Page 56 of Dark Revolution

Behind me, a soft sound, barely a whisper, alerts me to movement. I turn, and again, nothing’s there. Pulling from every bit of my courage, I approach the building, eyes peeled for my sister. Like a clock counting down in my mind, every second it takes to find her is another second that’s peeled away from my life. It was stupid to do this without Jaxxon, but it’s far too late to turn back now. Besides, except for the few animals scurrying about, I haven’t seen any other sign of life.

As I step in, the air feels wrong. It’s thick and heavy, almost choking me with the myriad of smells as they assault my nose. All scents tell a story, and the picture painted in my brain consists of horror and pain.

Even with my scarf in place, the overlapping scents of death, decay, and rage seep into my brain, filling my soul with a spine-chilling fear. It’s impossible to get a proper read on the place. All the smells here are intermingled with any newer scent threading through the other ones until I cannot discern who’s even in here with me.

I try so hard to pick up Karis’ scent, but with all the other conflicting ones, I can’t pick hers out. That should be a good thing, though. If she were hurt or frightened, I’d think those scents would rise to the top, seeping into my brain first.

The terrible thing is that it could either indicate her death, or I have the location wrong. If only it wasn’t so dangerous to have the datacom with me. I was so sure this was the place, but now I’m questioning everything. The heavy pressure of terror fills my chest, making it hard to breathe. I want so desperately to leave, but I can’t abandon my sister, even if it means dragging her corpse back home to be buried properly.

One more step inside, and something wraps around my foot, yanking me high in the air. Pain shatters my thoughts as my leg is yanked from my socket. High, keening wails pepper the air, though I try desperately to smother them. I can feel Jaxxon through our bond, a live wire of wriggling, angry Alpha. Try as I might, I can’t shield him from the agony seeping into my brain, rendering me a mass of pain.

“Well, well. Fish for an omega, and look what you catch.” What coherency is left in my brain screams as Caulder appears underneath me. Bad. This is very, very bad. The moment I lock eyes on him, my bond vibrates within me, as if I can feel and hear Jaxxon’s mighty Alpha roar inside my skull. A moment later, and it dissipates, replaced with an outpouring of love and comfort.

The thread of rage is still there, but he’s trying to keep it together for me. Blinking back the tears, I force my brain into action. There has to be some way to escape this. “You know, for an omega bitch, you smell gods awful.” I’m free-falling, the pain in my leg forgotten as my stomach climbs up into my chest, threatening to expel food from this morning.

Before I can slam into the ground, Caulder catches me, his eyes gleaming as he peers into mine. “Let’s get you cleaned up, little omega. I can’t get hard when I smell your cunt of an Alpha tainting every inch of you.”

“But Karis -.” I manage to croak out, pausing at the evil glint in his eyes.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about her.”

A familiar smell permeates the air, and I choke back a sob. This is it. I must truly be at death’s door. Why would the gods taunt me like this unless it’s my time? Caulder pauses, a growl rumbling through his chest. I follow his line of sight, freezing as a ghost steps into the building. I blink, but it’s still there.

“Unhand my daughter, and your death will be swift.”

Closing my eyes, I soak in the deep timbre of his voice, my brain flashing back to the time when he was still alive. Perhaps the gods sent this vision to me as a comfort, one pleasant thing before Caulder does unspeakable things to my body. Once he’s done with me, I might as well be dead. There’s no way Jaxxon will want me back if I’m tainted by another man’s seed.

It almost killed him when Annalise was unfaithful, and estrus or not, I plan to fight until I’m unable to move. But if I’m unsuccessful, will he believe me? Will he believe I tried? With a hard thrust, Caulder tosses me to the floor, ignoring me as I bounce against the hard surface.

The impact jars me, sending shards of pain through my leg as I watch the two circle each other. I can watch the entire melee play out from my vantage point, even as they both engage without acknowledging me.

Placing my hands behind me, I scoot backward, biting my lip to keep from crying out, but the pain is intense, more than anything I’ve felt up to this point. Getting my insignia removed was close, but at least the Alpha doctor did what he could to negate it. Now, it’s just me and my sheer will.

I grit my teeth and move maybe an inch when Caulder slides closer towards me. “One more move, and I’ll rape you here in front of dear old father. Stay still like a good, little omega, and I might kill him first and save you the embarrassment.”

To his credit, the ghost never falters. He keeps his eyes on Caulder, moving when he moves. Reaching into his robes, he pulls out a gun and a knife. My gut clenches as it gleams in the shifting light. That knife was never recovered. Of all the things that were given to Karis and me, that knife was not amongst them. “Daddy?”

