Page 7 of Coveted

Frowning at the screen, Vax sat up, quickly reading the information that was available.

Alana Ca’Harse, only daughter of the newly named Chancellor of Libeqor.

Libeqor had just been brought into the Federation, something he barely remembered because the others had been discussing the upcoming welcoming ball at the last meeting. The ball he had declined the invitation to, figuring it would be a waste of his time.

A moment of regret hit him before he moved on to the rest of her information. The fact that they’d recently become part of the Federation would explain why she was just being added to the Omega Market, but it didn’t tell him why an omega her age was still unbonded, because she was well past when her first heat should have come.

There was no mention of her being widowed, nor anything listed under Medical Concerns saying she didn’t cycle properly. If it was correct, and she’d never used illegal heat-blockers, the only explanation was that she’d spent her heats alone, and the regret at missing the opportunity to see her morphed into pity.

An omega left without the care of an alpha during her cycle suffered a great deal. Some tried to hide to avoid bonding, but he’d never heard of an omega making it through more than one cycle, much less years of them.

Which made him think there had to be something missing. Some reason or explanation as to why an eligible omega had gone that long without finding a mate.

He growled under his breath, skimming through the scant data again. Her species was listed as Human, but the lack of a photo left him suspicious. As did the missing personal information, but her education and the fact that she had been raised in the exact position he needed her to fill had him arguing over what to do.

Did he want an omega of his own?

Hell yes.

Did he have the time for one?

Absolutely not.

Could she help show him the proper way to interact with the other snooty Chancellors?

Likely.

Was bidding on her a good use of his resources?

Debatable.

Bids were already racking up on the side of the screen beneath the timer showing when the auction would end. The length of the auction was longer than usual, but he’d heard of them doing that for special cases, like Leir’s mate, Elise. She’d been a virgin when she went on the Market, and her auction still held the record for highest final bid.

Not that Leir had been the one to make that bid.

Rubbing tired eyes, Vax groaned. He was tempted, but he already had enough to deal with.

Then again, there may never be another omega as seemingly perfect to be Farcon 1’s First Lady.

He shook his head, tossing the tablet aside and letting himself fall back onto his bed again. He’d already spent a long day weighing pros and cons to every decision he made. This one was a bit more personal, and possibly more important, at least for him. He was too tired to make it without being able to think through all the repercussions.

Rolling to his side, he didn’t bother turning off the tablet, or even covering himself. There were only a few hours left before he needed to be up preparing for more meetings, and he couldn’t waste that time agonizing over some omega he didn’t even know if he’d be attracted to. There was a lot he was willing to give up to take care of his people, but claiming someone he didn’t want was going too far.

Chapter Five

Alana

“What do you like to do?”

“Do you mean what classes I enjoyed?”

Alana’s brow furrowed as she stared into the orange eyes looking back at her from the screen. As Human as the woman seemed, those eyes and the pointed ears poking up through her hair gave away her mixed heritage.

“Well, that could be part of it, but what do you do in your free time? To relax?”

Brows darting up, Alana barely held in the laugh that tried to escape at the question. Her free time was almost non-existent, and she rarely relaxed. Even alone in her rooms she was always on guard in case Tina came for her.

“I… I read?”

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