Chapter 2

2

Danon

" I t's time you took a mate." Sir Gaston, the alpha master of our flight, stood on his ridiculous pedestal looking down at me as he made his proclamation. He wore the red and gold robes of formality, arms crossed over his chest, long sleeves hanging like curtains across the lower half of his body.

I had been called to take an official audience with him, but I'd had no idea it was to be on this subject.

"I do not feel I am ready for that," I replied, bowing my head to show submission.

"You are ready. You're not getting any younger. That beard of yours is already silver even if the hair on your head remains black. You need an heir."

"There are no prospects," I replied, not looking up.

"We require you to produce younglings to strengthen our flight."

I had always thought I would marry when the time was right, even if that meant taking an alpha mate since omegas were so rare. As for an heir, I figured I'd leave my assets to charity.

My muscles relaxed. I had my out. "There are certainly no omega prospects, Sir Gaston."

"We have that taken care of. A shipment of very ripe set-omegas is arriving tomorrow from Pack Dmitri and Pack Faro. Five in all, all aged eighteen. You may look them over and, as the eldest alpha of the five I have chosen from our flight for breeding purposes, you'll have first pick."

Chosen? Breeding purposes? "First pick of a set-omega slave?"

"Of course. You have no prejudices against that sort, I'm sure."

I wasn't sure. But Sir Gaston wasn't exactly asking, either. My throat went dry. "I am 42, Sir Gaston. Not yet ready for a family. But far too old for an eighteen-year-old. In fact, I look much older than 42. He won't want me."

"Though your dragon is small by alpha and omega standards, our genetic record shows you are the top of the line for healthy breeding in our flight. I was simply waiting all these years for your holdings hoard to pass seven figures. Which they did last year. You are ready. And you are chosen. Your slave will have no choice but to want you. Or, at minimum, tolerate you."

The blood in my veins went cold. To be mated to someone who merely tolerated me? The insult! And worse, speaking about the size of my dragon was outright rude. We didn't talk of such things in dragon culture. The fact that mine was, well, smaller than others was a shame I always kept to myself.

My voice shook as I began to speak out. "Sir Gaston, I request time to find my own mate. A year, perhaps? To prepare for a set-omega slave with only one day of warning is?—"

"Silence. No more of this arguing."

"I wasn't?—"

"Silence, I said! You have already agreed the prospects of finding a dragon omega are slim. I need you to breed, Alpha Danon. Your pedigree is long and admirable. You have the proper hoard now to care for and raise healthy heirs and new members of the flight. This is my decree."

I looked up at him, mouth open.

He frowned at the impropriety, but I didn't care. He was ordering me to take a mate against my will. Being polite was the least of my concerns right now.

Voice firm, if not plenty annoyed, he said, "My senior secretary will email you the details as to where you can pick up your mate tomorrow. The legal paperwork of the union will be filled out on the spot. It won't be a real marriage, but more a binding business contract. But you may celebrate it as a wedding. Most do."

I cleared my throat. "Yes, sir."

Sir Gaston thrust his hand in my face, exposing a large, blue diamond set in thick gold on his middle finger. "That is all." He turned his palm down in front of my face. "Kiss the ring and go."

I almost didn't. The ring represented everything about this flight I hated, including Sir Gaston's narcissism and obsession with royalty. And now I had one more thing to hate about it. That I was being forced into an arranged marriage with a stranger from a distant wolf pack who very well might despise me.

Fuming, I bent and placed my top lip on the cold blue stone of the ring. But I didn't kiss it. I never would. Sir Gaston didn't deserve my respect. Not after this insult.

The next day…

White, wispy curtains blew back in a gentle breeze revealing a pink and blue stage. The flight's formal patio outside the master's mansion had been transformed into a cute viewing area, all pastels, with fresh flowers adorning the pathway to center stage and the set of steps there. On either side sat fountains with blue bowls and sculptures of dragons on their hind legs spitting water instead of fire. The sound of splashing liquid along with the natural golden outdoor light should have had a calming effect. Instead, everything looked garish and stupid to me. The prettiness made it all the more irritating.

Four more alphas, all younger than I, arrived. I didn't know them. Nor did I care to.