His eyes shift to me, a slight smile tilting up his lips before they settle again in a concentrated frown. What does this all mean? How is he not dead? If this truly is the man that raised me, where has he been all this time? My brain flies back to when Jaxxon brought me to the underground lair. The scent that shouldn’t have been there but was.

He’s real, and he’s alive. I want to cry, sob, but I don’t dare. He can’t break concentration, and anything I do could mean an instant death. Caulder smirks, arrogance pouring off of him. If he knew just how amazing my father was as a fighter, he would have a little more respect and maybe a touch of fear.

Besides, the fact that he somehow survived the massacre when so many others lost their lives should be a testament to how indestructible he is. Pride blossoms in my chest, masking the layer of hurt and betrayal. I’ll question him once he’s done disposing of Caulder, and hopefully, his answers will help us both move forward.

He steps in, swinging at Caulder, who ducks, a dark chuckle filling the air. “Too slow old man.” Oh, if he only knew. My father used to spar with me, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was training with other Alphas. I used to watch him for hours and know most of his tells. He’s not being slow; he’s testing out the younger man, looking for his weaknesses.

My father raises his hand again before freezing in place, his face locked in an “O” of shock and pain. He stumbles forward as he coughs, a thin trail of blood dripping from his lips. No. No. This can’t be happening. I refuse to lose my father twice. I move forward, swallowing the screech of pain as I crawl to his side.

Caulder slides up behind me, grabbing me by the back of my clothes. I strain forward, my hand reaching out. Even as he shuffles about, my father still palms his knife, prepared to strike if the moment presents itself. As he turns, the thin shaft of an arrow sticks up from his back, glinting in the dying suns. Fuck. We’re not alone!

My eyes dart about, but no other person shows themselves. The coward must be hiding in the shadows. It says a lot about these Alphas that they fight dirty like this. A true Alpha would face his enemies and not use another to ambush his prey. A soft thwack, and my father lurches forward again, blood staining the front of his shirt.

“Stop playing around. The High Echelon is meeting soon, and they don’t need you causing unnecessary drama. You got the bitch. Let’s go!” A phantom voice rises up out from the shadows, his tone drenched with annoyance.

My father reaches out his hand, his fingertips stained a deadly crimson. Sobbing, my fingers graze his as I stretch out my arm out as far as it can go. “Please. Please don’t do this. I need my father.”

Derek, the idiot Alpha that seems to be Caulder’s shadow, steps out into the light, his lips twisted up in a feral grin. Like it was yesterday, my brain flashes back to that fateful day when the Ferals killed that omega. It’s going to be the same song, just a different verse. He walks over to my father and crouches down, gripping his hair in his hands.

“Since when would a god cater to a lowly omega like you?”

Tears stain my cheeks as my father blinks up at me, his eyes dulling as he stares deep into my own. “Please, daughter. I never meant to leave you alone.” He pauses for a moment, coughing as more blood threatens to choke him. “I had to leave. Had to hide. Your mother -.” He coughs again, blood splattering from his lips to paint the space in between us.

“Your mother and I were always proud of you. You and Karis. Seeing you. The omega you’ve become. The Alpha that’s claimed you.” His brows draw together as he struggles to breathe. My heart beats in my chest as sorrow and anger intermingle, coalescing into a nameless emotion that churns in my gut.

“Are you happy? Were you? Were you happy?”

“Daddy,” I cry out, again stretching out to reach for him. Caulder holds me back, keeping us far enough apart that only our fingertips touch. My heart shatters as his eyes flutter for a second. Why? Why is this happening?

“Jaxxon. Just. Hold on. To Jaxxon.”

“Enough of this.” Derek takes his knife and slides it across my father’s throat, spraying me with his blood. I scream as it coats me, pouring out the sorrow burrowing deep inside my heart, writhing about like a worm. Through the bond, Jaxxon’s rage intermingles with my heartache, leaving me a breathless, blubbering mess.

In one swift move, Caulder flips me over, and I close my eyes, not wanting to watch him as he starts to defile me. At least my father won’t have to see this. It’s the one small mercy to which I can cling. Instead of tearing at my clothes, he lifts my legs, but I can’t even cry out. Everything hurts so much that one more pain doesn’t even make a difference.

With a quick twist, he wrenches my leg, the sickening crunch as he pops it back into place the last thing I hear. Closing my eyes, I finally succumb to the pain and shock, drifting into a sea of nothing.