Omega's Deception: Omegas of Pandora, #1

By Lillian Sable

She never wanted to be Omega.

Ianthe keeps her freedom because her dynamic is a carefully guarded secret. Omegas are rare and highly prized, but they have no rights. An Omega is the property of whatever Alpha is strong enough to claim her. Ianthe toils in the slums, pretending to be Beta, so she can hide from a world that wants to make her a pet in a gilded cage. Legion, the Alpha and brutal cartel boss, believes her to be Beta. When he discovers her deception, nothing will stop him from claiming her.

Omega's Deception is the first in a series which is now complete, featuring an over the top Alpha hero in a dystopian world. This book is for anyone who likes their romance with power exchange and a splash of darkness, especially fans of Addison Cain, Zoe Blake and Loki Renard.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dark Prism Media
• Release date: Feb 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393223580

Book preview

Chapter One

O ne night for one thousand credits.

A black-gloved hand slid across the large display that made up the surface of the desk. It then turned the scrolling block of text so that it oriented in her direction. The other hand casually flicked the stylus towards her. 

Ianthe had never been told the man’s name. She had only ever heard him called The Procurer.

She squinted down at the tiny printed lines, trying to make sense of the complicated legalese that might as well have been written in another language.

With you? She tried for flippant to cover her mounting unease, but her voice cracked on the last word.

The older Alpha laughed, the sound deep and full-bodied. But the smile didn’t quite reach the eyes that surveyed her with a calculated coldness. The silence stretched for a long moment as his gaze never broke from hers.

A steady buzz of skycars flying past the window of his high-rise office was the only sound, but even that distracted her. Heavy curtains, far finer than anything she had ever owned, draped the floor-to-ceiling windows, obscuring almost all the light from the bright sun outside and casting the room in darkness.

How long had she been here? Minutes, hours, more? Time had become meaningless as she sat on the edge of the metal bench that offered not even the slightest bit of comfort. It was in stark contrast to the antique leather chair that the man across from her relaxed in.

My preferences are more particular, dear girl, the man said, finally breaking the silence. He bent the fingers of one hand to inspect the clipped nails. But a beautiful Beta still has considerable value.

If there was irony in his tone, the Alpha hid it well. Obviously, he referred to the rare and highly sought-after female Omegas. Fewer and fewer of them were born with each passing year. 

But her potential value, whatever he decided it would be, was exactly why she was sitting in this office. She didn’t feel particularly beautiful at the moment. Instead, she like what she was: a twenty-year-old Academy dropout, living in the slums with her family and pulling double shifts at a public cafeteria just to keep food on the table.

Her hand moved over the contract text, swiping multiple time as dozens of pages flew across the screen.  It wouldn’t be possible to read it all, not unless she had several days and an industrial telescope.

She stopped on the lab results from the multiple vials of blood and saliva they had demanded before anyone would even speak with her. Part of her wanted to inspect the test results in greater detail but her interest would arouse unnecessary attention. 

If they had discovered something, then she wouldn’t be sitting here.

What exactly does all of this mean? she asked, swiping past the test results to the signature page at the end.

The terms are quite simple, really. I assumed it had all been explained to you already. The Procurer reclined in his armchair, bending his leg to rest one foot on the opposite knee. 

One more time, then. Ianthe clenched her hands together to stop them from shaking. Please.

Of course, my dear. His small smile made it clear he knew she was simply playing for more time, her nerves too wrecked for reliable decision-making. I am prepared to offer you one thousand credits, with half deposited in your account upon acceptance of our agreement. In exchange, you will spend one night at Eros House for the amusement of our patrons.

Patrons? She hadn’t expected the plural and hoped that he had misspoken. 

What would I have to do?

There was not even a hint of a pause.

Whatever you’re told.

The shock of his words felt like being drenched in cold water. She stood and crossed behind the uncomfortable chair to stand by the window. Her hands flicked at the heavy drapes until she caught a sliver of the spectacular view.

This blue sky was the cleanest thing she had ever seen. You didn’t get views like this down in the slums where a cloud of pollution always filled the air. And the many high-rise structures — full of Alphas and the lucky Betas who served them — blocked whatever view of the sky might have been available through the smog.

People had traded their lives for a glimpse of this sky.

I can’t do this.

