Page 4 of Scheme
If Chelsea and Asher were old enough to deal with the side effects of being an omega, then they were more than old enough to understand the dangers too.
“And what’s the real story?” Asher challenged.
“Well, Dad said he waspoisonedby an omega.” I swallowed, forcing down the bile that threatened to rise at the thought of that poor omega and how terrified they must have been. “His phrasing places blame on the omega, but my guess is that Calum lost control and tried to force a claiming bite on an omega who wasn’t in heat.”
Chelsea paled.
“Mum said that it was dangerous for alphas and they didn’t do that,” Asher said, suddenly unsure and reminding me of just how young he was. “That we had nothing to worry about.”
“Spoken like an omega who has been safely mated for decades.” I sighed heavily, pulling the milk out of the fridge. “Mum’s scent is intermingled with Dad’s, so it’s off-putting to any alpha except him. As unmated omegas, we don’t have that kind of protection. It israrefor an alpha to attempt a claim outside of heat—they’re educated on the dangers of it from the moment they present. The toxin that the heat hormones neutralise is well known to be incredibly poisonous.”
“So maybe it was an accident then?” Chelsea suggested hesitantly. “Maybe the omega just cut herself and snuck him some blood to get him to back off?”
I gave her a sad smile, understanding the impulse to concoct a less horrifying reality. To not want to believe that Calum was capable of such monstrousness.
After living in London for well over a decade now, I’d seen all kinds of things and met all kinds of people. I knew that alphas like Calum existed, and I knew omegas who suffered because of it.
I wanted to educate Chelsea and Asher on the very real dangers of our designation, but I didn’t want them to be as jaded and bitter about the world as I was. Where was the line?
“If the omega had just cut themselves and swiped some blood on Calum’s mouth in self-defence, he’d have been sick, but he’d have lived. For him to have died, he must have gulped it down from the vein,” I told them gently.
They were both palming the unmarked spots on their necks where a claiming bite would sit one day if they went down that path. Which they almost certainly would, since most omegas did. My lifestyle was the exception, not the rule.
“He would have been aggressive,” I added. “Aggressive enough to tip himself into rut and then possessive urges would have demanded the bite. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that Calum was always entitled, you would have seen that for yourselves. Entitled and angry when he didn’t get his way, swinging around ‘instinct’ as an excuse to behave like a brute with no consequences. Daddy’s little alpha, you know?”
They nodded, lost in their thoughts as I distributed the cups of tea. I returned to my leaning spot against the bench to drink mine, watching them process and trying to sort out where my own grief began and ended.
There was a not-insignificant part of me that wasgladthat Calum was dead, but that carried a heavy dose of guilt with it since he was my brother, after all.
But then I thought of some poor omega, forced to carry the trauma of an attack as well as a bite mark for the rest of their lives. Even though I was one hundred per cent confident that they’d done nothing wrong, they would still face judgement and recrimination from small-minded assholes because the world was not a fair place.
“I wish we could live with you,” Asher said wistfully. “I hate it at home. I hate being a male omega.”
Every time I spoke to Asher since he’d presented, I was crushed in a swell of helplessness. He wasn’t happy, and he never would be because our parents would never accept him as he was, but the situation wasn’t bad enough that I had any legal recourse to get him out, and they’d never let him go voluntarily.
It wouldn’t be a goodlook.
I’d been in the middle of delicate negotiations with our parents to let him go to the Sutton-Harris School—a boarding school for those who showed artistic promise. He’d already got through the application round, and next up was the interview.
But Calum, ever the centre of our parents’ world, had rudely gone and died, so we were probably back at square one. Mum and Dad would be more conscious of their reputations than ever.
“I know you do, and I’m sorry. Maybe if you were born into a different family, you wouldn’t have minded it so much.”
Asher looked doubtful. “Unlikely. They only stopped executing male omegas after King Jasper took the throne. It wasn’t even that long ago.”
“Two-hundred years or thereabouts,” Chelsea offered, intently examining a tube of mascara.
“Right. And that was because King Jasper was better suited to rule than his alpha brother,” I pressed. “Because being an omega was nowhere near the most important thing about him. We are more than just our designations, and we’re no less valuable or capable just because we’re omegas,” I reminded Asher, hoping he’d remember those words the next time Dad said something wildly offensive. “I haven’t given up on the Sutton-Harris School.”
Asher snorted. “You should. Dad didn’t like the idea before Calum died, he’s not going to consider it now. What would the neighbours think if they sent me away? There might begossip, Margot.” He gave a look of mock horror that was eerily reminiscent of Mum’s face whenever we did something she didn’t approve of.
“If you still want to go, then I’ll keep pushing for it.” Chelsea nodded supportively, though I knew she’d be devastated if her favourite sibling went away. She’d beokay, though. Chelsea and Jules were beautiful female omegas, blessed with the same flattering combination of genes that Layla had got. Our parents were pretty good tothoseomegas.
“You know, Layla was mated at eighteen, and Jules is pretty serious about that alpha girl next door, right? You might meet the love of your life in your teenage years too,” I teased, attempting for levity so I didn’t weigh Asher down with my own frustration at the situation.
Asher wrinkled his nose while Chelsea laughed. “Taytum’s a snob. Her and Jules are already talking about going into Jules’ nest together at her first heat.”
My smile grew a little strained at that. I’d been eighteen once. I’d made plans too.
