Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
JADE
We’d woken up to find Jewel and Hugo gone.
Which, gotta be honest, didn’t feel great.
Whatever. It was just a reminder that we didn’t really all belong together. They had their alpha-omega thing, and we betas weren’t needed for that.
I yawned as I sat at the kitchen table and clutched at my coffee. Casey was at the sink, scrubbing dishes in a yellow apron.
We both looked up as Hugo’s door creaked open and Jewel blinked out at both of us.
“Teddy bear!” Jewel launched himself toward Casey.
Casey dropped the plate he was holding. It plopped into the sud-filled sink as Casey just managed to catch Jewel before he fell onto his face.
“I’m so glad you’re back.” Casey wrapped Jewel up in a huge hug, and a quiet purr started in Jewel’s chest as he breathed in Casey’s warm scent.
“Puh-lease,” Jewel said. “Of course, I am. This is me we’re talking about.”
“Yeah. You’re lucky you have friends who are willing to bail out your ungrateful ass again.”
“Aw, Jade, don’t be like that.” Jewel turned and pulled me close to him, his hand sliding down my back. “I can think of plenty of ways to show you just how grateful I am.”
I shrugged him off with a scowl.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Casey asked, anxiously peering down at Jewel.
“I’m just fine, peaches.”
That was my nickname for Casey. I gritted my teeth.
To Jewel’s delight, Casey seemed to thrive on fussing over him.
There was only so much eye rolling I was capable of, so I left them to it and went to the sofa.
There was a sudden silence from behind me, and I couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder at the two of them.
Jewel’s head fell onto Casey’s shoulder and his arms wound around his chest. Casey had frozen, arms half-up, but then his expression softened, and he gently returned the embrace.
“God, you smell like heaven, Casey,” Jewel said, nuzzling deeper into Casey’s neck. Plum and merlot flooded the place, and I realized that Jewel had scent marked him.
“Do you like me, Casey?” Jewel asked quietly.
“Of course.”
“Promise?”
“I like you a lot, Master Jewel,” Casey replied, stroking Jewel’s hair out of his face.
“Good, good.” Jewel closed his eyes. “I like you, too, Casey. Can you just… hold me for a bit?”
Casey moved over and sat down in the space next to us. I tried to ignore how Jewel straddled him, arms wound around his neck and head resting on his shoulder.
One luminous eye opened, and Jewel reached toward me. He made grabby hands at me, giving a little grunt.
Something fluttered in my chest as I scooted over. “Yeah, yeah. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you needed me, Jewel.”
“Course I do,” he muttered.
“Don’t get too comfortable. Now you’re not all omega-y, we should get moving ASAP. Sooner or later, the Institute is going to find Hugo’s connection to you and come knocking. I’ve got a place for us to lie low until Laurel manages to reverse the Institute’s legal claim on you.”
Jewel raised his head indignantly. “I don't want to wait around for that! It could take months. Years!”
“You don't have a choice,” I snapped.
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve got tons of public support. All I need is a good lawyer, and I’ll get those bullshit feral claims tossed.”
I made a face.
“What?” Jewel demanded.
I sighed. “The Institute didn’t just put out a warrant to arrest you, Jewel. They went after your reputation. They have pictures of you destroying your nest.”
Jewel’s sweet scent curdled in the air, and his hand tightened around Casey’s. He took a moment to compose himself.
“Well, that’s nothing we can’t explain away. Proving I’m a danger to Egyptian cotton is hardly the same as proving I’m an actual danger. Come on, let’s see what people are saying.”
I handed him my burner phone, and he started scrolling through the trending videos.
“We join you live from the front steps of the Institute, where today hundreds of people have shown up to protest the laws against Gold Pack omegas.”
The camera panned over a crowd, holding signs like Gold Pack Regulations are Freedom Violations
Human Rights Aren’t Conditional
Justice for Jewel
His body, his choice
I watched the live stream as Laurel exited the Institute, her alphas flanking her. Cameras flashed as she descended the stairs and stopped to listen to the questions being flung at her.
“Thank you. I’ve been working with my lawyer to address this gross violation of human rights.
We’re making a case to file with the high courts, and in the meantime, we’ve submitted an emergency motion for injunctive relief, requesting Jewel be immediately cleared of charges, pending the court case. ”
“Laurel! Any comment on Jewel’s mental state?”
“We all have bad days. It’s not my story to tell, but Jewel has been through a lot over the last few years.”
