Cythia searched her face as if she was looking for some truth that might be revealed there. Leda meant every single word that she spoke. She would take her own life before she watched her siblings uffer for her crimes. But she prayed that it would never come to that.
Finally, the tension broke. Cythia turned away to sit back at the table which was covered in medication bottles of different shapes and sizes."Speaking of the alterants, I had to go to a few different suppliers to replenish. It’s getting harder and harder to buy enough without questions.”It wasn’t illicit to sell the alterants or other chemicals that suppressed hormonal response. The pill had legitimate medical uses, often taken by Beta females as a form of birth control or birth-assigned males who wished to chemically alter their gender exhibition in preparation for surgical interventions.But the quantities needed to completely restrain an Omega heat cycle we're enormous and making that large purchase at“You know people say that Athena was acting on someone else’s orders, that the assassination attempt emanated from within the palace itself.”“And who is Athens, again?”“Athena,” her sister quickly corrected.“Here, let me show you.”“You really do not have to do that…” Leda started, but Cythia was already up and moving toward the CommNet station to get the news for her to see for herself.Cythia held up the screen that now held the scowling face of a different man.“Athena, retired palace guardian and now convicted murderer.”The image flashed away to another picture inside the palace, clearly both images were part of an album that defaulted to scroll across the screen. It later changed again to a group of men with one standing on a raised podium in the middle. She vaguely acknowledged that man as King Zeus.Leda would never understand her sister’s inf
This time, the Alpha was already waiting for her. The same muscular guards who had driven her the last time escorted her into Ceres House and straight up the massive staircase without so much as stopping at the door.Leda was not allowed the luxury of milling in the around the lower room with the others like she had before. She caught a brief peek of larisa, who threw at her, a small smile before they dashed her away.She was wondering how long the blonde girl had been coming to Ceres House. Was that a brief illusion of her own future, just after she grew habituated to the easy dollars and her Alpha lost interest?Unlike the first time, they had not required her to change into one of those absurd scraps of sheer fabric that served no purpose as a body covering.Rather, she again wore the simple blue dress that the whoremonger had so viciously mocked. But it was also the only item of clothing she owned, asidefrom her work outfit, that did not have holes in i
The man was smelling her. She wanted to pull the back of his head and press it against her mound. The effort to resist the desire tingled painfully along her skin. She prayed to the gods who lived above the skies that he would not find out her secret, that the alterants were enough to mask the unique flavor of an Omega’s scent.A wholly undesirable sensation, quaked through her. Her knees shivered, and it was only sheer force of will that kept her standing as his face drifted mere millimeters from where her fingers still kept her opening exposed.When he spoke, sharp breath struck her most sensitive meat. Large hands rose to grip her hips which was all that kept her standing upright.“Do you ever masturbate yourself here, in the dark where no one else can see?” The Alpha asked.“Yes, sir” she admitted, unfit to offer him anything but the truth.“And how many other men have caressed you here since I last did?” Brumeh
He suddenly stood. In nearly the same moment, the belt came down. She heard the sharp whistle of it chopping through the air just before pain exploded across her backside. It pains significantly more than any strike delivered by his hand.She cried out, more from shock than actual pain. And the shock came not because he had struck her, but because it only made the flame of pleasure inside her burn brighter. Her belly gripped with each strike and she could feel the growing pool of moisture that lined her thighs.Strikes rained down with the steady rhythm of a metronome. His aim was unerring, never hitting the same spot twice, until her entire body felt like it was consumed in fire.Tears turned to sobs as the hardwood of the table shoved against her cheek with each measured blow. He used the belt on her without apparent mercy. She lost count after a handful of swings, her awareness receding into an ocean of quick pleasure and sparkling pain.His tempo eventually s
She attempted to draw his question from the banks of her memory. The lines of their bodies molded together, each curve and line perfectly matched as if they were made to fit together. The feel of him clasped against her overwhelmed her senses and robbed her of coherent thought.Complication must have shown on her face because he laughed again then bent his head so his lips nuzzled against her ear.“Describe the rest of your dream for me, Leda” He requested.She didn’t want to confess her fantasy to him, embarrassment enough to temper her haze. But what choice did she have? What choice did she really have in any of this?“I was blindfolded, sir.”“Really?” He said as his free hand brushed down the side of her body, stopping at her bare hip.“Did you like it?” He asked.She gasped as roaming fingers glided over the hot skin of her inner thigh.“Y-yes, sir.”“And when yo
“I thought for sure you would have sex with her.”Brume glanced up to where his second-in-command stood in the open doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He refunded his attention to the terminal on his desk where lines of code marched across the screen.“I do not have sex with Betas.” He replied.“So you have said more times than I care to count. I thought you said earlier that this girl is not Beta.” Jason added, as he get into the room and shut the door behind him.His expression remained inscrutable, but a trace of curiosity colored his voice. “Or have you now changed your mind about that?”“I have not changed my mind about anything and I am absolutely sure about the girl. However, I prefer to wait until the proof is confirmed”, Brumeh replied as he touched a few buttons on the terminal before closing his feed.Certain things were meant for his eyes only, and that included his second.
