8. Raya
RAYA
L oud banging at the front door interrupted my incessant pacing as I plotted how I could possibly free my mother without the consequence being my death.
It was no surprise I came up with nothing, which only angered me further after already having had to endure the rest of the walk home with both Klarissa and Bodhi, the same Klarissa who had managed to wrangle Bodhi away for tonight after all the whining she’d done about him not attending the dinner and how the new recruits would need his presence to bolster their confidence.
I bolted down the stairs, huffing angrily at the person continuing to bang with increasing volume as the door rattled repeatedly on its hinges, threatening to fall off. It would be another thing to fix among the many issues that already existed within our home, another thing we couldn’t afford.
I quickly grabbed the handle of our door, yanking it open before whoever it was could commence their next round of battering. To my shock, I came face to face with the guard I’d spoken to yesterday to request my mother’s punishment be reviewed.
“Your presence is requested for dinner tonight with the Supreme. 6 pm sharp. Here is your token for entry beyond the gates to the Inner Ring. You will be escorted the entirety of the way.”
He shoved a small golden token into my palm and retracted his hand quickly, as if he did not wish to be tainted by a brush with my skin, like my impurity could transfer to him. I suppressed my annoyance. It was so very typical of an Inner Ring resident. At least I was higher up the social hierarchy than Alphas, so there was no risk of me transferring savagery over to him as well.
He looked me up and down with both intrigue and distaste, likely wondering how the Rose and I were even related, especially with her sitting at the peak of our hierarchy. The first sign of advancement of our kind, the first Omega to not have a shifted form. Pure, they called her.
When he didn’t stop staring, I crossed my arms over my chest, placing a small barrier between us. His mouth thinned, suddenly wary, as if he remembered my gift and his proximity to me.
“I suggest you get going. He will not tolerate tardiness.”
Nerves rippled inside me; it was only two hours until 6 pm. I would have to pray to Omni not to mess this up with such little time to prepare.
The guard’s eyes narrowed on me, as if aware of my internal thoughts.
“Don’t engage your power at all in the Inner Ring. My orders are to shoot immediately if you do not follow a directive.”
I sucked in a breath slowly, shakily releasing it as I nodded my head in confirmation.
“I understand. Thank you.”
He didn’t care to acknowledge me further, which annoyed me, because I’d gone to the effort of being polite despite his earlier words. He simply turned and left back the way he came, leaving me standing there at the door, a shaky hand still on the knob to steady myself.
The first thinning was two nights from now. If tonight didn’t work and I couldn’t convince our Supreme, it would be either my mother’s life or my own which would be forfeit.
I was twenty minutes early when I stepped up to the golden iron gate that marked one of three entry points from our ring to the inner one. I was incredibly nervous, and it was hot tonight, my clammy hands raising the golden token to show the guards I had been invited. A token was the only way to pass through to the Inner Ring, and rarely, if ever, was it granted. That, alongside the occasional town meetings in the quadrant or, much worse, if an execution was taking place were the only reasons an Alpha was ever allowed to step foot into the Inner Ring. I had never seen an execution; my mum had forbidden it and chosen to hide me at home instead. No longer a child and with Riley drawing Zander’s attention to our family, it was not something I could ignore. My eyes drifted towards the pink-tinged podium beyond the gate, and I swallowed. I hoped I would never have to witness something like that.
I threw my head back as I waited for the guards to confirm my invitation and squinted up at the looming white building that marked the centremost point of our city, completely covered in always blooming, blood red roses. The building itself was so tall, I couldn’t seem to crane my neck back far enough to see its summit. I could only just see the edges of the glowing rose at its peak. I’d always thought of it as lavish and entirely unnecessary, but it was our city’s emblem.
“Commander, the Gifted has arrived. Granting entry and escorting her to the second gate,” the guard opposite me spoke into the device on his collar before he opened the gate, stepped aside, and gestured me through. I didn’t miss how one hand remained fastened to his weapon in my presence.
The second gate marked Zander’s notorious estate beneath his beloved white tower covered in roses. It was a spectacle in itself, and though I was fearful, a small part of me was excited to experience it. From my knowledge, no other Outer Ringer outside of Riley had ever set foot in it.
Guards flanked me on either side as they walked me through the Inner Ring of the Haven. I hadn’t been in the section they were taking me, so I couldn’t help but look around with awe-filled eyes as I took in the boutiques, the eateries, the bars, and even their grand, ornate medical centre. My cheeks bloomed with colour as I noticed Omegas stopping to stare at me, as would be expected. I looked down at my dress, aged from overuse, and my flats, which were scuffed from the sand, in such stark contrast to the furs and soft fabrics of this ring’s fashion, not to mention the cobblestone paths, brilliant white buildings, and clean streets.
