50. Zoe
Zoe
Four stones, representing the four Gods, rest on pedestals at the front of the stage. One by one, each Beta must place their hand on the stones and wait to see whether a God has chosen to grant them a designation.
Again.
As the names are called, the Betas are instructed to touch the stones, forgoing the need to strip to nothing. I imagine they don't expect many to shift, so a few pieces of clothing as casualties are an acceptable risk.
I look around for a sign that Cameron is here, watching, trying to put a stop to this, but he's nowhere to be found. Why isn't he here?
Dominic's warning rings in my ears. Should I have taken his advice and bonded him?
He's hurt me, sure, but he seemed genuine, and I know how crucial it is that his father not know what I am. If he has to, is it such a bad idea to already be tied to one of the people the Gods chose for me? Kashmyre must have had a reason to put us together.
For what may be the thirtieth time since I heard what was happening, I call out for Ilota in my mind, but she doesn't respond. I even try to speak to the others, but they're all silent as well. I wonder if they can only speak to their Blessed?
The process is arduous, four times the size of my original ceremony, and I know I'm going to be at the end. Cliff, however, is one of the first, since they're calling us by first name again.
I can see his hands shaking as he lays one on each stone. He knows better than anyone that someone shifting into an Omega right now is not a good thing. I doubt they'd be allowed to stay at the Institute at all. Most likely, they would be swept away by the Archon to be used like all the others.
Cliff's trembling reaches a fever pitch as he places his hand onto Ilota's garnet. I grip my pendant as he does, praying Ilota won't Bless him with this burden as she did me. She wouldn't be so cruel, would she? Five counts go by, and he removes his hand, shoulders slumping in relief.
That's one of us who is safe.
He's ushered off the stage and out the door, where he struggles against Professor Hayes as he tries to show him out.
Once we realized they weren't allowing the Betas to return to their seats to watch the rest of the ceremony, I had to accept that the only person I know who would witness me touching the garnet was Dominic.
He sits at the front, right beside his father, and though I can't see the expression, his shoulders are so tight that I cannot imagine his face is placid.
The Director works his way through the alphabet, letter by letter, and the crowd around me continues to disperse.
I'm not expecting anyone to be Blessed. I don't think the Gods would do that to us at this point.
"Zoe, if you can't hold back the shift, I want you to fly the fuck out of here.
Destroy the building. Light everyone on fire.
Let them all fucking burn to protect yourself.
" Viv grabs my hand and squeezes tight. "Whatever you need to do to be safe.
Fly to Eatolis and find my parents. They'll protect you until Ray and I can get there. "
Could I do that? Could I shift and flatten this place, killing who knows how many people, just to save my own skin?
I wish I could say I would, but I won't really know until I'm in that situation.
"I don't even know if I have fire." I know I'm focusing on the wrong thing, but it's better than outright denying Viv.
"You have fire. Just because you haven't tried yet doesn't mean it's not there."
I change tactics. "I've only shifted twice. What if I don't know how to fly?"
"Are you trying to convince yourself not to leave? Forget about everyone else, Zoe. You have to take care of yourself, okay? I don't give a fuck if you bond with Ray or not. We're sisters now. You have to stay safe."
The Director calls for a woman named Nicole, and my chest tightens a little more.
Every name feels like another step toward my funeral.
"Okay, Viv. I'll try."
It's all I can promise her.
We sit there, hand in hand, as the room's occupants dwindle. There are so many people here that they're all blurring until—
"Vivian Park."
She stands, holding onto my hand until the last possible moment, and when our fingers slip out of each other's, I get this overwhelming feeling that I will never see her again.
I can't allow those negative thoughts to consume me.
The Gods picked me for a reason. They won't allow something to happen that will ruin me.
Unsurprisingly, her small hand on each stone reveals no new Blessing. She doesn't take her eyes off of me as they guide her out of the room.
And now I am alone.
These last few students feel like they drag on forever, until Warren's name is called.
As I watch him climb onto the pulpit, there is a pang in my chest at how much has changed since we sat beside each other at our ceremony. We may as well be different people.
I don't know why, but I try to catch his eye.
Do I expect him to give me a reassuring look?
Probably not. But if I can't control my shift, this may be the last time I see him.
