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Chapter One

Emma

“A re you sure this is what you want to do for your birthday?” Sloane had sat me down beside the kitchen island, and she was having one of her sisterly motherly heart-to-hearts, also known as cautioning Emma not to fuck up .

“Yes.” I nodded vigorously, worried she was about to back out. “This is absolutely what I want to do.”

She stared back at me with the same brown eyes that greeted me in the mirror every day. We didn’t otherwise look similar, and as far as our personalities went, we were wildly different.

“Wouldn’t you like to go to Angelo’s instead? I heard the food there is amazing, and?—”

I couldn’t help myself—I rolled my eyes.

Her lips thinned with disapproval. “Bloody hell, Em, you’re talking about going into Desparion.”

“Yes.” I nodded again with equal vigor. “That’s where I want to go for my birthday. I’m twenty-two years old, Sloane. Let me be twenty-two. This is what I want to do.”

“But why?” Her hands remained at her side, but I pictured her mentally ripping out her hair.

I shrugged. “Curiosity. Lots of people go there. My visa is approved. I did one for you too, Sloane, but if you don’t want to go, I understand.”

“I’ve never missed a birthday,” she said.

“We’re not going to do every single birthday together. What if you get that job? You’ll leave and live in another city. Besides, college is over for me now, and I might be moving too.”

She sighed. “I guess you’re growing up.”

“I grew up a while ago, Sloane. I’m twenty-two.”

The tightening around her eyes didn’t escape my notice.

We’d grown up quicker than we should’ve had to when our parents died in a car accident.

It happened, or so the policeman who notified us had said.

I mean, I knew that because you heard about it on the news, except this time, it had been us.

Sloane had stepped up into the void they left when she stopped being my big sister and became my mother instead.

I missed my big sister. I missed my mother and father too. I felt like I lost them all.

“You’re set on this, aren’t you?”

I smiled because I sensed her resolve weakening. “Come on, it’ll be fun. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“We leave in a body bag,” she said dryly. “Never ask me what the worst is. I can fill a book with worst-case scenarios.”

I chuckled. “You’re being dramatic. Lots of people go to the alpha zones. Hundreds and thousands of them all over the world. That’s why they have visas. It’s just like visiting a foreign country,” I finished with a shrug.

“A foreign country? They’re fucking animals.”

“They’re people,” I replied. “Just…slightly different from us.”

“Did you see yesterday’s news? Another alpha triggered, revealed, and went on a rampage in the shopping center. It took five security guards to take him down.”

“They’re different in their own zone. They know what they are. It must be confusing for them when it happens. All alone, ripped from their friends and families—the same as omegas are. Nobody talks about it. I feel sorry for them, personally.”

“Well, I bloody don’t,” Sloane said.

“Anyway, we are going. Jude will be here in” —I checked my watch— “two hours to pick us up. He’s fetching Jewels with him. Please say you’ll come, Sloane.”

“Fine. I’ll come.”

“Great! More friends are catching up with us there. When I told the people in my design class, everybody wanted to come.”

“Jesus,” Sloane said. “How many people are going?”

“Not sure, ten, maybe a few more.” I winced. “Probably double that by now. Word quickly got around.”

“Fuck me. This is going to be a disaster.”

I couldn’t help my smile when she began pacing.

“Sloane?” I stood, because it seemed like this talk was over, and put my hand on her shoulder.

She stopped pacing. “It’ll be okay, but yeah, maybe…

maybe wear something less formal.” I shrugged when she shot me a glare.

“You can borrow one of my dresses if you want?”

“No thanks,” she said.

“What? You are coming, aren’t you? I want you to come. I didn’t mean all that stuff I said about us not having every birthday together. If that happens, I want it to be the exception. I hope we share all our birthdays for the rest of our lives.”

Her face softened, and the tension left her shoulders. She drew me in for a hug, and I hugged her back just as tightly.

“I love you, Em,” she said.

“I love you too.” I drew back, smirking. “Now, say you’re coming with me. It’ll be fun. We’ll have a few drinks and come home safe and sound.”

“So you’re not going there for the alphas?”

“Oh, I’m definitely going there for the hot alphas,” I said. “I want to see what one looks like up close and personal—that’s the whole point.”

