Page 176 of Eclipse Sector

“Yes,” Cillian muttered. “Definitely true.” His annoyance trickled through our bond. Not annoyance at the existence of such a concept—Omega slaves were nothing new in our world—but annoyance at not having known about this particular agency.

Whoever they were, they had excelled at keeping their existence a secret for a very long time.

And that concerned Cillian.

It concerned me, too.

Swallowing, I followed him and Quinn out of the building to the massacre outside.

There were Alphas and Betas everywhere, most kneeling with their heads bowed, others unconscious on the street, and a handful of them standing with their attention focused on Kieran.

Well, not quite focused.

No one was meeting his gaze directly.

Only Cillian seemed capable of that, and even he winced a little at the power pouring off Kieran’s vibrating form.

It was impressive.

Almost as impressive as Benz being among the standing Alphas. He was the only Beta not kneeling in submission. His turquoise gaze met mine, relief shining bright in the depths of his eyes. I returned the look and gave him a little nod. It felt like a million years since I’d last seen him. There was so much to say, to catch up on.

Later,I thought, knowing Benz would understand even though he couldn’t hear me. The telepathy gift was clearly one I hadn’t inherited through my new bond to Cillian. I wasn’t upset by that. Mind reading was… enough.

Kieran took one look at Quinn and held out an arm, his unspoken command clear.

She went to him with confidence fueling her steps and slid right into his side. His opposite hand came over to palm her protruding belly, his growl softening to a subtle purr.

At least until he looked down at Tadhg’s bald head.

The Alpha was on his knees like several others, but the way his body twitched and pulsed told me he hadn’t taken thatposition willingly. Everyone else seemed to be kneeling out of respect. But not Tadhg. He was being held there by Kieran’s will.

Grey shadowed in a hairsbreadth of a moment later, holding an unconscious Sylvia in his arms.

He slowly and gently set her on the ground, his Alpha instincts taking over when it came to handling someone so much smaller than him.

That samekindnessdidn’t exist inside me.

When I looked at Sylvia, I saw a traitor. A villain. Someone who had fucked with the minds of others all for some unknown gain.

Except Cillian’s words from a few minutes ago whispered through my mind.

It’s possible she’s still a victim here.

Possible, perhaps. But her power hadn’t felt all that innocent. It’d felt purposeful. Intrusive.Deadly.

“Prince Tadhg of Alpha Sector, you and your cohorts have committed the highest level of treason today,” King Kieran announced in a voice that carried for miles, his Alpha prowess in full force “There will be no trial. No pleading your case. The lives of you and your co-conspirators are forfeit.”

He paused, like he was waiting for anyone to try to argue.

But all Tadhg did… waslaugh.

The rumble of sound seemed to rival King Kieran’s, the mocking tone traveling for miles.

“You’re a fool,” Tadhg gritted out.

“I’m a fool?” King Kieran repeated, canting his head to the side in a manner that came off as far too threatening to be innocent.

“You’re all fools,” Tadhg reiterated. “Ask Grey. He knows.”