Chapter Text
The blonde omega gazes out her window, blue eyes tracing the land below for the millionth time. A sigh seeps into the room and she looks to the sky, wishing she was with her alpha.
Clarke stares unseeingly into the sky as she imagines again what her life would be like if the alpha could get her away from her mother. They'd run away to the alpha's country.
She would no longer be treated as less than. She would no longer fear getting raped and then belonging to that alpha, since an alpha that takes an omega's purity will then own that omega. She would no longer fear when the time comes that her sire sells her to a cruel alpha.
Some think that being rich is a dream come true but for omegas, it's a nightmare. There are laws against the sale and purchase of omegas but for high society, it is a common practice.
Just another reason to flee to the alpha's country. There, omegas are treated as equals by all and there are harsh punishments to those that try to sell or purchase or rape an omega.
Sounds like paradise to the blonde omega.
Her own country might lead in the world's medicine and technology but there's much to be desired on other important fronts.
Clarke's thoughts are cut off when she hears the lock being turned in her door. It's for her own protection, her sire told her. With there being guests, alpha guests, for tonight's ball, she needed to be out of their reach.
"Clarke."
"Mother."
"Make sure you are presentable tonight. Some very important guests will be attending tonight. I expect you on your best behavior."
The alpha's pheromones flare slightly as she speaks, letting her daughter know she's being serious. There's an undertone of threat in her scent that the omega doesn't miss.
"Of course, mother," she drawls, turning away from the window. "I'd hate to disappoint." Clarke's chin raises marginally in defiance.
Her sire's eyes narrow at the slight challenge but she ignores it in favor of more important things like making sure everything is ready for tonight. The older woman leaves, locking the door behind her.
Clarke sighs, gaze falling back to the world outside.
At least her alpha might be in attendance tonight. She really hopes to see her, she misses her so.
After they met at a ball on night, they've been completely smitten ever since. Though with Abby's ever watchful stare, it was hard for them to see each other. And although the alpha lives in the neighboring country it took too long of a trip to visit often. Plus, with the alpha immersed in helping to run her country, it doesn't leave a whole lot of room to visit.
The blonde wonders when the doctors of her country would find the cure to the plague devastating her alpha's country. She knows that when they do, Trikru will be much more likely to hold the nobles of Arkadia to a higher standard as their treaty states.
And finally getting a treaty with a country with the largest and most capable army is not something to be lost in a hurry. Not to mention the several countries whose loyalties are absolute to the head pack of Trikru.
Clarke shakes her head. She does not know why she thinks of such things as politics as her family may be old and rich but has no real power, politically or otherwise. Though, even if they did, she's an omega so she'd never see any of that power anyway.
The blonde sighs again, letting her thoughts drift to living in another country with her alpha as they ruled the country together and the harder task of taking care of their pups.
Clarke let the fake smile she plastered on her face hours earlier to fall, letting out a sigh as the sleezy son of a noble finally left her alone – got pulled away.
"Are you not enjoying yourself, my lady?"
Clarke stiffens and spins around but manages to force herself from launching into the alpha's arms.
"Princess Alexandra," she greets formally, dropping into a low curtsy. She can already feel her mother's eyes burning into her.
Clarke offers her hand and the alpha takes it with care, their hands gravitating towards the alpha as opposed to being almost jerked there like most alphas do.
The alpha's puffy lips brush against her knuckles, lingering just a tad too long to be considered strictly etiquette. Clarke lightly bites the inside of her lip to keep from reacting.
"Please, my lady," she begins as she straightens to her full height of nearly 6 feet – her family, royal and branches of cousins all have height and most of the men are quite broad. Certainly the family with the physical capabilities to lead. "Although high society as where we find ourselves demands a certain detachedness, I must request you give me the courtesy of addressing me as Lexa. If you would be more comfortable adding my title before so, feel free as I would not be opposed."
Clarke opens her mouth to protest – there are eyes and ears everywhere, one can never be too careful –but Lexa holds up a hand to stop her.
"I apologize for cutting my lady off but I must remind you of our standing acquaintanceship from time spent in attendance to the same balls," the alpha says with an underline of mischievousness in her voice.
Clarke lets out a small, unladylike huff. "If it is at your insistence then I shall refrain from acting as dictated and instead refer to your majesty as Princess Lexa if it so pleases her majesty."
"It does," the alpha tells her, eyes darkening slightly. Clarke swallows hard.
Clarke bows slightly in acceptance and revels in the way the alpha's scent changes slightly, knowing that she enjoys shows of submission from the blonde. Clarke enjoys it as well, knowing that it didn't stem from her being a controlling pompous alpha. The alpha simply has certain kinks.
The omega's face turns a dark shade of red at just thinking such an erotic word.
Lexa, knowing her thought process as well as her own, smirks at her.
After innocently conversing for a few minutes longer, the alpha is whisked away to talk to other self-important people.
"Lady Clarke, you are looking as beautiful as always."
Clarke rolls her eyes but turns to face the alpha anyway.
"How kind of you to say," Clarke tells him with fake politeness, a mastered art of hers but didn't even try to sound genuine.
Bellamy smirks at her in a way that she knows is supposed to make women swoon.
"Is your sister here?"
"No, I'm afraid she needed to stay home to tend to my mother."
It's a known secret that after Bellamy's father died, he became alpha of the house before he was ready. He tries to keep control by not allowing his mother and sister to leave the house, as well as regulating who worked there and visited.
Clarke and his younger sister, a fiery omega – Octavia, are actually quite good friends. The bad side of the friendship is that with Bellamy's controlling nature, she's required to spend most of their visits at the Blake household as opposed to anywhere else including the Griffin estate which led to Bellamy trying to court her.
