The morning bell rang at six a.m. sharp, the same shrill, metallic screech that dragged omegas out of their beds every single day. It didn't matter if you were sick, half-dead, or dreaming of running away, the bell always won.
Kaela Veyra lay on her bunk and glared at the ceiling like it had personally offended her.
"Up, Omegas!" a guard's voice barked through the hallway speaker. "Line up in five minutes!"
His voice was as charming as sandpaper.
Kaela pulled the thin gray blanket over her head and muttered, "One day, I'll use those five minutes to strangle him with his own tie."
From the bunk above hers, Miren groaned dramatically and leaned down, her hair falling in Kaela's face. "You'll get assigned to a prison guard if you keep saying things like that."
Kaela peeked out, unimpressed. "Assigned? Please. The system wouldn't waste me on a guard. I'm far too irritating. They'll save me for a politician."
Miren snorted, then tried to cover it with a cough. "Don't joke about it, Kael. You know they can hear everything."
Kaela sat up, her collar glinting under the dim light. A sleek black band, thin and smooth, deceptively harmless-looking. Inside, it hummed with the tracking chip and pheromone suppressants that every omega was forced to wear.
The government called them "safety devices."
Kaela called them what they really were: leashes.
She touched the collar lightly, then let her hand drop. No point dwelling.
The two of them joined the slow shuffle of omegas spilling into the hall. Over a hundred girls lined up, identical gray uniforms, identical collars. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, and the smell of disinfectant clung to the air like a warning.
Guards in black uniforms paced along the line, hands resting on their batons. Kaela caught one of them watching her a little too closely, as if daring her to step out of line. She smiled sweetly in return, which only made him frown harder.
"Stop provoking them," Miren hissed, nudging her.
"I wasn't provoking," Kaela said innocently. "I was radiating charm."
The roll call began, each name ticked off with mechanical precision. The other omegas kept their eyes down, their shoulders hunched, as if hoping invisibility would save them.
Kaela, on the other hand, stood tall, gaze fixed straight ahead. It wasn't that she enjoyed the attention. She just refused to give the guards the satisfaction of seeing her shrink.
The bell rang again, signaling the end of inspection and the start of another day. The omegas filed toward the cafeteria, silent as cattle being herded.
Kaela leaned toward Miren as they walked. "Another glorious morning in paradise."
Miren pinched her arm. "If anyone hears you, you'll get detention. Again."
Kaela grinned. "Worth it."
The classroom smelled faintly of chalk and old disinfectant, like even the walls were tired of being here. Rows of gray-uniformed omegas sat stiffly in their seats, collars glinting under the fluorescent lights.
On the blackboard, written in neat white letters, were the words of the day:
"Duty. Obedience. Compatibility."
Kaela slouched in the back row, chin in her palm, staring at the words with all the enthusiasm of a cat watching water boil.
The instructor, a severe beta woman named Mistress Hargate, stalked back and forth across the front of the room. Her hair was tied into a bun so tight it looked like it might be holding her skull together.
"The primary duty of an omega," Hargate droned, "is to maintain harmony within her future household. This means obedience to her assigned alpha, diligent attention to her children, and....."
Kaela tuned her out. She'd heard the same speech a hundred times before. If the system thought repeating it every day would brainwash her, they clearly hadn't accounted for her complete lack of patience.
Her pen tip scraped quietly under the desk as she carved letters into the wood. She'd already written FRE yesterday. Today, she added another careful stroke.
FREE.
There. That looked better.
"Omega Veyra."
Kaela froze, the pen still in her hand. Slowly, she looked up. Mistress Hargate's cold eyes locked onto hers like a hawk spotting a rabbit.
"What," Kaela said, "was the question?"
Gasps fluttered through the classroom. Miren buried her face in her hands.
Hargate's lips thinned. "The question, Omega Veyra, was: What is the primary duty of an assigned mate?"
Kaela leaned back in her chair, deliberately casual. "To survive the assignment?"
The room went dead silent.
Miren made a choking noise. Someone in the front row stifled a laugh before quickly pretending to cough.
Mistress Hargate's face darkened like a storm cloud. "Detention. Again."
Kaela smiled sweetly. "I'll add it to my collection."
Miren elbowed her hard in the ribs as Kaela gathered her books. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Not yet," Kaela whispered back. "But I'm working on one."
The rest of the lecture droned on without her. Kaela sat outside the classroom, leaning against the cold wall, twirling the pen between her fingers. A pair of guards strolled past, barely sparing her a glance.
Snippets of conversation drifted through the open classroom window.
"They're coming today."
"Really? The inspectors?"
"Actual alphas. I heard they can make omegas faint just by growling."
"No way! That's just a rumor."
"My cousin said one look from an alpha can scramble your hormones for weeks."
Kaela rolled her eyes. The way they spoke, you'd think alphas were mythical beasts instead of just… people. Overgrown, self-important people, sure. But still people.
She pressed her head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Inspectors, huh?
Most omegas would quake in their boots at the thought. Kaela?
She grinned.
"Sounds like fun."
By the time afternoon rolled around, the school buzzed with nervous energy. The rumor about inspectors had spread like wildfire, and even the most disciplined omegas couldn't sit still.
The guards ordered everyone into the assembly hall. A hundred omegas filed in silently, their collars catching the light. The air was thick with fear, tension, and a strange anticipation that left Kaela almost amused.
She took her seat in the back row, folding her arms and watching the stage.
