Chapter 66
Chapter Sixty-Six
THREE DAYS LATER
Harlow
The city is holding a fundraiser and its first meet-and-greet. Omegas may not need Alphas the same way they need us, but they are essential when we go into heat. Omegas could live happily enough on suppressants, but it isn’t a perfect solution. Even I know that.
We’ve gone over the details to ensure no Omegas are coerced or commanded at these functions. Thane wants to ensure that, ultimately, Omegas have a choice. The city is adjusting so well to the changes that many other cities are now doing the same thing.
Even so, we have a long way to go, but I have no doubt Thane will see it through.
I know Thane feels like he is taking over where his mother left off, finishing her purpose, which has now become his.
Ours. Thane has taken on the challenge, and I know he won’t stop fighting until he succeeds.
Especially now that he has even more reason to fight: Scarlett.
There was a huge outcry after Thane publicly revealed what truly goes on in the sanctuaries. The number of people outraged by the treatment of Omegas is surprising. Even more surprising—it is the female Alphas.
Alphas, the very people we were sold off to.
None were willing to step forward to fight for Omegas before Thane. They had no reason to do so. But now that they’ve heard our stories, they are quick to step up and say no, enough. They are stepping forward and fighting alongside him. This is not a battle he will fight alone.
The hardest part will be fighting the corruption within the government. In hindsight, there isn’t much difference between the black market and what was legal. It is still trafficking, and most Omegas in the sanctuaries aren’t willing participants.
One thing has also become apparent: Omegas aren’t as rare as we thought.
Many, like my mother, decided to take their chances on the run, refusing to bow down to the corrupt system and Alpha ownership.
We also learned many Alphas have been keeping their children a secret, fearing they’d end up in the sanctuaries.
So they kept their Omega daughters and sons out of public view.
“Come on,” Thane says, offering me his hand. I groan, not wanting to move from my spot on the floor. I’m helping design flyers for the meet-and-greets in the coming weeks.
“No, come on. You promised we could try again,” he tells me. I grab his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. He grabs the front of my robe, which falls open when I stand. It is starting to get cooler at night, so I’ve been wearing more layers.
I love the colder nights. Nothing beats the crackling sound of wood on a fire.
Although we will have to get baby gates once Scarlett starts crawling.
She loves watching the flames flicker from her rocker.
It makes me worry she will want to crawl into the giant fireplace.
Raidon says he will put them up when we need them.
Rhen sets his newspaper aside and Leon turns the TV off.
“Just like yesterday. You almost had it,” Thane assures me, and he is right.
I managed to hold him under my aura, even though it didn’t really have much effect on him.
He said it felt unnatural, but he definitely felt it.
So now we just have to perfect it. Thane wants to ensure I can’t be commanded by anyone.
One-on-one, I can’t be commanded by an Alpha. I thought I was completely immune until Thane got Rhen to command me alongside him, proving me wrong. It’s a loophole to the serum. Another one being that when I use my aura, they have the ability to pull on and manipulate it.
So, Thane says that I need to learn how to control it.
He doesn’t want me to be vulnerable to anyone, not even them, which I think is silly.
I trust them with my life. I think this is more about him trying to soothe his guilt over the past, despite my forgiving him.
He also believes figuring out how to use it will be a deterrent if I can hold it.
Using my aura will throw people off and hopefully give me enough time to escape. Since Omegas normally can’t use an aura or command, it will make an attacker waiver and second guess what I am, as long as my pheromones don’t get in the way.
It reinforces the need to practice. Raidon drags the coffee table out of the way, and Thane pulls me to the center of the room. “Okay, just like yesterday,” he tells me, rubbing my arms.
Closing my eyes, I try to pull on my aura, searching for it. My heat the other day seemed to do the trick, though, because since then I have been more aware of the light buzzing on my skin, the essence behind it.
“Good, Low. Now push on mine,” Thane tells me. I focus on projecting it, trying to force it over him. His aura makes mine buzz as it draws mine out further.
“Now, try to get me to submit,” he says, and I almost roll my eyes at him. That will not work. Maybe, by some miracle, I can make him sit, but submit? Not a chance. His Alpha aura won’t allow for that. It would be like challenging him.
“I won’t be able to hold it,” I murmur, trying not to lose focus as I feel the edge flicker, wanting to retreat.
“Just try it. No harm in trying,” Thane says and I sigh. My body shakes as I try to hold it over him. A bead of sweat runs down my back as my aura pushes against his. I might as well be pushing against a brick wall; his aura is impenetrable. Thane isn’t a normal Alpha, but an Alpha-of-Alphas.
Gritting my teeth, I try to push on it, feeling it flex as it pushes against his free will. “I can’t,” I force out.
“Hold it, Low. You can do this,” Thane says softly. His fingers grip mine firmly, tugging me closer. “Focus. Hold it. I can feel it,” he assures me.
