However, I spent the better part of the last ten years pretending to be someone I wasn’t. And I am really fucking tired of putting up a false facade.
“Not really,” I admit, my palm encircling the back of my neck as I stretch again. “I have no idea how to help Joseph or Savi. I don’t think I’ve ever really known. I just wanted to free them, but now I’m wondering if they’ll ever actually be free.”
If I should have just let them die, I add to myself, wincing.
It’s a horrible thought, one I’ve been avoiding facing since I found my brother earlier today. Or was it yesterday?
I’ve lost track of time.
But seeing my brother in that feral state, knowing he couldn’t touch his own mate without killing her…
I shake my head. “I knew it would be bad. I just…”
“Wasn’t prepared for how bad it would actually be,” Ander finishes for me. “I get that.”
I nod. As the Andorra Sector Alpha, he’s probably seen a lot of shit he’s never wanted to see. But as the strongest Alpha in his sector, it’s his responsibility to handle everything thrown his way and lead by example.
It can’t be an easy job. Especially when done the right way. Very unlike Carlos and how he ran Bariloche Sector.
“There’s more we need to discuss,” Ander tells me. “I know you’re dealing with some shit, but this can’t wait.”
I nod again and fold my arms over my chest. “I understand.” Because I know exactly what he wants to discuss—my future.
He said earlier that I was welcome in Andorra Sector to be with my brother.
However, to do that, I have to acknowledge Ander as my superior. It’s the only way he can maintain order—if I don’t bow to him, I’ll be seen as a challenger. And given my age, experience, and former position in Bariloche Sector, I would be seen as a worthy opponent.
“Riley says some of the mated Omegas have missing Alphas,” he begins, throwing me off completely.
That wasn’t at all what I expected him to say, nor was it related to the topic I thought he wanted to address.
“I see,” I say slowly, frowning. “What about the Alphas being held near my brother? Have their respective mates been accounted for?” There were a few Betas in the cells as well, but they wouldn’t have the same deep-seated connection to an Omega like an Alpha would.
He dips his head in confirmation. “All of those have been matched by scent. But from what Riley says, we have seven mated Omegas with missing Alphas. Is there anywhere else that he might be keeping them?”
I frown, considering the question. “Carlos liked keeping everything and everyone close to his personal compound. He had trust issues.” Hence all the Alphas and Betas he locked up in cages, and the wicked torture he inflicted on those with mate bonds.
Ander releases a low growl, his agitation palpable. “Riley seems pretty certain the Alphas are alive. Otherwise, the Omegas in question wouldn’t be coherent at all.”
True. They would be catatonic and unresponsive, something Carlos would have wanted to avoid for his littletoys.
I rack my brain, trying to think of where he may have imprisoned other Alphas, but I meant what I said—Carlos had trust issues. I was commonly considered to be one of Carlos’s highest-ranking generals, yet I only had access to his Omega operation. And that access came with a myriad of restrictions.
Fortunately, my position afforded me a wealth of intimate knowledge regarding his procedures and the ins and outs of his compound—a fact that had made me a valuable asset in our infiltration of Bariloche Sector this week.
However, that knowledge didn’t extend to all of Carlos’s dungeons or how he controlled the Alphas who protested his rule. I was familiar with his penchant for psychedelics, but not the full scope of his prison system.
“I’m only aware of the dungeon he kept under his compound.” And I really only knew about that because of my twin. I’d felt his presence there for years, despite Carlos claiming he was dead. “He wasn’t the type to house anything of value too far from his estate, though. So I can’t imagine there are more dungeons hidden in Bariloche Sector.”
And if there were any, they’re now destroyed, thanks to Kazek and Sven blowing up every structure in Bariloche earlier today. They wanted to ensure the entire sector would be uninhabitable. Any surviving Alphas are officially rogues. A few sectors might accept them into their territories; most will not.
The Betas are another situation entirely, mostly because they never had a choice in how Carlos ran his sector. A whole line of Betas are currently waiting to be interviewed for potential entry into Andorra, Norse, or Winter.
Meanwhile, the Omegas will be taken anywhere they chose, assuming they’re coherent and well enough to make a choice. Those who weren’t able were already in Andorra for medical treatment, the last flight having left hours ago to take them to safety.
The only Omegas left are the ones who are in a healthy enough condition to voice their desires.
“Do you think he would have traded any of the Alphas to other sectors?” Ander asks, his expression hardening.