However, although the Blakes are nobles, they are at the bottom and are looked down upon by every other noble, especially once Bellamy took over the household. Because of this, Bellamy has no chance of purchasing Clarke and so he attempts to – badly – court Clarke in hopes of taking her purity.
Though, even if he managed to do so, her sire might make him regret the choice anyway.
The omega sighs, barely pretending to listen to the alpha talk about himself.
She misses when his father was still alive. The man was a bastard but not abusive and spent most of his time away from home for business.
When he was still alive, Bellamy was a better man and a better alpha. But when his father died, he tried too hard to be what he thought the head alpha is supposed to be and his infatuation with Clarke turned into a twisted love, a path to more power. Where the Blakes are at the bottom, the Griffins are at the top.
Which Clarke finds silly since either way they don't have any real power. Aside from bribing those that do.
The blonde's thoughts drift to how she'll get Octavia away with her when Lexa takes her away. She knows it's soon but her best friend has no one she longs to mate as Clarke does. And with her being a noble, she can't just take her away so easily. Besides, she doubts Bellamy would respect the rule for purity high society has.
"What are your thoughts, my lady?"
Clarke blinks, coming back to reality and realizing the alpha is staring at her expectantly.
She forces out a small laugh, "I apologize Mr. Blake but my mind seems to have drifted slightly. What was your question?"
Bellamy chuckles. "It's quite alright, I'm well aware omegas can't keep focus for very long what with my sister and mother."
Clarke bristles, working her jaw to keep from snapping at him.
"Anyway, I-"
"Ah there you are."
Clarke turns at her sire's voice and her stomach plummets to her feet when she sees the alpha with her.
"If you'll excuse us, Mr. Blake," Abby says with barely hidden contempt – god forbid the alpha is forced to speak with one she deems less than.
"Clarke, I'm sure you remember Mr. Collins."
"Oh," Finn cuts in, before Clarke can speak. "Please, my father is Mr. Collins. I have much to learn before attempting to fill the shoes my father keeps as head of our household. I must politely ask you refer to me simply as Mr. Finn," he smiles charmingly. Clarke wants to punch him. "At least until I'm worthier of such a title."
"If you insist," Abby resigns and Clarke is quite sure if her sire could swoon, the alpha would.
Her sire looks at her. Obviously, it's now her allotted time to speak.
"Mr. Collins," she says, curtsying. She knows better than to assume the gesture extended to her as well.
"Lady Clarke," he bows minutely. "If you would be so kind as to address me as Mr. Finn."
He leaves the rest of the sentence unfinished, balancing etiquette and the lack of respect omegas are entitled to in a way that she's sure makes her sire proud.
"Of course, Mr. Finn."
"I'll take my leave and allow the two of you time to talk," Abby says, before walking away.
Clarke's chest constricted at the shine in her mother's eyes as well as the actions of her sire.
She needs to find Lexa. They don't have much time.
Finn's eyes travel her body, taking his time and Clarke feels as disgusted as if there are actual unwanted hands on her body. She would need to have her handmaiden, Raven, prepare her a bath after the ball concluded.
"You are quite beautiful, Lady Clarke," Finn says, his grin creepier than when he was speaking with her sire.
Clarke suppresses a shiver. The Collins are known for their rough treatment of betas and omegas, cruelly playing mind games, having parties where their omega of choice was rape and ripped to pieces in the alphas' frenzy.
Bile rose to the back of Clarke's throat at the possibility of Finn taking her before Lexa had the chance to save her. Her sire has already chosen him for her so she probably doesn't have long. Alphas, the Collins, are not patient people.
"Thank you, Mr. Finn, you are too kind," Clarke says quietly, not making eye contact for too long.
The one time she would welcome the feel of her sire's eyes on her, she does not.
"Your pups will be quite beautiful as well. I imagine with your sizable hips ad breasts you will good at making a number of them."
Clarke blushes deeply at his crassness. 'Disgusting,' she thinks.
"I've always wanted a large, beautiful, strong family," Finn comments almost off-handedly, looking at her body with a mix of hunger, anticipation, and like one would like at expensive silverware, inspecting it to make sure it was good enough.
Clarke feels the breath ripped from her lungs.
She was right.
She knew she was right but she thought..
Didn't her sire feel anything for her?
Clarke wonders how her father ever fell in love with her sire.
Especially as she's sure that had her sire loved her father, she would've gotten rid of her omega father after he become worthless. Which to alphas means an omega that can't bear pups or can't bare alphas.
Her father had a hard pregnancy with her, almost dying but pulled through. Unfortunately for her sire however, all she got was an omega daughter and her omega mate incapable of baring more children.
She remembers when she was younger, she confided in her father, admitting that she didn't think her sire was capable of loving. She was quite surprised to find out that after they found out Jake couldn't bare any more pups, he got so depressed thinking his mate wouldn't want him anymore he basically went into abandonment and it took years of coaxing and love and work from her sire to convince him otherwise.
Clarke's never told him that although her sire loves him very much, she doesn't think she loves her at all.
The fact that Clarke is going to be sold to Finn Collins, an alpha man-child as cruel and sadistic as his father, solidifies her belief that her sire holds no feelings of care or love towards her.
And she's not sure what hurts more, that realization even after holding onto the thinnest thread of hope for years, or her future.
Finn is finally taken away by his father to talk to more important people and Clarke can breathe a little easier.
The blonde searches desperately for her alpha but cannot find her or her scent.
She subtly brings up the alpha to a guest only to find that the alpha needed to leave for her own country as apparently certain things were moved up to sooner than planned and she had to return to her own country at once.
Clarke lets out a depressed sigh.
Abby runs the house with an iron fist so it is difficult to send letters, especially all the way to the neighboring kingdom. But she needs to get word to Lexa.
Their time has run out.