Chapter 5: The Omega on Trial

We left the building through a short staircase.

“That’s the healing ward,” the alpha said while keeping a firm hold on my arm. “It’s beside the main council chambers.”

We stepped out into the city, and the loud sounds of cars, horns, and other city noises hit me all at once. Everything sounded much louder after being inside the quiet hallway. The council chambers and healing ward were two large buildings standing next to each other.

The healing ward was short and square, with white walls and many windows.

The council chambers looked completely different. They were at least four floors tall and made from beautiful red bricks with green ivy climbing along the sides of the arches leading to the main entrance. I had no idea what kind of design style it was, but I guessed it was not built in this century.

Kael walked us through the main doors and past a male and female shifter standing guard in navy-blue uniforms. They did not stop us, but both lowered their heads respectfully toward the council member.

Kael looked down at me.

“We take care of our omegas here. If they do not have a bonded pack, they are protected and respected. Nobody is forced to bond. Actually, we have very strict laws against that in Shadow Crest.”

“Not everyone follows laws, Alpha,” I said with a quiet and sad laugh.

“And once something happens, it’s already too late. You know what I mean.”

His broad shoulders stayed stiff with tension, and I wondered if I should tell him to take a weekend off to enjoy some drinks and a massage. He looked too tense.

“I don’t expect you to trust us immediately, but if things go well for you today, I promise we’ll give you a reason to stop running.”

Just thinking about that almost made my knees weak.

The hardest part of the life I had chosen was that... I never really wanted it.

Deep inside, in a place I kept locked away and never let myself visit, I wanted this world. I wanted to belong to a pack with a bonded mate and family.

Yes, there was still a sad and lonely little girl hidden deep inside me.

I had tried to destroy that part of myself, but just like my wolf, she was not ready to give up on that dream.

We were all pathetic, and at this point I was not even sure I did not have multiple personalities.

Needing something to take my mind away from those thoughts, I spoke.

“I still have to survive the council first. I don’t know much about your world, but it’s obvious that rogues are not liked. I didn’t realize before that I wasn’t only protecting my freedom, I was also breaking your laws.”

I might as well begin using the lies needed to build my innocent image.

His eyes stayed sharp, and I was not sure he believed me.

“Rogues are usually trouble. Without the stability of a pack, they lose control of their beasts. We were not created to live alone. It affects the animal’s instincts and mind. But you are very different. You are one of the most stable rogue shifters I’ve ever seen who has lived without a pack since a young age. I think you’ll be fine.”

There was no more time to talk because we reached the trial room.

Kael led me through a pair of double doors where two more navy-uniformed shifters stood guard.

Inside, I heard many voices and smelled different scents. Dozens of shifters stood in groups with their arms crossed over broad chests, looking very alpha-like. More shifters sat along the sides of the room as spectators, and every chair was already occupied.

In short, the room was full, and I felt like I was about to pee myself.

“Breathe, Aria,” Kael said quietly. “You know we can smell your fear and hear your heartbeat. You are not prey. Remember that. You are not prey.”

My back straightened by itself, and I lifted my head to meet the eyes staring at me.

Many of their eyes looked wild, as if their beasts were looking through them, and I guessed they were trying to use dominance to test me.

Which would never work.

Omegas were not part of the normal structure. Our designation stood separately, even though technically we could be seen as the least dominant.

Depending on how people looked at it.

“Alpha Kael!” a large red-haired shifter greeted him with a small bow.

When he turned his light orange-colored eyes toward me, he reminded me of a tiger.

With a slight Scottish accent, he added, “And you must be our new omega. It’s a pleasure meeting you. I’m Alpha Darius of the Stormfang Pack.”

Darius Stormfang was full of energy.

There was no better way to describe him.

And he definitely was not a wolf shifter.

As far as I knew, the pack cities were made up of about seventy percent wolves, with different kinds of creatures spread throughout the rest.

Darius, with his light skin and striking eye color, was definitely a tiger shifter, and his power level seemed to be around the middle for an alpha.

Not that I was an expert, but omegas were good at sensing the strength of others.

Another wonderful gift.

“Aria,” I said, sounding calmer than I actually felt. “It’s nice to meet you too, though things could be nicer under different circumstances.”

Darius threw his head back and laughed as if I had just said the funniest thing in the world.

Maybe being on trial for my life was considered a joke around here.

“You’ll be fine, lass,” he finally said.

His large hand landed on my shoulder, and I was surprised by how gentle his squeeze was coming from such a larger-than-life alpha.

“Soren, stop flirting with the rogue,” another alpha growled.

He was standing with the group near the door.

“She’s on trial.”

Darius did not look worried at all. He gave me a big smile and winked at me.

“I’ll see you after the trial, Aria,” he said quietly. “I have a proposition for you.”

My body became stiff in Kael’s hold, and before I could stop myself, I glared at the older alpha.

He had promised things were different here, and yet the first alpha I met besides him already had a proposition for me.

“You are safe here,” Kael repeated near my ear. “We cannot stop offers from happening, but we can support you if you refuse. Now let’s get this trial over with.”