“Fine,” she said, throwing her hands up.

“Yes! I’m going to get ready. Can I do your makeup?”

“No, you can’t do my bloody makeup. Jesus, I’ll come. That’s about as good as it gets.”

Laughing, I headed for my room. Sloane would probably wear something terrible.

Well, not terrible in the literal sense.

She had excellent taste and her style was very classy, but not one item in her closet would work for a night out in Desparion, also known as the alpha zone.

I’d picked out a pretty sequined dress that clung to my gentle curves, along with high heels as high as I could walk in.

I was petite, so I claimed my inches when possible.

On the other hand, Sloane would look like she was going to a dinner party—sensible, without too much skin showing. Which was fine most of the time, but not for a club.

I hopped in the shower, then took my time with my hair and makeup. I was just slipping into my dress when a knock came from the door.

“Come in!”

“Well, look at you.” Wearing a pair of beaten up designer jeans, and a white linen shirt open at the neck, Jude flashed me his signature grin as he swept glossy dark curls back dramatically from his brow like he was overcome by my splendor.

“Don’t be a chump, Jude,” I muttered, grinning.

“Ready to party, birthday girl?”

I shimmied my hips. “What do you think?”

“Girl, you look stunning. Those alphas are going to go wild.”

“I bloody hope so. I spent hours getting ready.” I glanced toward the door before lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “What is Sloane wearing?”

He grimaced. “Sensible school teacher meets exec.”

“High heels?”

He nodded.

Phew.

“Jude, are those new?”

He ran his hands down his trim torso. “All primped and ready for action. I still don’t know how I didn’t become an omega. I’d have made an amazing omega.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. You’ve only told me about fifty times.”

“Fine, girlfriend. It’s showtime. Jewels is getting the safety talk from Sloane.”

Chuckling, I picked up my purse and slipped my arm through Jude’s.

I found Jewels sitting on one of the stools around the kitchen island. Sloane had a cell phone in her hand, but the sparkly red case told me it was Jewels’ and not her own.

I groaned.

“What?” Jude asked.

“Right, hand over your cell phones,” Sloane said. Giving Jewels’ back to her, she motioned us to hand over the goods.

“You checked it earlier,” I said. “Like two hours ago. What could possibly go wrong?”

She gave me the look.

Jude chuckled.

We both handed over our cells.

“All working,” she said. “You all know how to use the app?” Her eyes skimmed over each of us.

“Yes, Mummy,” Jude said. “Did you also install the Play Safe app?”

“Me?” Sloane asked like this request baffled her. “I’m not going to need—Fine.” She sighed heavily and grabbed the cell out of an enormous bag.

“Looks like you packed to spend the night,” Jude said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jewels snickered.

Sloane shot him a glare and went back to tapping on her cell. A few minutes later, she held it out to us so that we could check it like she’d checked ours.

As part of the visa application, they recommended you download the app. You could then ask any alpha you met for his ID and check it in the app. As long as they didn’t have a criminal record, it would come up with a green tick.

I understood why it was recommended. They wouldn’t let us enter the zone at all if there were any real danger, but the app provided a safety net.

“It’s not so different from here,” I said to Sloane. “There’s a strip with bars, restaurants, and clubs.” Mostly bars and clubs, but I was certain people ate there too.

“Inked,” Jewels said. “The best club in Desparion. Dancing and cocktails, and I’ll be happy.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jude said. “I’m going to make a fine alpha sandwich.”

Even Sloane cracked a smile at that.

Time to party.

* * *

Ryder

“Nice collection of victims—I mean, opportunities,” I said as I joined Jace at the gate.

He glared at me, the grumpy bastard, before going back to his clinical inspection of the bug-eyed betas trailing past. The gates had been thrown wide. It was officially open season in Desparion as cute little beta prey, all primped to entice alphas to pounce, hustled down the strip.

Jace didn’t indulge in the groupies often. He had his share of hang-ups, but then again, didn’t we all?

A few eyeballed me openly…and one almost face planted when I offered her my smile. So much fucking fun.

Some were serial offenders, turning up every week on the dot for their fix of alpha cock. The rest were taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip into the wild side. They would store the memory away and never return again.

