32. Zoe
Zoe
Anger is boiling inside me, close to overflowing, and the only way I can think to lessen its impact is to be in my dragon form.
My indignation over what is happening to Cameron is righteous, and though I have never been much of a fighter, I find myself wanting to rip whoever put this collar on him limb from limb.
I had no idea that sort of cruelty existed in our realm.
"How long have you been wearing it?"
He guides us to his bed, and we perch on the edge. Our fingers intertwine naturally, the contact lighting me up from every point.
"They pulled me aside after my ceremony. I destroyed the building and flattened a couple of people when I shifted. Not on purpose, of course. Aenella has never Blessed anyone with my form before, and hasn't since. It was unprecedented."
"And they just happened to have a shock collar?"
"I guess they always have one on hand, in case someone goes feral? I didn't have time to ask questions. It was on me in seconds."
When I first touched the collar, I didn't find a seam where welding might have occurred, so I reach for it again.
If there is a weak point, maybe we can exploit it.
He indulges me, and my fingers catch on a slim seam in the black leather on the outside of the collar that I missed on first inspection.
"It's metal underneath?"
"They didn't want to scare other Alphas into thinking they'd be collared, too."
The bed is lumpy and uncomfortable, so I pull one of my legs up and fold it under me to take some of the pressure off my ass. "But didn't they expect you to shift for your courses?"
"Everyone was told my beast was a whale, so I got out of it. Most of Aenella's Blessed don't have to shift in classes."
Is it rude to ask him what he is? When he said "too large," my mind went to a whale, but the fact that it was the cover story makes me feel that isn't accurate.
"Is there any way to get it off?"
"I thought they'd trust me enough when they placed me as Hierophant, but they still don't. This is just another way for them to keep me under their control. I imagine the Archon thinks that one day he'll be able to use me as a weapon if he keeps me happy here."
"And are you? Happy, I mean."
He tilts his head to the side and regards me. His eyes are warm, and there is a small smile tilting his lips. "I wasn't."
I scoot a little closer to him, and he mirrors my movement until we're face to face, so close I can hardly breathe. "And now?"
"Now all of those years stuck here make sense. I've been waiting for you, Zoe."
There is no way to know who makes the first move, only that our lips crash together in a fevered kiss. Like that time in the woods, electricity runs through my veins at his very touch.
I pull away with a gasp. "Are you being shocked right now?"
Cameron's eyes are wild, and his shoulder twitches a little. "Kind of."
"Kind of?" I leap to my feet and scamper away from him.
He doesn't let me escape, stalking across the room to me and shoving me against the wall. "As my neck expands with my beast, there are spikes that poke me, using my blood as a conduit to shock me. It's not a full prick, just a little one. Nothing I can't handle."
"I don't want you to be in pain. Not for me."
The Alpha pushes his forehead against mine and breathes shallowly. "I like a little pain with my pleasure, Zoe. You should try it sometime."
My core grows slick as I fantasize about Cameron smacking my ass, his nails digging into the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, his teeth cutting into the flesh of my breast.
I cannot deny that it's a combination I've been known to enjoy, too, though I can give it as good as I get.
"You'll tell me if it gets to be too much?"
Instead of answering, he captures my lips with his and licks into my mouth. His taste is enough to make me grow lightheaded, and my knees weaken. He grips my hip to keep me upright.
"This isn't why I brought you here," he says through panting breaths when he pulls away. "We have to talk about what you overheard."
I groan and wrap my arms around his waist, feeling the warmth of his flesh beneath me. "We can talk later."
"We should talk now." It's not a dismissal. There's too much mirth in his words for it to be a rejection. It feels like a pause, not a hard stop.
"Fine." My voice is a petulant whine, and I have to stop myself from stomping across the room and back to his bed. "Can you put your shirt on at least?"
After pulling his sweater over his head, Cameron runs his fingers through his hair, only to make it look messier.
"The Archon is taking the Omegas from the Institute," he starts. "I have no power to stop him, and any heavy push I give will fall on deaf ears. It's better for me to stay neutral so no one censors themselves around me."
A shudder wracks through me at the memory of the sleezy man, Dominic's father, saying it's time for "community Omegas". "Why is he taking them now?"
"The Gods are Blessing fewer and fewer Omegas every year. You're the only one this year. Alphas need Omegas, Zoe. Ruts are painful without one, and most have to be sedated until it passes unless they have a very eager Beta partner. Whoever controls Omegas controls the Alphas."
The first time I met Cameron, he told me that people will take and take power until they are the only ones left with it. If controlling Omegas means controlling the Alphas, the entire force of Alphas is at your command.
"So what, he uses them as rewards?" The mere thought of it has bile rising in my throat. Omegas are people, and treating them as commodities should be a crime.
But who is going to enforce laws if the ones making them are also the ones breaking them?
Cameron's lips turn down in a sad smile. "I don't know for sure, but everyone on the Archon's good side seems to have an Omega for their pack. This is not the first time he has offered me one, and I doubt it will be the last."
Jealousy flares in my chest at the mere thought of another Omega coming anywhere near Cameron. He said he belonged to me, and I'm starting to believe that.
"We're scent matches, aren't we?" Since Cameron removed my necklace, I'm able to feel the tether between us, one that I felt with Dominic that day in the woods. "That's what you meant when you said you belonged to me?"
His grin is blinding, transforming his entire face. "We are."
"It's not just you." The words fall out of me in a rush. "I mean, I have another scent match."
He hums under his breath, and I can feel my chest tighten. What if he's jealous? What if he doesn't want me with anyone else? Dominic has already given up on me, but I'm bound to Cliff.
"I know. You have two others and the Beta."
"Two?" My nose wrinkles. "No, just one. Dominic, but that's never happening. I did bond with Cliff, though."
"One?" Cameron rolls his lips inward, like he's keeping a secret. "I must be mistaken." He doesn't look like he thinks he is. "I like the Beta, despite my initial misgivings."
"Why did you attack him?" It's hard to reconcile this Cameron with the one who slammed Cliff against the library stacks.
He waves my question away like an annoying fly. "He startled me. At the time, he meant nothing to you, and I don't like being interrupted."
"You realize that is not a valid reason to choke someone, right?"
"It's the one I have."
This feels like one of those things we'll never be able to agree on.
"What are we going to do about the Omegas?"
"Do you know the best part about being invisible to others?" He shuffles on the bed and wraps his arm around me, pulling me until my head rests on his shoulder, and he can kiss my temple.
"What's that?"
"The gossip, lovely Zoe. The secrets that I keep can fill a textbook."
I have to hold back a purr as he strokes his fingers through my hair. "What does that have to do with the Omegas?"
"It works both ways. I can spread a rumor, and no one will know where it comes from.
" His fingers snag on a few tangles, but he works them out effortlessly, like he's done this a thousand times before.
"And what do you think is going to happen when Alphas realize that there is not going to be an Omega presentation this year?
That their chance of meeting their scent match is gone? "
I can hear the weight of his words, the promise of chaos that they hold. "What do you need from me?"
"How about that dinner you owe me?"