Page 58 of Dark Company

The beta’s hands reach out for the reins, and almost instantly, he slides his fingertips over my horse’s nose and whispers to him, drawing a soft grunt and neigh from the massive beast. It tips its snout forward, bopping the beta’s hand. I never knew this horse to be friendly to strangers before. This child must have a special way with him.

Reaching into my pocket, I push past the blaster and grab some coins, more than what he’s probably expecting, and hold them out. “I need you to take the utmost care of our horses. We will be back as soon as possible.”

The enormous grin he shoots up at me makes my heart clench. Between Karis and me, would we have a child that smiled that brightly? And that’s when the terror sinks into my soul and twists about. Since I fucked her during a heat, could she actually be pregnant right now?

It’s bad enough that Brennen has her in his clutches, but he might also have my unborn child. Granted, I didn’t smell any changes to her before she waltzed out of the tent, but it could still be far too soon to tell. I have no earthly idea when an omega’s scent indicates she’s pregnant.

The thought adds an urgency to this mission that wasn’t there before. Unable to breathe, I simply hand the child the money and walk away. He’s far too young and innocent to understand the absolute fury that ripples under my skin. I need to be far away from him before he sees something he probably shouldn’t.

Once we’re far enough away, I turn to Leon and grip his uniform, drawing him closer to me. “What if she’s pregnant? What if the stress of all of this makes her lose the baby? What if-?”

Leon places his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me forward, resting his forehead against mine. With his free hand, he rests it against my heart and starts to breathe. “You cannot lose yourself in what ifs. Right now, we get Karis back. After that, then we’ll figure out the pregnancy thing. I’m not sure if this will help you, but with her being on suppressants, I would be shocked if just one heat would allow her to get pregnant.”

I nod, forcing air into my lungs. He’s right. I know he’s right. There’s so much unknown about her situation because of those damned suppressants that I can’t keep playing the what if game. Besides her being pregnant, the only other major question is whether she’ll go back into heat.

It’s that thought that spurs me back into action. I cannot control whether she’s pregnant—it’s already a done deal. She either is or isn’t. But with the heat, that is something I can control. The sooner I get her back, the safer she will be. All we have to do is find them.

Brennen’s smell is lost amongst the miasma of bodies, and my heart sinks. If I can’t even smell him, how will I have any chance of finding him? Looking over at Leon, I raise my fingers to my eyes and point at the right side of the street before motioning to myself and pointing to the left side.

With a nod, we split up. Leon will have to make do by just looking in every nook and cranny; however, since I can still smell, I have a slight upper hand. Closing my eyes, I breathe in deep, forcing the bile back down into my stomach. It’s not just uncleanliness I’m smelling, but also blood, despair, and hopelessness.

Yes, there’s still the occasional whiff of privilege. I can smell the stench of their colognes and perfumes as it weaves in and out of this cesspool of agony. Perhaps they’re somewhere higher up, enclosed in rooms that shut them off from the rest of humanity. But they’re not the ones that are important. I need to concentrate on two scents and two scents alone.

Having other Alphas and high-born omegas would just make it harder to trace. The fact that Brennen is a beta already puts me at a disadvantage. Perhaps eighty to ninety percent of the people here are in that dynamic, and most of them are also men.

Instead, I focus on the one scent I’ll never be able to get out of my heart or mind. Karis. If I can just force the others to the side and find hers, then I’ll have a shot. Leaning inside a nearby alcove, positioned so that all but what’s in front of me is protected, I close my eyes and take in another breath.

It takes several minutes of concentration to finally pick up on it, but it’s there. It’s a subtle sweetness that cuts through the grime and desperations, like a flower opening up under the suns to expel its beauty into the world. And she is. My Karis, despite her faults, is a delicate flower, struggling to survive. It’s not her fault she ended up with me, but if I have this second chance with her, I’ll make sure to show her in any way I can that I’m the one for her.

