“Do you see how beautiful you look?” she murmured, hands warm on Reiya’s shoulders.
Her reflection stared back—a vision of courtly perfection, everything an Omega princess was meant to be.
The gown, a pale blue, clung to her frame in translucent waves, whispering with each movement. A gold lace belt hugged her waist, pearls gleamed at her throat, and her braid lay coiled in obedient elegance.
Flawless. Composed. A glittering symbol.
Her chest tightened. For a fleeting moment, she imagined tearing it all away—the silk, the pearls, the expectations—scattering them like broken glass.
But the queen’s gaze held her still.
“That pendant is lovely,” her mother whispered. “But it was a gift from Castiel. Inappropriate to wear on the day you are choosing a husband.”
Reiya’s fingers tightened as memory pulled her back—to the day Castiel had pressed the necklace into her palm. Limyerite crystal, he’d murmured, brought from Tremore, its shimmering blue depths chosen to match her eyes.
“He will be in attendance,” her mother continued. “It is best toignore him. Suitors of distinguished lineage have travelled far to vie for your favour. Focus onthem.”
“Castiel Vaelmont is the Duke of Caerelle’s son. Doesn’t that make him someone of distinguished lineage?”
“Fourthson.” Her mother arched a brow. “His service to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is commendable, but despite his future as a diplomat, he is a Beta. An Omega’s destiny is to be with an Alpha. You know this.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. “You never objected to Castiel before. The duke’s influence was enough.”
“We believed you were a Beta then. The situation has changed, so must your future.”
Reiya pulled free, the soft drag of silk brushing her ankles.
“For years, everyone welcomed the idea of me marrying Castiel. Now, it’s suddenly unacceptable?”
Her mother’s gaze held firm, only a flicker of sympathy softened it.
“Do you know how rare it is for an Omega to Awaken at twenty years old? After the age of eighteen, it is nothing short of a miracle. Luneth’s priestesses and the royal physician said so.”
Six months ago, crowds had filled Nymaris with flowers and songs, parading to Luneth’s temple in her name. Her mother had wept tears of joy, her father’s and brothers’ chests had puffed up with pride. They called her a blessing, a miracle, when they thought the royal family could boast only one Alpha son.
Standing on the palace balcony, she had felt it—not the jubilation, but the first weight of the chains slipping over her shoulders.
She exhaled sharply. “It feels more like a curse than a miracle.”
Her mother’s voice remained calm. “You see only the burden, but Aethonia sees the blessing. An Omega princess is a treasure bestowed upon her kingdom.”
Reiya let out a hollow laugh and looked away. “You mean aprizefor an Alpha.”
Dread lanced through her at the thought of being claimed—bound to one of those dominant, commanding brutes. Alphas ruled with natural-born authority few dared challenge. Their presence bent the will of those around them, an innate power others bowed to.
She’d heard enough whispered stories about Omegas shackled to their Alphas—how their bodies, delicate and instinctively submissive, succumbed to their partners’ control.
The rightful hierarchy, people called it, the natural order of the world.
Betas, the majority of the population, lived without such burdens. No unnatural pulls, no instincts dictating their place.
But Omegas like her—rare, coveted—had only one fate: to be claimed, their bodies no longer their own.
“This is the way of the world, Reiyana. Alphas and Omegas are destined for one another. Their unions strengthen bloodlines, and the kingdoms themselves.”
Reiya turned away, pulse tightening in her throat, the walls of the chamber pressing a little too close. Her steps carried her to the window almost before she realized it, drawn to the open air as if she could breathe a little easier there.
Outside, Nymaris sprawled in sunlit splendour. White limestone buildings shimmered, ocean-blue roofs tumbling down the hillside toward the harbour. Fishing boats bobbed in the bay, their sails snapping in the breeze. Merchants’ voices wove through the distant hum of the market.