ANZO #2
Which is weird, since betas are always housed with other betas, alphas with alphas, and omegas with omegas. But somehow I ended up in a cell with him. WTF?
There’s something else.
He’s missing a part of himself too—just like me. One of his eyes is gone, replaced by a smooth metal plate with a tiny screen that glows a faint, electric blue. Another chill creeps up my spine. I’m pretty sure it’s a high-end cybernetic eye. The irony stings. We’re both part-machine.
His other eye, a steel gray, studies me closely.
His hair is shaved down except for a narrow strip running from his forehead to the back of his head, dyed a venomous neon green. He looks straight out of a cyberpunk flick.
Tattoos peek out from the collar of his prison uniform, climbing up his neck and probably running further beneath it.
He looks about thirty, maybe thirty-five, give or take. Hard to say. His face though… fuck, he’s exactly my type. Handsome. Sharp, exotic features with something almost feline about them. I feel another shiver crawl up my back.
"I don’t really know prison etiquette," I admit. "I’ve heard you’re not supposed to ask why someone’s in, but go easy on me. I’m new. So… what’re you in for?"
His sensual mouth twitches with faint amusement.
"You’re right. That’s not really the kind of question you open with. Especially since anything I say can be used against me, yadda yadda, you know the drill. But I can tell you what they’ve accused me of. Which, of course, I deny. I’m innocent."
The corner of his mouth curls into a dry smirk. God, he’s hot. My hole clenches at the thought alone of his dick fucking me senseless.
"Those unfair and extremely rude cops claim I’m a hitman. But I’m not admitting anything. Just disgusting slander. And no solid proof!"
His smile widens. And for the first time in ages, I feel this weird flutter of amusement in my chest.
"Of course, I’m not the head of a mafia empire either. Though some footage might claim otherwise, but hey, that could’ve all been made by AI, right? You can’t trust anything anymore these days."
Sun nods enthusiastically. "Exactly! The tech’s gotten crazy good." He shakes his head with exaggerated disapproval.
We both laugh, and damn, it hits me hard. I haven’t laughed like that in years. Maybe not since I met Moon. There’s something strange between us. Something light. Easy. Something I want to sink into. So NOT me.
Then I just can’t help myself. I reach out to shake his hand. That little wave I gave earlier just isn’t enough.
He takes my hand without hesitation and our fingers touch. The electric shock makes my body jerk.
O wow!
Bzzzz!
What the fuck!
Did my implant malfunction and I zapped myself?!
I know all about True Mates.
I studied the subject in-depth back in the day. Between betas, that first touch never does anything. No spark. But between betas and other subgenders, it’s different. Some say you can feel a faint jolt that runs through your whole body when skin touches skin for the first time.
But this? This sure as hell isn’t a faint jolt.
My whole body lights up like I just plugged myself into a socket. I’ve used electricity for years to punish disobedient soldiers and stubborn relatives, but this isn’t that. This isn’t pain. This is something else.
Sweet. Euphoric.
And it rips a sound out of my throat that I can’t hold back.
"Is this—fuck—is this what I think it is?" I grit out through clenched teeth, still locked in that current.
The alpha named Sun must be feeling the same thing, because he squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a shaky breath.
"Is this seriously what I think it is?" I repeat louder, my jaw muscles still tense from that burst of… whatever the hell that was.
He opens his eye, and his iris is eclipsed by his pupils.
"Well, looks like we just found a way to get you out of supermax," Sun says, then suddenly bursts into wild, uncontrollable laughter, pure, relieved laughter, like something huge just broke loose inside him. Like some pent-up energy finally let go.
Weird thing is, I feel it too, like his emotions just flooded straight into me.
"Can you believe it? I denied taking suppressants when they put me here! Excused myself for allergy reasons! Didn’t want to be dulled by that shit and look, it pays off… a miracle!"
"This is…" My head is swirling, dizzy.
