Page 52 of Dark Revolution

There’s no need to shower before my shift at the club. In fact, the more of Annora’s scent I carry on me, the more I can fend off the hordes of other betas that clamor for my attention. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a new Alpha working there or I’m just kinder than the others, but night after night, they flock to me, trying to rub themselves against me. I despise their shows of affection, worried that one night, the scent will linger and Annora will be crushed, thinking I’m spending my nights somewhere with another female.

What Annora will never seem to understand is that she’s ruined me for any other woman. No one will ever compare to her. I’ve known of several Alphas that kept a hoard of marked women, but that’s just not my style. I’ve never wanted scores of women. I’ve only ever truly wanted one, and my soul picked Annora. Problem is, after the Annalise incident, I’m not sure I’ll be able to explain it if I came home smelling of some beta’s arousal.

Langston, asshole he is, finds the whole thing funny. I can’t wait until he’s mated himself and comes home smelling like fresh beta cunt. I’m sure then he won’t be chuckling as I forcibly remove various women from my presence. The hall outside our door is quiet as I make my way to the main area, and that stupid grin across my face just won’t go away.

Deep inside, I feel Annora through the bond. It’s like a cozy cloak you don on during The Sunless Days. Just feeling her there, feeling the contentment flowing through her, makes my days brighter and my steps lighter. The further down the hall I go, the more the happy feelings dissipate. Closing my eyes, I shut myself off from my side of the bond, not wanting to bombard her with these unpleasant feelings.

I never know what to expect as I pass through this ragtag group of betas and Alphas, but each day seems to be getting worse. As I near the door, I hear loud shouts, the angry voices bouncing off the wood and dirt. The acrid stench of anger and death waft to me, and I’m glad I shielded when I did.

Opening the door, all eyes swivel to me, hatred rolling off of them almost like visible waves, like the suns at their Zenith when all the world melts beneath the heat. I ease my way inside and shut the door, crossing my arms as I stare them down. Up in front, Gemhardt sits on his makeshift throne, head buried in his hands.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, eyes glancing about to see if I can pinpoint the reason for all this rage and hostility.

“Why would you care?” a random beta yells out, soon followed by jeering agreements from the others. “You’ve told us time and again this isn’t your fight.”

“It’s not.” Rolling my shoulders, I make my way through the throng towards Gemhardt, pausing when a beta grabs onto my arm. I snarl, yanking away and continuing forward until I’m face to face with him. “Tell me. What’s going on?”

Normally, I don’t care. I don’t like to burden myself with fights that aren’t mine, and since this land is not the one I grew up in, I have no hand in this fight. I have no intimate knowledge of the current politics. It's best to let everyone do what they will and cling to the illusion of an oasis where only my mate and I reside.

So far, since I’ve won her, no one has attempted to take her from me. They seem to be leaving us in peace, which is enough for me. The only reason I’m even remotely interested is because these brutes occupy space around my mate and me. If they’re angry and prone to insurgence, I don’t want Annora anywhere near it. Lifting a weary head, Gemhardt gestures over towards his tent, where large bundles resembling bodies lay stacked. From a quick glance, it totals about fifteen to twenty men. That would account for the stench.

“They were strung up near the transport that leads back into town. A warning I fear.”

“Betas? Alphas?”

“All betas. My guess is the High Echelon will never kill an Alpha when there’s a chance of turning them to their cause.”

Narrowing my eyes, I study the men and women in the room then glance again at the bodies. Why are they in here and not buried? “What makes you think it’s the High Echelon?”

“Are you just stupid, Alpha,” the same sniveling beta barks out, his anger like ash in the air? “Or are you a spy sent to rat us out to them? We see you leaving every night and not coming home until the early hours. What do you do out there for so long? Where do you go?”

Growling, I storm down from the throne and grip the small man by the front of his shirt. I lift him high in the air and shake him a bit before tossing him to the floor. “How dare you accuse me of such treachery. Why would I bite the hand that feeds me, that houses me and my mate? Is it because I won’t join you in your little crusade? Because I want to live in peace with my mate by my side?”

“You’re lucky you even have a mate,” an Alpha calls out, his sulking, pouting frame hiding in the shadows. “Most of us have never even sniffed an omega cunt except that girl you brought in. Smelled rather nice too.”

Red tinges my vision as a roar erupts from my throat. Making my way towards the huddled mass, I’m stopped by a solid block of muscles. “Easy Jaxxon. You don’t want to start a war in your very own house.” Langston's thick arms wrap around my midsection as he drags me back, my feet digging deep grooves in the floor as I fling myself forward to disembowel the pup that dared speak about Annora that way.

Gemhardt rises, his face contorted in a mask of fury. “Antinous, I will not tolerate you speaking about my dau - his omega that way, or any omega for that matter. They are sacred life bringers that should be revered by all, Alpha and beta alike. Let your tongue get the best of you again, and I’ll have no issue cutting it out.”

A scowl slashes across his face as he storms out, slamming the door behind him. “Pay him no mind, Jaxxon,” Gemhardt continues, sitting back down on his throne. “Antinous has always been headstrong, but deep down, he’s a good boy.”

“Boy?” Langston chuckles, easing his death grip from around my waist. “When are you going to stop seeing everyone younger than you as a child and consider them a man?”

“Until his hair is peppered with the gray of wisdom, he will always be but a child.”

A smattering of groans fills the space, and I assume that means it’s a line he’s used often. Langston turns to the crowd and spreads his legs, his body taking on a defensive stance. “Jaxxon has been leaving with me and working down at Hungry Desires. I have kept him in my sights to make sure no mischief befalls him. Never once have I seen him interacting with the High Echelon except to rescue a few of our servers if needed. If you do not believe me, step forward and challenge me.”

He pauses, eyes scanning the crowd. No one moves. Instead, they look down at the floor, their feet scuffing the earth. “No one? If no one comes forward, then I want this matter to be considered closed. We cannot force him to aid us, but he has never betrayed anyone here. To do so would be to put his own mate in danger. Think before hurling such dangerous accusations.”

With a firm nod of his head, Langston turns, and I move to follow him. Rage still simmers below the surface, but it’s tempered by the show of faith he has in me. At least in all this mess, I have one man I can truly call my ally. Taking in a deep breath, I open my side of the bond back up and allow Annora to wash over me, refilling me with her love and warmth.