I swallowed down my shame, instead choosing to focus on my purpose, allowing it to drive me forward. Everything I was doing was to save my mum.
The heady perfume of thousands of roses drifted towards me, drawing my attention to the grandness of the Supreme’s estate up ahead. A second rose hedge surrounded his garden, which ran like a border around his towering home, marking the core of our city’s power. The guards seemed to have tripled in numbers around the base, though they immediately escorted me through the second gate. There was no time to process the transition of environments, because I was suddenly immersed in what felt like a fantasy land in comparison to where I lived. This was our Supreme’s personal grounds, and I felt entirely out of place.
I glanced around at the array of colours, vines, bushes, and hedges that made up the Supreme’s rose garden. Everything was so lush, full, abundant. Water tinkled from elaborate fountains as flowers bloomed and thrived and sculptures writhed in naked forms. Even the gardens were trained to grow as he pleased, so perfectly manicured and artfully placed. But even as I looked around at so much exuberance and so much life, the exact opposite of what the Outer Ring offered, the space felt banal to me, less lived in and too refined for my taste, though I supposed it would suit Riley’s. She was born to live a life like this.
I wanted to see the imperfections, the signs that spaces were used and loved, but everywhere I looked, every rose was the same in size, colour, and shape. Red. Blood Red. The rose was beautiful, but it was common in a city that grew no other flower. I longed for uniqueness, the kind of uniqueness that invited wonder and awe. My mind drifted towards the memory of the beautiful flower Jakari had once given me, back when I trusted him. The Lightheart, he had called it. A beautiful deep blue, as dark as the night sky, with a brilliant luminous centre that glowed beneath the moonlight. Never had I seen anything so magical or wonderful. Even now, in a garden so perfectly designed, teeming with abundance and life, the Lightheart stood boldly above it all. Though I hated Jakari, that was one tiny gift he had given that I didn’t wish to forget. Because that flower reflected so much of my struggle, that despite the odds stacked against it, a testament to its rarity, it bloomed. It was that tiny, seemingly insignificant detail that gave me a small sense of hope to cling to. That no matter what, I would persevere. I, too, would bloom.
A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me roughly forward, one of the guards pulling me along at a quicker pace and jerking me violently out of my thoughts.
A single guard, who I’d seen with Riley a few times, was patiently waiting at the entry. The familiar guard held a serious expression, even when he greeted me and introduced himself as Sly. He was handsome, clean, well put together, as they all were in the Inner Ring. But though he remained stoic, his face mostly impassive, there was something about the way he looked at me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. At the very least, it enabled me to shake some of the rigidity from my body. I followed him through the glass door, right up to an elevator. I’d seen one of these once before in my life. I’d never been in one, though. Everything was so silent; I swore those in the room could hear my thundering heartbeat. Sly pushed the up arrow and the doors slid open, my nerves kicking higher as we got closer to my destination.
The elevator lurched upward, and I flung out a hand to grip the wall briefly before finding my centre of gravity again and easing out a held breath. Sly remained silent throughout our ascent, pointedly ignoring my flailing arm and anxious hurried breathing, and for that, I was thankful. I was too nervous to engage with him at all, though a part of me wanted to. Instead, I fiddled with the ring on my finger as I always did to distract me. I noted that there were only three buttons on the pad: Level One, Two and Roof. I frowned at it, shocked that a building so tall would have so few levels. I suppressed a scoff. It seemed like a waste.
The elevator stopped moving, and the doors opened outward to showcase an opulent living area with a garnet lounge facing a gold-laced fireplace, a large television sitting above it. I wasn’t so much shocked by the fact that he had one; I was more impressed by the sheer size of it. Televisions were one of the few pieces of technology everyone in the Haven had access to, if only to watch the Supreme’s daily broadcasts to the city. Everything else, as I looked around, had the same feel as the garden: beautiful but not lived in. It felt underwhelming. I’d expected more.
I expressed my thanks to Sly before he dipped away and stood off to the side of the elevator, his hands joined in front of him, his gaze staring directly ahead. He didn’t acknowledge me at all after that.
Movement ahead caught my eye as Riley floated from one bench to another, toiling away in the kitchen, steam rising from the pan she was working with. Unsurprisingly, she was dressed just as formally as she always was, in a mid-length white dress with deep red jewels draped around her neck. I’d never get used to the sight of her dressed like this, not without a sharp pang shooting through me when I recalled us both sweaty and smiling from a day’s adventure out near the cliffs or being scolded for dirtying our fresh clothing so quickly. She must be uncomfortable, though I didn’t dare comment. I knew better than that now. The old Riley didn’t fit well with the image of the Rose, but the Omega graciously moving in the kitchen did.
