Legion smiles wryly. “We all say that, but it’s not so much a choice anymore. You’re either with the Beta’s Path or not.”
I stare at him, looking at the downward tilt of his lips and the strain in his eyes.
“What were you looking for out there that you didn’t find?” I say, taking a wild stab in the dark.
Legion turns his head towards me, really slowly. “So perceptive.”
“Yes, and wary. Stupidity gets people killed, and I want to live.”
“Indeed.” There’s a twinkle in his eye that makes me think he knows something different, but I’m not entirely convinced this omega is sane. He taps his finger to the side of his nose, refusing to answer further.
I turn away with a huff, unsure what to make of him. There’s a certain wariness I feel around him. Something that makes me feel on edge. But a familiarity, too, like if I let go, we could fall into a friendship that is older than time.
He knows too much, but he’s not saying.
I don’t like people like him. They get people killed, too.
I turn away and follow my alphas into a room that Bear closes behind me.
“I am so thrilled to see us all here together.”
I look around and find that other than Cadel, Jarek, and Mordecai, Legion and Bear, the new omega Taryn is here, along with Marshall and Banks. It’s a crowd of people, but they all look resigned.
Instead of taking a seat, I lean on the wall at the back of the room and cross my arms over my chest.
“Right. Let’s begin,” Bear says. “Mordecai, catch Keres up on what is going on, please.”
Mordecai turns, moving until he’s a few feet away from me. He reaches out but stops before he touches me. His expression is gentle, so gentle. Nerves flutter through my stomach, and I stand up straighter.
“Just say it.”
He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
“Just say it, Alpha!” I shout.
“Alphas and omegas are on the brink of extinction. If they succeed in killing us here, it’s over. For all of us.”
The only sound in the room is my pained gasps.
Chapter 17
I'm not yours
The room is silent, but there’s a roaring in my head, a sound so loud I don’t think it will ever be silenced.
“What do you mean, extinct?” I shout. “How is that even possible?”
Mordecai ignores me stepping away from him and pulls me hard up against his chest.
“Breathe, little omega, just breathe. Feel my heartbeat and my arms. I’m here.”
I want to hit him, but as I struggle, he soothes my panic, and I find myself shaking and wrung out, but not on the verge of shrieks. I pull myself out of his arms and put space between us because I do not like that he has the ability to do that, at all.
“Tell me all of it!” I rasp out.
“The number of alphas and omegas in hiding is now so low that if the few thousand of us here in Foreen die, we’ll be hunted down and exterminated with no possibility of continuing on. Within five to ten years, we estimate…we will be gone.” Mordecai reaches for me again, but I stumble away from him.
“How…” I stop and take a moment to breathe. “How can you be sure?”
