Page 23

And it’s true, and a better plan of action than my own.

I’m up against three. But if Aiden has shown me anything, it’s that the betas here are only separated from alphas by their genes.

He’s stronger, faster, and deadlier than any alpha I’ve encountered off of Providence.

My only hope is that he’s stupider than them, because even a beta can outwit a clever omega.

She smiles ruefully and clucks her tongue, the reddish undertones of her ochre brown skin glowing in the light.

“No, he is a bêta,” she repeats, like we all didn’t get her rejection right the first time. “How will he mate with me? Are the betas on Foxcroft different somehow? What if the alphas drive him away? He saved me. They came to my defense after the fact. I want to make sure he can stay.”

My eyes fly open in surprise.

“You… want this?”

She shakes her head again, braids cascading down her shoulder as she sighs, dabbing at her kohl rimmed eyes before she lifts her chin, “I have to make due with the choices presented to me. And regardless of what I want, I know what I need. I need alphas loyal to me… But I…”

Nadège casts her eyes to Aiden. He kneels, confused, as she strokes his cheek with the back of her gloved hand, eyes shining with hope, before she looks back at me.

“I want him to stay with me.”

I nod, understanding what she means more than I will ever let on. It’s what I feel when I look at Leo. Call it Stockholm syndrome or pragmatism, but we both seem to know who we need by our side, and who, if push comes to shove, we need by our side.

“Okay, I’ll explain. But Nadège, we aren’t at Foxcroft. We’re trapped in Providence, the prison colony.”

Her expression is unreadable, but she gives me the barest hint of a nod. It’s all I need to see to know she understood. Even I haven’t quite accepted my fate, so I can’t expect her to process all that right now.

With a steadying breath, I stand and explain this to everyone, looking at my pack for support, even as I primarily address Emilio, Aaron, Adien, and Marquis.

When I’m finished, the murmurs and sneering disappear.

Aiden falls to both knees and grabs Nadège before he stands and spins her in his arms. The man is shorter by a few inches, yet he’s twirling her around like she’s the shorter of the two.

As soon as she’s back on her feet, Emilio–the apex alpha of his pack–kisses her fiercely.

And then, to my shock, his fangs sink into her neck without warning.

When he pulls away, she looks dizzy and on the verge of collapse.

Or wait, no, not that. She looks like she’s been thrown into the apex of her rut.

“We aren’t equal. Betas and alphas… Or omegas,” Emilio says in a measured baritone, glancing at me, but never staring. A sign of respect I guess. I repeat what he says so she can understand.

“But we are family. No different than a child who is under the protection of their parents. We are brothers. We would never abandon Aiden. Now, with you, our pack is whole.”

A cheer goes up, and it seems like the entire pack closes in. Somehow, I end up wrapped in Leo’s arms, Raphael and Nakoa too busy managing the demands of their underlings who beg to sign up for the upcoming exhibition. The chance at winning a mate is overwhelming.

“They’ll be good mates to her,” Leo whispers, “And Aiden? He’ll worship her.”

He’s sounds proud and sure. But he doesn’t understand. He could never understand.

I want to be swept up in the swoony romantic mode, but there’s a boulder-sized weight in my stomach, of absolute dread. It all sounds so wrong, the more I think about it. How can she… How could I bond with the alphas of this island when one day we must escape.

We can’t live here, become a family, build a home. Never. And yet we are promising we will. I have already pledged myself to the apex alpha. And now Nadège will sell her soul to his most loyal warriors outside his inner circle.

Leo is pulled away and I end up in…

Oh shit, Rapahel’s arms.

He holds me too softly, too closely, his breathe uneven and pupils dilated.

“What did you say to her?”

“Nothing! I–”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

Why the hell is he mad?

He pins my wrist above my head, cupping the back of my neck with his free hand. My scarred, soon to be unmarked neck. I’m not stupid. I’m no idiot. They’ve played me. But I have to keep playing along like I’m the apex’s bonded mate.

“She wanted him?”

“Yes.”

“Why.”

Oh. Maybe he can’t comprehend an omega wanting an beta so bad she was scared to mate an apex alpha? I think, trying to move my neck out of his grasp. But he hooks a thick finger under the collar, tugging it around so his knuckle brushes against the length of my nape.

I shudder from head to toe, remembering those fingers stuffed inside another tight…

“Shit, not again,” he murmurs, and sure enough, I can feel the beginning of another heat, and surely soon, they’ll be thrust into another rut. If they give in. And why, oh why, do I want them to give in?

“She wanted him?”

“What’s wrong with Aiden?”

“Nothing’s wrong with him. But he’s a beta. She would reject an apex alpha for a beta?”

“He protected her first. They just swooped in to claim her after the fact. But he… He went out of his way, even knowing she’s pregnant–” Raphael’s eyes fly open and I cover my mouth.

Stupid, stupid bitch! I meant to keep that a secret.

But instead of ordering her bond ceremony halted or something, Raphael’s eyes mist over like he’s going to… cry? Can he cry? This bastard? Can’t be. But there’s no mistaking the wetness pooling in his brooding gaze that darkens, pupils exploding.

“She’s pregnant and she would’ve rejected an alpha?”

None of them can understand.

“He saved her. He protected her when he didn’t have to.

When saving her would just burden him. I mean, this isn’t exactly the place to raise a baby in.

And she didn’t want him to be thrown away.

She didn’t understand how you all do things here.

In our circles, well, betas are disposable,” I explain, but that doesn’t seem to help one bit.

“Saved her? He wanted to fuck her. He might not be able to claim an omega, smell the difference between a heat, but I’m sure Aiden was just as starved for a wet pussy rather than his hand.”

I clench my fists and wince. The swelling’s gone down significantly, but not enough to not hurt. He lifts my hand up, his touch delicate in a way I didn’t think such a large hand could. To my suirpise he lifts my puffy knuckles to his lips.

“You hurt me, and then you comfort me? That’s just called common decency,” he says, throwing my words back into my face.

But they don’t sting, because I don’t get what he means in this context.

And then it clicks.

“You think she pities him?” I ask and he cocks his head. “He got hurt because of her, so it’s only right she comfort him with sex? Are you insane?”

“What else could it be? But even she should have some common sense moving forward.”

“You have a funny way of given good advice.”

It’s the best he’s getting out of me. No way am I complimenting him.

“We’ll watch out for ourselves.”

He just stares and stares, tugging on my collar, holding my hand, as if he doesn’t know if he wants to choke me, comfort me, or both.

“You don’t have to watch out for yourself.”

“Why not?”

Finally, he lets go, and inclines his head to the large square entrance of the warehouse the used to have a metal door maybe, years ago.

“Because,” he states, eyes lifting to the ceiling before landing back on me, “you belong to us, Grace. You don’t have to watch your back. Anyone who dares touch you needs to watch theres.”

I wonder why that rule doesn’t extend to him. I wonder why in on breathe he can be so cruel, and in the other trick me into thinking I’m one of them.