by A Y Venona
“Oh, wow, look at you. You’re like a talking depository of information.”
“It pleases me to have provided you the information you sought.”
What? I raised my eyebrow as I hatched a quip that could knock his confidence down a peg or two. But when I opened my mouth, I laughed. Because seriously, he looked like he was serious about it too.
I was waiting for him to say something along the line of “I’m glad I’ve provided you an amusement,” but instead he laughed with me. And I really appreciated it because with him beside me, I was not laughing alone.
Laughter aside, the scir delegates arrived, and it did not disappoint the crowd. Jordan was right. They wore the most formal and traditional clothes, especially the faes from Fayscir who had more taste in fashion than all of the fashionable faes in Pershiane combined. They had a knee-length overcoat fitted to the waist with a flared opened skirt. Their coats were embellished with veiny and glowing silver patterns that formed into leaves at the hem. The patterns looked like ancient symbols that were mesmerizing to watch.
The crowd applauded their entrance. Since the University of Fayscir was the last of the visiting delegates, everybody stood up and applauded loudly for the next entrants. By tradition, University of Pershiane, also known as Fae Academy, came last.
The trumpet blared. The crowd waved their banners and pennons that carried the academy insignia. But when the gate was open, a hush fell over the entire arena because what came through it were not faes from Pershiane Academy.
These delegates were wearing some kind of wraparound shirt and knee-length skirt with golden yellow as their color. Their sandals were gold and paired with knee-high leg straps, and they wore a gold cuff on each bicep. They walked into the arena with unadulterated joy, with no guide to lead them. And when the initial shock had worn out, the crowd started their jeers and lewd calls. The newcomers, however, kept their smiles on their faces as they moved closer to the stage.
They were unfazed.
Undaunted.
And proud.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the delegates from the Omega Academy.
They came to a full stop in front of the gods, and then they knelt down. The gods, on their end, rose from their seats.
Then a realization hit me like Zeus’s lightning bolt, and I quickly jumped into action by calling them to my side. And with no hesitation, they followed as directed.
Beside me, Jordan smiled.
* * *
“Pass the potato please,” Angus said to Adrian and then turned to me. “So they gave you both the Omega Academy and Alpha Academy.”
“I think they appreciated the fact that I volunteered so that no one else would be forced to deal with the omegas,” I replied before loading my mouth with tiki, which was made from mince-cut steak. Angus used to prepare steak like this when I was young. Next to me, Adrian was quietly and happily eating his meal.
“Were they not feeding the guardians enough in your suite?” Angus asked teasingly.
“It doesn’t taste like this,” he answered.
Angus smiled at that.
Home. It didn’t taste like home. That was what Adrian meant.
There was a lull in the conversation after that, which I broke when I remembered something.
“By the way, Adrian, do you happen to know why Alpha Academy sent their alpha officers to the Gatherings instead of their students?”
Adrian emptied the glass of water and then put it down on the table. He picked up the fork only to lay it back on the plate in parallel with the spoon. Then came his reply.
“They are there to guard the omegas for any harassment. The Elders thought the society still thinks of them less.”
“The Elders thought of this? Or was it the kings?”
I could hear the sarcasm in Angus’s voice. I cast a glance at Adrian’s side. A frown flitted across his face; his eyes narrowed.
“Is there something you know that I don’t, Angus?”
“Tell me, Adrian, does this protection detail provided for the omegas require for each alpha to spend most of his time with an omega?”
“What?” Adrian and I said in unison.
“What I was trying to say is that they’re trying to pair up the omegas with the alphas,” Angus said, staring into Adrian’s eyes. “And the Omega Academy the kings sponsored? I’m telling you, it’s nothing but a breeding ground for the alphas.”
An omega could breed a delta alpha or even a god. Perhaps Angus might just be a by-product of the society’s still-lingering bigotry against the omegas, but his argument had merit.
“You’re an alpha yourself,” Adrian said. “Why is it that you don’t feel an urge to protect an omega?”
“Urge? You feel like this toward an omega?” I asked, surprised.
“A little, but it’s not that strong.”
Urge like a mating pull? At this realization, my stomach constricted a little. Screw it. It wasn’t a little, but a lot more intense, like I needed to go to the restroom and shit bricks.
“As I’ve been telling you, Adrian, meditation can elevate your mind and give you much control over your basic instincts,” Angus answered, and then he got up to put his plates in the sink. I believed that was the end of our beautiful family dinner. I was no longer hungry anyway.
“Hey,” Adrian said. “I have something for you.” He pulled a small rectangular shape out of his pocket. “Here, this is a microcommunication device, the omicrons’ latest invention.”
“Isn’t that for official use only?” Angus said from the sink.
“They just made a version available for public use.”
The device was lighter than it looked and small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
“This one looks like it will rival faekin’s own en-tab,” I said as I forced cheeriness into my voice.