“Yeah, but as soon as I try to command you, it will drop,” I tell him. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, as if that will actually add more strength to it and not give me a headache.
“Try. Just try it once, and we’ll call it a night,” he tells me.
I sigh, my entire body heating as I try to focus. I can hear Scarlett babbling happily in her rocker, hear the soft music it plays as it rocks from side to side. Using my aura, my senses enhance every little thing.
Even his touch feels stronger, the sparks rushing across my hands and up my arms. I can hear the beating of his heart, mine, and our mates. Yet Thane’s thumps faster than normal, beating rapidly and loudly.
“Try, Low. I need you to at least try,” Thane murmurs.
His aura won’t allow it, yet I know he won’t let me stop until I at least try, so I sigh and speak the word. “Submit!” I tell him.
I wait for the pain to start, as it often does when playing with his aura or trying to command them. It is unnatural for both them and me, yet as I say it, I feel his aura drop slightly. I try to jerk my hands from his, but he just tightens his grip.
“Hold it,” he tells me, but I shake my head. “Hold it, baby,” Thane whispers, and I open my eyes to find him kneeling before me.
“Stop it,” I grit out, knowing the only way this is even possible is if he’s allowing it. My aura is no match for him.
“I need you to hold it,” he says.
I shake my head, tears brimming in my eyes. I can feel him struggling with his own instincts to not fight me. He is surrendering to mine or at least trying to.
“Say it,” Rhen says, and my eyes flick to him. My hands are clammy, and I’m sweating. My silk nightgown sticks to my skin. I glance down, and it’s like Thane is fighting a war.
“I don’t need you to do this,” I whisper to Thane.
“No, but I need you to,” he tells me. “I don’t want you to be my mate. I want you to be my Luna,” he says, and I suck in a breath.
“Now, make me submit.” He squeezes my fingers, and I swallow, knowing what he’s giving me.
If I make him submit, he’ll no longer be my Alpha.
We will be truly equal. His command will never work on me, and I will be able to control his Calling.
Even if all of them command me or use their Calling on me, it will have no effect unless I allow it.
My voice trembles as I fight not to drop my nearly nonexistent aura. “Submit,” I stammer, pushing against him, and I feel all resistance drop from him.
I can tell it is causing him pain. I feel his agony through the bond as he fights his own aura, refusing to let it resist mine before he bares his neck to me. This is what Charles meant when he said this is something almost impossible for an Alpha to do.
It goes against everything that is engrained in their very being. It’s why Alphas usually fight to the death. They’d rather die fighting than submit and survive. And yet, Thane does it, and I feel my own aura strengthen as he submits, giving me control over him and our mates.
Tears drip down my chin at what he’s giving me, what he makes me do. My aura drops the moment he submits, and my legs give out from under me. Thane’s arms catch me before I hit the ground and pull me close.
“I love you,” he whispers. His entire body is covered in sweat. His skin sticks to mine, which is just as sweaty.
“I love you, too,” I murmur.
Hands tug at my hair, pulling my head back. Raidon leans down, brushing his lips against mine, while Thane buries his face in my chest.
“Now you’re our Alpha,” Raidon mumbles against my lips.
Pulling back, I see Rhen gripping Thane’s shoulders, whispering something to him and trying to calm him.
His entire body shakes as he clutches me.
Thane lifts his head, and I see tears etched into his skin.
He looks up at Rhen, who smiles softly at him, leans down, and kisses him.
“Thank you,” Rhen murmurs, making me wonder if this is for them too. Thane isn’t just making me his equal but giving me power over them. I know he wouldn’t have done that without telling them first.
Leaning forward, Thane looks up at me. His lips tug at the corners as he kisses me, his tongue tangling with mine as he stands from his kneeling position. I wrap my legs around his waist as he straightens, and his hands fall to my ass, squeezing it.
“Yours,” he whispers.
“Mine,” I say, smiling against his lips. “Hmm, that means I dominate you now,” I tell him with a laugh.
“Except in the bedroom,” he says, chuckling.
“I can live with that,” I tell him.
“And the kitchen. Don’t let her have that either,” Leon chimes in. I shoot him a glare over Thane’s shoulder.
“Yes, I definitely call rank in my kitchen,” Thane quickly says.
“My cooking is not that bad,” I whine.
“It could be better,” Raidon mumbles, and my eyes narrow at him. I look at Rhen.
“I’d still eat it,” he says, and they all stop to glare at him. He shrugs.
“See, and you reckon you’re not the brown noser!” Raidon exclaims. “Even she knows her cooking is sh–” I raise an eyebrow at Raidon when he motions toward me. “Edible,” he finishes. “If you like charcoal,” he adds with a laugh.
“For Scarlett’s safety, I think it’s better if I cook,” Thane says, defending their remarks on my lack of cooking skills. “But I’ll teach you,” he tells me, pressing his lips to my cheek as he climbs the stairs.
Leon retrieves Scarlett, who wants out of her chair, her legs kicking furiously.