“How long?” He asked.“Days, maybe less. I’d say three cycles at the most.” Jason replied.“Then it is crucial that we maintain surveillance. Have you had any difficulties following her?” Brumeh asked."Everyone in the hovels is too wrapped up in their own suffering to worry about one strange face. No one suspects a thing.” Jason scoffed.Brumeh reopened the terminal screen and navigated to the camera feeds, which between all of them covered most of the city. It would only be a matter of time before he claimed the girl and when that happened she would never be out of his sight again.His people had not installed the cameras, but it was a simple enough thing to hack even the feeds. The Central Command had contracted out too much of the infrastructure work required in the city to maintain complete control over much of anything. Brumeh was not the first to take benefit of the relative chaos, but he was particularl
Leda tasted the name on her lips for the thousandth time as she waited for the skycar to plummet all the way back to the lower levels. She had already looked him up on the Newsweb and what she had found should not have done anything but make her want to stay as far away from him as possible.And yet, the recall of his hands was burned onto her skin. The small window of their apartment was dark as the car floated above the dirt. She wondered how long it took to clean off all the dust and soot that now coated the previously polished surface. The hovels left a stain on anyone who ventured there, except hers could not be as easily washed away as mud would off the skycar.“Thanks for the ride,” she muttered, voice heavy with sarcasm, before banging the door shut behind her. Cythia had promised not to wait up, saying she wanted to be rested when the guardians arrived to tell her that Leds had been taken to detention. As much as the nagging annoyed her, she had to
Realistically, Leda knew this would not be an easy feat, given Brumeh's power and resources. Nevertheless, her determination was unwavering. She was determined to find a way out, regardless of the cost.Brumeh reluctantly acknowledged the doctor's words and allowed his mate to sink back onto the sheets. "I'll be back. Let me know if anything changes. And don't forget that if she dies, you die too," he warned before turning on his heel and slamming the door shut behind him. His eyes blazed with molten gold as he surveyed the room.Leda watched as the doctor leaned over her with a calm expression. He gently examined her body, in stark contrast to the Alpha male who had pawed at her. However, Leda still flinched as each bruise was prodded."I can't give you enough pain relief without knocking you out again," the doctor explained, typing on a beeping terminal above her head. "But in your current state, unconsciousness might be a blessing."Memories flooded back to her. The Alpha had done
Leda was engulfed in an agonizing haze, as if she had leaped from a skycar hovering over the Astropolis and plummeted hundreds of miles to the ground. Her entire body was on fire, with a deep ache pulsating from every part of her being. She felt as though she had been torn apart. As she struggled to open her eyes, all she could see was an overwhelming darkness. The soft surface underneath her only amplified the searing pain emanating from the wound on her shoulder. She was paralyzed and surrounded by stillness, unable to perceive anything except a constant throbbing. Leda's body reacted to her despair, as she curled up into a ball and held herself tight. She felt as though she was only a consciousness trapped in a silent, painful void, perhaps resembling what death would feel like. Suddenly, a bright light blinded her, bringing a stark contrast to the darkness. The light was as agonizing as the pain, causing Leda to produce a keening sound akin to a dying animal. Each breath was a s
His threat was clear. There were dozens of males within range of her scent who would fall on her at the firstest opportunity without reason or restraint. She could already hear the shouts and raised voices just on the other side of the wall. Others in the pavilion had already caught her scent They were moments from being discovered. And part of her wanted nothing more than to be filled so completely that it tore her apart, regardless of the consequences. Leda ground her body against his thigh, but the light friction wasn’t enough to slake the fire burning in her. She needed something that only an Alpha could provide. The aroma of their combined scents had saturated the air. And the smell of him made her feel crazed, it was like the most delicious meal, the sweetest perfume and the headiest intoxicant all rolled into one. His hot mouth pressed against the delicate skin of her throat, with just the slightest press of teeth as he spoke. “Decide.”
