Kira
Zina and I headed to the Omega tent after I had told her repeatedly that I could send for my mom, but she insisted on going to meet her herself.
"Come on, Kira, I'm not a monster," she laughed. The Alpha didn't say it's forbidden to visit an Omega. Or are you ashamed of me?”
"What?" I laughed, bristling. "It should be the other way around."
"Then let's go. I can't wait to see your mom.”
She walked in, confident, sharing a small smile with them and looking them directly in the eye. The Omegas had curious looks, probably wondering what a sophisticated lady was doing with an Omega.
We were an unusual pair, and they began whispering among themselves with their eyes boring holes into me. I tried to dodge their attention and quickly guided her toward the second building.
Although none of the Omegas came close or said anything distasteful, I was uncomfortable with the way they were looking at me.
I had already briefed my mom about Zina, who broke down the previous day while sharing her infertility story, so when I took her to our bedroom, my mom welcomed her with a genuine smile that reached her eyes. Her face softened, and Zina even hugged her.
My mom's eyes grew wide as she turned to face me, and Zina would not move away from her. Zina broke down in tears.
My mom led her to the sofa while encouraging her, and I was moved to tears for her.
"I'm sorry," Zina wiped her tears. "It's just been so hard to conceive. We've been married for five years and always dreamed of having a child. My husband wants one too..."
Her voice hitched while I scooted closer, trying to console her.
"He's been so supportive," she continued. "He never wants to stress me or make our childlessness a big deal. He always says we can have a happy life with or without children, but I hate this infertile stage of my life. I want to be a mom so bad that I'd go to any lengths to make this dream come true."
"It's so bad that whenever I see a baby, I just wanna rip them straight out of their mother's hands. I don't want to get a surrogate either; I want to experience the joys of being pregnant."
"You will," my mom smiled. "It's funny how life works that when we long for something, it doesn't get to us. I can make you some concoctions, but it's important to believe in their power."
"Of course," she blinked back her tears, sitting up and willing to try anything. "All I want is to conceive."
My mom excused herself and returned later with a strange-looking concoction, giving Zina a small dose. When held to the light, it formed bright blue.
She packaged the rest in an airtight container and told Zina how to use it. Zina thanked her profusely, and we made our way downstairs.
This time, I didn't care about the curious gazes anymore. When my gaze caught sight of Amari at the stairs, I felt a tug in my heart.
She stood there with a blank expression on her face and tongue-tied. Her gaze lowered, and although I could not tell if she felt regret, she had been putting on a front, acting as though she intended to carry on with this feud.
Although I would never forget what she and Zion did to me, I wished our friendship could be fixed and hoped for reconciliation because, at the end of the day, I didn't even want Zion.
"Who's that girl?" Zina asked when we headed outside. "You looked very uncomfortable when you saw her."
"Oh, that was Amari. She used to be my best friend."
"Used to be? What happened between you two?"
"It's complicated. I was seeing a guy before the bond with the Alpha, but my best friend frolic led with the idiot behind my back, and kept his secret from me. I caught them, instead of feeling remorseful, they were incredibly rude about it. It hurt me deeply, and that's why we fell out."
"That's messed up," she shook her head. "With friends like her, who needs enemies?"
"It's tough because she's kind of like my only friend, and it hurts to see us drift apart."
"Well, in that case, you should try to talk things out with her. She might be looking for a way to apologize, but pride can be a barrier for us."
I thanked her with a smile. "I'll do that.”