Chapter 26

• "A matter of perspective, dear boy," replied Noria, her lips curving into a wistful smile. "The Council's stance is that the Omega's power was too great, too unmanageable, and that it corrupted the Alpha bond. But the ancient documents. the ones that remain before the Council's revised history. they speak of the 'unworthy vessel'. They say that the Mooncrest Omega's bond is like a spiritual truth serum. It lays an Alpha bare, exposing them to their innermost secrets, their most selfish desires, their darkest vices. If the Alpha's soul is weak or corrupted, the bond will magnify that until it is overwhelming. That is what The Shattering was. Not a curse on the Omega, but a reckoning for the Alpha."
• "So the curse is not on Rhea," Kai said, realization dawning. "It's on us."
• "More precisely, your ability to be a 'worthy vessel'," Noria corrected. "Your ability for selflessness, for real, uncompromised love that is not created out of possession. The Council fears this not because the Omega is sinister, but because they know the majority of Alphas, men like Theon Vale, do not merit it."