"You just want to get your dick wet. That's not a good idea," Mac said.
"Yeah. So? I'll sign a contract. Let me have a shot." The look in his eyes was hungry. If he'd ever slept with a woman, Darre knew it would have been after standing in a long line behind other alphas. The women from Tenbel's were virgin flesh compared to others in this district.
It was nothing but fuckin' trouble.
"What do you know of a guy named Louis, Tenbel's scribe?" Darre asked.
"That is one tricky beta there. And I don't think he was just a little law slug. I think he was the scribe for the whole outfit. You know there are two other groups in the sector, right? Do you want to raid those too?" Mac said.
Darre stared at Mac. "Yes. Today. Send a force to clean them out. Bring the males in for questioning. Tenbel owed me 30,000 credits. Let it be known he didn't pay his debt and take everything. I want the district cleared of them. Put the drones and females in building C.
“I want to know some things. Were they using females to recruit? Were they only recruiting betas? Was he gonna try to take me down? Do you have answers for me?"
Seta answered. "He was only recruiting betas. He talked about females as rewards, but that was inner circle shit. And maybe he was planning to take you down with a beta army, but I think that was going to go nowhere."
"I don't ask you to think. I ask you to bring me information," Darre growled. "You knew he was gathering a force against me and said nothing? How long?"
"Alpha," Seta began, starting to look nervous and guilty. Darre couldn't tell if it was because Seta had realized he'd screwed up, or if it was because he had hidden shit on purpose.
"How long?"
Seta glanced at Mac, and then looked back to Darre. "It's not an army. They aren't training and don't have weapons. But he's been gathering his true flock to stand against ‘the false alpha’ since the beginning. I thought he meant the King—like you thought. But when that Constantine Kane took his breeder bride, something changed. Don't know what, but lately talk moved toward sounding like it was all the alphas in power that needed to be reeducated. Including you."
Carefully Darre said, "You know how I treat my enemies."
"In the pits, yeah. But Tenbel was on your payroll. He was just a beta. You talked to him every month."
"You were watching him too. Did I ever tell you not to watch him?"
"They are a bunch of reject betas listening to crap from a book written by a crazy person. I watched him." Seta looked at Mac again. "You know I was doing my job."
Darre curled his lip in a snarl. "I don't know that. You want to show me you're doing your job? Find Louis. Is he in the Hole? Did someone ask?"
"No, Louis isn't in the Hole,” Mac replied. “They don't seem to know anything. They keep talking about ‘the way of truth’ and ‘the First Alpha’ and how we don't know anything. They are weak-ass sons o’bitches too. Three of them died already."
" Three fuckin’ dead? What the hell?! I said not to kill them.” Darre narrowed his eyes at Mac. He couldn’t believe it. Three dead?
His frustration bled out on to Seta. The weaker man winced under his glare. The reaction made Darre’s muscles tense.
“Find out who sent my mate here and why,” Darre said. “And find out who is planning to try and take me out. I don't know if you are thinking too much, Seta, or not at all, but you are out of chances. You get me that Louis, or you're done. I want him by tonight, and if not, I want to know why. Do you understand?
“I'm thinking I made a mistake with you. Stay away from the women here and get out on the street with your people. Get me some information."
He held the other man's eyes, forcing his order down Seta’s throat and all the way to that hungry gut of his. Seta was gonna bring information or meet the monster in the fighting pit.
"Nixon, you are good with women. Get your wife and go talk to Tenbel's stable and those other drones. Get me some information. And someone find a midwife. There are pregnant women everywhere. I'm gonna need numbers too. All these new people, mouths to feed—I need to figure it out."
"Alpha, I gotta say, I don't want to bring my wife into your shit," Nixon said.
Darre gave him a toothy grin. "Too bad. You work for me. She might be able to help. You can send her up to meet my female too. I bet she's been lonely locked up safe in your cellar."
Nixon growled. Darre laughed. All the men gave him wide eyes. He ignored their surprise and took a bite of his breakfast.
"Mac, you are with me. We are going to the Hole. Gonna sort through those betas and see what comes out myself."
"I need to recruit men for Berendal. Check supplies. Oversee taking out the crows. I can't be everywhere at the same time," Mac said gruffly.
"Ha! Fine, then. I will go play by myself."
