Page 11
Grand Prairie Compound
Days Since Last Attack: 85
Ishould be with the other guards instead of sitting in the empty dining hall for a political deliberation between the group from the Northern Pacific and our assembly, yet River is still insisting on presenting a united front, even going so far as to invite Leigh and force me to sit next to her.
The poor woman tries her best to be friendly and receptive, but there’s genuinely nothing she can do about the fact that, to me, her grassy scent smells no better than rotting compost.
The doors to the dining hall finally open, giving me something to focus on other than the wilting omega sitting next to me. River stands to greet the rest of the assembly, so I follow suit, awkwardly motioning for Leigh to stay put when she tries to rise as well. She attempts to hide the sting of hurt, but it’s hard to mask the sharp, disappointed glint in her eyes. I sigh deeply. This is a fucking disaster.
Soline sweeps toward us first, her rich hazel eyes twinkling against her light-brown skin and silver curls. Her assistant, a younger omega named Buck, trails behind her with his notepad. Soline is easily one of the most intelligent and strategic members of the compound, which is why she’s been in the assembly for over a decade. It doesn’t hurt that her extensive library is always growing, and most people in the compound go to either her or Doc for advice. Soline’s rosy beta scent is basically famous for calming even the most overheated alpha.
Behind her is Josef, the oldest living alpha at Grand Prairie. His weathered skin still carries the warm tan of a life spent outdoors, but his once dark hair has turned white as cottonwood seed. His family’s farm was one of the last still standing before the Split, and his knowledge has been irreplaceable in setting up our gardens and building alliances with farm compounds around the area. I’ve always respected his quiet strength and am dreading the day he decides to retire from the assembly.
Next is Sutton, a middle-aged alpha that I have never liked. He reminds me too much of some of the members of my family’s compound, all smarmy charm on the outside and barely veiled sleaziness on the inside. My guards have reported that they’ve seen him using his alpha bark inappropriately, but despite reporting this to River, unless the other assembly members vote to remove him from the compound, there’s not much that can be done. His watery blue eyes squint as they pass over me and a sneer creases his pale face. The feeling is mutual, I think.
Last to take her seat is Rosalina, a beta that’s become known as the swing vote in the assembly. She’s only slightly older than me, with short brown hair that matches her eyes and pale skin that burns easily in the sun. While I harbor no bad feelings toward her, like I do Sutton, I don’t trust her either. To most, her loyalty seems shaky and her opinions easily swayed. I personally think it’s an act to hide her true intentions as a powerful member of the compound. If she votes erratically, no one will pay attention to her endgame.
A few minutes pass as the assembly talks, and then the delegation enters, bringing with them an air of competence and wildness that makes my chest ache with something like envy. They all carry themselves with such assurance, like they’re fully comfortable in their skin and their place in the world. I wish I knew what that felt like. What it would be like to allow my inner self to fill me to the brim without the constant gnawing fear that what I let out will be a monster.
Despite my best efforts to avoid a certain stormy blue gaze, my eyes immediately find Dair’s. My cheeks flush hot and my scent deepens as his eyes lazily peruse my body. Indignation sparks in my chest. Why am I the object of his intense attention when River is the one he needs to schmooze?
The delegation takes their seats on the opposite side of the table as the assembly. River makes quick introductions, surprising me when he mentions that the teeny blonde beta is Dair’s second-in-command. I’d have certainly thought that the massive alpha in his party was his right-hand man, but then again, he did bring an omega across the country, so things are obviously very different where he lives. An alpha with a beta second would have been endlessly ridiculed, or worse in my father’s compound, yet Dair seems proud of his crew.
“Okay, everyone,” River begins with a soft clap of his hands. “I’m hopeful we can get this alliance hammered out in just a few days, so let’s hear the proposal from the Northern Pacific.”
Aspen speaks first, her eyes on River. “As we discussed yesterday, we are offering a cross-country alliance that would set up a long-distance network of trade between compounds from here to our location in the far west. If this network is successful, in the near future, we would like to assist your compound in expanding your reach east, so that eventually, there might be a coast-to-coast network of trade. You are positioned in a perfect place to be the central hub between our lands and those that still stand in the east.”
In the decades before the Switch, the rising sea levels decimated portions of the continent, flooding entire states into oblivion, and the Great River expanded well past its banks, creating a massive gash down the center of the country. We haven’t seen new maps of the coastlines, but I know enough about how bad it is out east from when I lived with my family.
