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And the line goes dead.
I take the headset off slowly, then set it on its stand with reverence. Ephraim gestures at me, shaking his head.
“Gotta get you back to your room before someone catches us,” he says. “You’re not supposed to be up here.”
I nod, starting to follow him—then I catch his wrist before he can go through the door.
“Ephraim, wait,” I say.
He glares over his shoulder at me. “Haven’t I done enough for you?”
I freeze.
Iwantto fight him on this.
Because no…he’s barely done a damn thing for me.
“Why?” I ask. “Why are you helping me?”
He turns around with a reluctant groan.
“I’m not helping you,” he says. “I just want you gone, and dad will never kill you. And I can’t exactly do it, so…”
A chill runs through me. I can tell in that moment that he means it—that he would kill me if he had the chance. There’s murderous intent in his eyes, something ugly and monstrous.
I ignore it.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “He hates me.”
“You more than anyone should know that dad doesn’t hate or love anyone,” he says. “He just sees people as tools—and he wants something from you, so he’s going to work his ass off to get it.”
“What does he want?”
Ephraim cocks his head. “Haven’t you noticed there’s something wrong on the Rig, Esther?”
I narrow my eyes, searching my mind for what I’ve seen since I got back. Sure, the Gulf Pack is messed up, but that’s not exactly new. I consider everything I’ve talked about with Javi, how we’ve unpacked the terrible circumstances we’re in piece by piece…
And something strange occurs to me.
My father’s mates—the hidden omegas on the Rig—the betas in the mess. There are plenty of women here, but there’s something missing that I’m starting to see plenty of in Austin.
“Oh my God,” I whisper. “The babies.There are no babies.”
Ephraim barks out a bitter laugh. “You’re not as stupid as I thought you were,” he says.
I don’t bother argue with him. He wouldn’t listen anyway, and I’m more intent on understanding what’s going on here.
“Why?” I ask.
“We don’t know,” he says. “Dad’s convinced it has something to do with the way he’s assigned mates to his alphas…which is why he did it the way he did with you and Javier. He wants to use you as a test—to see if you can produce children to keep us going.”
“What is he gonna do if we can’t?”
“Well…” he says. “If you end up staying, I don’t think you want to find out.”
I chew on my lip, crossing my arms over my chest. “Ephraim, be honest—why are you helping me?”
He glares at me. “Because I want you gone…and if you have a baby and show it’s possible, we’ll be stuck here forever. I don’t want to help you, I just don’t want you with our pack. You don’t have a place here.”
