Chapter Eight
Saphyra
I scrubbed my scent away with the neutralizing cleanser Lex had provided and put on the plainest outfit I could find. There was a hooded jacket by the door that smelled like Ghost, so I threw that on over the top. Five sizes too large, it hung off me absurdly, but it covered my hair and face, and further masked any remaining scent.
It was easy enough finding my way back to the blast door with the stairwell on the other side. I held my breath as I punched in Violet’s code, waiting for an alarm to sound and guards to descend from the sky to capture me. Nothing happened, and the light clicked green as the lock disengaged. I was taking a risk leaving my sanctuary, but it was better than sitting in my room by myself without anything to do. The distraction of classes and schedules on the Hive made so much sense now. I’d have laughed if it wasn’t so sad. I hoped everyone was okay, and that Omen could help the people imprisoned there.
My feet rang hollowly on the metal rungs as I descended the steps. The only thing above my level were empty storerooms and the exit, which I’d already seen. What I wanted to know was what else was further inside this mountain.
At the next landing, I came to a door that looked very similar to the one I’d just come through. My fingers punched in the code, and the light turned green again. Still no alarms or guards, so I slipped through and into a hallway that resembled the corridors on the floor above. The maintenance closets and service passages were all labeled the same way, so I felt confident I could navigate this level, too.
As I crept toward the Pit, my nose twitched at the rising odor of alphas. I was going to have to be careful, but I was reasonably optimistic that my disguise would fool them. With my neutral scent, everyone should assume I was a beta.
When I heard voices approaching, I considered hiding in a closet, but my camouflage needed testing. I might as well get it over with.
I tugged my hood forward and lowered my gaze to the floor as I continued walking. The sound of conversation grew closer and then moved past without any pause or hesitation. It was working. I’d done it. Two alphas down, the rest of the floor to go.
Rows of numbered apartments lined the hallways, much like the level above, interspersed with open common spaces. Most of the seating areas were empty, and I continued through the passageways unnoticed. The primary layout of the corridors was the same as my floor, but if I wasn’t used to traversing the winding, unremarkable halls of the Hive, it would’ve been easy to get lost.
The closer to the Pit I came, the more traffic there was, but no one paid me any attention. Scents swirled thick in the air, tickling the back of my throat. Nothing smelled familiar or appealing, so I carried on around the central chasm, careful to stay out of everyone’s path.
There was a pattern to the movement of alphas on this level. They all seemed to be going to, or coming from, the corridor across the way. This was a bad idea, but if Ghost was anywhere, it would probably be there.
Skirting the wall and staying out from underfoot, I slipped into the passageway, only to see a giant dining hall open up in front of me, packed to the rafters with alphas. Without fail, my eyes found Lex and Shadow sitting at a table on the far side of the room, just starting on full plates of food and holding the attention of everyone around them.
They were in their element, yet neither seemed thrilled about that treatment based on the looks on their faces. Shadow’s glittering black gaze rose from his plate and pinned me in place. My heart leapt like a startled bird and took flight behind my ribcage. Oh Stars, if he caught me down here, I was going to be in trouble. Like the not sitting down for a week kind of trouble. Maybe I should wait, just to make sure he did notice me. The wild thumping in my chest was joined by the warm flutter of butterflies somewhat lower. That wasn’t what I’d come for, though.
I hid deeper in my hood and hurried back the way I came, hoping Shadow’s attention was drawn in my direction by something else, and he hadn’t actually noticed me. I didn’t slow down until I was on the opposite side of the Pit with plenty of options for escape if he tried to follow.
Ghost wasn’t with my other alphas, but he was the one I was looking for, and I was running out of time. There was nothing for it. I was going to have to take a gamble.
An older alpha was making his way toward the mess hall alone. He seemed like a good option, so when he got close enough, I called out to him. “Excuse me, have you seen Gh— Axion? I have, uhh.” Keep it together, Saphyra. “I have an urgent message for him.”
I stumbled over his real name, but no one would know who Ghost was. I just hoped this alpha didn’t ask too many questions.
The scent of old boots hit me as he paused and his eyes raked over my oversized jacket. A knowing grin pulled at his lips. “I see. And what sort of message would it be that can’t be sent by way of a communicator?” he asked, his lecherous smile growing wider.