I turned away quickly with a clench of my jaw just as the pungent smell of garlic wafted towards me, and I inhaled, recognising the scent, daring a curious glance back towards the food steaming on the stove. Riley’s eyes connected with mine at the same time, and I knew she had cooked my favourite creamy pasta, something I hadn’t had in months. She smiled, brief and warm, enabling me to relax a fraction further. I knew this was her way of letting me know she still had my back, that she was still the same person who fought, laughed, and cried with me growing up.
When she turned away again, I became unsure of myself and what to do as I shifted my weight between my feet, especially when I noticed the Supreme setting the table with wine glasses and cutlery. My fingers fidgeted at my sides. Given his level of power in our city, it was a shock to see him doing anything so tedious. I didn’t know whether that made me feel better or worse, whether I should allow him to serve me in such a way or whether I should step in and offer to do it on his behalf.
“Come and sit, Raya.” Even his voice sounded decadent, causing me to bristle slightly in anxiety, feeling even more self-conscious and less assured.
I forced myself to move towards the table and wrap my shaky fingers around the back of a chair. I would allow him to continue setting the table. Surely, as the Supreme, he would direct me if he didn’t want to do it?
“Do you have a seating arrangement?” Shit, I was nervous. Never in my life had I been so meek.
Musical laughter filled the room as he glanced at me and gestured to the chair. “You are welcome to sit anywhere you choose.”
I pulled back the dark wooden chair as it slid along the hardwood floor and took my seat adjacent to the Supreme, who had seated himself at its head. I had a feeling there was an unspoken seating arrangement, and I was glad I stuck with my guns and sat off to the side.
Riley placed a large bowl of steaming pasta down on the table before serving us. I thanked her when she placed a slightly larger helping onto mine with a quick smile, though it did little to quell my nerves.
I didn’t move to pick up my utensils until I saw the Supreme pick up his own and take the first bite with a light moan of approval.
“So good, my Rose.”
I looked at Riley, assessing her response, but she only looked back at him with adoration in her eyes. Something about it unsettled me, but I gritted my teeth determined, grabbing my fork and dipping it into the pasta to swirl it around a few times before lifting it towards my mouth.
A burst of flavour coated my tongue as I fought back a smile at the memory. It had been such a long time since I’d tasted Riley’s cooking, and it was nice to share this with her again, even if the moment was fleeting. Even if he was present.
Silence ensued as we devoured our meals, the only sound the scrape of metal against the ceramic.
“Thank you for inviting me to your home, Supreme.” I broke the lingering silence, unable to bear it anymore.
He looked my way with an emotionless stare. “Please, call me Zander.”
It felt weird to be so personal. I didn’t want to know his name. My body felt strange, like I was betraying my mother to be so at ease when her knees were on the dirt, her body exposed to the brutality of our weather, her life now in my hands.
“Zander,” I repeated stiffly. “Thank you.”
He set his fork down, lining it up as it was before we had eaten, and took a long sip of his wine before dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. My eye twitched.
“I am told you request that your mother’s punishment be reconsidered.” His sharp eyes assessed me as I gently placed my fork down to address him.
“I do.” My answer came out more tentative than I wanted it to. I dared not speak to him the way I spoke to the guards.
“Why?”
My body flushed cold at the question as I readied myself. Riley sat frozen, a single strand of pasta hanging from her fork as she awaited my reply. I had practised my ‘why’ repeatedly before coming. I knew it would have to be expressed in a way that aligned with his vision, his goals.
“My mother is a sympathiser, but she is also an Omega. I consider it my duty to both advocate for her or serve an alternative punishment, given we must protect all Omegas at all costs. I worry she will be exposed to the infiltrating Dominants and we will lose another Omega to the beyond.”
I could feel a trickle of sweat drip down my back as Zander contemplated both myself and my response. To my dismay, he answered with a question that threw me completely off-course, as seemingly irrelevant as it was. Still, I acted normal, no matter how off-kilter I felt, and even managed to lift my fork to twirl another strand of pasta.
“Raya, do you know the story of how the Haven began?”
I looked up and shook my head, the intensity of his gaze lifting the hairs on the back of my neck. I didn’t know why this mattered now. My mum had told me some stories, but I’d never been told directly from his mouth, and the look on his face told me there was only one true answer he wanted to his question. Even if I couldn’t see it, there was a reason he wanted to tell me.
“People believe it was my dream that started all this, but it actually began with my parents. They dreamt of a world where Omegas were revered and protected from the dominance and aggression the Dominants and Alphas inflicted. Back in Asrar, the city beyond our shield, Dominants ruled, keeping Omegas as slaves.”
I listened to him speak, allowing my silence to be his encouragement, eager to entertain him.
“Thousands of years ago, Alphas and Omegas needed each other. An Omega would go into a heat, a time where they would be most fertile, and that need could only be quelled by an Alpha. Back then, Alphas could not breed with each other, so Omegas were seen as diamonds.” He paused to check if I was following along as he took another sip of his wine.
