Nest Of Lies (When it Raines Omegaverse #2)

1. Lia

Chapter one

Lia

Aurelia Raines aged 8.

I am flying, and it’s amazing, even better than the jelly and ice-cream that Francine got me when I was sick last year. No one said running could be so fun, I’ve never been able to move this fast. I feel like if I jump high enough, I might grow wings and soar off into the big blue sky. Like a bird. I want to be a bird just for today.

A thought presses in that Mama won’t be happy. I know I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s against all the rules, but it feels so good.

I let out a whoop, also against the rules, and jump high, and when I land, I laugh and run even faster. With another whoop, I run up the stairs and across the porch, ignoring the huge white mansion and all the rules that make me want to run and hide. I turn and dart back the other way. I jump down; the space is enormous, and for a moment, I really am flying.

I’ll never know if I was going to fall or not, but my mother’s voice cuts through the joy, sending dread through my tiny body. I miss a step as I land and tumble over and over, slamming into the gravel hard. The pain is instant and everywhere. Tears come to my eyes as I push myself up. I start to cry, then wail, as I stare down at my arm. It’s bending the wrong way.

I’m more freaked out than anything else. Freaked out about how Mama is going to yell at me. I sit there staring at it. The more I look, the more dizzy I feel .

Mama shouts for help. Staff pour out of the building, their faces creased in concern. Something must be really wrong with me. I cry louder.

The rush to the hospital is a blur of Mama screaming, pain, and tears.

“She’s broken her arm.” The grim faced doctor says with a lack of empathy that makes him sound cold and cruel. His hair is a grey cloud around his head, and his belly has rolls and breadcrumbs from his lunch.

“Oh, no, I knew this would happen.” My mama is so upset, which means I should be, too, right?

Is a broken arm terrible? Am I dying?

It feels awful. The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. Maybe I am dying. I start to cry.

“I knew it.” Mama shouts and points at the doctor. “You told me not to worry, but I knew there was something wrong.”

“China, I think perhaps it would be best if we resumed your medication-”

“No need, Doctor, I’m fine. I just need to protect my child. No more running. No more outside.” Mama puts a hand on my shoulder and sniffs hard .

The doctor looks at me, and I shuffle on the seat. Have I done something wrong? He looks mad and almost sad, but I don’t understand. I glance up at Mama for direction, but her cheeks have those red spots, and her eyes are narrowed. I duck my head and try to appear really small.

Mama drags me out of the doctor’s office in silence. We get home, and I stand in the spot she likes me to stand in while she paces. My cast is heavy and feels terrible. But the pain killers are helping.

I don’t dare make a sound. I’ve never seen Mama like this before, but I know her temper well enough. If I just stay still and quiet, it won’t be so bad. She will forgive me, right?

She finally turns and crouches in front of me. My mama is the prettiest woman alive. She has yellow hair, the same eyes as me, and her lips are always painted a pretty colour. Right now, she’s frowning and looks angry. “Aurelia Raines, you are the most special little girl on the planet because you are the future of the Raines family. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m going to make you the best. And you know no one loves you the way I do, right?”

With a burst of fear, I nod, taking this seriously. “I love you, too, Mama and I want to be good for you,” I say in a squeak, hoping it’s the right words.

She purses her lips and then takes hold of my upper arms, holding me in place. Her grip tightens until my arm throbs, but I swallow the cries that want to come out.

“You can’t do things like that, Aurelia. No being stupid, no running and being silly. You have to be careful. You’re old enough now to understand.”

“Okay, Mama,” I whisper, cowed by the coldness of her voice and the grimness of the situation.

“There is something wrong with you. You’re sick.”

My entire world focuses on her and the words she’s saying. I’m sick? But I don’t feel sick. Mama stares at me. She wouldn’t lie to me.

“I’m sick?”

“You are sick, but don’t you worry, Mama is going to make sure nothing happens to you. I’m going to protect you. This sickness won’t get you. Mama’s here, and I’m going to take care of you.”

The relief I feel doesn’t even come close to eclipsing the fear, but Mama is here, right?

Aurelia Raines aged 12

I stand there listening to my mother rant and rave, careful not to move a muscle to draw her ire. She throws all the good plates at the kitchen walls; the shards bounce all over the place. It’s nothing unusual or out of the ordinary, though she’s more upset this time. I shift my feet as she grabs the new mugs and sends them through the kitchen window.

