In the grand courtroom of the Phoenix Empire, Enigma Jethro sat at the head of a long table, on a throne-like golden seat that seemed to radiate authority.
His posture was rigid, and his serious, impatient expression made his striking features appear older than his twenty-seven years, but he was still utterly captivating.
His bluish eyes swept across the twelve Alphas seated at the table, six on each side, brows furrowed in silent thought.
Then drifted to the two women across the room, each radiating beauty, their dresses flowing and clinging with effortless grace.
At the far end of the table, Grey stood, head bowed, fingers laced tightly in front of him.
He wished he could lift his head and stand confidently, like the Alpha everyone thought he was, just as his father had always pressured him to, but he couldn't.
An omega like him didn't have that courage. In front of an Enigma and a room full of Alphas, it was a fight no omega could win even if they wanted.
After a long, suffocating silence, one of the Alphas rose. Grey didn't need to look to know who it was... Alpha Norman, the leader of the highest pack.
"My Lord," he said, bowing slightly to Jethro. "I do not understand why we are still here, trying to think harder about the solution. This is a man, and you are obviously not going to marry a man because it wouldn't make any sense.
It wouldn't be your fault to leave out BlueMoon Pack unattended to, they have no girl with Alpha blood to offer."
The other Alphas murmured their agreement, everyone except Alpha Harris, Grey's father.
Another Alpha, who often stood beside Norman, rose to speak.
"My Lord, I agree," he said. "Leaving the BlueMoon Pack out does not violate any ancient law. You have already shown your respect for the Moon Goddess's decree. You did not marry into BlueMoon because they have no suitable candidate for you. And just as the law states, you have already married two women of your own choosing, and you could take a third one if you wish."
As he spoke, his true hope was clear: that his own daughter might be the one to stumble on that third position of a wife.
He was not alone in that desire.
Every Alpha in the hall wished the same for his daughters. Some even went as far as exaggerating the weakness of their packs to improve their chances.
But such efforts were pointless.
There had always been hidden criteria used to determine the weakest pack, making deception useless.
The man paused, then continued, his tone growing sharper.
"I don't even know if keeping that pack is worth it anymore. Instead of supporting the empire, it only drags it down. It contributes nothing. At this point, it seems either doomed, or abandoned by the Moon Goddess herself.
We understand that you, Emperor, are meant to marry into it to raise it,"
he went on,
"...but the pack itself makes no effort to improve. Even with such a boost, it doesn't seem like it would ever rise. Every member of that pack appears weak beyond repair. Even the Alpha prince, who should have enough strength to assert authority, keeps his head lowered at all times. Alpha Harris and his Luna can no longer produce another heir.
So tell me, what is truly worth saving there? Why struggle to raise a pack that shows no promise at all? Perhaps it would be better to dissolve it entirely and distribute its people among the stronger, more capable packs."
This time, the murmurs of agreement were louder, everyone approving what had just been said.
Grey's fingers clenched tightly.
He knew everything they had said was true, and part of him just wished it could happen exactly as they suggested, let the pack be dissolved, end these endless meetings and discussions, because deep down, he knew that was how it was going to be anyways.
Of course, he was not going to marry Lord Jethro.
Even in his dreams, it felt impossible- not only because others would never accept it, but because he himself refused to, even while knowing deep down that there was always something tugging at him whenever he was near a man.
Somewhere inside, he had always known that men stirred something in him that no woman ever had.
Sometimes he dreamed of a man touching him, and every time he woke, he cursed the dream. But even afterward, his body would ache for that touch for days, no matter how much he hated it.
And now... he imagined Lord Jethro being the one to touch him like that, and the thought alone made his body respond... heat rushing through him, his legs weakening instantly.
He snapping back to reality, and scolded himself for daring to entertain such thoughts.
As his attention dragged back to the court room, he realized that the other Alphas were still hurling degrading insults at his father, humiliating him further as if they could never get enough.
A surge of frustration and irritation hit Grey all at once, his fingers clenched tighter, how he wished he could silence them forever!
But he told himself he shouldn't care about what happened to his father, because his father had never shown him any care ever since he was born a boy- instead of the daughter he had wanted, a daughter he could have given to the Enigma to marry.
But all his parents had gotten was him, and they couldn't have another child.
What made it worse was that he was an omega, born to a couple of alpha blood, something that was impossible, yet, it happened to him.
Grey didn't even fully understand it himself- why he was born an omega, when his both parents were Alpha blood.
All he knew was that he could never show it nor speak of it, a warning etched into him by his father.
His father's bitterness had been a constant shadow.
But sometimes Grey told himself that he understood why his father would hate him that much.
In the courtroom today, his father was no longer fighting to save his pack. Perhaps he had given up. And in that instant, Grey chose to give up too.
But when Lord Jethro finally spoke after a long silence.. having only listened and observed, Grey knew that giving up was not an option.
"Since ancient times," Lord Jethro said, his voice was deep, calm and even, but carried the weight of absolute authority. "the packs have always been twelve in number, and I will not be the one to change that."
A ripple of murmurs ran through the Alphas and his two wives, each wondering what he meant.
Was he going to marry a man?
Or was he just going to keep the worthless pack simply to maintain the ancient number?
Grey himself was stunned by Lord Jethro's declaration, unsure of what to think.