"This is one seriously fucked-up twist of fate! Meeting your True Mate in a damn holding cell!" He forces the words out between fits of laughter.
"But I guess it makes sense. We probably wouldn’t have met in some city library, right? If we’re perfect mates, then looks like it’s the perfect setup!"
That’s when it finally sinks in for me too. Unbelievable. Impossible.
My whole body tenses, and what I say next barely gets past my throat.
"I’m a beast, Sun. A fucking monster. How is it possible that Fate thinks I deserve something this… marvelous?" The words slip out of my mouth before I can even think them through.
Sun sobers up too.
There’s a pause, and our eyes meet.
"Funny," he says quietly. "I’m a monster too. And I sure as hell don’t deserve something like this. But… here we are."
We just stare at each other in silence for a second.
That damn Moon was right from the very beginning. I take back every overcomplicated curse I ever threw at his pretty, silver-haired head. The guy’s legit.
It was never about that Sun. It was always about this one.
And it strikes me.
I’m going to heal. I’ll regenerate. I’ll get back what was taken from me! Fuck!
When Sun and I enter the Joining, my body will repair itself. I’ll get back my manhood, my hand, and he’ll get back his eye.
"You know what the best part is?" Sun leans in, his hand wrapping around mine like he wants to make sure I’m really listening.
"You know the law about True Mates? We can’t be separated!
Because it would literally kill us. The True Mate Government Agency handles cases like ours.
Prisoners either get special cells to live together, or if one gets released, the other does too.
With an ankle monitor for house arrest, but still—freedom! "
He leans in closer, his face just inches from mine. And for yet another time, I notice how perfectly shaped his lips are.
"We should probably seal the deal, by Joining. They can’t separate us then for sure…" I mumble, feeling waves of heat, my hole just can't stop clenching, I need a hard fuck, my prostate is gearing up.
"For sure! And… I’m planning to beat the ridiculous charges they’ve got on me," Sun says, voice low and almost… sensual. "So if I get out, you get out too." He winks. "Got any unfinished business out there?"
I open my mouth to say yes.
Hell yes! I’ve got a whole list of people I need to kill. Torture. Destroy…
Wait.
Do I?
And then… something shifts.
It hits me like lightning.
I’ve just been handed a gift. Something I never earned. Not after all the shit I did, not after I kept the fucked-up cycle of violence going, the one my father and brothers started, the one I dove into headfirst and never once looked back.
But this good thing found me anyway. Undeserved. Fucking undeserved! I should be in hell, rotting, burning… But Fate still showed me mercy. For the first time, I was granted mercy .
How do I use it?
Maybe I should find a way to repay it. To pass it on.
For once, I'm glad I never told Rocco details about Summer's power. Because now I feel like I gave them an equal chance.
"No," I say slowly, and my voice is different now. Quieter. Softer even, like something inside me is finally defrosting. "There’s nothing I need to take care of. Everything in my life has led exactly to this moment."
That one path , Moon’s impossible path, materialized.
How could I possibly punish the people who set me on it?
I let my eyes drift half-shut as Sun leans in. His lips hover near mine. Kisses have been rare in my life, only with Moon. No one else.
"You’re so hot," Sun mumbles.
And when his lips barely brush mine, I feel it.
I can be free, in a way. Even in prison. And maybe even happy?
"As you said, we need to close the circuit so they can’t separate us," Sun adds, his lips moving over the skin of my cheek.
"Oh yes, definitely…" I whisper back, my breath deepening, my hands finding their way to his chest.
All I want is to know what it feels like to be happy. Just once. No revenge. No hate. No anger.
Sun tilts his head back and watches me for a beat, then slowly pulls me into his arms and just… holds me! No one ever does. Never. Not even Moon. But Sun does it. He just holds me…
A shiver of pure bliss runs through me. Can it be that simple?
"And then… we’re starting fresh?"
"Yes. We’re starting fresh."