I had a feeling he knew something was off. I needed to hurry this along before he figured out my ruse. “He didn’t answer his communicator. It’s urgent. For the queen,” I replied, hoping that I hadn’t made it worse.
His crinkled eyes went wide, and his whole demeanor changed. He stood up straighter, and the leering expression vanished. “Oh! You shoulda said so in the first place. It’s mealtime, but it looks like you’ve just come from the mess. He’s probably in his quarters tinkerin’ with his technology if he wasn’t eatin’.”
“I apologize, but I’m newly assigned. Could you point me to where that would be?” I had no idea how often people were reassigned or if room numbers were common knowledge. I hoped that the recent changes in staff that my arrival had caused would make this seem less suspicious.
Did his eyes narrow, or was it my paranoia?
“Last apartment on the left, down the northwest corridor,” he said, and waited expectantly.
I had no idea what he was waiting for, so I mumbled, “Thank you,” and bobbed a quick curtsy like I had seen my maids do.
Having no interest in sticking around to see if he bought it, I turned and scurried away. When I threw a look over my shoulder, the older alpha was still standing where I’d left him, watching me go. I darted into the hall he’d indicated and hurried down the passageway.
By the time I made it to the end of the hall, I was panting. The corridors were long, and my cardio could use work, so I took a moment to catch my breath and make myself more presentable. Or as presentable as I was going to be after rushing all the way to the far reaches of the city.
I debated knocking, but decided it would be more fun to surprise him, so I punched in Violet’s code, gambling that it would work on the residences. The indicator light blinked green, and the lock disengaged. I almost couldn’t believe that had worked. The latch turned easily under my hand, and I pulled the door open.
The scent of sea breeze washed over me, distracting me, and my body tingled as I filled my lungs. Stars, I loved that smell. Shaking off the effect, I dragged my focus back to the task at hand. The cabin was well lit with overhead lights, but the first thing that caught my attention was the far wall. It was completely covered with screens. Lines of white and green code scrolled across banks of dark monitors, and tiny lights blinked from racks of servers all arranged in rows inside locked cages.
The next thing I saw was a massive bed piled with thick furs and the pale creamy shoulder of a naked woman frantically dragging blankets over herself. A pair of fright-filled brown eyes peered out from the edge of the blanket, soon followed by cold blue eyes rimmed with long feminine lashes. Those were not the blue eyes I was looking for.“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I must have the wrong room,” I said, sputtering as I scrambled back out of the door. Those eyes, though, I recognized those eyes, and it made me pause. “Hazel? Aster? Is that you?”
Securly tucked beneath the fur coverlet, Hazel’s head poked over the edge. “Yes, Your Majesty. We’re here.”
Aster’s eyes narrowed, but didn’t reply. She didn’t need to say anything. I could see easily enough who it was. It was curious that two maids were naked in a bed in the military quarters, though.
As if my confusion summoned the answer from the stars, a door I hadn’t noticed swung open and out stepped the alpha I’d been looking for. Droplets of water slid down his bare chest, disappearing beneath the length of terry cloth wrapped low around his hips.
His brilliant smile and cheerful words pierced through my confused haze. “Hey, princess. You aren’t supposed to be out of your room. What are you doing all the way down here?”
Immediately, I understood what was happening and bile rose in my throat. There were two naked women in his bed and he was fresh from the shower. What else could it be?
With nausea roiling in my stomach, I kept my shaking voice as steady as possible. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” My lungs seized, I could barely catch my breath. What was going on? How could this be happening?I had to go. I couldn’t let them see how much this shattered me. It was none of my business. I’d just arrived, and they had a whole life of history here. Unshed tears burned my eyes as I backed up and swung the door shut.
In my haste to escape, I wasn’t looking where I was going. When I spun around to run, I slammed face first into a solid wall. No, not a wall. A low growl and the scent of campfires and night sky crashed over me, soothing and frightening all at once. My gaze tracked up the black clad chest, muscular neck and sharp, stubble covered jaw, into the dark abyss of Shadow’s eyes.
“Oh.”
“Oh, indeed, little omega. You aren’t supposed to be here,” he said, pinning me in place with his stare.
“Shadow, please take me away from here. I don’t want to talk to him. I can’t be here right now. Anywhere else.” I dashed the tears from my cheeks and tried to move past him, but his arm wrapped around my shoulders and steered me from the doorway I’d just fled.