“Our kind was scarce then, so there was an inherent need to breed, survive, and prosper. Over time, as we evolved, our primitive sides diminished, and our hindbrains had less of a need to dictate our day-to-day functions. In response, our biology changed to what it is today. With the help of medical advancements to curb the lingering effects of an increasingly rare heat, the only difference between any of the biological designations of Dominant, Alpha, and Omega are now our shifted forms.”
His face pulled down in pain whilst he spoke, though it quickly returned to its usual impassivity.
“Omegas lost their value to the prosperity of our kind long ago, when Alpha females became able to carry a child. We excelled in tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and caring rather than in positions where bravery and strength were needed. The birth of an Alpha then became most desired, and the life of an Omega became worth only what they could offer in service. Omegas were forced to live in subordination.”
My gut churned painfully, and I looked at Riley, who was staring down at her empty plate. I wonder if she had known about this all along. We knew the Dominants were cruel and vicious things, but I struggled to reconcile Alphas being cruel when I lived amongst them. Still, I knew that was only because the Alphas of the Haven were the only decent ones left. That’s what my mum had said.
I found myself asking another, curious question, one that had come up a few times over the years, though had never truly been answered. “What of the Dominants, then?”
Zander’s expression darkened, and I briefly panicked, wondering if I’d asked something inappropriate, but he answered gracefully, allowing me to exhale in relief. “In Asrar, Raya, a Dominant is what they call the leader of a pack. They wield a terrible, dark magic that can forcibly bind someone to them. Both Dominants and Alphas agreed on and enforced the subservience of Omegas. Dominants are like an Alpha enhanced.” He leaned forward in his seat. “They don’t cherish an equal love pairing as we do here in the Haven. They like to have their bedmates serve them. A pack is built by the Dominant, who chooses his packmates and ultimately their Bonded. They do not value connection as we do here. They only know how to take, conquer, and use. That is why Omni has decreed packs a sin. She wants us to experience true love and devotion that can only be experienced through our one bonded mate.”
I recoiled at this new information. Packs. Conquering. Forced Bonding. Dark magic?
Zander looked over at me, sorrow heavy in his eyes, the kind I had seen in my mum’s so many times. “That is why my parents spent years building this place, with my vision. My father knew the value of having only one bonded and had seen how Omegas had been used, which is why he funnelled every resource he had into constructing and preparing the Haven, for us to thrive in a world without fear. That is why I lead it today, to ensure our vision prospers. The Haven is a testament to our power and cunning, of the worth we have in this world. Even if you think an Alpha can be trusted, it is safer to assume they cannot–what lies on the other side for us is, quite simply, our demise.”
I pondered his words, trying to piece everything together with how it fit with what my mother had told me, how only a couple of hundred Omegas had fled to the Haven under the cover of night out of fear for their safety. She ran to protect my future.
“I admire your tenacity and perseverance, Raya Ward, so do not take the offer I make you lightly, because I have never made an offer like this before and I likely will never again. Your mother can be free as soon as tonight if you agree to serve an alternative punishment by joining the defence for the rest of this season. If you decline, her punishment remains. I cannot favour one family over another. It is the law, Raya.”
Riley choked as she cast terrified eyes to Zander, and every muscle in my body coiled tight. It was an entirely unfair trade. Four nights, a week apart, across an entire month was all it was. But it was four terrifyingly deadly nights where I may not return alive, and my mother would be alone in our home.
At least she wouldn’t be bound by chains.
I watched as Riley quickly recovered enough to shoot me a sharp glare, but I already knew my answer. Riley could wield her beauty, but my strength lay in my gift and daggers. This was the only way I could truly help, even if the risk was my life. But the trade still felt unfair, and I wanted to ensure I got something else out of it for those I may leave behind if I didn’t survive.
“You must be aware of my gift,” I replied quietly, my breaths short and quick.
His eyebrow ticked. “I am.”
“If I join the defence,” I began as I wrung my hands in my lap, the heat of Riley’s stare burning the top of my downcast head, “and save an Omega, protect them from this life of being conquered and subservient, I-I would like some way to guarantee protection for my family.”
Zander laughed, almost musically, and it felt awkward in the space.
“If you save an Omega, Raya Ward, you will be as famous as your sister, I assure you. No one in the history of the Haven has ever saved an Omega from being taken. We can have that conversation if it comes to pass.”
Zander sat back in his chair, satisfied with our deal as he downed the last mouthful of his wine. I too sat back with a heaviness in my heart as I contemplated everything I was set to face in the coming month. There was only one answer I was truly going to take in this moment, and his answering smile as the words left my lips was enough to make nausea churn in my gut.
“I agree to the terms of your deal.”