47. Mine

"He does have a point, though, Bernard." It was one of the older male Omegas to my left. "They pose no threat if they keep the information to themselves. We have let others go, and they have not spoken a word out of fear of our punishment. What has changed?"

"Arthur, this isn't a one off where we snuff out a single person or a couple; this is nearly a brigade, a brigade of well-trained and hardheaded Primarchs. Do you really think it's that simple?" Bernard's face turned red at someone questioning his logic.

Everyone behind me stayed silent. I didn't know what they were thinking, but I was tired of this. Did I want to lie to the world about my origins? No. But was I willing to lock it down to keep them all safe? Of course. I hoped they were on the same page, but their need to serve and protect was higher than mine.

I had always wanted to help people. That's why I was in this situation, the good and the bad parts of it, and although I never truly had a second thought about how it would affect my life, I wouldn't do anything that ensured harm would come to my mates and the family we had created recently. This secret wasn't worth the battle.

My shoulders slumped as I stared at Bernard. His jaw was set, and I doubted he would give in to Arthur's suggestion.

"And how do you know it isn't? Who's to say they wouldn't choose freedom and their loved ones with a heavy secret on their shoulders over death, a massacre at this point really. You may be our leader in some aspects, but you do not decide these things for yourself. Your anger says you are too close to this to make a rational decision. Now, I won't question why and have you explain in front of the captives, but you will sit down and let us discuss this matter." The other members adjusted awkwardly in their seats. While some looked nervous, others rolled their eyes as if this wasn't the first time these two had verbal battles. "I said sit, Bernard."

"One day, Father, your time on this council will come to its end." I didn't think Bernard had intended for us to hear that, but Arthur was right. He seemed too close to this situation for some reason.

I glanced to the side, but Ellie and Gerard didn't seem surprised that Arthur was Bernard's father. Once again, I was the odd man out, knowing very little about the Primarchy. I was nearly set on the mating side, but nothing else was set in stone.

I still didn't have control over my pheromones. Actually, that wasn't true. I had too much subconscious control over them. I failed to use them before we were kidnapped, and I couldn't pull them out of the depths inside me to fight Bernard's hold, not that I thought I'd be able to any way. Gerard and Iker couldn't do a thing against him, and I had seen firsthand how powerful they were.

As the council discussed this new point of view, I tried to tap into it, not necessarily to do anything to anyone, but I needed the distraction. They called on my mates and friends to get their side, forgoing Bernard's initial appeal to wipe this case and have us sent to be slaughtered without a true trial.

The Human world's system was horrendous and arbitrary with too many loopholes for it to be of any true use. It was garbage, but no one could do anything about it. This was worse than that. At least we had some fair judges, and each town, region, and so on had their own system of sorts, then we had the overarching aspect of it all. This… well, this was fifteen people governing millions of lives without voting, without anyone but them having a voice in the matter.

They deserved to be destroyed, but just as with the Human judicial system, there was nothing we could do. Bernard was the most powerful Omega I had met, and we barely squeezed by Carmilla with Odie fighting her pheromones just enough to aid me. Without everyone rising up at the same time or a super secret sneak attack where we poisoned them without them knowing, I didn't see a way to destroy them. At least not yet.

Even then, did I want to be a part of that? Was I ready to take up a leadership role in taking down the council? I was one person with a handful of others at my back. Sure, I'd take on some douche bags, but this was another level, and I'd be insane to choose to openly defy them. I'd work on controlling my pheromones, and maybe one day I'd think differently, but today, I chose life and happiness with my mates, not death.

"Carmine, do you have anything to say?" Bernard's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I glared up at him. "Nothing?"

"Don't be a—"

"You know very well that she is mute. Either release her arm and let Ellie interpret, or give her a pen and paper. You've always been a cruel person, but I didn't expect this level of idiotic pettiness. How you share blood with Arthur, I'll never know." Gerard cut off Ellie. I wanted to know what she was going to call him, but it was probably for the best that we didn't find out.

Bernard sneered down at Gerard, then snapped his fingers again, pointing at me. "Untie her.

Let's see what the mute mutant has to say for herself."

No one laughed or even acknowledged what I thought was a poor attempt at a joke. I didn't mind being called a mutant, maybe that's what they referred to Humans as in secret, but it wasn't the insult he thought it was. Had he never seen—scratch that, of course he had never dove into comic books or the series and movies that came from them. If he did, he"d understand how big of a compliment it was.

I was different, strong, and most likely the end of him. I smirked as one of the guards untied me. Rolling my wrist, I saw the raw circle it left. Moving it only caused more irritation, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.

What do you want to know? Shall I start from Lucinda being a cunty neighbor and being a head boss in the sex trade right under your noses, or should I jump to Oliver attacking me and taking my arm because of your shitty rules? Ellie should hold back because she was a part of their world and they expected much of her even now, but I was nothing but a lowly Human turned Omega. It was true that Ellie had to translate, but it was all still coming from me. It was a little treat for her though, I'm sure.