The offending door swung open, and Ghost appeared, grasping the towel around his waist. “Saphyra! Wait!”
My body tensed and a whimper slipped between my lips, but Shadow’s hold never wavered.
He looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Not now, Axion. Go back to your room.” And that was all he said before ushering me away.
Tucked against the warmth of his side, surrounded by his scent, I felt like nothing else could touch me. Not the high-handed, overly controlling attitude of Lex, or Ghost’s betrayal.
As we made our way down the passage, I saw the alpha that smelled like old boot leather nod to Shadow. I guess I hadn’t been as subtle as I’d thought.
“Who’s that?” I gestured toward the grumpy faced alpha.
“That’s Lanxer, one of the senior officers.”
I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or grateful to the older alpha. He’d likely been the one to report my presence to Shadow, or at least the one who told him where I was headed, but that was turning out to be more of a blessing than a curse.
It was a short walk down the hallway to another nondescript door where my escort punched a code into the number pad on the wall. It all looked very similar to the scene I’d just run from. Except when this door opened, the interior was dim, and I was immediately enveloped in Shadow’s scent and something else. The combination of warm oak trees and wood smoke flooded my senses as he guided me through the entrance.
I stiffened with panic, bracing for the impact of another jarring punch to my confidence, but none came. I was relieved to see that the cabin was empty and quiet.
This room had no banks of screens or servers like the other. There were weapons of every sort hanging from pegs or resting on shelves above a long workbench that took up an entire wall instead. Opposite that were bookcases packed full of leather-bound books and a polished wooden desk and chair.
An almost uncontrollable urge to explore tugged at me despite my distress over the scene I’d run from in Ghost’s room. I wanted to immerse my mind in something other than the betrayal that festered like an open wound. Books were filled with other ideas. Places that could whisk me away from the terrible memories. The tomes on these shelves were thick and worn with age. I wondered what so many real paper books were doing in a place like this.
The weapons made sense and were equally intriguing, but I wouldn’t have guessed Shadow would hoard books.
As I stepped into the room, strong fingers wrapped around my wrist like a vise, stopping me short. I sucked in a breath at the sting from Shadow’s grip and turned a questioning eye on him.
“Tsk, tsk, little omega. You owe me some explanations.” He nudged the door closed and led me to the one thing this room and Ghost’s had in common: a large bed draped in furs.
He towed me along in his wake, and when he tugged me down into his lap, I went willingly. There was serenity wrapped in his darkness, and I would bury myself in it as long as he’d let me, happily hiding from everything, and basking in his strength forever. If only he’d allow it.
My instincts pushed me toward him, and I found my face buried in the crook of his neck, filling my senses with his pheromones. My blood sang to his and my teeth ached to bite, claiming him as my own for all to see. The longer I tried to deny these urges, the stronger the bond drew me toward them.
I groaned and struggled to pull myself together. What was wrong with me? His scent was so distracting.
His fingers slid up my back and threaded through my hair, pulling my head away from his throat so he could look at me. “Are you going to tell me why you were in tears running from Axion’s room?”
I shuddered thinking about the series of events that led me here, sneaking through the halls and breaking into people’s rooms. All things I shouldn’t have been doing, but also, I shouldn’t have had to do them in the first place. Why was this the only way I could get answers? Why wouldn’t they just tell me the truth?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. He waited patiently as all these thoughts no doubt flashed across my face. I squirmed on his lap, but it was clear he wasn’t going to release his hold until I explained.
“Let me go.” I tried to stand, but he kept me firmly anchored in place.
“No. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
I sniffled, but knew I had no choice. “You shelter me like a fragile thing, but expect me to lead. You hide things from me that I need to know. Ghost spends his free time with other women. You spend your time hiding with the rest of the soldiers. How am I supposed to do anything when I’m locked up in my room alone? Was I always meant to be Lex’s puppet and nothing else? Was any of this ever real?” The volume of my voice rose until, by the end, I was yelling.
Shadow’s hold on me eased, and once I stopped shouting, I was able to stumble away, my arms wrapped protectively around myself.
As if sensing my spiraling thoughts, he walked to me and engulfed me in his embrace. “We’re trying to protect you.”