The Procurer stood and came to Ianthe’s side. His hand touched her shoulder, the effort to be gentle obvious, in a gesture that would have been almost fatherly under other circumstances.

It can seem daunting at first, I know, to have your limits tested and these boundaries pushed. His hand stroked her hair, the rings on his fingers catching in the wild curls. "We have a very select clientele with specific desires, Alpha’s carefully chosen from among Pandora’s most elite. I can promise they will treasure you like the jewel you are. No harm will come to you, at least none that is permanent."

She did not like the emphasis he placed on that last word.

His patrons would be Alphas, of course. Who else would pay so much for the privilege of having a Beta obligated to follow their every command? As if they didn’t control every aspect of Pandora and all the people in it, even more was required to satisfy them.

Ianthe hated Alphas, their roars and demands, and the fact that they acted as if their position in society was some natural birthright rather than simply a cruel twist of fate.

But she couldn’t afford to have an opinion. Not anymore.

She thought back to how this had all started. One of her customers at the cafeteria had approached her, not a regular like most, wearing a suit much too fine for the place. He never spoke a word to her except to place his order, leaving a black business card with a generous tip on the table after he left.

Eros House had been written on it in holographic print, along with an address.

Everyone had heard of Eros House, whether they actually believed it existed or not. It was said to be a secret place for the rich and well-connected where almost any desire could be fulfilled — for a price.

It wasn’t easy to believe they wanted her. She had a pretty enough face, but not exceptionally so, and her body was a little too lean and boyish from missed meals. The thick, dark hair that cascaded around her shoulders in messy waves and curls was probably her best feature, along with expressive eyes that were the color of shined mahogany. 

But she was also small, features delicate, with small hands and a slight build, even absent the near-starvation. And she only seemed even more undersized next to the graying Alpha who seemed to have experienced no diminishment in strength or musculature despite his advancing age.

She was built like an Omega.

And that would be worth something to a man like this, who traded in fantasy. The money she could make with one night would be enough to feed her family for a year.

The Procurer moved away to lean against the desk. His hands clasped in his lap with legs crossed neatly at the ankle, casual, as if he sensed her weakening. 

You said I could get half of the money now?

Half now and half on completion of the contract. To protect all parties involved, of course.

Ianthe cleared her throat against the knot of fear that tried to steal her voice. When would I start?

His teeth glinted in the low light when he bared them in a smile like a crocodile’s. There is no night like tonight.

Her heart beat hard against her chest, the sound so loud that she was sure he could hear it. She thought of all the things that those credits could buy — water, food, meds. It was ten times as much money as she would earn in a year working at the cafeteria. She momentarily entertained the fantasy of going back to the Academy, maybe even getting a job for Central Command after graduating. There was nothing glamorous about life as a bureaucratic drone, but she’d make enough to live in the middle levels above the slums where at least the air was breathable and clean water ran from the pipes when you turned the tap.

A thousand credits was enough to change her life.

But was it worth the risk?

Can I have that stylus?

The Procurer held out the sleek writing tool with manicured nails that seemed starkly clean against her much grubbier hands. The tips of their fingers brushed for the smallest second and she looked up into his face. 

His smile was predatory. You won’t be sorry.

She already was sorry, but the lure was impossible to ignore. There was no other legal way for her to earn an amount like this and credits were the only ticket out of the slums.

Ianthe held the stylus for a moment, trying to force the tremble from her hand. Blood rushed through her ears, loud enough that she couldn’t hear the Procurer’s words as he continued to speak to her, although the cruel twist of his lips was almost enough to distract her.

Her name came out shaky and jagged as she slid the stylus across the glass surface. 

Signing herself away.

The Procurer swiped across the screen just as she made the last little flourish and the contract disappeared, leaving the screen blank. 

An expression crossed his face that was in mockery of a smile, equal parts covetous and threatening.

Welcome to Eros House, my dear.

"A black skycar will arrive outside your apartment at precisely nine in the evening. Do not keep the

Reviews for Omega's Deception

[Paris Norman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would have liked this better if omegas had atleast SOME type of autonomy. Also, the world that the story is set in isn't good at all, like there's barely any respectable way to move up...how depressing.

I almost feel bad for Ianthe. The woman is just trying to survive and here this guy comes to mess that up just to have a ready Omega to have sex with...not very romantic at all.