“Don’t talk about them like that, asshole,” Jace muttered, making a mockery of his own words as his head panned to follow the passage of a beta who stood out in the sea of exposed flesh, given she had dressed like she was about to go for an interview at a bank.

Arm looped through miss corporate banker was a pixie, showing a whole lot more flesh. What wasn’t exposed was covered by a little sequined dress that sparkled and had every alpha in the vicinity panting.

I smoothed my face out into my best approximation of innocence. “Willing participants?”

“Better,” Jace agreed.

I loved the big bastard, even if he was a miserable dick who kept his sense of humor under lock and key.

I supposed no one had an easy ride toward life in the zone separated from the civilized part of the world by a fucking massive fence and a gate, but Jace’s entry had been tougher because it hadn’t only been about him. “You’re growling.”

“I’m good,” he said.

He didn’t need to tell me—I knew he was thinking about his sister, Ella. She was older than Jace and had been living in a rough neighborhood when she revealed her omega status. Things had gotten fucked-up for a while, but Ella seemed to have put it behind her. Jace, not so much.

I didn’t have that issue. My sister was a conceited beta bitch who still lived a life of luxury.

The worst thing that had happened to her perfect world was the scandal to our family when I revealed as an alpha.

I nearly broke my parents apart. My father became convinced my mother had been indiscreet, as there hadn’t been any alphas on his side of the family for generations.

A whole heap of digging had ensued, and it turned out my grandmother on my mother’s side had covered up the fact she’d had an alpha son.

My uncle had been relocated to an alpha zone on the down low.

They’d even had a funeral with a closed casket, claiming he’d been killed in a freak accident while rock climbing.

That had been convenient for them—him being an outdoorsy type.

My contribution to the dynasty was getting our family all over the tabloid sites. No neat and tidy fake death had been available to them, though I was pretty sure my parents would have offed me for real, given a choice.

They didn’t get one. The Agency for Alpha Control had swooped in and snatched me. It was still out there now—a photo of me with my face smeared in blood, fighting with the burly alpha henchmen they’d employed when I went on a rampage in a club…allegedly.

The tabloids liked to drag that snapshot out every time my father cut a deal that pissed off the masses.

The truth was, I didn’t go on a fucking rampage.

My scent suddenly exploded. Some guy’s girlfriend threw herself at me and started humping my leg.

Trust me, no one had been more surprised about this than me, which would have been fine if the guy hadn’t tried to take her from me.

I hadn’t known the woman, had never met her in my life, but a newly awakened alpha was possessive and in my confused state, she had been mine.

Farther down the strip, the pixie, corporate banker, and sidekicks appeared to be heading for our club. “You’re still growling,” I said to Jace while nodding at the alphas who’d arrived to take over gate duty.

Jace huffed out a breath as we started walking back toward the club. “I know. I’ll deal with it.”

“You need to get laid,” I said, smirking.

He chuckled.

I tried not to wallow in my head. The past was the past and all that. Jace and his antics were always good for a distraction, and tonight, he was very distracted by banker chick, no less. “So, Miss Prim…” I trailed off, laughing when he took the bait and punched me on the arm.

“Off-limits,” he said, not even bothering to pretend he wasn’t interested.

“Yeah,” I replied, giving him my best shit-eating grin. “That one’s a screamer of the unenthusiastic variety.”

His heavy sigh said he knew I was right. Some people didn’t belong here. A few years ago, before I revealed as an alpha, I’d have sneered and flicked imaginary lint from my clothing at the thought of entering Desparion. I’d always been an asshole, I was just a different variety back then.

“She’s still off-limits,” Jace said.

I didn’t taunt him for effectively warding me off.

Every alpha had an inner beast, and Jace’s was protective.

He’d take on the fucking world if anyone messed with those he considered under his care.

We had a strict policy in our club regarding enthusiastic alphas—if the betas were willing, fair game, but anyone caught forcing the matter would wake up in the back alley with one hell of a headache.

It was a practice I wholeheartedly endorsed.

Jace rarely indulged in the newbies and certainly not one who looked like that. Nor did I.

Banker chick didn’t belong here, but neither did the sequined pixie at her side.

Looked like they were off-limits for both of us.