“Fat lot of good that’s doing,” I grumbled against his chest. “Your rules may be protecting my body, but what about everything else? There’s more to me than just physical safety. Your distance only makes things worse in every way.”
I may have been hoping for comfort, but this was Shadow and his words were harsh and laced with menace. “Yes, there are rules in place for your safety, which you disregard, putting yourself in danger. You want to be included? Stop acting like a child. Every time things get hard, you run. What are we supposed to think? If we give you the truth, you bolt. Where did that determined girl I met on the Hive go? The one that was willing to crawl through ventilation tubes, alone in the dark, to save us all. Where is she?” He let his hands fall away and looked down at me.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how to do any of this.” Defeated, I pulled away, and wandered past him, going straight to the bed and flopping face first into the fluffy pillows. It smelled good, really good. So good, in fact, that all I wanted was to bury my face in the blankets forever.
The bed dipped under his weight as he sat on the edge of the mattress. “We’re here to help you, but you’ll have to figure some of this out on your own.”
“Is that what Ghost was doing? Helping me figure it out with those girls in his bed?” I dragged a pillow over my head and shoved a blanket to the side, burrowing deeper into the covers. I felt stupid and childish for reacting this way, but I couldn’t help it.
Thinking about them with anyone else was torture. I knew they had a past, but I was here now. Did he think so little of me that he’d turn to his previous lovers just because propriety had me locked away in my room?
Within the thick folds of blankets, the scent of campfire and sun-soaked oak trees surrounded me. I filled my lungs, recognizing Lex’s pheromones mixed with Shadow’s. This felt right, all of us together, and it made me miss Grey and Ghost. Even though I was furious at him, I wished they were all here.
From a gap in the blankets, I watched Shadow’s eyes narrow as I rearranged his bedding.
“That’s something you’ll have to discuss with him, but I doubt it’s what it looked like. Why does that bother you, but not my relationship with Lex?”
I breathed out a sigh. The shock of what I’d seen was beginning to wear off as the familiar scents in Shadow’s bed calmed me. The hurt ebbed to a dull hum. “I don’t understand it, but something inside me knows that we all belong together. The five of us feel right. Your relationship with Lex is like an extension of us, but seeing outsiders in his bed felt like a betrayal.”
“If it’s anything like what this bond is doing to me, the thought of being with someone outside this group is repulsive. I can’t make it through a day without checking the security feeds to make sure you’re okay. Even when I know I can’t come to you. I feel like an obsessed teenager.” He shook his head ruefully.
“But why not? Why can’t you come if you feel the same draw that I do?” I asked, exasperated by his excuses.
“You know why.” He stopped like that was all he was going to say, but then went on. “Propriety, for one. You are a queen and I am nothing. You should pick a noble to be your king.”
“You’re not nothing to me. I don’t care about nobility or propriety. What if I want you?” Had I not been clear enough in the past? I thought it was obvious.
Ignoring my question as if I hadn’t said a word, he continued. “Secondly, while we were gone, the Regent hired more soldiers. He changed the staffing and schedules. When I think I’m finally caught up, more paperwork or recruits are brought to me. I haven’t had a single spare moment since we’ve been back other than the picnic.”
At least they weren’t avoiding me. They were busy and had no spare time, as I suspected. “Let me help you. Teach me how it works.”
“You’re asking to be trusted with more responsibility, but if you really want that, you need to earn it with your actions, not just pretty words.”
Poking my head out from the burrow I’d made, I asked, “How am I supposed to do that?”
“By taking ownership of what you do, and the consequences of those actions,” he said, the shadow of a smirk forming on his lips.
“Okay, fine. How do I start?” I crawled out of the safety of the blankets, hoping to get this underway.
“First, your punishment.”
“Punishment?” I sputtered. “For what? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Didn’t you sneak out of your room and spy on Lex?” he asked.
“Well, yes…” I dragged out the admission not wanting to incriminate myself, but unwilling to lie. “That wasn’t on purpose, though!” How did he even know about that?
“And then did you not try to disguise yourself, sneak out of the secure residence you were provided for your safety, and run around in the military barracks where anything could have happened if Lanxer hadn’t recognized you and informed me of where you’d gone?”
I knew that stinky alpha sold me out, but it was all true. “Yes, but I had a good reason.” I scampered off the bed and started backing away.