“What are you seeking from this trade network, and what are you able to offer us in exchange?” Soline asks.
Dair takes this question, his authority palpable in the air. “Our communication technology is greatly lacking,” he explains. “The majority of the technology in the west was devoted to computer tech and artificial intelligence development prior to the collapse. In the mountains where we live, the land was spared by being too unsuitable for things like data centers or supercomputers. Ironically, the same terrain that saved us from tech invasion has made it incredibly difficult to erect communication towers. We’ve managed to source a lot of the energy tech we need for the different clans, but we’re still very much cut off from communicating with other territories. We are quite motivated to make contact with certain territories in the east.”
“What are you able to offer us in exchange for access to our radio tower?” Rosalina asks.
Dair takes a moment to make eye contact with each member of the assembly before continuing, “We are offering to work alongside you to create a safe route through the Wastes, complete with an established network of safe houses. Your community is cut off from the west because of the Wastes and the Great River. We are cut off from the east for the same reasons. The Wastes are dangerous, violent, and barren, and I think if we work together, we can create an established and protected route with the help of some allies along the way.”
The assembly is quiet, and I can see that the prospect of having an established route through the most dangerous part of the continent is appealing to everyone, even if Sutton is incapable of removing the sour look on his face.
River steeples his fingers and asks, “You think it’s truly impossible to build your own comms?”
“Unfortunately, in all of our years attempting to make contact, the furthest east we’ve been able to communicate with is you, and that’s only because we traveled east and transmitted from the Foothill Territory using their communication tower,” Aspen says. “The shifter lands are simply nestled between too many mountains.”
The delegation’s omega representative, Koda, adds, “These are simply our short-term goals, of course. Long term, we want there to be an open line of communication between the west and the east, including a network of radios stretched across established compounds. With that would come more information and better distribution of goods for not only our collective people, but those out there without the security of a compound.”
River rubs at his jaw, a telltale sign that he’s working through everything in his mind. Allowing these strangers access to our radio is a huge risk for us. The level of trust we would need to have to allow them open access isn’t something to take lightly. Yet, I know that River has been wanting relations with the west for a long time, although his exact reasoning has never been completely clear. I also know that building more safe places across the land appeals to him on a personal level that will make it difficult to deny the proposal.
Before River can reply, Sutton opens his foul mouth to argue, “Are y’all crazy? How the hell do you expect us to set up an entire network of safe houses, let alone establish new compounds? The people of the Wastes are no better than Biters, far as I’m concerned, and we don’t need relations with other people. What do y’all want? For us to invite them into our space, to give them our resources? Ain’t no fucking way.” Next to him, Rosalina smirks.
I freeze in place, shocked by his audacity, but also bracing for the fight that is sure to follow. Back home, if an alpha had disrespected my father like that, they wouldn’t live to see another sunrise. He’d have already choked the whole room in dominance pheromones so strong that the most submissive attendees would be cowering in their own urine. I close my eyes and hold my breath. I can’t risk angering River if my pheromones react to a fight between Dair and Sutton. He’s told me time and again that we need to have a united front, a perfect visit, to secure this alliance. Don’t react.
When my lungs start to burn and my eyes tear up behind my lids, I slowly release my breath, prepared to inhale quickly and hold again. But when I suck in a breath, there are no harsh pheromones in the air, no burning anger in anyone’s scent, aside from the annoying challenge in Sutton’s. I risk opening my eyes and immediately meet Dair’s stormy gaze.
He’s staring right at me, his head cocked to the side just a little, brows furrowed with the smallest hint of concerned curiosity. No one in the room is speaking, and he’s just staring at me. I feel heat rising from the pit of my stomach to my face and break eye contact to find River staring me down just as intensely. Except, instead of quiet curiosity on his face, I find disappointment. He must have seen that Dair noticed my moment of weakness.
River looks away from me, his jaw tense. I fight my warring urges to either try and apologize before it gets worse, or the stronger instinct to stand up for myself. My breathing becomes choppy, my hands fisting on my lap. Next to me, Leigh quietly asks if I’m okay and tries to calm me by releasing her omega perfume. It has the opposite effect, instead irritating the hell out of me because Leigh’s scent isn’t Raine’s.
I feel like I’m about to explode, like my body is too small for the pent-up feelings inside of me, and my only relief would be to simply let it tear through my skin. Around me, discussion continues. I can barely make out the sound of Aspen saying something in response to Sutton after Dair remained silent. River responds, and the negotiations continue.
