Her Alpha - Complete

Chapter 30

The silence in the Royal Council chamber was absolute. Abe said nothing, lifting his eyebrows and letting Her Majesty's words hang in the air. A slow rumbling from the viewing gallery showed dismay about the Queen's declaration.

"What I meant is dhampir men rarely reproduce. Therefore, genetic variability is not a concern for them," she added.

"Of course, that's what you meant," Abe said, his sarcastic tone belying his words. There was no way he would let Her Majesty back out of what she'd admitted. "And no matter what your personal thoughts about the value of dhampir in our society, the fact remains that my daughter is legally married. There is no law stating an Omega has to marry a Royal Moroi, nor a law preventing a union between an Omega and another dhampir. Like every other married Omega, we should provide Rose with estrous suppressing drugs, and the matter of if or when they reproduce should remain a private matter between my daughter and her husband."

Tatiana considered her options. After her ill-chosen words, perhaps it was time to change tacks.

"I, for one, am interested in how this marriage came to be... My understanding is paperwork for the Church and ZAGS needs to be submitted some time in advance. At least a month, if I am not mistaken? Yet Miss. Hathaway has not been absent that long..." she said. "I'd hate to think there'd been some irregularity pushing though this union without the necessary checks and balances?"

"I can assure you all the requirements were met without undue influence," Abe lied. "Rose contacted me before they brought her to Court, asking for my blessing and signature to allow her to marry Guardian Belikov. He had already booked leave to return to his hometown in Russia, as her father, I would sign Rose out of the Academy and fly her there for their nuptials. When she was taken to Court and chose not to stay, I collected Rose and flew her to our family home in Turkey, then on to Russia. Guardian Belikov submitted all the required paperwork to his family priest, and ZAGS, in Omsk before he left America. There were no indiscretions."

"While all that might be true, it remains that Guardian Belikov seduced an underage student and convinced her to marry. That cannot be allowed to go unpunished." Tatiana was drawing a proverbial line in the sand.

"Nothing of the sort took place. Guardian Belikov is an Alpha—my daughter is his mate. Mate bonds do not occur by choice. Belikov, and Rose, knew from their first meeting that they were destined to be together. They made the choice to marry, and when they explained the situation to me, I supported their decision."

There was more rumbling from the gallery. Somehow, in all the discussion about Rose being Omega, Dimitri being Alpha had been overlooked. Not only was Her Majesty attempting to marry the pretty young Omega off to a Royal Moroi, but she was also prepared to tear apart a marriage between an Alpha and his mate to do so!

"Rose went through an estrous before she came to Court. She told me! Belikov obviously slept with her then, even though she was a student in his care! That makes it statutory rape, even if they are mates," Adrian said, moving out of the viewing gallery to stand alongside Abe, Janine, Dimitri, and Rose.

"Is that true?" Tatiana asked, latching onto this new information. Jailing Belikov would go a long way to splitting up the Alpha/Omega couple—particularly if he were incarcerated for a lengthy duration.

"I had an estrous before I came to Court," Rose admitted. "However, as I explained to Lord Ivashkov, I isolated myself on the edge of campus while it occurred. Dimitri didn't claim me until yesterday—our wedding night." Rose brushed her hair aside, showing the fresh claim mark on her neck. Large, and ripe, the sight of the mark caused the assembled onlookers to titter. It was visual confirmation Rose and Dimitri had consummated their marriage.