Chapter 19 #2
“I come from a family of brickmakers in the south,” Solmaz confided, her voice calm, though pride threaded through it. “If I’d been born a Beta, I’d have spent my days in the sun, hands deep in mud and clay. But as an Omega, I was able to leverage my position, and change my path.”
She gestured around the bathing chamber. “Enough that this place is mine. I built it, I own it, and no one can take it from me.”
Reiya’s eyes widened. She turned around. “You own this bathhouse?”
Solmaz’s smile softened, quiet satisfaction flickering in her gaze. “I do. My life, my work—these are things I’ve built on my terms. If I choose to share any of it, it’ll be with someone who understands and respects that.”
Her gaze held steady, warm yet unwavering.
“Being an Omega doesn’t mean giving everything away. It means choosing who’s worthy of the parts you offer.”
The words settled in Reiya’s mind—a seed taking root. Solmaz wasn’t just an Omega; she was proof of what an Omega could be: strong, respected, free .
“Did any Alpha try to make you submit?” Reiya asked.
Solmaz’s smile turned wry, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Oh, plenty have tried. But I’ve learned to value those who earn trust, not demand it. Real bonds grow from respect, not force.”
She studied Reiya for a beat, her expression softening .
“And one day, if it feels right, maybe you’ll find someone who understands that too. Until then, remember—you belong to no one but yourself.”
Reiya held her gaze, the weight of Solmaz’s words sinking in.
“And you?” she ventured, hesitating. “Have you met an Alpha you wanted to bond with?”
Solmaz shrugged lightly, though a thoughtful smile tugged at her lips. “A few came close, but none felt right just yet. I haven’t found the Alpha who makes me want to stay. When I do, it’ll be because I chose him.”
Reiya hesitated, the question forming before she could stop it.
“Would you really choose to submit to an Alpha? Even with all this? Your freedom?”
Solmaz’s smile deepened, a twinkle lighting her dark eyes. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“Let me tell you a secret.” She brushed a lock of hair from Reiya’s damp forehead, a gesture almost maternal. “There can be pride and pleasure in submission—a lot of it.”
Reiya’s breath caught, startled by the gentleness of the words—and what they stirred.
Solmaz leaned back again, her eyes crinkling with warmth.
“It’s a beautiful thing, Yara, when the heart chooses to kneel—not because it must, but because it wants to.”
The words lingered between them, soft and unhurried, sinking deep. The woman’s smile gentled further, almost wistful.
“I pray one day you’ll meet an Alpha worthy of that choice.”
T he evening air was cool against Reiya’s skin as she stepped out of the bathhouse. Her skin felt supple, lightly fragrant from the oils and balms she’d smoothed over her body, a lingering luxury as she made her way through the market.
The bustling energy of the day had softened—sharp spices fading into the richer aromas of roasted meats and woodsmoke, mingling with the earthy scent of trodden soil and scattered embers.
As she walked, her mind returned to Solmaz’s words.
The idea of submission wasn’t as defined as she’d once believed.
She’d always imagined submission as surrender, a loss of freedom, but Solmaz seemed to embody a kind of independence that contradicted everything she’d been taught about Omegas and their connection to Alphas.
Could submission be something chosen rather than imposed?
Could it, somehow, lead to even greater freedom?
The thought unsettled and intrigued her in equal measure, leaving behind questions she didn’t know how to answer.
The streets grew emptier as she neared the caravanserai—the vast, open space just beyond the market where travelling merchants parked their wagons and set up camp for the night.
A network of alleys and narrow roads led to the field where the wagons circled for protection, each trader and family staking out their space beneath the wide starlit sky.
There, the Xians’ fire would be waiting. A beacon of safety and familiarity.
Then, she saw Mei Mei.
The girl stood a few steps ahead, her small figure outlined by the firelight, still wearing the bright red tunic her mother had sewn for her.
Two men loomed before her, faces obscured beneath shadowed hoods. One crouched low, speaking to her, while the other stood watchful and silent, his presence heavy with quiet scrutiny.
A chill crept down Reiya’s spine.
After Jodhar, the sight of unknown men lingering near the young, innocent girl struck a nerve.
Urgency filled her voice as she rushed forward, eyes locking onto the girl. “Mei Mei! Chía sengü! So mo chayi raosi!”
Her words, telling the girl to step away from those strangers, sliced through the hum of the street.
One of the men turned—slowly, deliberately—his hood shifting just enough for the firelight to catch on something beneath.
A glint of gold.