"So crass." Bernard grimaced again, but as I looked around, a few of the members were covering their mouths, attempting to hide laughter. "Lucinda isn't a part of this."

Yes, she is. My existence only came into play because she was going to kidnap Ellie and force—Ellie held up her hand and corrected my statement, filling in some gaps that she was comfortable with sharing.

"Mine saved me from her initially, but she still took me with the help of Vaila. All of this you should know and be aware of, and yet no one checked in on me, the heir to the aid of the council. I hadn't decided if I was going to follow that path or not, but your lack of concern made my decision easier. Even if we didn't end up here where we are now, I would never join you or serve you in such a way." Ellie took a deep breath, trying to push down the wobble in her voice.

From this angle, I could see the unshed tears that threatened to fall as she thought about what her aunt had done to her.

"And now, Lucinda is still out there, doing who the fuck knows what, and have you done a single thing about it? One true thing to find her and end this? You don't have to answer because we all know the answer. Now, back to what Mine was saying. Lucinda is the core of all of this. She wouldn't be here, none of us would be, if Lucinda hadn't moved in next door to someone who was on your watch list. This is all her fault, so if you are going to blame someone and silence them forever, it should be her. Two birds, one stone if you really think about it." Ellie paused and looked at me. "Do you have anything to add? Make it good." She smiled sadly at me, and I knew exactly what to say, spilling my thoughts from before.

I don't give a shit about you or your rules or what you think about me and the Humans or mutants or whatever you call us. All I want to do is find a place I can call home, relearn to trust the people in my life, and grow old so I can yell at stupid kids for being in my yard. I have no intention of fighting you, just like I have no intention to follow you in any way.

With your ruling, deciding that we are free under the constraints of silence on this topic, you'd never hear from me again. Obviously, I can't speak for the people behind or beside me, but that's where I stand. Fuck you, fuck all of this, and truly just fuck off so I can sleep and heal from the garbage you and this world has put me through. Satisfied?

The entire room fell into silence as Ellie finished speaking. I glanced around, seeing various looks on the council member's faces. Just as before, some were amused and nodding in some level of agreement or understanding while others were nearly blank or annoyed at the rant I had presented.

Arthur had a serene and proud smile on his face as he looked at me with blue eyes that matched his son's. Bernard, on the other hand, seemed like he was about to blow and take us all with him. His face was redder than before, and his nostrils flared haphazardly. His jaw was clenched so tightly I wondered how his teeth hadn't already shattered.

Should I keep going? I have plenty more to rant about. Losing my arm, being drugged, looking at your angry mug—

"Silence!" Bernard boomed. Most likely to his chagrin, no one flinched or seemed in any way affected by his yelling. "We vote. Now."

Anxiety coursed through me, knowing that if they decided to go through with their original verdict, we would all be carted away, and I doubted we would get to say any sort of goodbyes. I was in hell again, reliving the deaths of my past.

I sat down and slumped back in the chair, waiting for them to finish. I glanced behind me, seeing Odie's and Cy's eyes staring back with so much sorrow and regret in their eyes. I knew they thought they had failed me, but they gave my life some purpose and removed the curse that had been hanging over my head for nearly two decades. Thanks to them, I had friends and a family again. I had hope that I'd be able to see my blood relatives once more without worrying about them dying. I found out what happened to my parents too. I knew so much more than I did, and I would always be thankful and indebted to them.

It wasn't all good, and as we stared into each other's eyes, we understood and accepted that. However, it didn't mean things were over. We needed time to heal and seal back together. We were on our way there until Carmilla showed up. Maybe this would be just another wrench in the machine of our lives, and we would be snuggled up watching a movie tomorrow. I smiled at them but refused to let tears fall as I turned back around, and Bernard called out for the vote to commence.

"What say you, council members? All in favor of accepting their promise of silence and setting them free, please stand." I watched as Bernard sat down, then closed my eyes.

Chairs scraped from around the room, and although I couldn't count the number exactly, I knew it was a close call.

"Last chance to change your vote," Bernard said. "Tallies are in." Annoyance laced his words, and when I opened my eyes, I knew why. "Eight to six in favor of release. You're lucky. Even if Carmilla was here, the favor would be yours. Handle the rest, Herman." Bernard rolled his eyes and stood up, exiting the room with the flare only a pompous Omega could give.

I sat, frozen and dazed by what happened.

"You could have a future with us one day, Mine," Arthur said from my left. When I looked at him, he winked, then followed after his son.

I would never do such a thing, but that's not what he meant. Change was coming, whether I was the center of it or not, and I was, if nothing else, opinionated and unafraid to speak my mind. He had hope for the future and the downfall of the council. I could see it in his eyes, but I couldn't return the sentiment. I wasn't meant to lead or cause their downfall. I was meant to live and heal and find my place in this world next to my mates. If that meant I'd be given some level of power one day, then I'd take it, but the fight wasn't in me. If I had to guess, someone or a few someones in this room would be at the center, and I couldn't wait to see what came from it.