by P. Jameson
Charolet stepped in front of Rielle, placing her hands on her shoulders and met her eye to eye. “The reason I remember, and you don’t… the reason Jacoby was willing to hurt us… the reason you’ve been under Evander’s medical care… are all one and the same.” Charolet swallowed hard and looked to the others for strength before finding Rielle’s gaze again. “It’s called juice.”
As soon as the word left Charolet’s mouth, Rielle looked like she’d been slapped. Her eyes glazed over. Her mouth went slack. Her breath quickened.
“The humans give it to omegas they wish to control. Then they test and experiment until they determine the ones who are best suited to become an Elite… the mutants, you remember them, right?”
Rielle nodded, but the light had faded from her eyes, and I recognized the look. She was about to crash. I’d watched it happen too many times over the past weeks. The addiction to the human drug was like nothing I’d ever seen before. So far, the pull of it didn’t seem to fade with time or abstaining. And the withdrawals seemed to occur in a never ending cycle. I thought the coma had helped. She hadn’t had an episode since, but now…
I needed to get Rielle back to her room before this one hit.
“That’s…” Charolet swallowed, struggling to finish. “That’s what they did to you, RiRi.”
Rielle shook her head. “No.”
“Yes. Jacoby was prepping you to be one of them.”
Rielle’s gaze flared with desperation that I recognized, and her body went slack again. This time, I stepped forward, catching her around the waist.
“Juice,” she murmured, and I nodded to Kathryn to bring the machines as I lifted my omega and carried her across the courtyard. “Juice. Please.”
Just like every time she’d begged for it before, her plea hit a place in my chest that nothing else had touched in so long. I grappled for the hard armor I was so used to wearing around my feelings, but with her, it seemed useless.
“No, Little Omega,” I murmured near her ear. “The answer will always be no. Ask me for anything except something that will hurt you. Because that will forever and always be no.”
Chapter Six
Rielle
I woke up back in that stupid bed. Anger coursed through me, filling the emptiness that always accompanied the void I emerged from. It wasn’t sleep. Every one of my organs shut down, like the only thing that could keep them functioning was this juice that Charolet and Evander claimed I was addicted to.
Another hot flash of anger flared when I craved the sweet drink. A dim memory of sitting at a table with omegas, feeling free like nothing in the world could touch me. We could finally be ourselves. Remembering that feeling and knowing it was a lie was cruel.
Too many things had been taken away from me.
The next memory was of a building much like this one. I’d been restrained—so maybe this was a recent memory—and I begged for juice. A nurse injected something into my arm and sent me into freefall.
I gasped when I realized Evander was sitting next to me.
His face brightened when I looked at him. I hated that my stupid heart skipped a beat. He doesn’t care about you, I reminded myself. You’re nothing but a glorified lab rat to him.
Another memory flashed, and I was in a room full of omegas—some familiar, some not—and we were all begging for juice. What the hell was happening to me?
“How are you feeling, Rielle?”
“What are you doing here?” I wanted Kathryn. Better than that, I wanted my omega pack. Seeing the girls today was better than any of the medicine they kept cramming into me. My omegas had taken care of me for so long. I was tired of being the weak one. The one who couldn’t fend for herself without stepping in some serious shit every time.
“I’m taking care of you.”
“You’re not doing a very good job of it.” The machine on the wall beeped frantically in time with my heartbeat. “I’ve been in this stupid facility for a month. I can barely walk, and I keep passing out.”
“You’re improving.” Just like an alpha, dismissing criticism. “You remembered what happened to you when you were last awake. That’s progress.”
The machine was going crazy now. Even more had been taken from me and I had no idea what? Why did that feel worse than all the stuff I’d known I lost?
“You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry.” Evander stood and checked the levels, frowning as he looked at the device in his hand. I assumed that was where he kept a running total of my medical failures. “What can I do to make this less scary for you?”
Something about his tone triggered another memory. I was a little girl again, standing at the wall, peeking through the crack with one eye, marveling over the alpha boy I thought would make me his princess. Why did Evander remind me of him?
Impossible.
My prince didn’t save me, and Evander might not either. It was time to abandon this fantasy and save myself.
“Tell me everything that’s happened since I’ve come here.”
The grate of the metal legs scraping against the floor cut through me as he pulled the chair closer to the bed. Heat rolled off his body, and I inhaled his earthy scent because somehow it made me feel like I wasn’t trapped in this damn cave of a room, too weak to take care of myself.
“We’ve been keeping you informed on your progress.” He put the tablet in my lap and scrolled up, showing me charts full of numbers. He got points for assuming I’d understand it. Many alphas assumed omegas were illiterate, and sometimes they were right. But I understood numbers, and had been in charge of the kitchen inventory at the castle. It was a little thing, but I’d been proud of my role.
“Unfortunately, you haven’t been able to retain the information until now. Queen Zelene has also been kept up to date on your care, and she’s serving as your proxy.”