Her latest boyfriend, an alpha who was fun and kind and a man I really liked, just walked out. Well, no. They fought loudly while I hid in my special room and tried hard not to hear the hateful things Mama was saying about me.

What did she mean when she said he wanted me?

Andy had big muscles that he got from lifting weights, a big, scratchy beard, tattoos, and he rode a motorcycle. He was the first person not to treat me like I’m broken. Instead, he treated me like I was precious. He brought me lollies that I’m forbidden from eating and gave me soda and burgers. Andy told me about what the city is like and the ocean.

He made the outside world not so scary.

I can’t stop the fat tears sliding down my face. He didn’t think I was broken. He thought I was beautiful. Andy showed me how to play poker. How to skip stones. He said he wished he really was my father.

I wished he were my father.

My dad is a deadbeat who Mama won’t ever name. She says I don’t need that scum in my life .

Andy said there was nothing wrong with me. I was perfect. When I confessed in a tear-filled whisper, Andy held me tight and told me I wasn’t sick and to never believe that lie ever again. It was Mama that was sick; he said. He told me about his son and said we would be the best of friends. Andy said this boy would be like a brother to me.

I’d been so excited that I’d missed the sound of Mama walking into the house, so I have no idea how much she heard.

And then they fought.

Over me.

And he left. He didn’t even say goodbye. Just packed his bags, got on his bike, and roared away.

I know I won’t see him again. Mama doesn’t forgive.

My heart is broken. No father-like figure. No brother, and no outside world. Now I’m back in the cage again. No burgers or lollies, no stories. Just the staff, Mama, and me.

Mama slams out of the kitchen, her mascara runs down her cheeks, and she looks like a nightmare. She storms up to me, her kimono flying out behind her like the wings of a devil. I’m terrified of her and how far she will go. I don’t know when admiration turned to fear or when the scales tipped. But when I hear her shouting, I get shivers up my spine, and I long to hide.

“You did this!”

I shake my head in a wordless protest.

“You did this!” she howls. “I told you that you were broken, that you were sick. This is all your fault. You poisoned him. You turned him away from me,” She screams so loud spit spray hits my face.

I back away from her.

But she continues to rant, to shout at me until the police are called. Only then does she go silent.

Her bitter accusation is like a knife in my back. In my heart.

Did I poison Andy?

I tremble, her words circling around and around in the empty room. I can hear her screams, even though there is silence.

Aurelia Raines aged 1 6

“What do you mean, she’s a beta?”

Oh, yes, because no daughter of the great and powerful pop princess China Raines could be anything but an omega. Perhaps I really am sick. Maybe that’s why I’m constantly disappointing her. I’m tired of failing to measure up. Being myself just makes her mad. Being anyone else infuriates her. It’s like my existence enrages her.

The doctor frowns. She’s the fifth doctor we’ve seen. I’m tired and embarrassed and a beta. This should be a good thing, right?

“Your daughter is a beta. You cannot change her biology no matter how much you might wish it.”

“She’s an omega. She has to be an omega!” My mother shouts.

I stare at my mother, feeling the weight of failing her again. How bad is this going to be? Will we lose all the windows or just all the plates? My stomach drops out, and I wonder if I could survive on the streets. Is running away an option? Am I there yet?

“She is a beta, and that will allow her so much more freedom than she might ever experience as an omega. She will-”

“Do not tell me the merits of being a beta. It’s a death sentence.”

I roll my eyes at my mother’s dramatics. I understand her better now that I’m older. My life won’t be what Mama planned because I’m a beta, so my life is effectively over. For me, I don’t know what that means. Mama’s been pretty cold towards me for the last year.

My mother stands up. She grabs my wrist hard enough to bruise and drags me out of the tiny room and away from the concerned gaze of the young doctor.

The car ride back to our mansion is tense. She doesn’t say a word. I’m too scared to move. I just huddle into the car seat and pray she leaves me alone.

We get inside, and this is the scary part, the part where my mouth goes dry, and I wish I could undo time. She strips off her jacket and gloves methodically, and I know that, this time, things are going to be bad. My mother huffs. She paces and paces back; she growls and mutters darkly under her breath and runs her fingers through her hair. Mama swipes at her chin and casts me a dark look.

