Page 4 of Daughter of Garnet

Between each circle is a courtyard with benches, flower gardens, and even a few small streams. We gather around the man who called us over. There must be at least seventy Betas here, and there is no telling how many were in the other three ceremony days.

“My name is Tobin, and I’m your ambassador. I’m a fourth-year Beta here at the Institute.”

Like university, we will stay here for four years. We enter university in our eighteenth year, so, barring any delays due to poor performance, all first-years at the Institute are between twenty-two and twenty-three years old.

“Welcome to the Institute. During your four years here, you will learn precisely how vital Betas are to our society. We do not get the glamour of the Omegas or the glory of the Alphas, but we are the backbone. Without us, there would be no clothes on our backs, food in our bellies, or schools for our children. When Alphas enter rut, and Omegas go through heat, it is Betas who keep them safe and fed for the week.”

He looks out at the crowd of us gathered and holds his hands out wide. “I’m sure more than a few of you are upset about your designation. That’s perfectly natural. You don’t grow up reading stories about Betas. But I promise you, before this year is up, you will be grateful to be one. You will be glad this is your lot in life.”

He claps once, jarring me. “Now, let’s head to the administration building. We’ll get your class schedules and room assignments. Because there are so many of us, many of you will have to double up while the next building is being finished.”

On the southern side of the outer circle, I see a half-finished building, a twin of the others, under construction.

“He’s passionate, huh?” Warren keeps his voice low, but his words don’t go unnoticed. A pretty woman with thick dark hair that falls past her shoulders snorts a little laugh.

“Yes, we’re so lucky to be Betas, apparently.” She slows her gait to fall into step with the two of us. “It’s a lot of bullshit, of course. They just don’t want us to hate our designations. Happy workers are productive workers.” She holds her hand out to me. Vine-like tattoos stretch up her fingers and across her forearms. She's lovely and delicate, dressed in a fashionable skirt and heeled shoes. “I’m Vivian. You can call me Viv.”

I vaguely recognize her from my ceremony. I wasn’t really paying attention to anyone but Warren.

“Zoe.” I take her hand in mine and pump it once. Warren introduces himself as well, and she beams at us.

“It’s good to meet you two. I hope you don't mind, but we're going to be best friends now. I was worried the only person I would know here would be my brother, and I need more company than that knucklehead to thrive."

There are four universities, one for each God and province, and four ceremonies, each divided by first name, a tradition that has been in place for the past thirty years. It’s the opposite of the way our surnames have grouped us for the entirety of our schooling, and is done to facilitate mixing of the provinces for unity or some bullshit.

I know for sure Viv wasn’t at our university. Both Warren and I attended the one dedicated to Kashmyre.

“Why wouldn’t you know anyone else?” We pass through the entrance of the academic hall, and the crowd stops moving. This must be where we wait in line for our assignments. I turn to face Viv. “What about your classmates?”

“My brother and I were homeschooled by our grandmother for university.” She pulls the zipper of her bag open and closed. “But I promise we’re not weirdos. Our parents are both Alphas Blessed by Oren and very devout followers. They did not want us to attend Aenella's university. We were raised in Eatolis because they're both in the military and stationed there.”

“Where is your brother now?” Warren asks. He looks around the crowd, as if trying to locate someone who looks like Viv.

“He designated as an Alpha. Blessed by Oren, to our parents’ delight.” She rolls her eyes and wrinkles her nose. “His beast is an Argentavis. They’re massive birds of prey that went extinct millions of years ago. Of course, my parents were over the moon. A rare, powerful beast like that will get him to the top of the list for job placements. After seeing him shift at his ceremony yesterday, they expected me to designate Alpha as well. Imagine their disappointment. Not that they'd ever say anything about it. They're actually pretty great."

I have no siblings, so I have no idea what it must be like to be compared to someone like Viv is describing. It must be awful, knowing that the person you’ve done everything with is now being pushed onto a path that your parents value more than your own.

“They just don’t know the wonderful side of being a Beta!” Warren spreads his arms, imitating Tobin.

A throat clears behind him. We all look at an older Beta man with dark, hooded eyes sitting behind a desk. “If you’re done, I’d like to give you your room assignment.”

CHAPTER 3

Zoe

Viv and I are both assigned to single rooms. Warren, however, isn't as lucky.

“What if he’s an asshole?” Warren slides his key into the lock as he whispers over his shoulder. “We don’t know this guy at all. They said he’s a second year. He’s going to be pissed to be losing his privacy.”

“It's not my favorite thing.” The deep voice resonates from inside the apartment and startles us. “But that's not your fault. It’s not like you chose my room. Just don’t be an ass, and we’ll get along just fine. I’m Cliff.” He extends his large hand toward Warren.

Warren is not a built man. He's tall, though slim, with creamy porcelain skin and shaggy, pale blond hair. Cliff, on the opposite side of the spectrum, is broad. His shoulders look like they would struggle to fit through the door. His hair is short, dark, and close-cropped, and he has topaz skin and dark eyes. A well-groomed dark beard does nothing to hide his pretty, sleepy smile. He’s wearing only a pair of black shorts, his expansive chest bare except for a large tattoo that covers his chest.

I wish I could take a closer look to find out exactly what it is, but in the room's low light, it’s impossible to tell.

The two men shake hands, and then he reaches out to me. As soon as our hands touch, that strange feeling of warmth courses through me again. I drop his hand as if it burns me.

“Nice to meet you.”