Chapter 2 - Breaking News

The half- peeled potato rolled across the room unnoticed.

“What?" Skye whispered, uncomprehending.

“That's where all the money came from. It must have been a lot because they don't seem worried about money at all. Mom was furious when she found out. I think Dad agreed without saying anything to her. I'm not sure of the details. They won't say anything when they know I'm around."

She lapsed into silence and Skye stayed frozen in place, trying to process the information.

It made a horrible kind of sense.

The way his mother acted, the way she flinched over the extra supplies, the sad looks she cast at him.

She knew he had returned only to be given away to some alpha. She was a huge believer in love too, an arranged bonding must have shocked her.

“So, all the repairs and the stocked cupboards..." he trailed off, unsure how to feel.

It was too much, too fast, and he couldn't wrap his head around it.

“The dowry we were given has saved many lives and will save countless more," a deep voice spoke from the doorway and Skye turned to see his father leaning on the doorway, face stony. “It was also what paid for your training with the Circle of Aldean Healers," he turned to frown at his daughter. “Snow, we were going to leave this until later."

“He was clearly worried," she shot back defensively. “He deserved to know before he left that you had sold him off."

“It's not like that," the alpha snapped back before sighing.

Heather ran a hand over his face and when it fell away, he looked older than before, like the very thought of what he had done had aged him.

“We had been struggling for a long time and the money has helped us save many people that couldn't afford help. It was the only way for us to send you for training as well. The Circle requires either a monetary fee paid upfront or paid afterwards by service. You wouldn't be returning for years yet if the fee hadn't been paid."

“But instead, he has to go off and be bonded to some rich alpha!" Snow cried in outrage. “We know nothing about the man! What if he is a brute or doesn't let Skye be a healer?"

“He wanted Skye because of his healing ability so he will be allowed to use his Diyari, I'm sure of it. He wouldn't have paid for the training or waited for four years for him to return otherwise. A small sacrifice for his dream to heal, to use his Diyari. Paying his dowry upfront as well..."

Heather sighed again then moved to sit at the old sturdy dining table. It had seen better days but it matched his fathers battered appearance by age.

“You also don't turn down the KING when he comes knocking on your door."

What?

The two omegas gasped.

Skye sagged back against the kitchen counter, hand carelessly knocking over the potato peelings, scattering it around his bare feet, but his attention was firmly on his father.

“The… King?"

“The King wants you for his youngest son, Prince Linus. The alpha runs his own mercenary band. Your healing would be a boon to his soldiers, I imagine."

The words rattled around his skull.

Prince. King. Mercenary. Alpha.

It felt like a joke or a dream. Surely, his father couldn't be serious.

Didn't royalty only mate with those of noble heritage?

They HIRED people like Skye, they didn't BOND with them.

“What's a Prince doing running a merc band instead of working as a soldier for the crown?" Snow demanded having gotten over her shock much faster.

Their father had the decency to look uncomfortable by the line of questioning.

“So, you've let a Royal buy my brother to give him to an alpha that doesn't do well with authority? Gosh, what if he beats him? His healing powers would hide it!”

“Everything I have heard about the alpha has led me to believe that he's a relatively decent and respectable man."

“I am not reassured by that one bit!" Snow spat out. “So, this is why you wouldn't tell me!"

“It has nothing to do with you," their father said, voice rising with anger at being accused so mercilessly.

“Like hell, he's my brother!" the small omega advanced menacingly on their father while Skye stood staring through them.

All the years he was away, all he had dreamed of was returning home and helping with their clinic. Maybe finding a mate and settling down to open his own someday.

In all of his childhood, it had never once occurred to him that he might not have a choice in mating.

“Enough!" a stern voice rang out from the doorway.

In his daze and the commotion of the argument, he hadn't heard the door signaling their mother's return.

She was clearly upset but the look on her face was one of determination.

“What's done is done, we can't change it now. For tonight, I want to enjoy having my baby boy home again."

A stooped old beta woman shuffled into the kitchen with his mother's help and Skye took a deep breath.

He recognized her as their local baker's mother, a dear family friend of theirs growing up. She often dropped off spare loaves of bread to them to help them through the rough times.

He moved forward to give her a hug, even as his mind couldn't leave his fate alone.

“It's lovely to see you well, dear," she said, her voice the cracked whisper of the elderly.

Skye summoned her a weak smile and set about trying to pretend, for this evening at least, that his world hadn't been rocked to its core.

*****

The first few days after Skye’s return were oddly normal.

