Ethan was sleeping lightly inside his barrel. Shivering around his daughter to keep her warm. Regretting giving up his jacket with the blanket he had replacing it was far too thin. Waking repeatedly to stretch out his stiffening back. Sure, the barrels felt safer, but it was hardly comfortable. He groaned with a stretch earning him multiple satisfying pops along his back.
damn, this isn't going to work. glancing around the barrel. Where to go from here? Tensing when he heard calm steps approaching. He first saw the black dress covering the black heels of that beta. Then that creepy porcelain doll peeking in.
speaking to him in that shrill voice. "Hey, we're gonna move you to a room with a bed."
he hesitated, shifting around reminded him of the uncomfortable spot he was in. "okay." his voice almost as quiet as Donna's. Wrapping his daughter in the blanket he peeked out first. Seeing only them he unsteadily crept out with Rose in his arms. Looking at Donna's hands he saw his jacket bundled in them. Held out to him he took it to gingerly put back on. Wincing at the stabbing pain arching across his muscles.
"how ya feelin'?"
He cleared his throat to speak clearer. "better, sore."
"at least you're not worse. I'm the wonderful Angie and this is lady Donna Beneviento. You're Ethan, right?"
He feared answering the question. Don't they work for Miranda?
"Look, we know who you are. I'm just making sure not to butcher your name. We haven't told Miranda about you and we're not going to either."
"... yes. … thank you." tired after everything. He didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. "... why?"
"… been a long time since we've seen an omega. You kinda caught us off guard when you ran in here."
"mm." replying without knowing what else to say. Dammit, is there anyone left who doesn't know?
"follow us." the doll gestured down the hall.
He took a deep breath and limped behind them. Hoping that the bed would be far more comfortable on his torn body. Worry grew worse the longer he walked on his weakened legs. Pausing to lean against the wall in readying to slip down if he couldn't stand a moment longer. Refusing Donna's offered hand out of fear his hold on Rose would weaken. Continuing and pausing down the halls gave a moment to sit down for a breather.
"not far from here. Just gotta get down one more hall."
He nodded and took in another readying breath. A few steps forward and another breath drew in a familiar scent. He would have ran right back toward the elevator if his body was able to. Frozen in place Donna and Angie stopped to wait for him. Judging by the look on his face it wasn't pain stopping him this time.
"She's not here."
The answer didn't comfort him at all. "Whys her scent down here then?" holding back from snapping.
"She gave the bedding."
"She knows I'm here?!" wanting to run away he turned back for the elevator.
Stopped by the doll blocking his path. He would've kicked it if he could. "Hold on!" holding up its hands to have him pause. "yes and no. She came here a bit after you did. So she knows, but we stopped her from finding you. She doesn't know the layout of the house past the main floor. You can take over this whole area, it's just been storage for years."
"Whys she giving bedding?" his glare locked onto the doll.
"So you're comfortable here."
"it's more than that!" he snapped. "what are you doing? What did you agree to?"
"traditional courting agreement."
He practically gagged. "NO! Tell her to fuck off!"
"you ain't even going to consider?"
"hell no! Why would I?!"
"When's the last time you saw an alpha?"
"I'd be fine taking a beta."
"Are you? It's not a very fulfilling pairing is it?"
The truth hurt to hear. "I've made it work." or at least he tried. It was as if part of him was always rejected by Mia. It got worse after the incident in Louisiana. He wanted to feel safe, not need to explain each little action he did, not be judged on his "weird" decisions, not be given a glare because he had to adjust the bedding to be comfortable. He was tired of holding this false beta appearance to keep someone else happy. Maybe it wouldn't be so- no! I can't, not her. "I'm leaving soon as I can. That's it." reaffirming his stance.
"very well. It's a traditional courting though." the doll let out a sigh of annoyed exhaustion.
"Who are you to even make an agreement like that? You're not in any clan of mine." closest to that kind of negotiating would've been- Chris. He growled in thought. Disgusted that if it came down to it he would have been the one to falsify paperwork. Being a fake alpha who owned him if any other alphas tried to claim.
"you wanna face off that angry tower alone?"
"not like I haven't already."
"aaaand how'd that go?"
He huffed out a breath. If I hadn't yelped it would've been all over. "... you shouldn't be making decisions for me."
"Well, if not her, mother Miranda has her eye on you. She controls the whole region and based on what she has said. She's been after you for a while."
