but I wish I had.”
Daisy wasn’t unmoved by his sadness, and she reached over to touch his hand lightly. “I think I remember her sometimes. She was a dark and shadowy figure in my life, and whenever I think of her, I feel f
ear.”
“That sounds like Omalla.” His mouth twisted bitterly, as though her name were something foul to taste. “Things were relatively quiet for the next few days as they prepared for her departure. I wanted nothing to do with her or even to know where she was going. I told my people to arrange it so she was somewhere she would be safe, and others would be safe from her, especially you.
“At the last moment, she slipped away from them and took you. She left in the middle of the night on an old ship that never should have left the planet, bringing you along with her, but I had no idea where she took you. Until today, I feared she had simply killed you as a way to hurt me. She claimed that when I caught up with her, but part of me could never give up hope.”
Daisy’s mouth trembled for a moment, and she struggled not to cry when she realized just how much her own mother had hated her. It didn’t mitigate the pain to know her mother might’ve been unwell and unable to make herself love anyone. It still hurt deeply, and she blinked back tears as Ryder squeezed her hand.
“Where did you end up, my dear?” Lucien took a moment to wipe his eyes before he looked at her again. “Whoever helped take care of you, I owe them a great debt.”
“She took me to a convent for Omegas. I’m not sure she realized what it was exactly, since the ship she was in malfunctioned. The farmers on a nearby moon helped her get to the planet, since they didn’t have room for outsiders. According to the records, we stayed a couple of days while one of the sisters repaired the ship. The information is vague on how she did it, but Mother Risa was able to convince her to leave me there.”
Unfortunately, the records had been a little hazy, so she had no way to know if her mother had accidentally stumbled across Paladin, or if she’d been intentionally seeking it. From what she’d heard of Omalla already and remembered of her, she had a difficult time believing her mother had benignly left her there, or that had been her intent at the beginning anyway.