Sir Gaston's senior secretary, Tate, rushed toward us from behind another set of curtains. Before making any sort of greeting, he said in a breathy voice, "The omegas have arrived. Now, there is an order to things."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front of the path. "Danon, you are first."

I rolled my eyes but let him place me where he wished. He lined the others up behind me in an order no doubt set by Sir Gaston, then went to stand in front of me and clapped his hands.

"Fantastic. Thank you for all being here on time. All should be in order. The omegas are still getting ready, but they will file out onto the stage in a minute. Now, Danon, you are first. You may inspect each one as intimately as you like before making your decision. Then the next in line and so on."

"Inspect intimately?" I asked.

Tate frowned. "Well, of course. This will be your mate. In a legal union. You should know exactly what you're getting."

A sour taste built up in the back of my mouth. "You expect me to—" I gulped. "What is it you expect?"

"Me?" Tate pointed to himself. "Oh, nothing." He forced a laugh. "You may interview them, touch them—whatever you like. Nothing is off limits. We only ask that you not damage the merchandise."

"Damage the merchandise?" My spine straightened. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Tate went down the line, then back up. "Any questions, fellas?"

An alpha behind me said, "Yes. I have a question. How long will this take?"

Tate pursed his lips as if in thought. "I suppose it depends on how long you take to make your choices."

"And the union ceremony?" another asked.

"Not more than five minutes. It's all done by computer."

Wonderful. In addition to being forced to take a mate, I was being bound to a stranger by a machine.

"I'm sure that's every alpha's finest fantasy," I said, teeth gritted.

Tate smiled and nodded. Then frowned when it finally dawned on him I was being facetious.

"Does this mean Sir Gaston won't be performing the ceremonies?" another alpha asked.

"I'm afraid not. He has a full schedule today." Tate forced another larger smile, showing teeth. "The obligations never end. But we tried to make the patio pretty today for the ceremonies." He stretched out his arms, turning. "Everything looks lovely, I think. The flowers are fresh. They'll be putting out refreshments, too. Any moment now."

Mumbles came from behind. "Like wedding cake?" someone asked.

I almost laughed. Sir Gaston was a miser. He'd probably only signed off on enough flight taxes for donuts and fruit punch.

Tate's grin wobbled. "But of course you all can hold private celebrations with family and friends. I'm sure you already have plans."

More disgruntled mumbles.

The peaceful sound of the fountains was interrupted by a strangled screech near the entrance. We all turned at once to see two men dressed as waiters dragging a heavy table across the tiled patio floor.

"Excellent! That's the refreshments being set up right now." Tate beamed.

The two waiters hadn't seen us and seemed to be arguing. Their arms waved and their voices carried, but I couldn't make out what they said. Another waiter came out with a tray filled with pastries. He stood before the other two, who were now wrestling with a white tablecloth. The breeze shifted and a sudden puff tried to take the cloth from their hands. It wafted over the waiter with the tray, who cursed loudly just before a loud crash.

Pastries now decorated the patio tile in an array of red jelly, whipped cream and crusts.

"No more refreshments," an alpha behind me said.

"No worries." Tate spoke quickly. "I'm sure they have replacements."

I wasn't sure at all. This was already turning out to be a total fiasco.

Hearing shuffling from the stage area, I turned back to see the first omega enter. He was followed by four more. They all wore white slave robes. I'd never seen a set-omega slave in person, only in videos and pictures.

Immediately, these slaves appeared far more real than pictures. And sad. They did not smile. Only one held his head up. They shuffled, faces drawn in exhaustion. I supposed they had been traveling long hours to get here. Having just left their packs or groups, they had to be disoriented and dazed.

My heart began to beat faster. This was it. One of these five would be my legal mate in the next few minutes. It was the least romantic encounter I'd ever experienced.

"Here they are." Tate hopped up on the stage. He walked quickly by each omega, gesturing. "This is Akai, True, Dominic, Cory, and Shay. They are all eighteen. Fresh off the plane."

Tate motioned me to come up onto the stage. "Danon. Choose your mate." He turned and smiled at the omegas. "Such a happy occasion, isn't it?"

None smiled. They all looked small, some outwardly shaking.

How to choose a mate I didn't want? I had no clue. I supposed I could eliminate the blonds. I had a thing for brunets. Sometimes. A forced marriage was a different story, though. It seemed it wouldn't matter who I picked. This day was going forward whether I liked it or not with a stranger who'd be stuck with me—at least through ruts and heats. If we never fell in love, what did it matter who I picked?

