28 The Omega’s Fight
Sera
The dresser leaned in close, her breath smelling of peppermint and dried herbs. She dabbed a cool, damp cloth against the scratches on my forearm. “You’ll be fine,” she said, her voice steady. “It’s just a scratch. It’ll heal up in a few hours if you leave it alone.”
I nodded, watching the red lines on my skin slowly stop seeping. I wasn’t worried about the blood. I was thinking about what Fenris had said before he left. Taya’s father was a council chief, a man with power. Tomorrow was going to be a political nightmare, and I was right at the center of it.
Mina stood at the edge of the firelight, her arms crossed over her chest. She waited in silence, watching the dresser pack up her supplies.
“Try to rest,” the dresser told me as she stood up. “The body heals faster when the mind is quiet.” She gave a small, respectful bow and disappeared through the heavy door.
Mina didn’t move. She just stood there, her hands on her hips, her eyes fixed on me. I could see her from the corner of my eye as I traced the edge of the bandage on my arm. The silence in the room grew thick, heavy with everything that had happened in the last hour.
“Are you seeking approval to speak, Mina?” I finally asked. I looked up, meeting her gaze.
Mina let out a long, ragged sigh. “I’m really sorry, Sera.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said, shaking my head. “She came in here looking for a fight. She found one.”
“Taya is a troublemaker,” Mina said, walking forward into the light. “She’s always been like that. And… she’s actually strong.”
I touched my bruised cheek. “I got that today.”
“She’s been sassy since we were little kids,” Mina continued.
I looked at her, surprised. “You’ve known her that long?”
“Since we were children,” Mina said with a nod. “And I’ve always hated her. She bullied me growing up. She used to throw the meanest words at me. Called me the Bastard Child.”
I felt a sharp pang of sympathy. I knew what it was like to be an outsider in your own home. “Why did no one caution her?”
“My brother did,” Mina said. A small smile touched her lips. “Dimitri. He always supported me.” She laughed softly, a brittle sound that echoed in the room. “Once, Taya ambushed me at the playground. She beat me up pretty bad. I tried to keep it a
secret, but Dimitri found out.”
I watched her face as she remembered.
“He marched me right back to that playground,” Mina said. “Taya was there with all her goons. Dimitri didn’t care. He actually beat them all up.” Her laugh was louder now. “It caused huge issues between our houses back then. Our father was furious with him.”
“Viktor?” I asked.
“Yes,” Mina said. “He told Dimitri he should know better than soiling his name over a playground scrap. I was at the study door, listening. Dimitri asked him if he would have preferred he let his sister be hunted.”
She went quiet for a second, her expression hardening.
“Our father said one thing that day that I never forgot,” Mina whispered. “He told Dimitri to leave me to defend myself. He said if I couldn’t defend myself, I wasn’t fit to be called an Alpha’s daughter.”
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That hit me hard. It sounded exactly like the cold, hard logic my own father used.
“He was right,” Mina said, her voice flat. “I was weak growing up. I was the laughing stock of the pack. And worse of all… I was an Omega.”
My heart lurched. “You’re an Omega?”
“Yes,” Mina said. “Dimitri defended me multiple times after that, but he had to be careful. He stopped hitting people and just made sure I wasn’t alone. He made sure the guards always had their eyes on me.” 1
She looked at me, her eyes bright with a sudden, fierce energy. “But he wasn’t always there. Bullies always find a way. So I learned to be bold. I used my tongue. I never backed down. Once, Taya sneaked into my room while I was sleeping and cut my hair off. It made me furious. But every time she did something to me, I did something back. Eventually, she stopped the physical stuff.”
I listened, realizing why she was the way she was. She had being surviving all her life.
“I’m also an Omega,” I said quietly.
Mina nodded. “I know.”
She stepped closer to the bed, her expression softening into something real. “That’s why I was attracted to you, Sera. Why I wanted things to work between you and Fenris. I want you to win.”
I nodded, finally understanding. We weren’t just a princess and a handmaid. We were two Omegas in a world built for Alphas, just trying to keep our heads above the water.
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