Leda worked as if her mind was outside of her body. She placed plates piled high with chicken heavy under cream sauce and freshly picked vegetables just lightly steamed. She recognized herself to be in a haze, with only enough awareness of her surroundings to perform the most basic of tasks. Luckily, that was all that was required of her. She retrieved the empty plate from in front of a man who did not even bother to look at her as he demanded his wine glass be refilled. She complied, face empty and placid, as the feedback from a microphone going live came from a nearby speaker. When Leda’s gaze moved to the podium at the front of the pavilion, the same Alpha woman she had met earlier was standing at the podium. “Thank you all for being here this evening. My name is Helen Hart and I am the chairwoman of the Aquila Children’s Hospital Foundation. As you all know, the proceeds from tonight’s event will support the expansion of the Center for Genetic Disease on
“I’m assigned to diner #075, but I was told to report here today.” Leda responded.“Oh! another one of you.” Her voice was diverted, but there was no malice in her expression.“This is a bit different from diner service, so I hope you learn quickly. The food preparation area is through there, ask for Kane and tell him that I said he should get you a attire.”The woman turned away and resumed yelling into her headset, dismissing her before Leda had the chance to ask anything else.Leda wove through a puzzle of tables, each laid out with a full service of flatware and fine china. This would be substantially different from serving in the diner as the meals there did not tend to come in multiple courses.A complicated art piece made from multiple glowing lights hung above the center of the arbor, seemingly suspended in midair. In reality, the fixture likely hung from a complicated set of wire and pulleys but the surreal
Painful animosity grew slowly inside of her like a rosebush made only of thorns. It wasn’t just the political types who looked down on Omegas, the rest of the population had similar ideas about what it meant to be part of the weakest dynamic: Naive, simple, and easily led.She fought her nature not just because of what it required, but because to be Omega meant having the respect of absolutely no one. Why did she have to sacrifice so much, only to gain so very little?Leda pushed open the door of the Diner and even that small movement seemed to sap her off all energy. Her arms felt like weights at her sides and she wondered how she could possibly make it through her shift.Selene was standing by the counter with a terminal in her hands, a very stressed look on her face. “What are you doing here?”Sliding an apron over her head, Leda frowned at the older woman. “Working, what else would I be doing?”“Did you not r
Leda tasted the name on her lips for the thousandth time as she waited for the skycar to plummet all the way back to the lower levels. She had already looked him up on the Newsweb and what she had found should not have done anything but make her want to stay as far away from him as possible.And yet, the recall of his hands was burned onto her skin. The small window of their apartment was dark as the car floated above the dirt. She wondered how long it took to clean off all the dust and soot that now coated the previously polished surface. The hovels left a stain on anyone who ventured there, except hers could not be as easily washed away as mud would off the skycar.“Thanks for the ride,” she muttered, voice heavy with sarcasm, before banging the door shut behind her. Cythia had promised not to wait up, saying she wanted to be rested when the guardians arrived to tell her that Leds had been taken to detention. As much as the nagging annoyed her, she had to
“How long?” He asked.“Days, maybe less. I’d say three cycles at the most.” Jason replied.“Then it is crucial that we maintain surveillance. Have you had any difficulties following her?” Brumeh asked."Everyone in the hovels is too wrapped up in their own suffering to worry about one strange face. No one suspects a thing.” Jason scoffed.Brumeh reopened the terminal screen and navigated to the camera feeds, which between all of them covered most of the city. It would only be a matter of time before he claimed the girl and when that happened she would never be out of his sight again.His people had not installed the cameras, but it was a simple enough thing to hack even the feeds. The Central Command had contracted out too much of the infrastructure work required in the city to maintain complete control over much of anything. Brumeh was not the first to take benefit of the relative chaos, but he was particularl
“I thought for sure you would have sex with her.”Brume glanced up to where his second-in-command stood in the open doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He refunded his attention to the terminal on his desk where lines of code marched across the screen.“I do not have sex with Betas.” He replied.“So you have said more times than I care to count. I thought you said earlier that this girl is not Beta.” Jason added, as he get into the room and shut the door behind him.His expression remained inscrutable, but a trace of curiosity colored his voice. “Or have you now changed your mind about that?”“I have not changed my mind about anything and I am absolutely sure about the girl. However, I prefer to wait until the proof is confirmed”, Brumeh replied as he touched a few buttons on the terminal before closing his feed.Certain things were meant for his eyes only, and that included his second.