Page 19 of Dark Revolution

“What do you want from me then?”

“Join us. Help us with this fight.” Pointing at my ill-fitting uniform, I glance down at the insignia showing on my chest. “You were a Guardian once. We need all the help we can get to take down the High Echelon and gut out the rotten core of Stanlion. I know I’m asking a lot -.”

I cut him off, tossing my heavy load onto the table. As pitiful as he is, as much as his story wrings grief back up from the depths of my soul, I can’t do it. I got a second chance at living, and my only goal is to find a mate and fill the void left behind by the death of Annalise. To get mixed in with this petty fight is beyond me. Once I find my mate, we’re heading to the outer colonies, starting our life over.

“How much for all of this.”

“So, you won’t join us then?” A frown mars his face, pulling down his brows. “We can’t just let you go.”

“You wanna keep me here? By all means. I have no problem taking out my years of rage on you.”

Sighing, he leans back and studies me, smoke puffing up from his cigar. “You really don’t care, do you?”

“Why would I? It’s not my fight. I don’t know these people, and I sure as hell don’t know you.”

He shakes his head and upturns my pouch, eyes rounding at the sight of all my credits. “This is far more than we could ever imagine. You may not care, but these illegal credits are what keep us fed. It puts clothes on our backs and shoes on our feet. The outer colonies want nothing to do with us; this is the only money they’ll accept.”

Turning in his chair, he puts his hand on a large cabinet, waiting as the scanners drift up and down. This is the first real show of newer technology that I’ve seen down here, and it’s no wonder. Once he opens it all the way, he reveals rows upon rows of shiny credits, each adorned with an emblem that’s foreign to me.

He pulls out a newer pouch and yells for Langston to come back in. By the looks of it, he must be the right-hand man around here. One by one, they switch out my old credits for four of the newer ones. They seem so sure of what they’re doing. They could be tricking me, and I wouldn’t even know it. Growling, I slam my hand down on the table, stopping both the Alphas in their tracks.

“Prove to me you’re not just shafting me. This is my life’s savings. I don’t give two shits about your sob stories. I’ve had enough Alphas screwing me over, and I’m not going to just take your word for it.”

Langston slides over, nodding at the leader. Raising his hand, he extends his arm, palm up. On instinct, I lay my hand on his forearm, shocked when words so familiar it almost hurts pours from his lips. “May Elex strip me of my life. May my line be cursed to roam the eternal pathways, never to find their way to the land of the living. As it is with me, it is with all of us. You are right to be distrustful; it will serve you well, but we are not the enemy. This I swear to you.”

Tears mist my eyes as I grip his arm. So many memories, so many lost comrades. Pressure builds in my skull as my mind is overrun with all the data I’ve just ingested. For him to recite that means he’s bound by the same tenets as I am. I have no choice but to trust what he says.

“Each of these new credits is worth five of one of yours; however,” he continues, laying out the money as he explains what they’re doing. “Because they are so rare, it takes four of our credits to purchase one of yours. In essence, it’s like twenty times what yours was worth.”

I should be grateful that the exchange rate is so high. With this much money, I’m sure to find someone for me at the auction houses, that is, if they still have those. If not, I might be able to lure a pretty beta away from her family with the promise of a new life.

“If you want to enter the city, you’ll need proof of your dynamic. Langston will get you set up, but be warned, you’ll want to keep your current insignia hidden. All the new Guardian Alphas have a different symbol. We’ll put you back at that status, just so you have free rein through the various sectors, but that’s all we can do. The rest is up to you.”

He hands me the new bag, which is shockingly lighter despite quadrupling the number of credits. I seal it up and sling it over my shoulder, nodding at Langston as he motions outside the tent. As we pass through the flap, he grabs my arm, halting my progress.

“Please, reconsider. I know you’re overwhelmed, but if we have any hope of taking them down, we’ll need all the Alphas we can get. You’re a fighter. Fight with us.” His eyes take on a haunted look, as if remembering something he’d much rather forget. I know that look well. Most of the Guardian Alphas wear it after battle. “They defile everything they touch - even innocents.”

I shrug off his arm and shake my head. “All I want is a wife and a good life. I think I deserve that much.”

“We’ve lost people too. It’s not just you.”

“What do you know of it,” I snarl back, anger snapping through me like a live wire. “Have you had your mate stolen from you, dying without you being there to stop it?”

“Yes.” That one word hangs between us like a death knell. “And you know what I did? I took arms. I came and joined the resistance. These betas are angry. They want blood. It’s up to us to give them the proper target, or else every Alpha will walk around with a target on their back. Someday, it might even be you.”

“Yes, but obviously, it’s not today. Mark me so I can go.”

He shakes his head and leads me to a chair with an extended arm. I sit, and he straps me down, leaving me with just one arm free to defend myself if needed. “This is going to hurt. You want Guardian Alpha, yes?”

“No. Just make me a regular Alpha. I want nothing to do with that title anymore. It was disgraced the moment they let our king fall.”

“The way history tells it, the king didn’t fall because he was attacked. He was executed. Divine intervention. Trust me when I tell you this, no matter what I put on you, you’re not safe. If the High Echelon wants you dead, it will happen.”

“Understood. Just do what you have to so I can leave. I have deaths to mourn and a new life to start.”

Shaking his head, Langston motions for a female beta to come over to us. Scenting the air, I drag her scent into my lungs. The smell doesn’t stir me, doesn’t spark me. It’s not Annalise. “Get his paperwork ready. I assume we still have some free houses in the upper levels?”

“Yes, Lord Alpha. I will do as you ask.”