I’m her strong pillar that she can lean upon, the strength beneath her when she chooses to stand tall. I will do my best to never curtail her feistiness. Instead, I will harness it, use it to help Stanlion grow stronger than ever. We need more omegas like her, someone that’s comfortable standing up for what they believe in.

Granted, I’ll still have to keep somewhat of a tighter rein on her so that she doesn’t cause herself or others harm. There’s a selfishness in her that needs to be dealt with before she can reach the greatness she’s destined for. Out of all the things I could do, this will be the most challenging and fun. She will give me the purpose I so long for, even if it’s just teaching and guiding her, molding her into the princess she can be.

I push away from the alcove and follow the scent, shoving past people, not caring if I injured them or not. Any obstacle between me and my omega will either move or be moved. Luckily, since I tower over almost everyone there, they’re quick to get out of my way, bringing me closer to Karis.

The further I go, the stronger the scent becomes, until that’s all I can smell. My lips curl up into a smile as I round a corner, expecting to come across them both, but there’s nothing. It looks like a docking port, but there are no ships. I walk over to the dock and squat down, resting my hand on the stone beneath me. It’s still warm.

Wherever the transport went, it left not that long ago. I just missed them. Damn him. Damn Karis. Damn her stubborn pride. Sinking down to my knees, I rest my palms on the ground and feel for any vibrations, any indication that it’s not a ship that took them.

Nothing.

There’s nothing but swirling sands and blazing suns. Just like that, she slipped through my fingers again, like water flowing through the cracks, only this time, it’s not cleansing, it’s destructive. My heart cracks in two as I stare out over the expanse. Granted, it’s not completely hopeless. If a ship took them, then there’s only two other places they could be.

Laxa and Gundhar. It will take some time, but I’ll rip those cities apart to find them if I have to. Curling my hand into a fist, I strike the ground, careful to avoid my crusted knuckles. I turn my face up to the heavens and plead with Jarosh to help me find her. If any god can do it, it’s him.

In return, I’ll bless my first Alpha male child in his name. I will honor him with a sacrifice of meat and grains—whatever he wishes. I just need to find my Karis. I need to put my soul back together. The emptiness that yawns inside me as she gets further away is pure agony.

I rest my fingertips on my chest and claw at the skin beneath, desperate to carve the pain out of me. It’s not that I no longer want the bond; I just want to stop hurting. There’s an ache inside that pervades my limbs, my bones, and my tissues. It consumes me until all I can think about is the feral need to have my mate by my side.

Standing up, I grit my teeth in determination and turn back into the city. Time to find Leon and finish this once and for all. Hopefully, whichever city is harboring them will allow me to exact vengeance on Brennen, seeing as stealing an Alphas’ mate is a universal crime. The problem is, I have no idea what lies he’s telling them, or what falsehoods he’s going to make Karis say.

Since she bears my mark, he’ll know that he can manipulate her to get his way. Any threat to her is a direct threat to me. Though I don’t know Brennen well, I wouldn’t put it past him to manipulate the situation, twisting her mind until she succumbs to his wishes, if only to spare me. She may be a selfish little brat, but deep inside, I know she never wishes true harm on anyone, and that’s what he’ll take advantage of.

Static stabs at the air from the sleeve of my uniform as Leon’s voice crackles through the communicator, pulling me from my thoughts. Listening close, my heart starts to thump even harder. Leon found the son of a bitch, but there was no Karis with him. Fear moves my steps forward as every worst-case scenario floods my mind.

Perhaps what I’m smelling isn’t her leaving on a ship, but instead, it’s her dead and buried beneath the sands? Reaching back through the bond, I’m only able to calm myself by feeling her soft presence there. She’s still not responsive or alert, but she’s alive.

Sagging with relief, I lean against a nearby wall for a moment and clutch my heart, forcing my breath to even out. Judging by the landmarks, Leon isn’t too far away. I spot a nearby vendor selling food and decide to grab us a bite to eat since we have had nothing for at least a day.