Page 7 of Knot Their Arrangement

"Your father may be rich,"Astraea had said while working her magic,"but money can't buy the kind of protection Velvet's contacts provide."

If it wasn’t for Velvet, we wouldn’t be here. Surviving under a roof the very government can’t easily touch.

At least…not yet anyway.

However, it’s only a matter of time.

Only a number of ticks and tocs before we’re finally hunted and claimed. To be used and abused in this world that despises Omegas as if we’re not a part of this ecosystem between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas.

My thumb hovers over the answer button as my heart races. These calls are becoming rarer – my mother only reaches out when she can be absolutely certain she won't be caught.

Each time, her voice carries more worry, more resignation.

Finally, I accept the call, bringing the phone to my ear with a slightly trembling hand.

"Hello?" I keep my voice soft, matching the hushed tone I know she'll use.

"Kamari? Beta?" Her voice comes through equally quiet, the endearment –meaning 'child' in our mother tongue– making my chest ache. "Are you well?"

"I'm okay, Mother." I switch to Hindi, the language feeling both familiar and foreign on my tongue after months away. "Are you safe?"

"For the moment." There's rustling in the background, and I picture her in her private prayer room – the only place my father doesn't have monitored. "Are you eating properly? Taking your supplements?"

Typical mother questions, but I hear the real concern underneath. She's really asking if I'm healthy enough to survive on my own, away from the cushioned life I was raised in.

"Yes, Mother. I'm taking care of myself." I pause, knowing what's coming next. "How...how is everyone?"

"Your father..." She takes a shaky breath. "Kamari, I don't have much time left before I have to support his decisions. You understand, don't you? I've held him off as long as I could, but..."

"Why?" The word comes out sharper than I intended. "Why would you want me to walk the same path you did? To experience the same heartache?"

"Beta—"

"To be nothing but a trophy wife to Alphas who only see dollar signs when they look at me?" My voice cracks. "Is that what you want for your only daughter?"

The silence that follows is heavy with unspoken pain.

"I never wished this for you," she finally whispers, her voice thick with tears. "But I have no say. That's my punishment as an Omega myself. My purpose is just to obey and raise the kids they make. Nothing more."

"So because I'm the only female, I deserve to be tossed like trash to the first set of Alphas who promised riches and business opportunities?" The heat building in my core turns to anger, making me sit up straight. "Is that all I'm worth to this family?"

"Do you know," I continue, my voice trembling with barely contained emotion, "that Vladislav Petrov can't even pronounce my name correctly? My own supposed Alpha-to-be butchers 'Kamari Prava Ahvi' like it's some tongue twister he's forced to endure."

My mother's sharp intake of breath tells me I've struck a nerve.Good. Someone needs to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"He calls me 'Kammy'…like I'm some American sorority girl he picked up at a bar." The disgust in my voice is palpable. "As if generations of cultural significance can be reduced to a cheap nickname because he's too privileged to put in the effort."

"Beta, please?—"

"No, Mother. You need to hear this." I stand up, pacing the small confines of my room as the words pour out. "Do you know what he said during the engagement dinner? When Nani tried to explain the significance of the Mehndi ceremony?"

I don't wait for her response.

"He called our traditions 'useless Indian customs'…in that thick Russian accent of his, as if coming from what he believes is a first-world country somehow makes him superior." The memory makes my blood boil all over again. "He couldn't even be bothered to hide his disdain. And this is the man Father wants me to submit to?"

"Vladislav...he may lack knowledge regarding our roots," my mother attempts to reason, her voice small, "but that's something he can learn with time. Many international marriages?—"

"Learn?" I can't help but laugh, though there's no humor in it. "Mother, in order for one to learn, they must WANT to learn. There's a very big difference between someone who learns enough to get by and pretends they know it all versus someone genuinely interested in understanding the layers of our culture, our religion, and the impact these traditions have on our daily lives."

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