En-tab was short for an enchanted tablet, faes’ very own communication device. It was a tablet that contained slots of enchanted stones and a screen that could turn into a map and a writing pad. When a stone was activated, it could either show the location of its owner, the person who bonded himself with the stone, or communicate with this person by writing the message on the pad. The message could then be read by this same person on his own en-tab. I didn’t own an en-tab. None of us knew how to bond with a stone. It was one of the exclusive-for-faekin things.
“You can call me with that.”
“I can call your phone with this?”
“Not my official phone. Melo put something in it that only the guardians can use. I, however, bought my own micro-comm.”
This meant that I could talk to Adrian even when he was not at home. Especially when he was not home. I glanced in Angus’s direction. He was looking at me with a smile on his face.
“Thank you,” I said to Adrian. “This is something new to me.”
My mood lifted as my heart skipped in excitement. This until, of course, Adrian opened his mouth and added, “Don’t be surprised if Xander communicates with you tomorrow. He really wants to meet your friend Tela.”
So this was not just our thing. I bet this was Xander’s idea. Picking up both our empty and dirty plates, Adrian rose from his chair and sauntered toward the sink where Angus was.
“Did you talk to your father?” Angus said.
“Yes. He wanted me to meet him tomorrow.”
“You don’t look excited.”
“Deity Fenrir is going to be there.”
Angus’s attention shifted toward me. And even without saying it, I knew what he was trying to warn me about.
Would Deity Fenrir demand Adrian to father a child?
I got up and left for my room.
CHAPTER 21
The Gatherings: Day Two
“Come in,” said the omega who introduced himself as Lendil. Dark-haired, green-eyed, Apollo built. Typical omega. In other words, gorgeous.
I followed him through the hallway leading to the living room where five more of them were waiting. They said
the rest were either in the shower or in their bedrooms getting dressed or who knows what. I arrived an hour early, thanks to my ride Adrian, who’d insisted on getting to the island earlier than scheduled for an emergency meeting he had with the guardians. So here I was, absorbing with trepidation the attention they threw at me.
“So, you all love jewelry,” I said to break the awkward silence that filled the room. To be honest though? I really had no idea how to deal with the omegas.
They stared at their respective armlets.
“We don’t really have a choice. We are required to wear it at all times. Even when we sleep,” the blond omega replied.
“That’s strange,” I said, sincerely baffled. “Would they even know if you take it off?”
They glanced at each other with a certain degree of wariness as though they knew that it was strange but they were not allowed to question it.
After another moment of awkward silence, Lendil said, “The armlets are all enchanted. We can’t take it off. I tried many times, but they’re like attached to us.”
“Like a fetter,” I murmured, unintentionally voicing my thought.
“These are actually gifts from gods. We each have what we called a patron god,” a redhead answered. “They said it’s to protect us. So we believed them because they are gods, right?”
Right. But I had an idea as to why the gods were overprotective of the omegas. Angus’s words echoed in my head. “It’s nothing but a breeding ground for alphas.”
Or perhaps, of the gods too.
A knock at the door confirmed Angus’s suspicion. Alphas came into the living room to inform them that they had been sent to escort the omegas to wherever they were scheduled to go for the whole duration of the event, and thereby rendering my service redundant and unnecessary.
* * *
“So they all paired up,” Tela said.
“Yes, they all paired up,” I repeated. “I told them, ‘Oh, well, since you’ve taken the duty of guiding and escorting each other upon yourself, then my job is done here. See ya, goodbye.’ Then I slammed the door.”
“You? Slammed the door?”
“I wanted to! But of course, I didn’t. I couldn’t.”
We were inside Moonstone Cafe, drinking Chenela, a pinkish nonalcoholic beverage that tasted like wine. It was like a decaffeinated coffee; it gave the illusion that you were drinking coffee. Chenela gave you that same effect.
“But why are you upset? You never like to be part of this escort slash guide slash usher job anyway.”
“I don’t, you’re right. But still, I can’t help feeling discarded.” In fact, it was how I honestly felt about the whole situation, like I was a third wheel, unnecessary, insignificant. I stared at my drink. Oh, what I would give for real alcohol.
“I think you’re just overreacting. They still need you to help them find all those conference halls.”
“Nah, with how good those alpha noses are, they can just smell their way to the next venue,” I said before taking another gulp from my glass.
She looked at her wristwatch. “Aren’t you going to check your group? I think they’re taking a break now.”
“Nah, they don’t need me.”
“Oh, trust me. They do. And if they don’t, then at least show your face to Mali.”
I wondered what Professor Atkin was thinking putting my name on the usher list. He knew I was not good at socializing. Or maybe that was the reason behind it. He wanted me to meet people. I grabbed the glass of Chenela and emptied it.
“Let’s go,” I said.
* * *
“If you think of it, that’s what the Gatherings has come to mean for most people, especially young people in our time. To meet people from different races and different Realms,” Tela said.
“More like a chore to me.”
We were in the hallway, and a few feet before us was the door to the conference hall. A few strides later, I reached for the doorknob when the door opened.
“Oh, there you are,” Jordan said.
“How did you know we were coming?” I asked as we entered the hall.
He gave me a side glance and smiled. “I was standing right at the door when I smelled your scent. You have a unique scent, so I was confident it was you.”
