Her Broken Alpha - Isoellen
Chapter One
Naya
Knitting in hand, Naya reached for the basket of yarn, but instead of pulling it closer, her nervous fingers tipped it over and a rainbow of her favorite colors spilled across the carpet.
In her own chair with her embroidery work nearby, her mother sighed, the heavy sound filling the quiet front room.
Feeling scrutinized even though Mother hadn’t raised her head to watch, Naya scooped up the mess.
"Why are you so fidgety today, dear one?" Sweet-voiced and girlish even though she was old enough to have several grandchildren, Mother’s tone held disappointment. "The boy and his father will be here soon; you're going to wrinkle your clothing and muss your hair with all this fussing. Can you not take a breath and calm yourself?"
"I will try, Mother. Perhaps I'm just close to my time," Naya said.
She leaned down, chasing after a fluffy ball of azure that had rolled toward the picture window. The second rain of the afternoon had opened up over the neighborhood, beading the view.
The four-story row houses of her affluent Sector 5 community sported stately, vine-covered facades and small, neatly contained herb box gardens. Last year an imprudent neighbor had tried to plant succulents instead of herbs. Her mother had filed a petition to have her ticketed for the outrage.
Mother liked things a certain way.
They lived on a quiet street where most transportation was restricted, along with any kind of commerce. Few residents used the principal thoroughfare. Every year, at least one person suggested they remove it and plant trees.
But her mother enjoyed the prestige of having an entire street available for the private vehicle her husband used for official business. No one else on their street had such an allowance. Most people used public transport, sent their hired drones by pedal bike, or hired a drone-pulled wagon.
Regulated and expensive, private transports were a rarity throughout the sectors; the only other family in the entire neighborhood to own one had Administration Council ties.
Turning to go back to her seat, Naya caught sight of two figures approaching their home, the only people out in the rain on the street.
It was them.
Naya's mouth went dry.
She took a deep breath like her mother suggested.
It didn't help.
Her future husband-mate and his sire came every day now, hoping the alphas’ proximity would trigger Naya's heat.
The impulse to run and hide in her room crept up the back of her neck in a hot wave, speeding her heart. Naya took another deep breath, repressing the urge. She liked Crispin. This was her best choice.
He was her best choice.
He was kind and sweet. She liked his smile, his voice, his smell. He was an agreeable future husband-mate in every way that mattered.
Since she’d been officially declared an omega breeder after her first maturation cycle, Naya’s choice must be final. She couldn't put it off. Her second estrus—the heat that would change her life forever—hung over her head like a weighted ax.
It was time to stop being a baby about it; every girl with her biology suffered through this. It was normal. Common. Nothing to fuss about. Mother wouldn't like it at all if she knew the final transition still unsettled Naya. Her personal turmoil wouldn't change anything, anyway.
She would marry. That was that.
She had some anxiety. An understandable nervousness to growing up and claiming a new role as mistress of her own home.
Adulthood was inevitable. Some girls rushed into the future in a hurry to grab a hold of all the perceived benefits. Some wanted to stay children for as long as possible, enjoying the
the simplicity of the days before their maturation.
If only Naya could.
She'd attended all her health visits with a conscientious sense of duty. The doctor declared Naya's cardiovascular and respiratory systems in perfect working order. Her reproductive organs were beautiful, he’d said, but she might want to tell her alpha that her cervix had a bit of a slant.
Nodding cluelessly in response, she’d later looked up “slanted cervix” at home and had been mortified and stunned. She couldn’t believe her lifelong doctor would have the audacity to think she would say something about her vagina to Crispin. She could barely talk to him about her choice of nest bedding.
She took all her vitamins—stamped with cute little blue HealthyBs—made for omega breeders like her every day. And Mother made sure she followed all the directions. All that diligent self-care had prompted the doctor to declare that Naya’s mating heat shouldn't be painful.
Mother had grumbled at that, saying, "Don't spin fairy tales you know