Page 97 of The Other Omega

“The younger one has stopped speaking altogether, I’m afraid. The elder has become feral. It’s extraordinary how differently they’ve responded.”

I thought of my own Nora and Ivy and tried to swallow past the tightness in my throat. Their sister was safe at Stormforge, beyond House Tureen’s immediate reach, while they were somewhere inside one of these research facilities.

Mireya leaned towards me and studied my face. “Are you feeling unwell, little dove?”

I shook my head and tried to keep my voice steady. “Please tell me they’ll be allowed to return home once your tests are finished.”

She smiled at me with such patience that for a second I almost believed she might say yes.

“Oh, little dove. You know how important they are to the programme. We can’t abandon such promising results.”

I lowered my head and tried not to be sick. I’d helped bring their sister here, knowing she would suffer when I left her behind, and I’d accepted that because I wanted to escape.

I was as much a monster as Mireya, and I hated myself for it.

She carried on talking, satisfied that I understood. There had been several more successful presentations, and they were getting better at identifying suitable candidates. Only months ago, she said, they couldn’t have hoped for this kind of accuracy.

I listened as she talked about markers and results and wondered whether she ever stopped to think about the people they belonged to.

“One woman was already pregnant when she crossed,” she said. “We expected gestation to inhibit presentation, but she developed Omega markers regardless. Her unborn child is showing them as well.”

I looked up. “The child?”

“A boy.”

Only one male Omega was born for every fifty female Omegas. That little boy should have been treasured, but all I could think about was him growing up here under Mireya’s care and being hurt whenever she decided it might help her work. My scent must have filled with so much fear and guilt that even she noticed.

“Oh, my dear. I know.” She patted my knee. “A true blessing, isn’t it?”

Her Beta senses had caught the change and somehow decided I was delighted.

I sat there with her hand on my knee, trying to breathe through the nausea while she waited for me to smile back.

“Is the pregnancy progressing safely?”

“She’s under close observation. We still have a great deal to learn, of course, but think what it could mean for reproductive medicine. If we can reproduce these results under controlled conditions, we could offer families possibilities they’ve never had before.”

I wondered whether the woman had a husband waiting at home, or parents, or other children who had no idea where she was. Perhaps she’d been looking forward to taking her baby home.

“Does she know what you’ve found?”

“Of course. Her physicians have explained the results to her.”

“And what happens when her baby is born?”

“We’ll have to see how he develops, but studying a male Omega from birth would be an extraordinary opportunity, Elowen.”

She still hadn’t said anything about what his mother wanted.

“You told me all this was meant to give Omegas more choice. What choice will these women have?”

“They’re being carefully looked after, Elowen.” Mireya reached for my hand. “I’ve explained that to you.”

“Mireya, that isn’t what I asked.”

She sighed and gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. “I can see we won’t agree today.” Her gaze moved towards the clock above the door, and she released my hand as she rose. “We’ll talk about this another time. There are arrangements I need to make before your departure.”

“My departure?”