21. Aisling
The Bellanova’s top floor hums with the kind of silence that screams trouble. Across from me, Inari Toure lounges like a queen in her high-back chair, all sleek lines and knowing smirks, Oasis glittering behind her. The air smells of old scotch and fresher schemes.
“Want another?”
The question doesn’t come from Inari but from the fatigues-clad omega standing behind her—a woman whose head is as smooth as the barrel of a gun. She strides over to the drink cart and she’s already pouring before I can nod, liquid gold splashing into the crystal glass.
“Sure,” I murmur, watching her movements closely.
There’s something about the way she moves—confident, unbothered—that tells me she’s more than muscle. And damn if she doesn’t know it, plopping down in the chair beside me, combat boots kicked up on the desk with an ease that speaks of long-held power.
“Stargazer…Ms. Faye,” Inari says, drawing my attention. “This is Isla Connolly, of the Bluestockings.”
Isla’s grin is all sharp edges, a weapon wrapped in friendliness. “Heard a lot about you, Aisling Faye.” Her voice is a gravelly tune that scratches at the underbelly of the city, lips curling around an Irish accent that reminds me more than a little of Rook. I wonder if they’re from the same area—if he crossed paths with her while he was working with the Bluestockings.
“Hope it was good things,” I reply, not letting my guard down for a second.
“Depends on who you ask,” Isla chuckles, her eyes dancing with mischief. “But from where I’m sitting, you’re quite the legend.”
My frown deepens, my gaze shifting between the two omegas before me. “I thought we were here to talk about the Angels and the Eclipse,” I murmur. “Not me. Like…important people like Gunnar, Vance, Nero…”
Inari laughs, a sound that’s more melody than mirth. “Oh, Aisling,” she starts, leaning forward, elbows on the table, steepling her fingers with a predator’s grace. “Alphas always think the story is about them…but it’s not. Since Gunnar and Nero arrived, all I’ve wanted was to meet you—the girl who sparked a war in Pacific City and seems to be climbing the ranks of the Angels without even trying.”
Inari’s eyes hold mine, and there’s respect there—a warrior’s nod to another.
“Is that so?” My voice is guarded, knife-edged. The room feels like it’s closing in, and I struggle to keep my reactions under wraps, to not give away the storm brewing beneath my calm exterior.
“Absolutely,” Inari continues, her smile never reaching those calculating eyes. “You’ve ignited something fierce, Aisling. And I can’t help but want to fan the flames.”
“Surviving is all I’m doing,” I counter, my tone flat. Survival—that’s the game I know, the one I’ve been playing since my ship went down off the coast of Pacific City. “I’m not in it for politics or power plays.”
Inari and Isla exchange a look—a silent conversation in a glance…
…and then erupt into laughter.
I glare at the two of them, my brow furrowed. “What?”
“Darling,” Inari says once her amusement fades to a smirk, “whether you’re trying to or not, you’re knee-deep in the game. You have a whole island bending to your will—the Garden, formerly New Eden. Those colonists worship the ground you walk on.”
I shift uncomfortably, aware of the weight of her words, the gravity they carry in this room. “That was never the intention—“
“Intentions matter little in our world,” she cuts me off with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’s actions that speak volumes. And yours have been shouting from the rooftops.”
“Actions like what?” I challenge, but there’s a tremor in my voice betraying my uncertainty.
“Like bringing alphas from the two major gangs in Pacific City to heel,” Isla chimes in, her gaze sharp as broken glass. “You didn’t just join a pack, let yourself be claimed—you created an army of personal bodyguards. A force to be reckoned with.”
“And let’s not forget who’s calling the shots,” Inari adds, her voice smooth as silk, dangerous as a loaded gun. “An omega with enough cunning to lead alphas? That’s not mere survival, Aisling. That’s ascension.”
The room spins a little, and I have to grip the edge of the table to steady myself. They see right through me—to the core of my being—and it’s both terrifying and exhilarating.
“Maybe,” I allow, pressing my lips together. “But that doesn’t mean I want any part in this fantasy of yours.”
“Fantasy?” Inari leans back in her chair, a crooked smile playing on her lips. “Oh, my dear Stargazer, this is no fantasy. This is the future. And whether you like it or not, you’re already shaping it.”
My stomach churns, and I can’t tell if it’s dread or something darker curling in the pit of my belly. “Gunnar thinks I’m manipulating them,” I confess, my voice barely above a whisper, but it cuts through the thick air between us like a knife.
“Perhaps,” Inari says, her eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion. “But manipulation is just a tool. It all comes down to what you do with it.”
“Tool or not, it makes me feel like crap.” The words tumble out, raw and honest.
Inari’s laughter is a soft sound, not mocking, but knowing. “And yet here you are, holding more power than most omegas dare dream of.”
“Power I never asked for,” I counter, my hands clenching into fists under the desk.
“Then consider this.” Inari leans forward, elbows on the table, the picture of casual authority. “I’m offering you something beyond the scraps of autonomy you’ve fought for. I want to make a deal with you, Aisling. I want you to become the mafia queen of Pacific City.”
“Queen?” The word tastes like poison on my tongue. “You think I want to rule over that mess of a city? From the outset, the plan was to help the omegas there, and now…”
Now what? I don’t know what I’m doing in the city; I saved the girls from Dreamland, but then there was Cassie, and what happened to me and Luka…it could happen to anyone in that glittering hellscape on the coast.
And Vance doesn’t care to help. Caius Rossi is actively hurting people like me.
Maybe…
“Want has little to do with it,” Inari replies smoothly. “It’s about need. And Pacific City needs someone like you. Someone who understands both the brutality and the beauty of being an omega. You’ve already proven your worth. Now it’s time to claim your throne.”
