The door shuts, and I hear the sound of many locks clicking into place as my heart thuds so hard I’m almost worried it will explode.
For a long moment, I just sit there—breathing in the scent he’s left behind as I stare at the sealed letter in my lap. The letter smells like him. I press my palms over my nose and mouth, desperate to breathearoundit, notthroughit.
I’ve decided I’m currently rejecting his claim about scent matches. Irefuseit. So far, fate has proven to be one of the coldest bitches I’ve ever met.
My hands shake as I go to open the letter. I don’t even know what I’m necessarily afraid of, but it terrifies me all the same. My breathing hitches when it looks like Selene’s handwriting.
Hey, girlie.
Well, this fucking sucks. I’m sorry this happened. I should have paid better attention to Mistress Evans. I don’t want to say much here, other than to let you know I’m alive. And I’m thinking about you all the time. We’ll survive this, you hear?
He wants me to add something that proves it’s me. The first thing that came to mind is I know how you really can’t make chocolate chip cookies. Every time you do it, they always puff up like little muffins. But you make killer peanut butter cookies.
Do what you need, you hear? So far, they could have treated me a lot worse.
Love you,
Selene
I clasp my hand over my mouth, tears streaming down my face. How could Judge possibly know about how I’m terrible at making chocolate chip cookies withoutSelenetelling him that? No matter what, this proves he came across her at some point. Which means having her here, in Dominion, is absolutely a possibility.
“Oh,Selene…”
What am I going to do now?
JUDGE
The omegathat Dominion took whenwe stormedNew Bunker has been raped.
As soon as I found out, something cold ran through me that resembled something close to…fear? Since when amIafraid? It’s disturbing, obviously, for many reasons. Including the way we failed her, and that these kinds of infractions are extremely rare among us, and it’s a reminder of how much our walls are fraying.
But I can’t shake how if I don’t get this shit under control, this could happen toDiana. If I hadn’t been nearby when she was at Trinity… she would have been broken.
Just another reason I had to remove her and place her totally under my watch.
As soon as I’m alone, walking to deal with theissue, I check the comm screen. It’s from military tech we salvaged. If there’s one thing thebloomproved, it’s that humans are incredibly capable of recovering. Dominion has been very accomplished at collecting tradesmen who know a great deal about the relics of society that are stagnant, waiting to be rediscovered.
Never anticipated I’d use it on my own omega, but here we fucking are.
Diana sits there for long enough that I even consider returning. But then the cautious omega is finally on her feet, placing the letter down on a table, and once she gets going, she’s searching the place like her survival depends on it. I’ve lost all trust in Ravina, and based on what I’ve been hearing, Diana is not handling the transition off of her suppressants well. She sleeps during the day and spends time at night outside in thecold. She needs an alpha’s scent, presence, and knot, and the idea of cultivating her experience so she requiresmeis fulfilling a part of my soul I still don't understand.
Ineedher to want me, and the possibility of her rejection… It’s a vulnerability I’ve thought about over the last few days, riding even in the cold to clear my head. There’s a fragility in desperation, and the longer she rejects who I am to her, the more it eats away at the person I am. The person I built, scar by scar. Murder by murder. Sacrifice by sacrifice.
Any scent-matched omega should see past Dominion and any preconceived feelings about them. She should seeme, an alpha who has constructed an entire world so that one day, whoever his mate was would be happy. To realize what I’ve done and sacrificed to ensure omegas find a home in this desolate world.
The idea of sharing with her the true reason I keep her locked away makes my body stiffen with unease. No, no, this current plan will work. It always does for the other alphas.
She will give in to me in due time.
I needed her to see and feel how much my scent and growl have an effect on her, becausethatwill do the persuading. I knew she’d require the excuse of Selene, but I had to show her subconscious that she still willingly chose to go with me.
I’ll consider opening up more. Perhaps that will persuade her further, too.
I lower the screen as I round a corner, passing by a few of our men—Rhys, Keller, and that new kid Tomas—who all go quiet the second they see me. Keller gives a stiff nod, Rhys pretends not to be nervous with a half-lit cigar, and the kid just about forgets how to breathe.
Good.
At least some respect still prevails, because I can’t have this place falling apart on their morals.
