A younger alpha, Threads—thin, fingers of a mechanic’s—snaps at that. “We can’t let him circle without any repercussions. He’ll pick at our supply lines, take the women and omegas on the margins. We show a weakness, he’ll run with it.”
“I’m aware,” I state, more certain than any of them realize.My mind is already sequencing possibilities—traps, diversions, an alpha-summoned hunt that will permanently remove him. “Project Scarlett Offering is at the forefront more than ever. Doesn’t fucking matter what he does in Arkansas.”
Three of them, including Beast, shift slightly. There’s only a handful of men who know what that project means.
“Still not sharing what that is?” one asks, more curious than angry.
I flash my eyes at him. “Not with a mole burrowing in our walls.”
Whatever good energy we had in this room comes to a halt. It’s a piece of tension that grows thicker by the week, knowingsomeonein these walls is a mole. There are close to eight hundred of us at the castle, with thousands in the surrounding towns. Sniffing one out is a fucking chore, and we’re not close enough yet.
They all begin to shift, one of the alphas idly toying with a dart, tapping it into the table like a metronome. We are all a machine tuned to keep Dominion breathing. The thought of Diana in that nest of omegas gnaws at me, because this machine is currently broken down and needing a major repair. She should not be among the rejects; she should be behind inmyspace, guarded by many.
But I can’t.
A mole will let Titan knowsomeonehas caught my interest. I drain the rest of the burning liquid in my glass. “Let’s disperse. Keep an eye out on our territories. The sled dogs get more rations. Horse stalls kept warm. Keeping communication lines open during the winter will be paramount to keep ahead of Titan.” I look around the room with less intensity. “This will be the last winter that he’s a problem for us, and we’ll have a bountiful Yule this year. There are things to look forward to, brothers. Titan is the last fucking thorn, and once he’s removed, we can finally rest our heads and let our families thrive.”
A few raise their hands in agreement before tapping on the table. Rook rasps out, “Let that mole hang in a metal cage in the square. Let some fires lick his ass, like how he does to Titan.”
Another alpha named Jack sticks his head forward. “Maybe we blood eagle him like the Vikings used to.” He flashes his gaze at me. “You’d be good at that.”
“Oh, we’ll find a way to make him suffer for it,” I reply, narrowing my eyes on Adam for a moment before looking at the rest. “Titan’s mytruetarget. I’m only thinking about ways to makehimsuffer.”
The energy of the room is beyond tense, although a few try cracking more jokes about what they’d do to him, while the rest seem worried that they’ll be the ones accused of such treason.
But when one mentions finding more hanging lights that work, the lighter comments return. Yule is always how we get through the winter, and take the time to solidify what we have. As the meeting thins, Skinner listens to a beta that quietly slipped in, only for the older man to face the rest. “To finish that, tonight is a swelling moon fire. Axel’s getting a third kid.”
More well wishes and happy sounds. I don’t smile, but I’m pleased. The more the omegas are bred, the more the alphas will be determined to keep Dominion safe, and not just for Diana’s sake. I’ve pouredeverythinginto this organization, tattooed their symbols into my flesh. We will need the good nights and celebrations. This placewillbecome the future, and I’ll ensure the atrocities spawned from the fall of man are purged.
I leave the forge of the meeting and walk through the compound toward the wing where I reside, a space Diana should occupy. The corridor is a spine of stone, its walls lacquered with faded paint, which we plan to continue renovating.
What has Diana thought so far of this refurbished building? Does she think I won’t come for her? Or is she fearing my return? Without my scent smothering her senses, with the markof my mouth being absent from her neck, it will be a fucking nightmare to break through her walls. I want to know more about my scent match, about what she likes. What has fate given me, other than a very prickly, unruly omega?
I make a note to learn about what happened to her friend, in case she tries to throw that in my face. I already sent men to collect whatever things she had at both Trinity and the Enclave, as a peace offering that I’ll use when the time is right.
The corridor opens into a foyer of sorts, and I unlock the door to my space. It’s utterly barren of any omega scent, that reality boiling inside of my chest. I smirk at wondering what she thought when she awoke to my shirt next to her, my fangs itching to mark what’s mine; to lean down and press my mouth to the soft skin under her ear. But patience is its own brand of brutality.
Iwillmake her need me. I will make her want me. I will orchestrate safety until the safety is a chain, if I must.
The clock is ticking; winter is a long road, and Titan is a man with intentions. To keep Diana safe,my omega, I’ll do whatever’s necessary.
DIANA
I cannot believethis is my life.
Not long ago, I was running away from New Bunker like it contained the worst the world had to offer. Now I’m in a wing of some building,belonging to Dominion,with a bunch of omegas, while I have Judge’s scent still faintly between my thighs.
I mean, seriously, what the fuck?
They move around one another as if this is ordinary—cups clinking, low laughter, and interactions between people who clearly know each other. That ease is the most dangerous thing about them because it pulls at the lonely omega inside of me that never quite belonged, the side that wants to see myself reflected without the mask.
I can’t help but be curious about what a gathering like this would be like if Iweren’ttrying to escape.
When I ask for a place to clean, they show me a small sink and a large bath tucked behind a curtain, one with a working drain. I strip and give myself a clumsy sponge bath because the water isn’t hot. I focus on the motion of water, soap, broad strokes—anything to erase what’s left ofhim. Of the memories that Ienjoyedmyself and came over and over,even if it wasn’tme. No, it was just the unhinged hormonal mess that needed to be knotted, notDiana. I scrub until my thighs ache, the skin inflamed because after a while it gets addicting. Distracting. I can’t erase the knowledge of what I hate—Judge knows how to please an omega.
Fuck, I don’t like how that sits in my mind, thinking of what Selene would say. I scrub harder, despite the pain and cold.
At some point, I stop, tears hotly sliding down my cheeks as my naked body is covered in goosebumps and what looks like light road rash. I grunt loudly, gripping the sponge tightly. A tap at the door makes me freeze, glaring up at the door. “Diana?”
