Chapter 3
Merrick was alpha of Dover's End, but he knew little about the running of it, which left Sasha the daily work of getting things done.
When she went to the money box to get credits for the next day's market trip, there wasn't enough to buy a loaf of bread. Merrick was such a fool, using Dover's End funds as his personal wallet. The place wasn't much of a pub if they had no alcohol to sell.
Sasha didn't want to confront him. A day where she didn't see Merrick was a good one. Days like this, when a situation forced her to seek him out, were bad days.
She couldn’t send a drone to face him; at best he’d ignore the waiting servant, and at worst, the servant would find themselves thrown from his presence for some imagined impertinence.
She hunted him down in one of the back rooms where he sat with two beta males and another alpha, watching one of the strippers dance.
For a beta, the woman was surprisingly curvy. It must have been a selling point for the males, because most of her dance was comprised of bending over and showing off her butt.
Sasha knew the hired women did something to themselves to make their female parts look more enticing. Not only did the girl have a round behind, but her slit also looked red, swollen, and damp. Sasha thought the girl might need to visit a doctor.
The dancer smelled like a regular beta wearing yeasty cinnamon perfume, a fabricated omega scent. Merrick's friends appeared to think the stripper was full of wanton lust for them. They eyed her lewd movements with unabashed attention.
Merrick was talking to them about getting past Alpha Warlord Constantine Kane's men at the sector crossing while they were absently rubbing at their pants.
That name sounded familiar. He'd given Sasha's dad trouble also, if she remembered correctly, hiring men to watch competitors at the borders and stealing shipments. The name was one her father had spoken of multiple times with frustrated rancor.
"His enforcers can't be bribed. They are all loyal and scared shitless of the man. I need to get to Curry or Pauldo," Merrick said. Since he'd had his time with a female just hours earlier, he was less distracted by the butt shaking.
"Pauldo is a no," the other alpha said. "The Warlord saved his kid's life."
"So, Curry?" Merrick asked. Nudging the man beside him, a very distracted beta who had released his cock from his pants and was stroking it in quick yanks that made Sasha wince.
"Curry is a possibility. He's not a fan of some of Kane's ideas," he said breathlessly. "But you gotta give him what he wants."
"Constantine Kane and his fucking honor." Merrick spat on the ground. "Arrogant Bastard. Someone has got to take him down. I’m tired of having to tiptoe around him."
"It won't be one of us. I've seen him fight," the other alpha said.
The beta who still had his cock in his pants spoke up. "He doesn't control everything. He's not the only big boss with a hand in trade. What about Ebbon Blaze? He's your best bet. Have you talked to him? You know how lax he is about Administration policies."
Merrick sneered. Ebbon Blaze was their very own sector Administrator, who only had half an eye on the job. He kept disappearing into the wastelands of the Un outside the 12 Sector's, looking for who-knew-what.
Sasha's father had said the man should give the job to someone who wanted it, but sector admin jobs were earned, sometimes with blood. One didn't just give the job away.
"Bastard was too busy to even talk to me," Merrick growled.
Sasha knew of Merrick’s troubles with other alphas. After he’d abandoned his duty to the King's Army, they had no respect for him. They’d all done their time in the army. It was a rite of passage for males of the breed.
The beta with his cock out decided he'd had enough of being teased. He leapt towards the stripper in a hungry rush. The unfamiliar alpha next to him saw this as a challenge, and instinct struck hard.
With a deep bark of warning, he stood. The other male instantly deferred to him, even though he’d yet to move on the woman.
Tipping his neck to the side in submission, the weaker man slunk around to the stripper’s mouth instead of his original target.
The alpha filled the space between her legs.
The third, not to be left out, joined them for touching and fondling.
They had the woman surrounded, one at each end and one in the middle. How could the beta do this every day? Was the pay so good? Sasha didn’t understand it. The act looked painful and ugly. Even the men had grimaces on their faces.
Merrick watched, clenching his jaw so hard she could hear his teeth grinding. Scenes like this were everyday occurrences in the pub now since he’d taken over. He’d turned her dad’s dream into a den of filth. It saddened Sasha to no end.
