Page 27 of The Other Omega

“I only have two sisters, and they live here with me.”

“I see…” Mireya smiled and adjusted the pad in her hand. “Tell me, Elowen. If you retain no memory of this previous life, how do you account for the way you speak?”

I frowned.

“Your speech is markedly different. Your phrasing, your choice of words, even your accent. Has anyone else in this room ever spoken as you do?”

Her words made me feel sick. Think, Elowen, think!

“Her speech changed when she became unwell, Mireya. We’ve discussed this already,” Eleanor said.

“Precisely. Yet every other symptom associated with the episode is resolving, and her speech remains unchanged.”

“I don’t know.” I swallowed and lowered my gaze. “I don’t know why I speak differently or why I said those things. I just know that I’m scared. I’m scared I’ll never remember, that I’ll keep hurting my family without even knowing what I did to myself or why I did it. I’m scared of disappointing my parents.” I looked at Mireya. “Of disappointing you.”

My throat tightened. “I want to be good, Mireya. Please, just tell me what I’m supposed to do. If I need to learn to speak like everyone else, I will. I didn’t even realise I sounded different until you told me.” I turned towards Mum. “Does the way I speak disappoint you?”

The horror on her face made me lower my gaze, guilt churning inside me.

“No,” Eleanor answered so quickly that I startled. “Never. Elowen, look at me.”

I did.

“You could wake tomorrow speaking a language none of us understood, and I would still be proud to call you my daughter.”

“That will be all for today, Mireya,” Cedric said.

“Cedric, I haven’t concluded my assessment. She may simply be providing the answers she believes you wish to hear. This is precisely why I recommended that she be assessed privately. It’s evident that she’s trying to please you.”

“That’s enough, Mireya.” Eleanor rose from the bed. “We’ll no longer require your services.”

Mireya flinched. “Eleanor. Surely you cannot mean that.”

She looked towards Cedric, then Samir and Matthias. “Cedric. Samir. Matthias. I have done nothing beyond expressing my professional concerns. As your head physician and an old friend, I have always acted in the best interests of this Pack.”

“And you’ll be well compensated for your years of service and loyalty,” Cedric said. “But as of today, you are no longer physician to this Pack.”

Mireya stared at him, then turned back to Eleanor. “Eleanor, please. I’m your friend.”

Eleanor’s expression hardened. “Then you should have known when to stop frightening my daughter.”

Mireya opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“Leave my house.”

Chapter 9

Lady Elowen

The testing began five days after my arrival: constant blood draws, neurological and hormonal scans, endless examinations and, on the worst days, tissue collection.

Fighting only made things worse. The nearby Alphas were always too eager to force compliance, and resistance only made the procedures last longer. All I could do was endure them and hold on to the only things I had left, my pride and dignity.

Fear followed me through every waking hour and into my nightmares, though they were no longer confined to sleep, for night offered the Omegas here no protection.

The Alphas guarding us took full advantage of our powerlessness, using the women as they pleased. Even after the testing stopped and the facility grew quiet, painful mewls and whispered pleas carried through the darkness. I hated those nights most.

I hated how much their bodies could endure because it proved that mine would endure it too when my turn came. I had no wish to die, but I often wondered whether death by my own hand would be preferable to remaining here, clinging to the hope of a freedom that might never come.