Ethan went pale. "for how long?"
"a few weeks at least. We can both guess why she pounced now."
She knew everything about us? "how'd she find out about me?"
"a leak from someplace. We don't know much more than that."
Perfect, who else knows about me? Or Rose. Glancing at the child in his arms.
"I suggest, despite your aim to refuse, you keep Alcina close. She's the only defense you have against Miranda right now. We're not as powerful as the other lords and as far as we know lord Heisenberg is still following Miranda orders."
"Heisenberg, that one with the metal hammer?"
"Yep, that's him. He controls the Lycan's, unless Miranda says otherwise. He doesn't like Miranda, but he also doesn't like Lady Dimitrescu either as I'm sure you noticed at the meeting. So, for now, the courting will go on, but we'll uphold your decision at the end."
He accepted the disappointing answer. Slow to follow again out of fear he'd see her hiding in the shadows. Hating the effect her scent was having on him the closer he got to the room containing it. Donna held the door for him to limp in. He stopped before the bed to stare down at the mass amount of bedding. It was as lavish as the last set up he could easily bury himself under. Both loving and hating it was from her. He glanced back to possibly reject the offered bedding. Hating the barrel set up more, he crawled into bed. Digging out a small space to lay deep down with Rose in his arms. Donna left and closed the door behind her. Alone he took in his new predicament. A traditional courting, Pfft. Guess it's better than the modern way.
Traditional courting was set between betas in both clans. ultimately It was all about the show given by the alpha. Alphas would bring various gifts to be passed off by the betas to the omega. If the omega liked their offerings enough they'd accept a first meeting. Usually a gathering between both clans that would eventually turn into a merging of clans into one. It was a slow and carefully tended process that could take anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. Rarely did it take a year or more as the omegas heat would kick in long before that. An undeniable urge to take a mate that felt like a fire needing to be doused.
A modern "courting" went far faster, but far more demeaning toward omegas. It was where the nasty false hierarchy of alphas vs omegas came from. Because alphas and omegas were going extinct, the government gave alphas extreme claiming rights. Alphas could simply claim an omega by filing a huge fee alongside papers of ownership to a courthouse. Many omegas had the nasty surprise of alphas suddenly barging into their home to be taken away. Marriages didn't matter unless another alpha was involved. Betas were treated as useless burdens who got in the way. Omegas were turned into breeding fodder like cattle with hardly any rights unless their alpha said so. Any owned items up to owned property would only belong to their alpha. A reason why Mia had everything under her name. Suppressants were a lifesaver due to this. Ethan made sure to stay on top of them as much as possible. His anxiety spiking if he was out with Rose, she was a massive give away to what he was. Lucky for him, he hadn't ever met an alpha, until now.
Of course it's not just one, but two. They can say my decision will be held, but I doubt her reaction at the news will follow that. I have to plan my next escape. For now I can have some time to heal up. Figure out where the next town is as I pack for the trip. First I have to deal with whatever comes tomorrow. Already feeling extra double exhausted to face the new day. All through the night his sleep was disturbed. he woke, soaked in his own sweat. Body burning as his throat burned in an irritated itch. Swallowing through the pain past a drying mouth. After waking the 5th time he flinched away from someone's hand touching his forehead.
Donna took her hand away. Letting out a soft "sorry." before the doll took over in talking.
"You have a bad fever. Your wounds must've caught an infection. We have some plants to treat it, but it'll take a while to beat."
"ugh." he groaned. "Can I have some water?"
"Yes, we'll bring some down with a medical tea for you to take. Are you hungry?"
"not really. Rose needs to eat."
"You should eat too. We'll ask again later after you get the medicine down." they heard him give a hum before they headed back upstairs. It was still far early in the morning right as the sun was rising. Donna stepped out from her warm home with a basket in hand. cautiously she crossed the snow into the small garden containing all sorts of plants. Plucking various leaves and flowers to grind down inside. Mixing the made paste into a cup of hot water into a bitter tea. Attempting to cut the flavor with lemon and honey. Bringing along a huge jug of water down to Ethan's room. Knocking on the door before entering and helping him take the tea. He sniffed at the cup and grimaced at the obvious flavor he was about to choke down.
"we know. It's about as nasty as every other medicine, but it'll help."