Handfuls of thick dark hair fell in shining waves almost to the shoulders on the first omega. He was remarkably good-looking. They all were. But this one caught my eye. If nothing else, that was enough.

Reluctantly, I ascended the stage. I walked straight to him. His eyes widened. I knew I made an impression. I was tall. My burly white beard, grown out of control, hid most of my features. It made me look older than I was.

"How do you spell Akai?" I asked.

He mumbled the letters softly, gaze flicking to mine, then away.

"Are you healthy?"

"Yes."

I brushed away my emotions, the trembling inside me an annoying side effect. Neither of us had a choice in this matter. It was as simple as that. I let that resentment rise up.

"You'll do." I was brusque, turning away.

Tate said, "Don't you want to examine him? Or the others? They are all naked under their robes."

"I've made my choice." My words came out clipped, formal, despite my disgust at Tate's statement.

"Yes, of course." Tate indicated we should step off to the side so the next alpha in line could choose.

I didn't want to see the show. But Tate had the paperwork and obviously wasn't going to have us sign it until every pairing was complete.

The next two alphas quietly chose, having short conversations with their omegas. The fourth made the last two omegas disrobe.

Next to me, Akai stiffened.

I noticed each omega wore an ankle bracelet. This was part of the tracking system. Like a locked chain. They could never take them off. They weren't free men. They would never be able to come and go as they pleased, or escape if they landed a mate they hated.

I stared out over the patio area. The smashed pastry mess had been cleaned up. The single refreshment table had been set up with drinks and new pastries. My stomach quivered with nausea.

I was about to be bound, but my body was not in tune with that at all. The fact that Sir Gaston still insisted on forced mating arrangements for some of us in Flight Gaston showed his paranoia pertaining to anything that spelled weakness. We had so few omegas born in the newest generation, and alphas were marrying alphas more and more. Offspring was rarer. Omega surrogates were used, but they were expensive and hard to find.

I needed to do my duty to the flight. But this seemed medieval.

I heard an omega squeal. The fourth alpha was still making his decision. Hands on. My palms itched to fight him for causing that omega—or any omega—to emit a noise of startled pain like that.

I took deep breaths through my nose.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Akai glance once to the side, then straight ahead, his chest quickly expanding at the gasp he tried to hide.

When the fourth alpha made his choice, he forced his omega to accompany him naked to the side of the stage. The final alpha and omega left were automatically paired. Finally, we could move on to the union ceremonies.

Good. I was first. That meant we'd be out of here fast.

Tate led us all off stage to a table with a couple of tablets. Akai and I stood in front of him as he brought up the mate-binding certificate and had us sign with our fingers.

"Do you have rings?"

"No." I didn't even think about it. It seemed more of a symbol of union and intimacy than what we were here for.

He held up a tray of cheap metal bands. "Take your size. Put it on."

"We don't need rings," I said.

"You must. It's tradition," he insisted.

I grabbed one and put it on. Akai took his time looking them over, then took one. He placed it on his thumb.

"That's not the proper finger," Tate said.

I waved my hand to cut him off. "He can have it on whatever finger he wishes."

"Fine." He tapped his tablet a few times, then looked up. "I emailed your certificate. I now pronounce you mated."

"We can go now?" I asked.

"Please partake of refreshments, if you wish." He smiled like he'd just done us a huge favor.

Turning away, I said nothing.

"Congratulations!" Tate called after us.

I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Akai kept up with my pace as I exited toward the parking lot. After I chose him, he'd remained silent. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to him. It seemed right to let him know the basics.

I pointed to my car on the lot. "That's mine. We're going straight to my home. Honestly, I expect nothing of you except to be reasonably quiet and not mess with my stuff."

I opened the passenger door and gestured him inside, closing the door after him.

When I got in and started the car, he turned his head to look at me. His eyes were the deep blue hue of a lake at sunset, framed by long dark lashes that glittered in the sunlight.

"Do you have any questions?" I asked.

He blinked. Then nodded. "Yes." He swallowed, his chest rising and falling beneath the thin robe.

"What? Ask? Don't keep me waiting."

"Are you going to rape me?"