2: Betrayal
1068 Words
Thorold had been the only man Andromeda had ever been with. From the moment they were old enough to understand what being betrothed meant, they had been together. Their parents had arranged it, and she had never questioned it. She had believed in it. In them.
But now, standing in Calantha’s room, watching Thorold with her, that was when it became clear to her that Thorold was cheating on her.
She barely had time to process it before Calantha grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and stormed toward her with fury in her eyes.
Then slap! Andromeda's head snapped to the side. A sting burned across her cheek.
"How dare you, you worthless omega!" Calantha spat, her voice dripping with disgust. "Barging into my room like that! Do you even know who I am? Are you stupid?"
Andromeda's fingers trembled as she touched her stinging cheek. If this had been before… before she had taken the potion, before she had disguised herself as an omega, she would have retaliated without hesitation. She had fought wars, trained under the strongest warriors, and was anything but weak.
But here? Now? She was pretending to be an omega, pretending to be powerless. If she fought back, she would expose herself.
So she did the only thing she could. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Calantha scoffed and turned away as if Andromeda was beneath her.
Thorold, standing there like nothing was wrong, reached for Calantha, his hands sliding around her waist. His touch was gentle, comforting. He was calming her, holding her close, whispering sweet things into her ear.
Andromeda clenched her fists. Thorold had never done that for her.
She had always thought Thorold loved her. That no matter what, they were meant to be. She had trusted him, believed in him. And yet, here he was, touching another woman the way he should have been touching her.
"Go to bed, love," Thorold said softly to Calantha.
But Calantha shook her head. She wasn’t done.
Instead, she turned back to Andromeda, her eyes cold. A wicked smirk curled at the edges of her lips as she stepped closer.
"What punishment do you think fits a lowly omega like you?" she sneered.
Andromeda's breath caught.
The way Calantha said it… so effortlessly, with so much cruelty. It wasn’t just an insult. It was a belief.
Calantha wasn’t just standing by while omegas were treated like dirt.
She was one of the people who did the discriminating.
But how?
Andromeda had always known Calantha to be a good gamma. Kind, loyal, someone who stood for fairness and justice. But now, as she stood in front of her, watching the cold smirk on her lips, she wondered… Was it all for show?
Had Calantha ever truly been the friend she thought she was?
And what about Thorold? Was he the same? Or had he been pretending too?
Thorold's voice cut through her thoughts. “What were you doing here in the first place?”
Andromeda’s mind raced. She couldn’t tell the truth. She had to come up with something fast.
"I… I came to clean the room," she stammered.
A sharp, mocking laugh rang out. Calantha folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head. “An omega already cleaned this room an hour ago.”
Andromeda swallowed hard.
She knew she had to lie. If she hesitated too long, they would suspect her even more.
“It was supposed to be me,” she said quickly. “But I was busy, so my friend helped me. I just came to check if she had done it properly.”
She turned, hoping to leave before they could question her any further. She had almost made it to the door when a hand grabbed her hair and yanked her back.
Pain shot through her scalp, and she winced.
“She’s lying,” Thorold said.
His grip tightened, and Andromeda forced herself to stay still, to keep up the act. If she fought back, if she let her real strength show, it would be over.
“What’s your name?” he demanded.
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t tell them her real name. If they found out who she was, everything would fall apart.
“M-Meda,” she blurted out.
It was the only thing she could come up with. A part of her real name, stripped down and simple.
Thorold let go of her hair but didn’t step back. His dark eyes studied her, searching for any sign of deception. And Calantha said,
“Well, Meda,” she said slowly, dragging her fake name like it left a bitter taste on her tongue. “The omega I assigned to clean my room today is named Gracina. And she came personally and did the work herself.”
Calantha tilted her head, waiting for Andromeda reaction. “Did you just lie to me?”
Andromeda’s stomach twisted.
Her mind screamed at her to think of something, anything, to get out of this. But nothing came.
She was caught. Her lips parted, but no words came.
Then Calantha let of a laugh… Calantha laughed like this was all a joke, like Andromeda was nothing more than a fool caught in a game she didn’t even know she was playing.
Andromeda had always thought of Calantha as sweet, caring and someone with a heart of gold.
But now, as she looked into her eyes, she saw nothing but cruelty.
Had she always been like this? Had Andromeda just been too blind to see it?
“I’m sorry,” Andromeda finally managed to whisper.
Calantha rolled her eyes. “Pathetic.”
She took a step closer, her lips curling with satisfaction. “Now tell me, what punishment do you think fits a worthless brat of an omega like you?”
The way she said omega like it was an insult made something inside Andromeda burn.
For the first time since arriving here, she truly felt the weight of what omegas went through. The way they were treated, belittled, discarded.
She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palm.
Calantha tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to think. Then, her lips stretched into a wicked smile.
“What about washing the toilets?”
Andromeda’s stomach dropped.
Calantha turned slightly. “Guards!” she called.
Andromeda barely had time to react before heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.
- Writer