Then she stops. She goes still. The calm before the storm. I know the signs. She has never laid hands on me, but she’s thrown things at me. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m ready.

My fear twists with anger because I’m sick of this, and I can’t help being a beta. It’s not my fault. If I could scream the words and change her mind, I would. I stand there waiting for what I know is coming.

Her shoulders tense, and she turns her head to the side. I can just see her profile. My stomach spikes with fear.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” I whisper, hoping to head this episode off .

“I tried.” Mama speaks really slowly, enunciating the words. Her voice is low and full of rage, and I know this is going to be bad, really bad. “I tried so hard, but you have defied me at every single possible level.” She turns towards me, lifting her head to regard me with a look that I have never seen before. “I homeschooled you, I taught you music, which you refuse to learn, I looked after you when you were sick and ill, I protected you from those who would use you or hurt you, I hid your sickness from the world that would take advantage of you!”

She storms towards me, her hand lashing out. My head goes sideways under the force, but it takes a moment for the pain to register and a moment longer to realise Mama hit me. She hit me. She actually hit me.

“No- I-”

“Shut! Up!”

My mouth shuts with a snap. I stare at her back. Fear slithering up my body. She grips my shoulders, her nails digging into the flesh until I cry out, writhing under her. I try to shrug her off; I try to push her, but she’s still stronger than me, and she’s got me in a grip I can’t get out of.

“I told you that you were sick. I said you needed to do as I instructed so it didn’t make it worse. But you keep defying me. You keep going against me, even when I’m just trying to keep you safe. Selfish!” Mama hisses in my face. “You are ungrateful and selfish. Everything I’ve done was for you, and this is how you repay me?”

“Mama,” I whisper, it’s an almost inaudible sound. “I can’t help I'm a beta, I’m sorry-”

“I have to leave,” Mama says resolutely. She lets go of me as if I’ve burned her and stumbles back. “I’m going to go, a holiday or something. The staff will be here. You stay here and think about what you’ve done. Perhaps when I calm down, we can talk!”

She reaches for her hat and gloves and pulls them back on, refusing to look at me.

“Mama?”

“I just can’t with you. This betrayal is too much. I had such plans, such plans.” She shakes her head. “Everything is ruined.”

I’m crying. I don’t even know when I started. All I know is that I feel numb and like what she’s saying doesn’t make sense.

Francine, mama’s personal assistant, comes down with suitcases. Her soft brown eyes are crinkled at the side and her lips are a firm line as she avoids looking at me. Francine is a professional at heart, but sometimes, I think she struggles to witness my mama’s actions. My gaze travels to the suitcases.

My heart thunders, and I think maybe I will be sick or pass out. Is she really leaving me?

“But when are you coming back?” My voice breaks, and I let out a sob. I rush towards her, but she holds up a hand and sneers at me .

“I don’t know that I am. I can’t sit here and watch you self-destruct. It’s too much. My health can’t handle it. I have sacrificed my best years for you. No longer.”

“Mama!” I wail, uncaring about how pathetic I sound.

“Be a good girl and remember you are a broken beta,” she says the words mockingly while still looking pitying. “No one will understand you. They won’t love you. They don’t understand. Like Anderson. He didn’t understand what you were or how corrupt you really are. So don’t shame the family name more than you already have.”

I flinch at her accusation, remembering the day Andy walked out of our lives.

“Maybe I will come back one day, maybe I won’t.”

“Mama!”

“I need this. I’ve done my duty. But you are destroying everything about me! All my sacrifices over the last sixteen years, my career, my health, my body, my life, my relationships,” Mama rants, her fury curdling the air. “I gave it all up for you, and you couldn’t even be who I needed you to be.”

Another sob rips through me. I’ve never been alone. I don’t know anyone else. What will I do? How long will she be gone?

“Mama!” my protesting whisper falls on deaf ears.

“Enough!” she thunders. “Francine, is my car ready?”

“It is, ma’am.” Francine looks at me, and I can see the alarm on her face. But she can’t say anything, she won’t. It would be her job, her career.

We are all ruled by my mama’s whims.

I watch them go.

And then, I’m alone, a broken beta in an empty mansion. My sobs echoing back to me. Wondering what exactly it was that I did that was so wrong my own mama left me.