Zack shrugs and makes an awkward sound. “Don’t look at me. I only do human girls, less drama.”
“Great. So, how are we going to fix this? Are we going to keep her locked up here for the next weeks, or all of mating season? That... That doesn’t sound like a good idea.” I look down at the stream of new messages coming in about Cyra, details about the mate her parents have chosen for her, shit like that. I close the screen, really not wanting to know these things, especially not right now. We’ve got more pressing issues than the mate her parents chose, like her potentially going into heat with all of us around.
Soft footsteps pad into the room, and then Cyra’s voice. “Let me go home.” She speaks barely above a whisper. “At least, let me get back to the city. I know where I can get meds. I just...” Her shoulders fall, her face pained. “I have no way to pay for them. That’s why I accepted to go to the party with Max and Liam, hoping to get some money for meds.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’ll pay for them. I’m not letting something stupid like money get in the way of keeping you safe.”
She jerks her head up, narrowing her eyes, but Spence cuts in before she can say anything. “We’ll all pay for it. If we’re going to be a family, all five of us, then taking care of medication should be a shared thing.” He gives me a pointed look and I nod.
“Yes. We’ll all pay for it. That should cover the costs more easily. We’ll all pay equally.” -ish I keep forgetting her pride, how she wants to do things herself, how she doesn’t want us to do things for her. “But it’s still a ‘no’ on you going back to the city. It’s not safe.”
She growls, balling her fists. “Then, how are you going to make sure I don’t go into heat? How are you going to make sure I won’t drive you all insane?” She’s still angry, obviously. “If you won’t let me get to the city, how will you make sure you get the right meds? That you get what I need?”
“We’ll figure something out. We’ve got time.” I shrug. Though, I have a feeling we’re talking days, not weeks, for how soon we need to find a solution.
“Before or after my parents charge you with kidnapping? Before they get the police to close all of your accounts? Before the whole world will be looking for you?” She comes closer, the fire in her eyes bright. “Because I know about the mate thing. I just saw it on the news. Cat’s out of the bag. They apparently found someone who they think is ‘good enough’ for me, and now they really want me back. Seems that their tears about ‘finally finding their lost Omega’ are great publicity in attracting a rich mate for me. Or maybe the poor Alpha is just impressed by how they’ve been playing the media.”
“Yeah...” Zack stretches, looking at her but then looking away. “I was going to tell you... Just... Stuff happened.”
Cyra sighs, almost defeated. “I knew this was going to happen. I’d just hoped it would take them longer than a day to get to this point, to the point of them parading some Alpha around who is supposed to be my future Alpha. A guy they can’t have known for more than a handful of hours themselves. That my parents might have had some integrity. Seems I was expecting too much of them.” She shakes her head and I reach out to her, taking her hand carefully and she softly squeezes my hand.
“What do you want? What do you want us to do next?” Because we can come up with all the plans in the world, but this is her life, this is her life that’s being all upturned. Everything she’s fought for for years is now being ripped apart by people around her, her parents but also by us. We’re not much better in that regard, not unless we stop making decisions for her.
In this world we live in, she’s not given a choice, her own voice, because she’s an Omega and choices are made for her, never with her. Alphas and Betas make choices for her, not with her, and we have to break that cycle if we’re ever going to make this work.
Cyra looks at our interlocked hands, slowly breathing, her eyes going watery. “I want... I just want to live a normal life. I don’t want to have to answer to my parents or to an Alpha or whatever. I want to be able to live my own life. But that’s not going to happen. That’s never going to happen, is it?”
I stand up, taking her in my arms, my heart breaking at the pain in her voice. “We can try. We can try to make that happen.”
“How? In what world is an Omega like me ever going to be able to control their own life? Not controlled by their Alpha parent and then the Alpha they mate?” Her voice is so sad while also filled with righteous anger.
Max gets up too, wrapping his arms around her from the other side. “A world where an Omega phoenix shifter has not one, but four Alpha mates who are going to fight for her.” He nuzzles against her hair, his low voice muffled. “Your every wish is our command.”
Then Spence appears, also holding her. “If you want to, I can buy you the whole damn cafe you work at, so that you can safely work there for as long