I blinked when I realized what that meant. “Zelene let you put me into a coma?”
He was lying. She would never do that.
“We did it to keep you comfortable. I have to admit, you’re the first juice addicted omega I’ve worked with who’s shown a real chance at a full recovery.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat after admitting he had no idea what he was doing. But the more important thing was that I was the first omega who had a chance of beating this addiction. I could do that. I knew I could. “The withdrawal process is painful, and we needed to monitor how it affected your organs and fine motor skills before we could prepare a rehabilitation plan for you. The specimens I’ve been able to study--”
“They’re not specimens. They’re omegas.”
“When they’re dead, they’re specimens.” His gaze didn’t waver when it met mine. “There isn’t much research available on the effect on their brains. Many of the omegas who had reached the point where the juice overwhelmed their system had already been altered.”
An icy chill swept over me. “What do you mean, altered?”
He hesitated before answering, and revulsion flashed in his eyes. “They’d been experimented on, Rielle. They suffered extensive internal damage. Parts of their brains had been replaced with mechanical devices. I assume it worked, for a little while, because there is what they call a superior race of omegas. The Elite. They’re stronger, faster, and more ruthless fighters than anything we’ve seen before.”
“Like an army of robots.” I pulled the blanket over me and shook my head to free myself of the image of the nomadic omegas, walking across the desert on their way to the Human Keep. They’d been told a better life awaited them there, and my own friends had confirmed the possibility. It was the reason why Charolet wanted me to go with her. She wanted to see for herself if the Keep offered a better life, and she knew I’d do anything for a chance of freedom.
I’d never told her or any of my friends about the prince that had been on the other side of the wall. Even when I was a little girl, I knew I had to keep him a secret. That he was a reality not meant for me. The girls would’ve told me to get real
.
“More like a mutant cyborgs,” he said. “The juice appears to inhibit the animal part of us, causing a symbiotic reaction to the mechanical alterations. The animal comes to rely on the machinery, which inevitably falters. Eventually, the whole being degrades until the omega is…” He didn’t need to finish. I got the point.
“And they tried to do that to me.” I never felt so violated in my life. As an omega, I suffered many indignities. But they’d been expected. Warnings were whispered between females, and we kept guard for each other to do everything we could to stop them. But someone turning my brain into a computer they could hack into at any time made the nasty drink the staff swore was food turn to acid in my belly.
“Why aren’t you doing anything to stop it?” I sat up too fast, unable to contain my rage. The room spun, and I closed my eyes for a long blink, grounding myself. I wouldn’t beg the alpha for relief.
“The omegas who go to the Human Keep go willingly--”
“So you knew?” I slammed my hand against the mattress. “And you didn’t do anything to stop them from going.”
“No, I didn’t know before you did. But now I’m devoting my medical work in the king’s military to studying the mutant omegas.” His tone was sharp, and for the first time, I felt like he cared about this work. More than how the numbers on the charts could help the alphas. “They’re being designed to fight, dominate, and kill. That’s what we know so far. We are concerned that betas will tap into this resource, if they form an alliance with the humans in their uprising. The best mutants don’t look any different than a healthy, non-altered omega. Much more research is needed. Now that we’ve taken down the walls, they could penetrate deep into our city before we realized we had an enemy among us.”
“The walls are gone?” My voice was small. I didn’t think that news would affect me so much. I had a profound sense of loss, and sadness. Like everything I’d gone through was for nothing.
He nodded, and I had a feeling it haunted him too.
“But how you can stop it? The juice and its effects?”
“I’m still gathering research. I hope we can find some way to really make a difference.” He let out a frustrated sigh.
Make a difference. The question was for whom did he want to make a difference? Was he doing this to support the alpha regime or for the good of the entire pack.
“How long until I get better?”
“You’ve already made massive improvements, but the honest answer is, I’m not sure. We’ve never had the opportunity to bring someone through the recovery process.” He took the tablet away from my lap, considering the data before placing the device on the table next to my bed. “Her Majesty gave me permission to do everything in my power to help you recover, and to record your recovery in hopes we can save other omegas. Now that you’re able to be your own steward of your care, I hope you’ll do the same.”
I would do whatever it took to help my fellow omegas. But his explanation introduced so many more questions. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”
He put his hand over mine. The move startled me, and my first instinct was to pull away. Too many people who were supposed to help me didn’t. “I’m sorry, Rielle. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve done everything I can to help the omegas. I hope together we can make a real difference.”
“Make me strong again.” Right now, I could accept that I might not ever go back to my regular life. I was okay with that, because I finally had a chance to make a real difference. “And help me fight whoever did this to me so they can never hurt another omega.”
Chapter Seven
Evander
I strolled toward Rielle’s room with more confidence than I’d felt in a long time. Three days had passed since her last withdrawal episode. Three days since she learned why she was here and under such close watch. Some of her missing memories were returning, and I took it as confirmation that the treatment I’d formulated was working.