Her words hit me like a freight train, and for a moment, I can’t speak. Can’t think. Then, slowly, I start to see the twisted shape of the path she’s laying before me. It’s not about desire; it’s about duty. A chance to turn the tide, to make a difference for omegas everywhere.
Inari leans forward, her eyes glinting like shards of twilight. “Aisling, darling, you’ve got the ear of Vance. Oberon, Rook, Luka—they’re not just your allies, they’re pillars you can lean on. And Nero? He’s wrapped around your finger, whether he admits it or not.”
“Funny way of saying he asked me for a lap dance once upon a time, but sure,” I echo, a bitter laugh escaping me. “And Gunnar? He’s…fuck, even after what we’ve been through, he’s the one I really care about.”
“Ah, Gunnar Finch,” Inari says with a half-smile. “He’s a good man, Aisling. With him by your side, you could bring a new dawn to Pacific City.”
I feel my resolve wavering, like a skyscraper in a gale-force wind. It’s one thing to be caught in the currents of their world; it’s another entirely to steer the ship.
“Changing Pacific City…that’s a pipe dream,” I murmur. “Since I got there, it’s always been the Angels and the Eclipse. For years that’s been the lay of the land. And I’m not anything, I just came in and…”
I trail off—because the seed of hope Inari planted starts to take root despite my doubt.
“Pipe dream or not, it’s within reach,” Isla chimes in. “With the support of the Bluestockings, you’d have safehouses at your disposal. We’re setting them up all over the west coast for omegas in need. And not only that, but we’ve got trained and armed omegas who would be loyal only to you—not the Eclipse or the Angels. Just you.”
The Bluestockings—vigilantes turned guardians. Their name alone conjures images of safety and sanctuary, something every omega dreams of but rarely finds. Could I really turn down an offer backed by such promise?
“That’s…that’s not nothing.”
“Far from nothing,” Isla agrees, her grin sharp enough to cut through the haze of my indecision. “It’s everything. A network. A foundation. A beginning.”
A beginning.A beginning for Pacific City, for the omegas, for me.
But then I stop in my tracks-because they said Gunnar was a good man, that he would help me.
And I know Gunnar’s not a good man at all…if that assassin was to be believed.
“I’m not sure if I’m being as sneaky as you thought,” I murmur. “Got into some trouble on the way—assassins. They claimed Gunnar and Nero sent them, and if that’s the case…well, they may already know you want to help me make a move.”
Inari’s polished demeanor doesn’t waver, but there’s a flicker of something—interest, maybe—in her eyes. She smooths a non-existent crease from her dress.
“Assassins?” Her tone is laced with skepticism. “Gunnar and Nero have been playing the long game, Aisling. I don’t buy it. They wouldn’t risk tipping the scales, not when they’re just starting to balance in their favor. It smells like a setup.”
“Thought as much myself,” I admit, although part of me had wanted to believe otherwise. Part of me wanted an excuse to rage at them, to blame them for the chaos swirling around us. But that’s my fear talking, not my sense.
“Let me worry about finding who’s really behind this,” Inari says, rising fluidly from her seat. The authority she commands fills the space, makes the walls seem to lean in closer. “I have resources. People who can sniff out the truth.”
“And until then?” I ask.
“No one will touch you here,” she replies. “You’re safe within the walls of Oasis, no matter where you go. Trust me.”
“Why?”
“Consider it a gesture of good faith,” Inari continues. “If we’re going to work together, we need trust between us. And that starts now.”
“Right.” I stand, feeling the weight of her gaze like a tangible thing. “I should get back to my pack.”
“Consider my offer, Aisling,” Inari says. “If you truly want to change this world, we could do it together. You have influence over powerful alphas, and their loyalty to you is…unprecedented.”
“Is that what this is about?” I challenge, but there’s a part of me that thrills at the idea. “You think I can control them?”
She gives a soft laugh, more air than sound. “No, I think you inspire them. And that’s far more potent.”
“Maybe.” Doubt gnaws at me. Inspire or manipulate—it’s a line I’ve been tiptoeing for too long, and it’s starting to blur.
“Think about it.” Inari steps forward, extending her hand for a shake. “Not just for power or politics, but for the possibility of something better. Isn’t that worth fighting for?”
“Maybe,” I say, but my mind is racing. This game, these moves—Inari plays them like she was born to it. And maybe she was.
Me, though? I’m still learning the rules.
I know this one though—that you accept it when a potential ally wants a handshake.
I reach out and we clasp hands, then I turn and do the same with Isla. It feels like a deal with the devil—even as I remind myself that these are fellow omegas, women who have clawed our way into the halls of power. I have more in common with them than any of the men whose company I’ve kept these past few months.
And yet…
…there’s something off about this whole thing.
“Hotel security tells me that your pack are all back in their rooms,” she says. “There was a bit of a tussle downstairs—but I trust they’ll tell you all about it.”
My heart picks up a beat with concern. “A tussle?”
“I think Mr. Vega will fill you in,” she says. “And if you want it…”
She slips something into my palm, then, and I look down to find not one, but two room numbers. I frown. “What is this?”
“Where Mr. Finch and Mr. Rossi are staying, respectively,” she says. “Your choice if you want to go talk to them. Now…good night, Ms. Faye.”
“Good night,” I murmur.
Then I’m making a bee-line for the elevator, past the priceless art and away from the city lights. My heart pounds even at the sight of that elevator—and I remind myself I’m not trapped here, that this isn’t the cage of Dreamland.
Here, omegas rule supreme.
And they might be vipers…but at least they think I’m one of them.