He met up with old friends and helped at the clinic, seeing several familiar faces there too.

It wasn't until he was summoned to a tailor and picked up in a sturdy carriage that it truly hit that his life was forever changed.

The driver was courteous, and he had a soft spoken omega girl as his guide for the trip. He wasn't sure what he had expected, everyone was nothing but polite to him, but it was like stepping foot into another world.

The tailor stripped him down with alarming efficiency and measured every inch of him. The beta woman was the only one allowed in the room with the naked omega but she rapidly called out measurements to her aides.

Skye didn't have time to feel embarrassed; her hands were firm but clinical and he could see that her mind was already turning over patterns and colors rather than paying attention to his scrawny body.

It was reassuring, even if a bit scary. The sheer speed in which he was in and out of the store was mind boggling.

One moment, he was being led into a fine tailor's shop in the upper parts of the city and the next, he was being loaded back into the carriage.

No one had even told him what had been ordered for him!

Skye only found out two days later when the clothing was delivered to their door. Not one word had come from the King about when would his son return after the original message to say that he was out of the city.

The lack of contact had the omega nervous.

What if he didn't come back for months?

He couldn't live in this state with his nerves constantly on edge.

No one knew anything more about this alpha he was to be mated to and he desperately needed to know. The longer time went on, the more stressed Skye would become.

This, along with his current mental state, could well cause the onset of stress heat.

It would be just his luck that the alpha would return during his heat and he would be mated and bonded before he was even aware!

The very thought of waking up in an unknown man's bed was anxiety inducing.

The clothes he received as a gift from the King didn't put his mind at ease either.

They were not so different from what he usually wears, but they were well made from sturdy material and not flashy. The entire outfit with extra spare items laid out on the bed in front of him screamed of travelling. There’s even a green vest and a belt bag for him along with a cloak.

He had spent the last four years on the road, stopping only for days or weeks at a time as they healed those in need on the borders of Aldea.

Had he returned to his family home only to be uprooted once again?

A mercenary band.

His mate-to-be was the leader of a mercenary band.

Would the alpha leave Skye in the city, only to return occasionally to do his duty?

The choice of clothing suggested that perhaps the omega would join them on the road.

How would a band of rough sell swords treat an omega? How would his alpha let him be treated?

Most specially, how would his own alpha treat him?

Answers weren't forthcoming.

“Skye?"

The omega looked up to see his mother walking into his old room that he shared with his sister.

Sadness lined her face and she reached out to squeeze his shoulder, although he was unsure which of them she was trying to reassure.

“Hey Mom," he said by way of greeting from where he stood in front of his bed, the new clothes strew across it.

“Oh, are these the clothes? They are nicer than I'd thought they'd be. I was worried they wouldn't suit you," she spoke lightly as though everything was fine.

As though this was a happy affair they all were looking forward to, not something she had railed against for months with her mate.

“I was going to have words with the King if he tried to put you in ruffles and lace."

A small half smile stole across Skye's face at the thought. He would never willingly wear something so frivolous.

How could he help people when his very clothing prevented him from moving without getting in the way?

These were practical, useful.

“I hope this means that the alpha is practical too," he said, speaking his thoughts aloud.

“There, see. That's the right way to think about it," she petted his hair before moving to help him put the clothing away. “Don't fret about it now, you'll meet him soon enough. In the meantime, I was hoping you could help me with my home visits. I could use your skills again today."

Skye nodded and summoned her a weak smile in return. He had quickly proven his skill to his parents and spent his hours helping ease their burden.

So many people needed care and there were always supplies to buy from the market or people to visit at home. The familiar work helped distract him and soothed his fraying nerves, but his mind always wandered back to his mysterious mate-to-be when he was idle.

As much as he would never have wanted to have his mate chosen for him, he couldn't deny the money for his dowry was worth it.

His parents were frugal but smart with their choices and it was saving lives.

If being forced into an arranged mating was what was needed to save even one more life that the clinic could before, then so be it.

He would make the best of the situation, as much as he could, and take everything one day at a time.

All he wanted to do was use his rare gift- his unique Diyari to heal people and if the King paying for his training was any indication, he might still be able to pursue his dream.

It was hard to ignore the anxiety clawing at his gut but the thought of not all being lost helped. Few were born with Diyaris and Healing was one of the most sought after abilities. 

He would not waste it by railing against the inevitable.

Instead, he set his mind to coming to terms with his new fate and focusing on what he could do for now.