AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The fact that Echo doesn’t have anythin’ snarky to say for once catches me off guard. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t nothin’ me, Omega. What’re you thinkin’?”
“Nothing.”
“Jesus Christ. Echo,” I say scoldingly.
She huffs, “Can’t I keep anything to myself anymore? You’re so fuckin’ — fucking — nosy.”
My lips twitch at her pronunciation. Yeah, my little Prayersville Omega has some Dark City down in there deep. Wants to come out and I’m not about to punish her for it. She’s so fuckin’ cute. “I know you, Echo. Know when you’re sad at me, mad at me, and right now, you’re a little bit a’ both. What’d I do?”
“It’s nothing you did. It just reminds me of the markets in Prayersville. Except there, we barely had stuff to barter. Here, there’s like…dresses and fancy-looking stuff…soap,for fuck’s sake. I just…” She shakes her head and sinks back slightly in her seat. “Betas don’t get fancy soap. Betas get to trade their only pair of shoes in exchange for shelter for just one night.”
Knowin’ she’s speaking from experience pisses me the fuck off. Makes me want to go back to Trash City and skin Merlin alive. But…is it really Merlin’s fault? No, it’s not.
“You wanted to live good as a Beta, you always coulda gone for Shadowlands.” There, the ruling Berserkers have always kept to the old ways, letting Betas keep their children and work alongside Alphas.
She balks, “You mean make it through Paradise Hole?”
I don’t answer.
“Were you not there with me trying to cross a tenth of the distance I’d have needed to cross to get to the ports?”
Still don’t answer. Her glare cuts.
“And even if I did make it to the ocean, I’d have to cross it somehow. You know the coastal cities don’t let Betas ride boats. Not for free. And it’s a fare that no amount of rabbit pelts coulda bought me. I’d have had to pay a fee on my back. Maybe. Or work in the…”
“Shut the fuck up, Echo.” The thought of her on her back, her legs spread for some horny fuckin’ sailor… Jesus Christ.
“And you know that Ruby City pirates catch ninety-nine out of a hundred unmarked boats that try to pass between the northern and southern island. Even after all that, I’d just be back where I started.”
She lapses into silence and I glance down and see the back of my hand is covered in fur and swallow my next growl, trying to curb the urge to kill something for her. To do something for her. But what?
Maybe, nothin’ my Berserker’s beast can do, though… Maybe, it’s somethin’ she needs from me as the ruling Alpha that I am. The thought sits and lingers in the silence that exists between us. Not an unpleasant silence and I like that about my wife — she can challenge me all she wants and bring out all kinds of unearthly thoughts and feelings in me, but I don’t get the sense she hates me for my failings.
“It doesn’t matter, anyway.”
“What doesn’t?”
“Even if I made it to Shadowlands, it wouldn’t matter. Everybody knows Betas do fine there, but women don’t.”
“Women…” I know what she’s talkin’ about and wish I could contradict it. Stereotype is that the Berserkers of the southern island are still quite patriarchal. Women can exist as Betas or Alphas just fine and get any role they want…so long as it’s not in a position of authority. “At least they can keep their kids.”
“I guess.” She shrugs.
“What? You don’t want kids?”
She tenses visibly and hugs her sweater tighter around her shoulders. It’s black, like the leggings she’s got on and the tight tank top that clings to her curves and looks like it’d be so fuckin’ easy to rip off.
Got a clothing delivery this morning she seems happy with, but I’d love to send ‘er out shopping and see what she came back with. Sure she’d surprise me if she had a credit card and free reign. Hell, if I sent her off alone, she’d probably come back with no clothes at all and somethin’ else weird instead. She doesn’t care about this shit. She hasn’t had a chance to. Same with kids.
“Are we here?” She clicks her tongue against the backs of her teeth and reaches for the door handle.
“Locked. Keep it locked,” I call up to Sierra, who volunteered to drive us for the day.
From the front seat, Sierra chuffs, “Are you kidding? Why do you think I’m here? I’ve got to report all this to the boss.”
