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"Thanks for talking to Jun today," Ashton said during the drive back to my house.

"No problem," I grinned. "I really hope Jun can get a chance to make some more friends."

He nodded in agreement.

"Hey, I have a question," I started hesitantly.

"Ask away," he said as he made a turn onto the highway.

"What is the big deal about status here?" I asked. "Why can't Omegas be friends with nobles?"

"That's just the way it's been here. It's not that they can't be friends, it's just discouraged. Some kingdoms don't really pay attention to hierarchy, but ours does."

"I'm not even from the upper class," I pointed out. "I'm from the middle class. If they can accept me, then they can accept the lower class people too."

"It's not that simple, Elizabeth. Our kingdom is founded on the principle of wealth and power. It's always been this way. People without any of those are at the bottom."

"But power and wealth aren't evenly distributed," I countered, "Besides, that was a long time ago, right? Can't it change?"

"What brought this on?" he frowned at me.

I sighed. "The lower class and the Omegas don't have any access to wealth. They're not benefiting from anything. I've met some of the Omegas and they seem like nice people. This kingdom is their home, but they feel oppressed here. They're just trying to make an honest living by working as servants. We need more equality here."

"So you want it to be that Omegas are equal to Alphas?" he asked incredulously.

"I mean the royal family would still have command over the kingdom." I thought about it. "For example, a school where principals and teachers have different levels of authorities from the students but everyone still interacts."

Ashton mulled this over while he drove. "Anyone can interact with the Omegas though. They just choose not to," he explained to me. "It is believed that the Omegas, the weakest of all the ranks, were persuaded by the humans to help them capture the Origins. That's why people don't want to associate with them even now. The problem lies in that fact."

"But that happened thousands of years ago. You can change the way things are now," I suggested.

Ashton glanced at me. "So can you," he replied softly.

I stared down at my hands. If I accepted Ashton and became the queen, I could help the kingdom become more progressive. I did feel the desire to help them.

Ashton sensed my hesitation and continued quickly. "Don't think about it too much, Elizabeth. Take your time."

I looked up at him and smiled.

"You know, my mom wanted to do the same thing," he sighed. "The kingdom where she's from doesn't care about hierarchy. They were founded on the principle of unity. Everything is shared equally in the Common Realm. There is no upper or lower class. She must have been shocked when she came here."

"I think unity makes a kingdom stronger," I agreed. "Why wasn't she able to do it?"

"You're forgetting who she's mated to," he scowled. "She's trying to make a difference, but he keeps counteracting her efforts."

I grimaced. "Your dad just keeps getting better."

"What about you?" I asked suddenly. "Wouldn't you like to see a change?"

Ashton considered this. "I'm not sure ignoring the hierarchy is a good move. But we could make it so that the lower class and the Omegas are treated better," he said slowly. "It is the 21st century, I'm all for change if it benefits the kingdom."

I smiled and he glanced over at me. "It's not going to happen overnight though," he warned me.

"I know," I grinned. "Rome wasn't built in a day. Gradually the kingdom will get there."

"I'm glad you're my soulmate," he whispered to himself with a slight smile.

I blushed, but then remembered something. "Do you think your friends will agree with this?"

"It's not just them. I have many other... advisors too. The guys you know are my inner circle. But honestly, I don't think the guys will mind. The majority of the kingdom doesn't really mind the Omegas because they don't know they exist," he explained. "It's the higher ranks like the nobles that contribute to the problem. They're the ones who call the shots, so no-one goes out of their way to defend the Omegas."

"I see," I murmured. "But Jun might not like this idea. He seems to dislike the Omegas for some reason."

Ashton scowled again. "That's because of the king. Think of any kingdom related problem and I'm sure I can link it to him. He told Jun that Omegas ambushed and killed his parents."

"Is that true?" I gasped.

Ashton shrugged. "During the unrest ten years ago, many Omega and lower class people resorted to lay waiting and robbing the rich. Travelling without proper security was a high risk, but Jun's parents were not from this kingdom and since news of the unrest was being covered up, they wouldn't have known how dangerous it was. Considering they were nobles, there is a high possibility that they were ambushed during that time. But there's no proof that it was by Omegas."

"Why did he tell him that if he didn't even have proof?" I snapped. "That's why Jun hates Omegas, because he thinks they're thieves and murderers."

"Yeah, he doesn't care if not all the Omegas in our kingdom are bad; he thinks of them as the same."

"What about Jackson?" I asked. "He seems like the kind of person to stick to rules and tradition."

"He does stick to rules... but not necessarily tradition. He's open-minded as long as something makes sense or is somehow beneficial. Out of all the guys he would like this change the most."

That surprised me. I didn't think he would have welcomed the change, but it just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.

"That's because Jackson's soulmate was an Omega."

"Jackson has a soulmate?" I asked in astonishment.

"Had a soulmate," Ashton corrected me softly.

"Had?" I echoed in surprise. "What happened?"

"She died five years ago. She died protecting a member of the royal family. Omegas aren't allowed to touch royals. It's one of the many rules they have to follow. She was killed in 'self defense'."

I stared at the floor, suddenly overcome with sadness. "I didn't..." I trailed off. "But he can't have another soulmate."

"Yeah, soulmates are forever," Ashton murmured. "It really broke him. Then the year after that, the king separated him from his friends."

I was still wallowing in sympathy. It felt as if I was mourning the loss of someone I knew.

"Hey don't get so depressed over there," he said, reaching over to ruffle my hair. "And don't go acting sad around Jackson either," he cautioned. "He doesn't want to talk about it."

I nodded. I remembered how happy Kristof was after he'd found his soulmate. I couldn't imagine how it must feel for Jackson to have that taken away from him.

Ashton drifted into silence too, and he reached over to hold my hand.

"Does anyone else have a soulmate?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Beau has a soulmate," Ashton replied. "And now so do me and Kristof."

"I can't wait to meet them!"

"In a few days, you will."

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