A ripple stirred the water as Reiya shifted, studying her more closely. There was no judgment in her words—only understanding, as if this moment had always beenwaiting for them.
And perhaps, she realized, she had knowntoo.
The woman’s presence in the market had lingered with her for reasons she hadn’t fully grasped. A quiet, inexplicable pull—like recognizing a song she didn’t remember learning.
Now, it felt less like coincidence and more like inevitability—two threads pulled by the same unseen hand, crossing paths in places neither had planned.
“Thank you . . . for helping me earlier,” Reiya said, dipping her head slightly. “I didn’t have the chance to say it before.”
The woman waved a dismissive hand, settling comfortably into the water. “Think nothing of it. The market’s a maze if you don’t know the way.” She studied Reiya with a curiosity that felt more warm than prying. “It’s your first time here?”
Reiya nodded, offering a small smile. “Yes. First day in Zohara.”
“Yet you wandered alone, without a guide. How brave.”
“I’m travelling with a merchant family in a caravan. I help them out with errands.”
“If that’s so, you’re clearly up to the challenge.” She smiled. “I’m Solmaz, by the way.”
“I’m Yara,” Reiya replied with a nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She caught Solmaz’s gaze flicking to the bruise on her neck, but the woman kept her thoughts to herself. She only watched—her expression steady, her silence heavier than words.
After a moment, Solmaz moved closer, settling in beside her. “Zohara’s a place of contrasts,” she murmured. “Sometimes it welcomes you; sometimes it challenges you in ways you don’t expect.”
Reiya nodded, the weight of her own recent challenges settling more comfortably in the presence of this stranger. “I suppose I’ve been learning that.”
Solmaz let the silence stretch before she picked up a comb resting by the bath’s edge, lifting it in a gentle question. “Would you like help with your hair?”
Reiya hesitated, then dipped her head in quiet consent.
The comb’s teeth slid through her damp hair in slow, steady strokes, each pass smoothing more than just tangles. There wascomfort in the simplicity of it, in the gentle rhythm that seemed to pull her thoughts back into place.
She hadn’t spoken of Jodhar’s bite, hadn’t let the weight of it slip past her lips. But Solmaz’s touch, so patient and unassuming, pressed gently at the edges of that silence.
Reiya’s fingers brushed the faint bruise, the touch sending a raw ripple through her chest. The memory clung to her skin, unwelcome, sharp. It wasn’t easy—giving shape to the vulnerability stirring beneath the surface. But . . . maybe Solmaz could offer the clarity she craved.
She kept her voice low, barely louder than the lapping of the water.
“Have you ever felt like your body doesn’t listen to you?” she whispered. “Like it reacts in ways you don’t choose?”
Solmaz’s hand stilled in her hair, the brush hovering midair. She didn’t answer right away—only let the question settle.
Reiya pressed her knees tighter to her chest, the words scraping loose before she could gather them properly.
“An Alpha tried to… make me submit.”
Her throat tightened, but she forced the rest out. “And I felt something I didn’t want to feel. As if my instincts betrayed me.”
A moment of stillness passed before Solmaz’s hands rested lightly on her shoulder, warm and grounding.
“That struggle between mind and instinct,” she said quietly, “is something every Omega comes to know. Sometimes our bodies respond, even when our hearts refuse. But that doesn’t change who you are.”
The brush moved again through Reiya’s hair—slow, soothing, giving her space to breathe.
When Solmaz spoke again, her voice had softened, almost a secret meant only for the water and steam around them.
“People think instincts define us. But they don’t. They’re just a part—a thread, not the whole tapestry. You are more than a reaction. You have choice. You havewill. And no Alpha can take that from you.”