“And are you not, right this moment, trying to avoid your punishment by making excuses?” A half-grin pulled at his usually stoic mouth. It was as if my rising panic was fueling his amusement.
In a desperate bid to escape what I knew was coming next, I darted past him toward the door. His hand swung out and snatched me around the waist, dragging me across his lap as I wiggled and squealed. “No. I promise, I’ll do better. I’ll stay in my room and behave. Please.” I clearly wasn’t above begging.
“Where’s the fun in that?” he said, a chilly smile whispering across his lips.
My stomach clenched in anticipation as he popped the button on my pants and dragged them down my wiggling thighs. Heat flooded my core despite my protests. I’d been wanting this for days.
His calloused fingers traced the round globes of my ass, and I whimpered with need. I didn’t want him to know how excited I was to have his hands on me in any way I could get them, but the slick gathering between my legs wasn’t something I could hide from his wandering eyes. Squirming was only making it worse by teasing tiny brushes of friction in the places I wanted it.
A gravely sound that was barely a chuckle rumbled in his chest just before his hand lifted and came down on my bare flesh with a slap. My desperate need rose with each swing of his hand against my heated flesh. Somewhere in the background, a high-pitched ringing sounded, or maybe that was just in my head, because Shadow didn’t miss a beat punishing me until my delicate skin was on fire.
My whimpers had turned to pathetic whines in my throat, begging for more. “I need more. Please. I’ll do anything. I need you inside me. I can’t take it anymore.”
“You can and you will,” he said as he rained another spank on my overheated skin.
“Please, no more. I need your cock,” I begged.
“My cock is only for good girls. Are you going to be a good girl?”
I nodded, adamant and desperate for him to believe me.
“Good. Get on your knees, little omega.”
I scrambled off his lap and onto the floor, watching, mesmerized, as his fingers unfastened his pants and freed his massive length. Stars, he was beautiful, and I was starving. Without any hesitation, I leaned forward, desperate to taste him.
“That’s right, take your punishment like the bad girl you are. Show me how sorry you can be.”
With his permission, he guided his swollen crown to my lips, and I eagerly lapped at the smear of salty fluid there. He tasted so good, and I craved more as I pressed his shaft into my throat.
His fingers ran through the fall of my golden hair, fisting a handful to guide my strokes. He wasn’t gentle, but I didn’t really want him to be. It was supposed to be punishment, but wrapped in pleasure, reminding me it’s not all bad. I could learn from my mistakes.
He held my head still and fucked my throat until I was choking and gasping as he pulled back just enough for air to fill my lungs. Black spots danced in my eyes as I looked up at him, but he wasn’t looking at me at all. His heavy-lidded gaze was fixed in the direction of the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the outline of a man, and with my next breath, Lex’s scent hit me.
I choked and struggled, but Shadow’s hold was unrelenting as my eyes stung and he continued to use my mouth.
Lex’s low voice danced across the bare skin of my ass and dripping pussy. “Don’t stop on my account.”
Knowing he was watching only made my heart beat faster, and I moaned around Shadow’s cock. I felt him swell, stretching my mouth further around his impressive girth and my lips bumped up against his knot as it expanded. My hand closed around it as I continued the long, steady strokes, curling my tongue along the bottom of his shaft.
His fist tightened in my hair and he pressed into my throat one last time before taking a deep shuddering breath and filling my mouth with his salty release. Jet after jet slid down my throat, my tongue coaxing out more until it leaked out of the corner of my mouth.
“Here, let me get that for you,” Lex said, walking over and reaching down to tilt my chin up between his thumb and forefinger.
Shadow’s softening cock slid free, and I blinked up at the golden-haired alpha. Lex’s mouth came down on mine, his tongue swiping at the corner of my lips and then sweeping inside, tasting the remnants of his partner’s cum that had been left behind. He kissed me thoroughly, leaving me aching and even more needy than I thought possible.
When he finally pulled away, he studied us both for a moment. “I guess I can’t blame you for ignoring the emergency comm dispatch. I came to get you. There’s been a security breach in a ground-level hangar. We need to go. There’s no time to take Saphyra back to her room, so she’ll have to come. Get dressed, both of you, we need to go.”
I pouted, but pulled my clothes back into place. A security breach? Stars, what if someone broke in to take me back to the Hive? Fear dampened my frustrated desire. Maybe I really shouldn’t be sneaking around on my own.