There is no love lost with this version of Warren, but when I look at him, I can still see the blond, blue-eyed boy who bandaged my knee when I fell.
I see the kid who would share his snack with me, the teenager who held me during my first heartbreak.
If the night of my heat spike was the death of our friendship, this is the funeral.
As he's being guided out the door, he looks over his shoulder, and our eyes clash. I can't read the emotion in the clear blue depths, not like I used to. He nods and ducks out of the chapel without so much as a smile.
By the time my name leaves the Director's lips, I am the only Beta left in the chapel. There are three pews filled with older Alphas, not students, and I can hear my peers chattering through the open doors behind me. I feel like I am walking through molasses as I make my way to the pulpit.
Despite the issues I have with him, I don't look away from Dominic as I place my hand on the first stone. I'm going through the motions, knowing they will reveal nothing, and praying to Ilota that she and the necklace will give me the strength to withhold my shift.
My hand hovers over the garnet, and because I know what is coming for me, I can't bring myself to lower my hand. I send up a final prayer. Not just to Ilota, but to whoever may be listening. Maybe the other Gods, maybe the Fates, but whoever hears it, it doesn't matter, as long as they listen.
"Protect the ones I love. If this is my last moment in this realm, take care of my family. Protect Viv. Give my scent matches the strength to heal. And please, don't allow my bond to take Cliff. Let him forget me."
With that lost hope cast into the universe, I slam my hand down on the garnet.
My body burns, and my dragon screams inside me, fighting to come out. I force her down, breathing deeply as I count down from five.
Five.
I can feel my teeth elongating in my mouth.
Four.
My back cracks, and I slump over, breathing through my nose to try and force myself to stand straight.
Three.
Dominic's fearful eyes well with tears.
Two.
Scales ripple across my arms, and I hear the first gasps from the gathered crowd.
One.
My dragon bursts from my skin, and I hear commotion as the priests dive out of the way. I'm not an eleven-thousand-pound prehistoric crocodile, but I can still do some damage to the building and those around me.
The shift hasn't even fully taken hold of my body when something sharp pierces my shoulder, where my scales haven't thickened yet, and I fall, human once again. When I try to get to my feet, I realize my body isn't listening to commands. I try to speak, and no words come out.
All I can do is lie here and listen to the old men around me argue about what to do.
Dominic crashes onto the stage and places his body in front of mine.
"She's my scent match." The words stop the arguments in their tracks.
The Archon turns to face his son with an unreadable expression. "What was that, son?"
"I felt it. As soon as she touched the stone. She's my scent match. My beast has claimed her."
"Interesting." He crosses the stage and squats, eye level with his son. "And why do you think I care about that when there is an Omega dragon lying on the floor beside us?"
So I shifted enough for them to figure out what I am.
Fuck.
If I could move, I'd do what Viv said, but there was no opportunity before they shot me with whatever paralytic is coursing through my system.
"Scent matches are sacred," Dominic responds, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's mine. You can't take her from me."
His father rises to his full height and straightens his tie.
He lifts his voice and looks at the Alphas still in the chapel.
"I know this is your first time in close proximity to an Omega, Dominic, but just because she made your cock hard doesn't mean she's your scent match.
" He laughs, and the other Alphas join in at Dominic's expense.
"You'll have to forgive his outburst. I'm sure all of you remember your first time around a scent-sensitive Omega, don't you? "
Dominic tries to argue, but the death glare his father shoots him makes him clam up.
He leans close to me, so close it would be seen as inappropriate if anyone were paying attention to us.
They're all chatting excitedly as the Archon talks about what a success this event was and how lucky they are to have found an Omega Blessed by Ilota.
"I'll get you away from him, Zoe. I promise. If it's the last thing I do, I won't let him have you."
Tears line the eyes of the man whom the Gods chose as my Alpha, and I can feel them reciprocating in mine.
I know this is the end and that there is no surviving now. Ilota warned me.
Something sharp is pressed into my thighs, and my ears fill with cotton.
I can't hear Dominic anymore, but I can see that he's yelling at someone through my blurry eyes.
He turns back to me, grabbing my limp hands, lips moving so fast that even if I knew how to read lips, I'd probably miss most of what he has to say.
Darkness clouds the edges of my vision, narrowing in to where the last thing I see is Dominic's dark, fearful eyes before the world goes black.