“That’s creepy,” I said.
“No, that’s romantic,” Tela said. “Tela, by the way. And what’s your name, gentleman?”
“Jordan Wayne. So you all don’t provide your last name.”
Tela giggled. It was so unbecoming of her that their exchange was giving me goose bumps.
“My last name is Grayson. Every fae has a different name. The faekin name registry made certain that no faekin shares the same name. So yes, we’re used to just giving our first name. Didn’t Eli explain it to you?”
Jordan shifted his gaze to me. “No, not at all. He made me earn his every word.”
I huffed. Tela giggled.
“Just the person I’m looking for.”
I turned to the voice behind us and watched as this newcomer fist-bumped with Jordan. He was another dark-haired alpha but with a pair of aquamarine eyes. His gaze shifted from Jordan to Tela and to me. A smirk slowly curled his lips.
“I’m Nathan Rills,” he said to Tela and me.
“Tela. Tela Grayson.”
“I didn’t see you at the opening,” I replied warily.
“I was there,” he answered. “You just didn’t see me.” He glanced at the crowd inside the hall. “It’s lunchtime. Don’t you want to mingle?” he said, his gaze on Tela.
“Sure,” Tela answered.
“Take it easy, buddy,” Nathan said to Jordan and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You’re encroaching on guardians’ territory.” Then he left with Tela by his side.
I stepped closer to Jordan. “What did he mean by that? Encroaching on guardians’ territory?”
He crossed his arms against his chest and gave me a tight smile. “He’s telling me to…”
Jordan didn’t get to finish his sentence as he immediately changed his stance: hands at his back, feet apart in attention mode. Around me, everyone stopped what they were doing as they all stood up and looked at me, or rather at what or who was behind me. I turned around. And there he was standing by the door.
“Hey, I need to talk to you,” Adrian said. But instead of waiting for my reply, he clasped my forearm and guided me out of the door.
In the wake of our departure, the hall came alive with excited murmurs.
* * *
It was a quiet drive, which did nothing but intensify my apprehension.
“Is Angus okay?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’ll see.”
Then we lapsed into silence until we arrived at the house. Angus was in the living room waiting for us.
“Is he here?” Adrian asked.
“In the library,” Angus answered.
“Follow me,” Adrian said to me.
“Hey,” Angus said, holding me back. “Come here for a moment.” He pulled me in for a hug. “Whatever happens up there, you know I’m on your side.”
What was going on here? A knot in my stomach started forming.
“I’m on your side too, Eli. You’re my mate, remember that,” Adrian promised.
Strangely his words comforted me as we traversed the stairs and faced our destiny.
And waiting for us inside the library was destiny himself in the flesh of a god. Deity Fenrir was sitting on the couch.
We knelt down and bowed our heads. We rose to our feet as the deity commanded. We sat right across from him as per his direction. Then he gestured for Adrian to start the conversation, and so Adrian started. And my world around me collapsed.
“The Council of the Gods has ordered me to provide an heir,” Adrian said. “With an omega.”
My hands clenched into fists. Adrian reached out for my hands and un
clasped them.
“I’m telling you this because you’re my mate and they accepted that. All I need is to find an omega who is willing to bear my son without marital expectation.”
“There are only a few delta alphas in this world, Eli,” Deity Fenrir said. “We need more of their kind.”
“My deity,” I said, but I was unable to finish it. I had no courage to finish it. This was a god, and the god spoke what we ought to do.
“Zetas and epsilon alphas have their purpose,” the deity said. “But to provide the balance of power, we need delta alpha to control them. For the past centuries, the omicrons have become bold with their scientific inventions. And now science and magic exist side by side. And we allowed it to happen. However, science should not in any way or form surpass magic. Or the omicrons will use it as a weapon to conquer this world. Alphas have to stay in power to keep the Seven Realms peaceful and thriving. Sacrifices, therefore, are necessary to ensure that the hierarchy of power remains unchanged.” The deity paused and stared at Adrian. “There is something that I want to share, something that we gods kept as a secret for so long. I’m hoping that by sharing this knowledge, you will understand the necessity of matching Adrian with an omega.”
“What is it?” Adrian asked. His voice lacked the confidence he normally carried.
“The most powerful race is back, and their presence can bring upon us Ragnarok. We are left with no other choice but to embrace them back to our society, for killing them will ascertain nothing but a great curse that we do not want to incur upon our line. To tame such a great power, the omegas need their mates. But they are a proud beast; only the best can mate them. Eli, Adrian is among them. The mates, the omega will likely choose.”
“So this is not just me providing an heir; you want me to mate with one of them too?” Adrian said, enraged. He rose to his feet and started pacing like a caged animal.
“Many gods died to keep the catastrophe that would have ended this world from happening. This wish is not born out of a selfish reason. It is for the survival of the human race. However, there is a way that is less painful for both of you. There is a deity who can reverse a Mating Spell.” The deity stood up. “Discuss this between yourselves. And if you’re both ready, Adrian, you know where to find me.”