Turning on her with a snarl, he said, "What do you want?"
"There are no credits and we need honey to make the mead. Do you have any left?"
"Are you questioning me?"
"I’m asking, alpha. In six months, there will be no mead to sell. Not a drop. If there are no credits, how can I make it?"
"So rude and disrespectful, asking me stupid questions. You want to be punished, don't you?"
His question was rhetorical. She had her eyes on the floor, feigning deference, but he’d caught the lack of respect in her voice. How could she be expected to respect him? To fear him?
"I need to make a batch of mead. I've already put it off too long."
"Come here." He spoke with another alpha growl, but it merely rippled over her like a breeze, leaving her agitated but unmoved.
She took two steps forward, hoping to appease him. He darted out of his seat and snatched hold of her braid, baring her throat as he forced her head to the side. Crowding into her, radiating alpha aggression, he said, "I'm looking forward to teaching you your place."
His nearness triggered memories of her father and brought on a lonely ache. She wished she hated his warmth and smell. An omega breeder instinctively sought the comfort of an alpha, nature dominating rational thinking. He should want to care for her not break her.
But Merrick was a terrible person. It would be easier to remember if his outside appearance matched the rottenness of his insides. He made her long for someone else, a worthy alpha. An alpha like her father.
The other alpha had noticed them now. The male tipped his head back to scent for her and left his position behind the woman on the ground.
Sasha closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch the stranger's wet cock bob closer as he stalked over to them. She really hoped he didn't touch her with it. She didn’t want his stench on her. These alphas were a bunch of troublesome blockheads.
"What's this, Merrick? Is this that breeder girl who lives here?"
He tried his growl on her, an action that would make a drone or beta willing and wet. But just as it had with Merrick, his growl had no effect on her.
"Are you Edin's girl? You're about ripe now, aren't you?"
Merrick snapped at the other man, showing his incisors. "She was just leaving."
The hand on her back lowered to the curve of her backside. He caught up a little handful of her soft flesh and gave her a vicious pinch that was sure to leave a bruise.
Looking pleased with himself, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his bulging wallet, which no doubt contained most of the credits from the cash box. He gave her half the papers.
"Take care of it, then. No mistakes, either. Make this a good batch."
Make it a good batch? Of course she'd make a good batch. Annoyed, she took the credits and left the room as quickly as she could, happy to have escaped the attention of so many filthy men.
*
The day had gone on and on, one problem after another to sort, one mess after another to clean up, all while Merrick was prowling around her, circling like a vulture.
Her legs hurt from going up and down the stairs catering to the betas, cleaning up messes, and shielding the drones from drunken advances.
Her body was tired, but she couldn't shut her mind down.
When Lanny came to tell her that Maura was not doing well, Merrick had been watching. He gave her a triumphant grin.
While Sasha doubted he had it in him to compel her submission, there were too many other things he could do that would keep her under his rule. He was an alpha, after all.
He might force her into a marriage contract.
The possibility existed. Why hadn’t it occurred to her that he would ignore Administration laws?
Her willingness wouldn’t matter if he could convince the right people to look the other way.
That must have been Maura’s plan. Merrick was just waiting for her to die before he carried it out.
Sasha needed a stronger alpha. An honorable alpha. Someone she chose. Maura wanted to strip that from her, rape her own daughter of the right to choose. She wanted to punish her own child for being born.
If Sasha did nothing, Maura would get her wish.
Determination filled her. She'd learned how to endure, but also how to take care of herself and her drones.
Sometimes one had to just hold still and take the beating, lower their eyes in pretend meekness, and let the pain block out everything else.
And sometimes one had to stand up in defiance, raise their eyes, and find a solution.
If she did nothing, her life would be predictable misery. The lives of her friends, the drones she grew up with, would be constant harassment and drudgery. They would be treated without care or respect.
So, Sasha would do something. She'd choose a stronger alpha.
She'd choose someone Merrick couldn't win against.
Her plan took shape as she lay in the dark of her room, considering who she needed to go to, how she might get there, and what she would say when she arrived. She spent a restless night lost in planning. Then, it was time to get up and start setting things in motion.