He glanced at her, then back to the cup. Taking a deep breath before chugging it down. Gagging on the mush at the bottom and hacking. "This is worse than cough medicine." taking the water jug next to chug the flavor away.
"works better than that watered down swill. Try to get some sleep while the fevers down." taking the empty cup back up with them. Waiting for the eventual arrival of Alcina they weren't surprised by the knock on their freshly installed door. Answering it, Donna was surprised by Daniela leaping into her for a hug.
"Donna!" Daniela squealed with delight.
"Daniela!" Bela yanked her sister off. "sorry lady Beneviento. You know how she is." moving the two of them for their mother to come inside.
"Morning, lady Beneviento." she greeted Donna.
"Morning, come in and sit. We need to discuss a lot if this courting is going to get any better."
"you spoke with him then?" expecting the worst reaction from him. She stepped inside to stop by a dining chair. Slipping off her thick white fur coat to hang over it. Her daughters keept their dark fur coats on at all times to keep ahead of the cold. Sitting down at the other places full of excitement. Their mother told them the importance of betas in courting arrangements. Tempering their excitement by stating she'd be doing the bargaining. This was far too delicate for them to handle as a first try.
"We had a small talk and he's absolutely on the path of rejection. You'll have to do something big to tempt him anywhere near a "maybe." What's worse is all those Lycan's did a number on him and now his health has taken a hit."
"he's sick?"
"Yes, an infection most likely. We gave him something and it helped cool his fever down. With how nasty those Lycan mouths are, we're sure he'll be sick for a while."
Alcina rubbed the bridge of her nose. Thinking of what to do while her daughters joined the conversation.
"Will he be okay?" Bela asked.
Daniela next. "Is the baby sick too?"
"he will." Angie answered. "as long as we stay on top of his medicine. His little girl is doing fine. With how caring he is, we doubt anything will happen to her."
Their mother was happy to hear the child was fine. No surprise after how far he went to save her. So many were protective, but survival instincts were always complicated. The few I've seen sacrifice their children if it meant a stronger alpha swept them away. He'll make sure she's safe and taken care of before he is. Beneviento and I will have to make sure he doesn't neglect himself. This will take a while… I won't be able to handle Miranda any time soon. If he goes into heat now then his health will take a further dive. ... Sipping the last of her tea she tuned back into the conversation. The girls had been asking a long list of questions on how to be proper betas to Donna. She cleared her throat to gently interrupt. "courting within this narrow window won't lead to anything fruitful. I'll keep presenting, but expect nothing. Unfortunately Miranda will have to take my attention. Long as she's around, neither us nor him and his daughter are safe. She has to go before any proper courting can be attempted." rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"wanted to suggest that but-" Angie gestured a wave toward Alcina. "Anywho, he needs to heal and the stress won't help. Since the courting will be eased back something else needs to be suppressed. What do you want to do?"
"has to in his condition." She nodded. "Girls, stay here. I'll go make a meal for them and be right back."
"Yes, mother." they answered in unison.
Oh no. Donna thought as another on coming tsunami of questions came at her. Even the fast talking Angie was struggling to keep up on getting answers out.
Alcina trudged her way through the village. Scaring off the lingering Lycan's prowling for the escaped omega. With all the snow it had hid any evidence of him being out and injured. Miranda certainly hadn't found out or she would have visited her or Karl by now. Karl wouldn't know anything either. He must've stayed home in his warm factory then travel the blizzard that day. One good thing about him being a lazy oaf. Stepping into her castle she enjoyed the wave of heat engulfing her. Wanting to get business done first she went off into a small side room.
"ah, the lovely lady of the castle. Been a while since I've seen anyone." The duke greeted her warmly. "A lot of business going around?" he raised a brow to her.
"mm, you could say that. I have another shipment of wine ready for you."
"ah, lovely. Was afraid business would slow after all the, heh, staff cuts."
"it may, later. … I also need something else."
"oh?"
"This is an extremely private order. You're not to tell anyone about it."
"Of course not. You know I never tell my customers business. Confidentiality always, now what can I do for the lady?"
"... I need suppressants."
"oh? What a peculiar request. Could they be for Mr. winters?"
she rolled her eyes. He knows. "What makes you think they're for Mr. winters?"
