14. Levi
Chapter fourteen
Levi
T he governor looks grim as usual as he sits at his desk before us, and I do not envy his position one bit.
The Alpha has a lot on his plate these days. He’s not only head of state, but he's the prison warden, too.
And it’s he who oversees the fates of all the Rogues we keep finding in the city.
Just how many are there, exactly?
They could be living right under our very noses, and we wouldn’t even know.
Most of the Rogues we find cover up their wrists, but Jeremy’s team still have no problem finding them.
I believe they have found fifteen in the last two weeks.
Many tried to flee the city once they were caught, and we have several in custody who've been taken in for questioning.
But they all remain tight-lipped.
Gryphon is reluctant to punish them. He won’t stop until every Rogue has been rehabilitated and accepted into a pack.
It worked for his Omega’s sister, Belle, and Ella Titan, too.
An Omega whose Alpha sits beside me now as we watch Gryphon rubbing at his face, messing up his auburn hair as he runs his fingers through the strands.
Jeremy stands at the window with his arms crossed as he, too, carries a grim expression.
These are hard times for sure.
We not only have Rogues to contend with, but Beta rebels and Alpha insurgents who don’t agree with Gryphon’s policies.
Luck thing we have Reed to sniff them all out, but he is just one Alpha.
Sooner or later, we are going to find ourselves surrounded by enemies on all sides.
At least we have a solution for the Beta rebels.
Gryphon has finally conceded and allowed The Beta Trials to resume.
This time, with civilians rather than soldiers.
So, it's progress, at least.
He is looking to appoint a new Beta Governor—someone he can trust and who he doesn’t have to execute in the long run.
May Lavender rest in peace.
The woman tried to have him killed, so his choice was understandable.
But the Betas are getting restless.
At least The Beta Trials may appease them for a while.
Governor Frederick started the initiative, and we’re going to preserve it in his memory.
Not that the Beta deserves to have his memory preserved.
He was just as foul as Governor Lily and his predecessor Lavender.
One thing I do know. Gryphon is the best governor we’ve had in years.
All we need is an honest Beta to maintain the balance. Two people who want what is best for each of their designations.
Finally, Gryphon sighs, removing his hands from his face, and his burgundy gaze is clouded as he looks at each of us.
Jeremy remains by the window, shadows masking his face.
“How many more?” Gryphon asks, his voice thick.
Jeremy clenches his jaw, and I watch as the bone ticks. “Five.”
Gryphon closes his eyes. “Fuck.”
Silence drifts through the room as we all contemplate Jeremy’s words, and it seems Rogues are cropping up more than usual.
I cast my gaze to the right.
Theo white-knuckles the arms of his seat, and I bet he is thinking about Ella.
She was Rogue, too. I suppose she still is, but he and his pack managed to rehabilitate her.
Somewhat.
The little babydoll Omega is still a spitfire, and there was no way on earth she would have lasted with my pack.
Magnus is too easygoing and loving, and Reed probably would have ended up murdering her.
I just thank our lucky stars that we never ended up with a Rogue. They are highly dangerous and volatile.
“Have any of them confessed?” Gryphon asks.
Jeremy pinches the bridge of his nose. “No.”
Fuck.
Are they torturing those poor souls?
It's not as if they asked to be Rogue.
Theo trembles beside me, and I imagine he’s envisioning Ella right now in the same position.
It took him and his pack brothers a while to warm to the Omega, too, as they weren’t exactly gracious to her at first either, but now they would tear the head off anyone who tried to hurt her.
Kellen, in particular, is very protective of Ella.
“You good?” I ask Theo.
He releases a heavy breath, and I meet his onyx eyes. They’re taut.
“Yeah. J-just…”
He doesn’t have to clarify. Jeremy looks the same way, too.
In the end, they’re both in love with a Rogue.
I imagine they are picturing Belle and Ella in the place of all those Rogues.
“Surely, one or two are willing to talk?” I ask.
Jeremy shakes his head, and then he turns away from the window as I meet his gray eyes.
“Not one.”
My fingers drum the arm of my chair. “Damn.”
Theo growls, jumping to his feet as he storms toward the door.
Gryphon calls out after him. “Our meeting isn’t over.”
“What is there left to discuss?” Theo snaps. “They’re a lost cause. There’s nothing we can do for them.”
Gryphon narrows his eyes. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Your Ella is a fine example, Theo. I seem to recall you calling her a lost cause once, too.”
Theo whirls around, and the deadly shine in his eyes is enough to get him court-martialed.
Lucky thing Gryphon is a forgiving governor.
Most of the time.
“Don’t even go there,” Theo growls.
“He’s right,” Jeremy chimes in, narrowing his stormcloud eyes. “When you first left this office with her all those months ago, Theo, I didn’t think she’d survive. But look at you now, eager to get home just so you can lay your eyes on her.”
Theo balls his fists, stalking toward the other Alpha. “You don’t know anything about me.”
Gryphon rises, fixing Theo a look across his desk, and the Alpha stops.
Jermey rolls his eyes. “I know because I feel the same. Belle is on my mind constantly, too. Every Rogue Miles brings to the compound, I see her… So, I know.”
Both Alphas fall silent as reality kicks in.
We’re going to have to execute some of these Rogues.
Eventually.
A lump forms in my throat, and I try to swallow.
It really isn’t fair.
In the end, Belle and Ella are just two Rogues.
Two out of a hundred others.
A few have already been killed. Ones that were just too far gone.
There was nothing more we could do for any one them.
In the end, they were a threat to life.
Omegas who had been trained to kill every Alpha they see on sight.
Gryphon continues. “The ones who are willing to talk… we’ll assign them a pack as soon as possible. If they can prove to us that they can be rehabilitated, then… they live.”
If not, then they die.
“You’re dismissed, men.”
Theo is the first to leave. Just as he passes me, he meets my eye, and I cock a brow.
“What?”
“Check your Omega when you get back home. Look at her wrist.” He leans even closer until his mouth is by my ear. “If she has the number, don’t tell a soul or you will lose her…”
Theo glances behind his shoulder at Gryphon as he converses with Jeremy.
Wait. Does he mean Opal?
There is no way she could be a Rogue.
I shake my head. “Wait… Opal isn’t…”
My voice trails off.
In the end, how would I know?
I don’t think I have even looked at her wrist.
Honestly, her wrist was the last thing on my mind when I first set my sights on her beautiful, freckled skin.
Reed is suspicious of her, of course, but it’s always been in his nature to act that way. He can’t help it.
My heart pounds, and I suddenly have the urge to return home just so I can look at Opal, too.
Her amber eyes fill my mind, and I feel bad about abandoning her these last few days.
I’ve been so busy with war meetings that I’ve hardly had the time to spend with her.
Well, all that changes from here on out.
Opal will be my number-one priority from now on.
“I hope you’re right, Levi.”
Theo pats my shoulder, then heads out the door.
My mind is reeling, but I try not to rush out of the office for fear of rousing Gryphon's suspicions.
When I turn around, I'm relieved to see that he's deep in conversation with Jeremy.
So, I leave.
I have an Omega to return home to.