The headmistress, a broad-shouldered beta with a voice sharp enough to cut glass, stood at the podium. "Today," she announced, "we are honored by the presence of Alpha Inspectors from the Ministry of Pairings."
Kaela snorted under her breath. Honored. Right.
The double doors at the end of the hall opened with a slow creak.
Three figures entered.
Two guards flanked the middle one, but all eyes, Kaela's included went to her.
The alpha.
Tall. Sharp lines to her jaw and cheekbones. Uniform tailored perfectly to her frame. Every step she took was measured, deliberate, as if the world shifted just to accommodate her. Her presence hit like a pressure wave—suffocating to some, intoxicating to others.
Kaela felt the weight of it settle over the room like a net. Around her, omegas stiffened, shoulders curving inward. One girl in the front row actually whimpered.
Pathetic.
But when the alpha's gaze swept across the crowd, Kaela's smirk faltered. Just a fraction.
Her eyes were cold steel, sharp enough to cut. Predatory. Assessing. She looked at them not like people, but like property waiting to be cataloged.
The alpha's gaze passed over most omegas without pause. But when it landed on Kaela—
Something shifted.
Kaela leaned back in her chair, deliberately casual, and crossed her legs. She refused to look away.
The alpha arched a brow, the faintest flicker of intrigue breaking her mask.
A ripple of whispers passed through the hall. Omegas noticed. The guards noticed. Miren, seated beside Kaela, nearly fainted.
"Kael," she hissed, panicked, "look down. Look down!"
But Kaela only smirked wider.
The headmistress cleared her throat nervously. "Inspector Kallisar will now begin her evaluation."
So that's her name, Kaela thought, eyes never leaving the alpha. Ryn Kallisar. Strong name. Fitting.
Ryn descended the stage, boots clicking against the polished floor. She stopped at the first row, scanning omegas one by one. The room held its breath.
Kaela kept watching, amused at how the others squirmed under her stare.
Eventually, Ryn's steps brought her down Kaela's aisle. Each footstep echoed in Kaela's chest, steady and unhurried. The other omegas bowed their heads as she passed. One girl actually trembled so hard her chair squeaked.
And then Ryn stopped.
Right in front of Kaela.
The hall seemed to freeze.
Everyone else stared at the floor, but Kaela tilted her head up, meeting Ryn's gaze directly.
Blue-gray eyes locked onto defiant brown.
For a long, charged moment, no one moved.
Kaela could feel her pulse hammering in her throat, but she refused to give in. She curled her lips into the laziest smirk she could muster.
Ryn's gaze sharpened, then narrowed slightly, like she'd just discovered something dangerous and fascinating all at once.
A predator who'd found prey that dared to bare its teeth.
The silence stretched on so long that Kaela swore she could hear the faint hum of the collar around her neck.
Ryn Kallisar stood over her like a storm condensed into human form...tall, sharp, and coiled with power. Her gaze didn't waver, didn't blink, didn't soften.
Most omegas would have folded by now. Kaela knew that. That's what made holding eye contact so much sweeter.
Finally, Ryn spoke.
"Name."
Her voice was low, smooth, carrying an edge of authority that curled down Kaela's spine like smoke. It wasn't loud, but it didn't need to be. The entire hall heard it.
Kaela tilted her head lazily. "I'm pretty sure you already have it on your little clipboard."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Miren actually kicked her ankle under the table, hissing, Are you insane?
Ryn's expression didn't change. Not a twitch. Not a flicker. But the air grew heavier, pressing against Kaela's chest.
"Name," Ryn repeated, softer this time. Dangerous.
Kaela leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm, smirk firmly in place.
"Kaela Veyra. Omega. Professional troublemaker. You're welcome."
A few suppressed snickers broke out in the back before the headmistress silenced them with a glare.
Ryn's eyes narrowed slightly, just enough to show she'd heard the mockery. She took a slow step closer, close enough that Kaela could catch the faint scent beneath the sterile air. It wasn't overwhelming like most alphas were rumored to be. It was subtle. Controlled. Sharp, like ozone before lightning.
Interesting.
"You don't bow," Ryn observed.
Kaela raised a brow. "Do you deserve one?"
Another wave of shock rippled through the omegas. One girl actually covered her mouth with both hands, as if that would stop disaster from spreading.
The corner of Ryn's mouth twitched—not a smile, but something close. Amusement, maybe. Or warning.
"You bite," Ryn said at last.
Kaela's smirk sharpened. "Only if someone's stupid enough to put their hand too close."
The tension snapped like a live wire. Miren buried her face in her arms with a groan. The guards along the walls shifted, ready to intervene.
But Ryn didn't lash out. She didn't bark orders or call for punishment. Instead, she stepped back, gaze lingering on Kaela as if filing her away in some private, dangerous category.
Then, without another word, she moved on down the aisle.
The air in the hall seemed to release all at once. Omegas exhaled, shoulders loosening, whispers starting up like nervous insects.
Miren grabbed Kaela's wrist the second Ryn was out of earshot. "Are you trying to get killed? That was an alpha inspector! She could have had you dragged out and—"
Kaela leaned back in her chair, stretching like a cat, utterly unbothered. "Relax. If she wanted me punished, I'd already be mopping floors with my tongue."
"That's not funny!" Miren snapped.
Kaela grinned. "A little funny."
Still, her eyes drifted back to the stage where Ryn had taken her place again. Their gazes didn't meet this time, but Kaela swore she could still feel the weight of those steel-gray eyes on her.
It wasn't fear that prickled at her skin.
It was something else.
Something far more dangerous.