Page 166 of The Other Omega

“Why do you think Mireya discussed the research with you?”

“She wanted me to appreciate it. She spoke as though the work would eventually excuse whatever had been necessary to accomplish it.”

“What work?”

“It began with infertility and the declining Omega birth rate. She said they had been bringing people from C-17 for years, though some died during transition. According to her, the previous survivors had displayed Beta-like markers, and some required specialised mental treatment to adjust. It was not until my counterpart’s arrival that they encountered the first Omega conversion.”

“Did Mireya tell you what she intended to do with that knowledge?”

“She wanted to identify what distinguished my counterpart from the others. She wanted to recreate the result.” I could hear Mireya’s voice with dreadful clarity. “She changed everything. She said that more than once.”

Lucien’s hand rested beside the pad. “What criteria did she mention?”

“Age and family relationships.” I looked between him and Alaric, then continued. “She claimed to have brought my counterpart’s two sisters across.” I watched their faces, but neither expression altered.

“When did she tell you this?” Lucien asked.

“Shortly after she was dismissed from my counterpart’s care. She claimed both had presented as Omegas and called them the missing piece.” I tried to recall her exact words. “She told me the younger one had stopped speaking and the elder had become feral.”

“Did she use their names?”

“I asked whether she meant Ivy and Nora, and she confirmed it.”

I gave them the rest of my account of Mireya’s work and answered their questions as carefully as I could. By the time we reached House Tureen’s involvement, my hands were shaking so badly that I had to place them beneath my thighs. I described the ring worn by the Alpha who had threatened my family and the crest I had recognised on it.

“Describe the ring you saw in more detail.”

I answered as precisely as I could, then spent hours studying portraits until I recognised him.

When Lucien finally asked whether I had anything further to add, I searched for something that would make the journey worth more: another name, another room, a phrase that might release my family from the consequences of my choices. The temptation to make more of what I knew was so strong that I pressed my lips together until it passed. “Nothing I can presently recall.”

Lucien allowed the silence to continue, and I resisted the impulse to fill it. Eventually, Magnus broke the silence.

“You will be transferred to maximum-security detention,” he told me. “You will remain there pending formal proceedings.”

“My lord?” My voice was quieter than I intended. “When the time comes, will you make it swift?”

Magnus regarded me. “For Cedric. Yes.”

“Thank you.” My throat tightened, and I waited until I could trust my voice again before asking, “And Pack Hart?”

“They will be judged on the facts.”

I inclined my head and rose, but the room tilted, and I had to grab the chair. The officers waited as I steadied myself, allowing the darkness at the edges of my sight to recede before I followed them to the door.

When I looked back from the doorway, Alaric and Lucien had already turned towards Magnus. I had prepared myself for hatred, but not for being so utterly irrelevant.

Chapter 35

Elowen

Lucien kissed me slowly and deeply, his tongue moving against mine in a steady rhythm that made my toes curl beneath the blankets. His hand cupped my breast, his thumb tracing lazy circles that sent heat gathering in my core.

“You are so very beautiful,” he whispered against my lips.

“How beautiful?”

His hand settled against my cheek. “Beautiful enough that I have yet to find a word I consider adequate.”