“It’s better than the alternative,” Freya said, pausing. “Also, I neglected to mention this in the retelling of the story, but the reason I was a target in the first place is because I’m an Omega.”
“I assumed so, sweetheart,” Elodie said, not looking shocked.
“How did you know? Clara, you didn’t tell her, did you?”
“To people who care about you, it was obvious something happened when you were nineteen. You barely talk to your poor parents anymore, and you moved across the country. Not to mention all the clandestine conversations you had with Clara, vials passing hands across the table. I’d have to be an idiot not to realize something was up with you, and considering the timing I had an inkling about what it was.”
“Well, I’m sorry I thought you were an idiot, I guess,” Freya said.
“No need to apologize. It’s cute, you two thinking you were getting away with something.”
Looking at Clara, I could tell she wasn’t surprised by Elodie knowing either. She’d avoided telling Freya for years because she didn’t want to scare the woman off with the knowledge that her secret was more out there than she thought.
“I should tell my parents,” Freya said it softly enough I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to hear on this end of the line.
“When all this is settled, you should,” Clara agreed. “I told you from the start, remember? It was going to come out.”
There wasn’t much else to say after that. They went back and forth about what had happened while they were apart, though the separation hadn’t been long. Joanne popped in to say hello. Freya asked what she thought of me, and she gave a cryptic non-answer. I was glad she wasn’t going around divulging my secrets to anyone who asked, Freya included.
By the time we hung up the phone, they’d convinced me to approve phone calls between them once a day. Neither of them had their phones, which had been tossed for safety reasons. We didn’t want to give Kylan’s men a basic, technology-focused way to find us. They had enough means to figure out the apartment building’s location via magic.
“Love you, Aunt Clara. Love you, Mom,” Mabel said, saying her goodbyes.
Freya told them she loved them too, and they returned the sentiment before hanging up. I stood to leave, wanting to get out of there before they changed their minds about me, but Clara’s small hand on my shoulder pushed me back down.
“Freya is animated,” she commented. “Do you know why?”
“She’s surrounded by men who are in love with her, which might have something to do with it.”
“Caspian, I’ve met. She mentioned a ‘Shan’ briefly when she was talking to me about Mabel’s kidnapping, though I didn’t know he was a romantic connection until today. Who else?”
“Their other team member, Emmett. Also, her cat is definitely not a cat.”
Clara chuckled, the first joyful sound she’d made since I walked in. Winning them over, even a little, filled me with pride. “Oswald is an unusual familiar, and I’ve always been convinced he isn’t what he seems. I just don’t know what he is.”
“I’ll ask around to some of my contacts and see if they’ve heard of anything like him before,” I said, realizing afterward that it was far too kind a gesture. Why would I waste my contact’s time with something insignificant like the familiar of a witch I had imprisoned?
Oswald was growing on me almost as fast as Freya was. I’d pet him as a tease, originally. A joke. Something to get on his nerves. As the awkward situation had gone on, though, the touch had been comforting in a way I hadn’t experienced in years.
“It’s nice seeing Freya happy again,” Elodie said. “Ever since Maisie, she’s been closed off. Make sure you don’t do anything stupid to make her shut down again.”
“Maisie?” I asked, wracking my brain for the name.
“Her sister. She was an Omega too, but she went to the Sanctuary like she was supposed to,” Elodie explained. “One man, an influential figure in Zemterra, chased off all her other suitors and all but forced her to become his mate. We haven’t heard from her in ten years.”
Angels above. I’d thought the Omega Sanctuary was supposed to be a safe place where they could choose their own mate or mates from those who courted them. I didn’t know why I hadn’t assumed it would be as corrupt as the rest of the realms.
“That’s horrible. I have friends in Zemterra, I could…”
I trailed off, biting my tongue.No.I could not. Doing all of this to earn Freya’s favour was pointless and would only end in me burning bridges. There was no reason to ruin my life over one woman. One infatuation. I wouldn’t go ‘all in’ as Ama had suggested. I was going to pull all out, instead.
“He’s a powerful man, Nolan,” Elodie said. “Don’t put yourself in a difficult position.”
The out she’d given me made me immensely grateful. “I’ll do some research,” I said, not quite shutting it down. “But you’re correct that I may not be able to do anything.”
“That’s all we can ask. Now, you’d better get back to our niece,” Elodie said.
I got up and strode toward the door with barely a goodbye, cursing myself the whole way.