"eh, hasn't been an omega around in centuries. Mr Winters being the new guy in town whose now the talk of it. Mother Miranda being extremely interested. Was certainly wondering what for, but looks like I've found my answer. Heh. had a nice chat with the poor fellow a few days ago. He was looking for his little girl. very interested in questioning about you and Miranda."
Now her curiosity was hooked. "about what? What did you say?"
"oh, the usual village warning about your reputation. That you were fond of children and most likely you'd have his little girl."
she squinted at him. "mm, is that all?"
"yes mam." he nodded. "Now, about your order. I'll have it ready in a week."
"I'm not sure if a week will work. I need this on express delivery."
"mm, I can try. At least a small dosage that will hold out 'till end of the week."
"that'll do." dipping her head in turning to leave. Great, another mountain to leap over. My own reputation of blood lust that he'd certainly want nothing to do with. Then again, what alpha doesn't have one nowadays? Killing each other over a two bit beta harlot they spotted across the bar, pathetic. Ducking down the many archways to reach the kitchen. Preparing a soup to ease his illness somewhat. Slow cooking a bone broth with ginger until the bites of vegetables were incredibly soft. Pouring it into a thick ceramic bowl she wrapped in a tied cloth. A fresh bottle of goat's milk warmed and slipped between the cloth handle. Making sure it'd stay hot the entire way back to Donna's. Careful to carry it back in total secrecy. Upon her return she saw that Donna and Angie had completely shut down on answering questions. Sitting without a word as the girls argued or debated answers they got earlier.
Well, they'll be perfect betas when they're trained. Smiling at her girls enthusiasm for the position. "Okay girls, I think you asked them enough." settling them down as she handed the food over.
Donna took a glance inside the soup pot. Immediately criticizing it through Angie. "ugh, you want to feed him this?"
she crossed her arms. "What's wrong with it?"
"over cooked for one." the doll sighed. "I guess it's not that bad for an amateur. We'll pass it along."
oh, how I've forgotten. She thought as she watched them leave with the offering. Betas aren't just buffers, they're goddamn judges too. Drumming her fingers on her arm. Was hoping Beneviento would be biased to my side, but apparently not. Should have expected it. Mr. Winters was the first person to be in her house for longer than five minutes. Being an omega certainly added to that.
"What was that for? Pretty rude." Cassandra grumbled to her sisters.
Daniela seemed excited for it. "oh! we're at the judging rounds already?"
"What's there to judge? Mothers absolutely worthy."
Bela added in. "That's just how it goes. Alphas and omegas will get together even if it costs their health. Betas are what make up most the clan and will have to deal with both when they combine. No clan wants to deal with an overly aggressive alpha taking over or a cowardly omega that'll leave a clan in shambles."
"Is it really necessary here though? Say yes or no and stop wasting time."
"Lady Beneviento just told you why. Alphas can be..." whispering the next word. "temperamental. And clans don't want a blood bath on their hands before they're ready. Besides, our aggression didn't help this courting at all and we need to fix the damage done first. Omegas are passive, they'll always hide for their own safety."
she let out a groan and slumped in her chair. "I thought courting was supposed to be short?"
"it usually is." their mother answered. "It can be frustrating at times, but make no mistake a betas work is very important. An alpha or omega interfering with that can cause all sorts of havoc between clans."
"won't claiming solve all that?" receiving a smack from her sister. "Ow!"
"you were just told why not." Bela scolded. "Instincts attract, but eventually resentment will kill what connection there is. They have to have some kind of bond or else it becomes a fight to keep one around and any brood made will be rejected by one or both parents. Besides, mother has better class then the alphas out there just grabbing mates by brute force through bureaucratic paperwork."
"Fine, fine." waving off her sister's lecture. "tsk, paperwork. What does that prove? Least have a battle to the death to show who really deserves an omega." soon as the words left her mouth, Bela elbowed her in the ribs. "stop hitting me!" she snapped. Rolling her eyes at the scolding look toward her. "what? Mother will win, I have no doubt. Right?" smiling toward their mother.
Alcina let out a hum. "of course." hiding her worries of what if. Could I? Holding back a growl. I need to be smart about this. I need something to wear her down before I take the first swipe. I can't make that chance by myself, it'd be too suspicious. That means I'll need assistance from him. Turning her eyes toward a nearby window. Within its framed view, far off in the distance, two towers bellowed out endless black smoke. Upon Donna's return, she cleared her throat. "We should talk about tomorrow's plans."