Page 6 of Coveted

As irritating as Tina could sometimes be, Alana appreciated her for that, at least. She would have been embarrassed if anything was ever said about the things that happened during her cycle when she couldn’t control her urges, but Tina had always acted as if those days never happened.

Settling into her pile of bedding, Alana twisted and turned until she found a position where she could relax, pulling her blankets over her head to block out the too-large space around her. She didn’t even have the chance to indulge in the cry she’d so desperately wanted, sleep pulling her under before Tina turned off the light and shut the door.

Chapter Four

Vax

It had been an entire week, and he still couldn’t get Leir’s words out of his head.

“Maybe bonding would mellow you a bit…”

Huffing, he closed the latest report from his Camp Directors. They’d begun running an extra half-shift at the mine two days prior, and Varner was working on enticing more experienced miners and people to work the refinery to Farcon 1, but Vax wasn’t sure it was going to help.

Turning his attention to the plans for the new mine, he tried to focus, but a giggle out in the hallway distracted him. It was great that the staff was no longer so fearful that they worked in silence, but the flirtations he could hear beyond his door were just a reminder of how long it had been since he’d had time for a female.

Shaking his head at himself, he opened a new browser, typing in the information for the Omega Market. It was foolish to waste the time looking, but maybe if he assuaged his curiosity, he’d be able to get the idea out of his head.

Vax had never bothered logging in before, so it took a bit to get his credentials set up and get through the red tape to be ableto view the available omegas. Before becoming Chancellor, he hadn’t warranted access to the Market, and in the time since he hadn’t thought about it, but seeing Leir so happy with his mate was a siren call.

The list that populated was overwhelming. The Federation was a huge organization, and while each Collection Center rarely had more than one or two omegas at a time, some planets had multiple Centers, and there were hundreds of planets. Omegas didn’t stay available for long since there was such a demand for them, but that didn’t mean there was ever a lack of choices with new ones being added every day.

Vax scrolled down the page before altering the filters. He scoffed at the questions about what he wanted in his ideal omega, but decided to play along, typing in what he expected to be an unfillable request.

He wanted a female compatible with him, of course. Most species in the Federation could crossbreed, but there were a few that couldn’t, and while children may freak him out a bit, that didn’t mean he didn’t feel the imperative to breed.

And some species wouldn’t be suitable for life on Farcon 1. The planet tended to be dry and hot for most of the year. The mountains that covered much of the surface prevented large storms from forming, most of the rain falling on the mountainsides when the clouds were blocked from moving on, so the city got its water from the nearby river. An aquatic species would be very uncomfortable, as would any from cooler climates.

Thinking of Elise and how tempting she’d been when they first found her, he set soft-skinned species as his preference, marking Human as his first choice. Humans were widespread, having overpopulated their planet in record time and moved on to inhabit others even before Earth was brought into theFederation, and part of the reason was that they seemed to produce more omegas than other species.

He added in a requirement that the omega be familiar with etiquette and interplanetary protocols, as well as Federation laws, a preference for an older female when the majority available were still on the cusp of adulthood, and wasn’t surprised when his results narrowed to zero.

Sighing, he almost ignored the last question that popped up.

Would you like to be informed if an omega who matches your requirements becomes available?

Knowing it was highly unlikely to happen, he clickedYesanyway before closing the browser. He needed a unicorn, yet with all the planets explored by the Federation, Earth’s most well-known mythical creature had yet to be found.

Leaning back in his seat, he rolled his neck, stretching his shoulders to try to relieve the tension coiled there. He had no luck with that either, and gave up when he heard a knock on his office door.

There was work to be done. He didn’t have the time to daydream about some perfect omega showing up and fixing all his problems. He’d have to do that himself.

Vax settled in to listen to the next report to determine the best location to open another mine. There were basic plans for each vein that had been identified, but that didn’t tell him which was the best option to pour his resources into. Some were too deep or too small to make them worthwhile with the time crunch he faced, while the most likely vein faced the issue of not having anywhere nearby for them to build a Camp for the workers.

The rest of the day passed in a rush of meetings, almost all focused on doing what the other Chancellors were pushing him for. In the beginning, Vax had tried to do everything himself, and had ended up buried so deep under a pile of day-to-day tasks that he couldn’t take a second to breath, much less tryto make the changes his people so desperately needed. Varner had helped him delegate, bringing forward servants who’d been handling the issues for years, so Vax only had to handle to occasional odd occurrence.

Once he’d learned to let the minor things go, Vax had been able to put more focus on the real issues, and while he’d stayed busy, it hadn’t been the non-stop flood caused by the increasing demands. The city was growing along with the Camps, and it needed his attention just as much as the new projects, but he was only one person.

By the time he made it back to his suite in the West Wing he barely had the energy to pull his boots off before flopping onto the mattress, but his tablet beeped as he was drifting off, dragging him back to awareness. Groaning, he reached for where he’d left it on the side table, squinting at the brightness when the screen lit and showed him the notification.

An omega who fit his requirements had been added to the Market.

Disbelief was the first emotion to roll through him, but his pulse quickly gave away the excitement that followed. It was hard to believe an omega who matched the parameters he’d set just happened to become available mere hours after he’d entered them in the system, and he braced himself for disappointment.

There had to be a catch.

Logging into the Market, he clicked on the notification, disappointment hitting him when the profile loaded. The photo segment was blank, as were many of the sections the omega was supposed to fill in. Hobbies, preferences, anything that required a personal opinion, was empty, and he almost closed the window before he noticed the Family Background box.

She was the daughter of a Chancellor.

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