“But is he unstable?”
“The Institute claims he is disturbed and a risk to public safety. Yet they have provided no evidence, nor put him on trial. He should have the same rights as the rest of us—the right to a fair hearing. Should we be celebrating that the Institute can simply take away a person’s authority because they say so with no accountability?
Should we ignore the fact they have a very strong motive to want him silenced and controlled? ”
“See? Laurel knows what she’s doing.”
He scrolled down to the next video. It featured a doctor, speaking honestly to the camera. I had been planning to grab my phone back and turn it off, but I kinda wanted to keep watching.
“Have you seen this shit? Jewel was right. I pulled up the Gold Pack Ferality and Safety Act, and some of the stuff in here is absolutely archaic.”
Next video, a smarmy looking talk-show host on a rant.
“Please. The Institute has evidence. What kind of safe omega tears up their own nest? His sister is saying they don’t have a case, but of course they do.
The Institute has been here for over a century, protecting public safety and helping alphas and omegas.
Besides, the facts speak for themselves.
Gold pack omegas are statistically more likely to commit violence than regular omegas.
They’re more likely to be unemployed and leeching of the system.
They’re more unbalanced. I mean, half of them don’t even have regular heat cycles! ”
It cut to an influencer who was reacting to the clip.
“Okay, I’m gonna pause this video there, because this is a classic example of misrepresenting the facts. Yes, all these things are true, but that’s as a result of the systemic oppression the Institute has created, not a reason to justify it!”
The next one was from a talk show. A gold pack omega with long, black hair and a neat pantsuit sat on a stage, hands folded on her lap.
“Juniper Anders is the founder and manager of the Safe House, a heat clinic run by omegas, for omegas. She’s here today to offer her perspective on gold pack rights. Thank you for joining us, Juniper.”
“Thank you for having me, Amy.”
“So, Juniper, the Institute's stance on gold pack restrictions is that they are justified, for the safety of society. What are your thoughts on that?”
The omega lifted her chin. “I think it’s an excuse they hide behind to justify their discrimination. It’s a fear tactic that has allowed them to violate human rights repeatedly, and we’re long overdue for another explanation.”
“Would you say gold pack omegas, and the rogues they parent, are good for society?”
“I would say that you don’t need gold eyes to give birth to someone with anger issues. We’re talking about people here, people who deserve to be able to have basic autonomy. Who deserve to protect themselves against predators.”
“So, the Institute is stopping gold pack omegas from protecting themselves?”
“Absolutely. Just look at the fact that it is legal to dark bond a gold pack omega.”
“What about the argument that gold pack omegas tend to be wilder? May need a firmer hand?”
“They said the same thing about women, but last I checked, that didn’t make it okay to enslave one.
I’ve heard lots of arguments against gold pack omegas.
We’re lazy, we’re crazy, we’re unable to function without a pack holding our hand.
I ran the Safe House for years as an unbonded omega, and I’ll let that speak for itself.
Sure, the Institute doesn't want us to have children. But what does that have to do with work permits? With driver’s licenses?
With basic autonomy? With the right to protect yourself by hiding your eyes?
With the right to have a hearing or a trial before you’re being locked up? ”
“Thank you, we’ll take a break there.”
Jewel looked very smug as he turned the phone off.
I guess things were different when I’d been little.
I’d heard about the Safe House. Their mission statement had sent a pang through me.
We are committed to helping any omega through their heat, however they wish, no questions asked.
We have an emergency team on standby to pick you up within minutes and get you safely on site.
Nothing like that existed when my mom was around.
“See?” Jewel said. “I’ve got people on my side. Laurel’s smart enough to use the public pressure as leverage.”
I scowled at him. “Not a reason to be careless, though. We should get moving soon. Is Hugo still sleeping?”
Jewel blinked at me, his expression puzzled. “No, he left the room a while ago. You guys haven’t seen him?”
“No.” That was odd. We’d been out of here for over an hour and had seen nothing from Hugo.
I did a sweep of the apartment and couldn’t find him anywhere.
Jewel was on his feet, pacing, when I came back.
“He’s gone.”
“Gone?” Jewel snapped. “What do you mean, gone?”
I scowled at him. “I mean he’s not here, genius.”
“Maybe he just ran out to get something?” Casey suggested.
“And didn’t tell anyone? He knows we’ve got to get moving. He can’t just go running off like this.”