Page 97 of Daughter of Garnet

He scoffs at my teasing tone and flops onto the ground beside me before taking my mouth in a scorching kiss.

It feels like Cameron and I haven't had the chance to get to know one another much as Alpha and Omega, and I need to change that soon. I do still owe him dinner.

"What are you reading?" He snatches the book from my hands and chuckles. "Good choice. Everyone should know how our government works." I fill him in on what Ilota said, and he nods. "She's right. There is corruption in every layer of our government."

"Before I can figure out how I'm supposed to fix the way Omegas are treated, I have to know why. Why are they taking Omegas like this? Why did they kill off Ilota's?"

"Do you remember what I said to you the first time we met?"

I think back to that strange meeting. I thought he was a beautiful, if strange, man. I still feel that way. He is not like Cliff or Ray. There is a level of danger hiding under his surface, like there is with Dominic, and while Dominic is full of rage that feels righteous, at least in his eyes, Cameron is more chaotic. I imagine he is not someone that people would enjoy meeting in a dark alley.

"You said power corrupts."

A small smile quirks the corner of his mouth up at the side. "And it inspires envy. A single taste of power, even if it’s someone else’s, makes some ruin another just to ensure they're the only powerful one left." He tugs at the collar of his sweater, flashing the shock collar. It makes me sick every time I think about it. "And if you can't destroy a source of power, what do you do?"

"You control it." I slam the book closed and climb onto my knees in excitement. "Ilota's Omegas were powerful enough to overthrow the government, so they took them out one by one."

"And yet, Alphas need Omegas."

"Exactly! Alphas need Omegas, so they couldn't destroy all of them." His eyes gleam with pride, and he nods, encouraging me on. "So, they use the 'safe' Omegas to keep the Alphas in line."

"You would hardly believe how far an Alpha will go to have an Omega."

This is it. This is what Ilota needed me to find out. I had all of the information I needed, but I hadn't put it all together until now. And with her statement about fish rotting from the head down, I know this isn't just the Archon's fault.

"It's our entire government, isn't it?" My voice is barely above a whisper, even though it's late enough that I know no one else is in the library. "It's not just him." I sink backward, the weight of the realization overwhelming. "It's everyone, isn't it?"

"Maybe not everyone, but most, I believe."

I wonder how much of this Cameron knew. Have all of the Gods been speaking to him, guiding him?

The pressure of all of this makes my head spin.

Why me?

Why am I the one Ilota chose? Why couldn't it be someone else? The Gods could have spoken to one of their Alphas, right? An Alpha is better suited for this than an Omega.

I want to rage, to yell at Ilota, but then it hits me.

I am of Fire.

Cameron of the sea.

Dominic of the earth.

Ray of the air.

And Cliff is my steady, constant Beta.

The four of us represent every part of our society, every God, every designation. And then I remember our shifted forms. A sabertooth, a dragon, and Argentavis.

"What's your beast?"

It's cruel and unusual punishment to keep his beast from him when he did nothing wrong, and I can feel his sadness. "A deinosuchus."

"What is that?" Unlike the sabertooth, I have never heard this name before.

"A crocodilian from the Cretaceous period."