Page 99 of Daughter of Garnet

The train ride to Raeldell is just long enough to trap me with my thoughts. Stuck in my mind is not my favorite place to be. The voice I hear when I think is not my own, but his.

"Come now, Dominic, is that how you're going to represent our family?"

"You're meant for so much more than this."

"I will not have my own son embarrassing me."

Children see their parents as larger-than-life. They are heroes in your mind as you stare up at them, all wide-eyed and impressionable. I thought my father was the most amazing man in the realm for years. How could he not be, when he's the Archon?

It's not a monarchy in Kestia, but somehow my family has held the position of Archon for centuries. It's curious that Bradly Alphas keep getting voted in by the Primes, isn't it?

I have spent my whole life being trained to one day take the title, and I cannot think of a worse fate.

But Fate has never looked out for me before.

I thought that, for the first time in my life, I had found something wonderful. A dream I never allowed myself to have was coming true.

The first time I saw Zoe, my beast roared in pleasure at her scent, subtle but mouthwatering. It grabbed me, pulling me close, and I knew then that I was a goner.

It broke my heart when she denied what she is. Over and over, she pretended like she didn't know what she was, who she was, to me. I knew we were scent-sensitive and she wouldn't even admit to being an Omega. It did my head in.

I didn't want Zoe to be another liar in the long line that has filled my life. What was the point of her denial?

For a while, I assumed that my father sent her to test my loyalty to him. I thought if I pushed her hard enough, she'd break, tell me that she was an Omega hired by him to pretend, and see if I was willing to throw my life away for a Beta.

A Bradly does not bond with a Beta.

I thought I was going crazy. To everyone else, she was a Beta, but I knew what she was.

And she lied.

And lied.

And lied.

All I wanted was for her to tell me the truth. I even floated the idea to my father, trying to figure out if it was possible for an Omega to conceal their designation.

"I think there may be an Omega pretending to be a Beta here."

"Impossible. How would they manage to stop a shift at the ceremony? And why would they choose the worthless life of a Beta when they could live the charmed existence of an Omega?"

Shortly after that call, I went on a run in my sabertooth form, and a scent, so heady and beautiful, stopped me in my tracks. I had no idea how far away I was from whoever it belonged to, but I had to find them.

I was not expecting to find a dragon. A beautiful, terrifying beast that I had no idea existed, and yet, there she was, my everything, waiting for me.

An Omega Blessed by Ilota.

How had she gone undetected? If there was an Omega dragon on record, my father would already have her in his clutches.

If Fate were kind, my Omega would be one my father wouldn't covet.

But Fate has never looked out for me before.

I tried to convince myself that my Omega was anyone but Zoe Ansell, but the dragon became the woman, and I felt my chest crack open. The pain of her lies was so extreme that it was a fight to stay standing.

She knew who I was. She knew the whole time what I was to her, and she still lied. She kept it from me, and she made me think I was crazy.

And the worst part is, I know why she did. If my father wants to use me, what would he do if he knew my scent match was an Omega Blessed by the dormant Goddess, and has the potential to be more powerful than any Alpha existing in the realm?