She had spent most of that time sleeping and complaining about no windows and the fact that she couldn’t eat solid food yet.
“A liquid diet is not what I signed up for when I moved in here,” she’d said. “Do you even know what that does to your taste buds?”
“You haven’t moved in here.”
“That’s what I tell myself though, because I hate not making my own decisions. So deal with it.”
I couldn’t blame her much. She wasn’t used to frivolities, but she also wasn’t accustomed to lying in a bed for so long. She wanted to be out, doing things, changing the world.
Not recuperating.
My lips twitched at the way she’d become so mouthy with me. Another alpha might have taken offense to an omega speaking her mind, but not me. I took it as a sign that she was growing more comfortable around me. Which… I wanted?
I frowned as I realized how much I desired her trust. Just like when we were kids. Which was a fucked up way to feel when I was keeping such an old secret from her. Any trust we formed now would crumble when I told her who I was.
I wouldn’t dwell on the thought now. Not when today had so much potential.
I’d lain awake in my quarters overnight, thinking of something that would light up her face like I remembered. A small token of friendship like I used to offer, but suitable for the woman she was now. Something to take the place of the silly stories and jokes that used to make her laugh.
It took all night but I’d thought of the perfect thing.
Knocking lightly on Rielle’s door, I waited for her to answer before charging in. Something about knocking made the alpha in me cringe. No door should be between us. And if there had to be a door, I shouldn’t have to ask to be let through.
But I knew it made her feel safer when I did, so I conceded this small bit of control.
“Come in.” Her irritated tone breached the thick door and I schooled my face to not seem amused.
I found her sitting cross-legged on the bed, arms pressed tightly across her chest. She scowled at the wall across the room as if she could burn a hole through it with just her vision and a little effort.
“Good evening, Rielle.”
“Evening?” she snorted. “Is it evening already? I wouldn’t know. I have no windows and Nurse Kathryn won’t let me leave the room.”
“True, you have no windows. But I’m pretty sure Kathryn asked you to walk the hallways.”
Rielle’s gaze never left the wall. “Oh, you know, walking the hallways sounds delightful, all those empty rooms and the occasional alpha or beta staff member. Did you know I’m the only omega in this whole place?”
“Yes.”
This brought her gaze to me finally, and the machine that registered her heart rate beeped louder and faster. I’d noted a trend of erratic beating recently, and made a note to look into possible causes. Even asked Kathryn about it. The beta female just pinched her lips and shrugged, calling it probably nothing.
“You’re the only omega who needs the type of care this facility offers.”
“Not the only one. Just the only one who made it out of the Keep alive.”
“Actually, no. There was the group that helped Cassian when he was shot. They were caring for omegas who were addicted to the juice but not accepted into the Elite program. Ones the humans cast aside and left to suffer.”
The way her expression morphed from irritated to haunted told me she’d forgotten about the imprisoned omegas.
“Charolet said they were rescued. Where are they now?”
“Some are in hospitals in Luxoria. Some are being housed inside the castle to assist the king with information. Others went home to the Badlands after they helped me come up with a way to help you.”
“But the ones who are addicted, like me… where are they?”
I shook my head, not wanting to frighten her.
“Tell me,” she demanded.
“There are none like you.”
“What does that mean?”
“None of the other addict
ed omegas could be saved… yet. They all appear too far gone. They’ve taken the juice for too long. We think their animals are permanently damaged. Their minds too.”
“You said yet.”
I sighed, moving closer to the bed. “I did. Like I said, your condition offers us a chance to study how the juice affects us, and while doing that, I’m hopeful we can find a way to help the others too. Until then, they will be taken care of. The king ordered it so.”
“Us,” she mumbled.
“What?”
“You said us. As if this would ever happen to an alpha or beta.”
“There’s no reason it couldn’t. If the human forces keep growing stronger or if the beta rebels continue their uprising. No one is immune from this, Rielle. In this, we are all the same.”
“In this.”
“In more ways than you’d probably like to admit.”
She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around her legs as if that could protect her from my words.
“I’m not your enemy anymore,” I reminded her.
“I know.” Her words were quiet. An admission she wasn’t ready to scream from the mountain tops because it was too dangerous. It threatened that small piece of herself that she didn’t expose easily. A secret place hidden beneath the folds of armor that formed out of her upbringing.
I’d known that place once. I’d been allowed in there. The gap.
No, it wasn’t armor that shielded that part of Rielle. It was cement, slathered quickly over by a frantic boy who didn’t know how to keep her without hurting her.
But I was a man now.
Nothing was getting between us this time.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Her head tilted, her eyes narrowing, and it took me less than three seconds to understand why…
“I have a surprise for you,” I said proudly. It was nearing sundown and she’d be leaving soon to go home. I’d saved my gift for the very last moment to make saying goodbye easier.
