Page 24 of Dark Revolution

Chapter 6

Jaxxon

“Let me go!So help me, I will rain down the gods’ wrath upon you.” Langston doesn’t budge. From what I’ve seen, he’s probably the only Alpha able to take me on like this. Tilting my head back, I roar, but he doesn’t even flinch.

“Stop. You need to think. If you show up there, dressed as you are, you will be arrested instantly. I know where they’re taking her. If she’s a beta here in the Dead Lands, it must mean she’s masking her dynamic. She must be an omega. They will take her to the auction houses.”

His words barely register as I pace in front of him, but one word stands out clearly enough. Omega. My omega. I don’t care if this is Annalise reincarnated or some other omega that happens to smell like her, but she’s mine. I don’t care who I have to fight or kill to get her.

“Listen to me,” Langston growls. I look up, his eyes boring into mine. “You have more than enough credits to buy her. I know what omegas go for, and if she’s intact, it doesn't matter. You can still afford her. The only way you’ll lose is if you lose your head right now. You have to be smart. Come to your new home, and we can plan from there.”

Langston is right. As much as I want to go in there, neuron blasters blazing, I need to be rational. A sharp ache fills my balls as I picture her beneath me, writhing on my cock, only it’s not this fugitive omega’s face I see. Instead, it’s my sweet Annalise. Clutching my lengthening shaft, I force my thoughts away from her. My erection is painful enough from the tube I pulled out earlier without thinking about that sweet omega slick coating my cock and balls.

Shaking my head, I follow the other Alpha, scenting the air every so often to see if I can still find her. We come to the old transport post, and a smile, the first since I woke up, crosses my face. Of all the things to still be here, this isn’t what I was expecting. He pushes the button to call another car, and we wait, both of us on high alert.

We board, and Langston pushes the button to drive us forward. Try as I might, I can’t get that omega out of my head. Whenever we find her, I want nothing more than to make sure she’s safe. Thoughts of her consume me to the point that I don’t even realize we’ve stopped until Langston tugs on my arm and pulls me forward. We traverse what used to be an elegant boarding station that’s now nothing but shattered ruins.

My heart aches as I pass by all the debris and rubble. It was just a day or so ago that I was in this very place, purchasing flowers for Annalise. Now, there’s nothing but damp decay and the obvious passing of time. Langston knocks a complicated pattern, and soon we’re on the streets of the lower district. My breath catches as the familiar sight slams into me.

Everything is the same, and yet, it’s not. The buildings are still there, but every inch is coated with a grime that will never come off. The lower levels were never the nicest or neatest, but they were clean, bursting with life. Now, the stench of death hovers over every inch. Each corner we pass is the same. A haze hangs about, turning everything gray.

The only real sign of life is when we get to a ragtag marketplace, nothing at all like the bustling, vibrant place it once was. Everything is dingy and dying. Langston heads over to a nearby stall and buys vegetables, too close to rotten than anything I’d ever eat, but the smile the older beta gives him is probably worth it.

Motioning for me to follow, we approach the main shuttle, the one thing that actually looks new and improved during my one-hundred-year sleep. “Moment of truth,” Langston murmurs, grabbing my wrist and holding it to a small plate on the door. When it swings open, he huffs a relieved sigh and pushes me in. The door snaps into place until he puts his own wrist to the console.

“Things have changed a lot since you were last here. As Alphas, we have access to all districts, but those in lower districts cannot go into ours. Since we’re both Alpha designations, we can ride together. This keeps lower-level people from jumping ship and going where they shouldn’t.”

“But the levels were never about class. It was just where you lived. People could come and go as they pleased.”

“Not anymore. According to the teachings of the High Echelon, like needs to be with like. So now, everyone is in a district based on parentage and occupation. These betas on the lower levels have no real place in this world. They’re basically stashed here until they die. The level up from here, you have those that are in aquatics. They catch and deliver all sorts of water-based game to the levels.”

He pauses for a moment and points at the brick walls as we start to ascend. There, in full relief, is a painting of a red cloak with an X over it. “You’ll find many of these rebellious drawings throughout all the lower levels. The betas are more than fed up with how the Alphas run things. It’s only a matter of time before an all-out war happens.”

I tune Langston out, not needing the manipulative history lesson. If the betas want to rise up, more power to them. This only solidifies my plan to get my mate and leave this godsforsaken land. It won’t matter if they rebel then.

“The next level, you have the real food growers, the agro district. They supply all the necessary food to the levels. The level above that is where prominent betas live. These are the ones that work in science, education, and research. Things like that. They don’t work with their hands; instead, they work with their minds. Many Alphas live here too, and that’s where we’re stopping.”

Nodding, I watch the landscape change each level we rise up. True, these levels were working like this one hundred years ago, but it wasn’t just betas. Alphas worked the land right alongside them. There was a feeling of elitism, but mostly in the sense that we could work faster, better, harder. But we all worked.

I never went into the fields because I was a Guardian Alpha like my father and his father before him. I had several family members work the lands and the oceans. Hell, many of them were artisans, craftsmen, yet I haven’t heard Langston mention those. We hover to a stop, and Langston gets out, holding the door open for me.

Taking in a deep breath, I fill my lungs with clean, fresh air. Much higher quality than the bottom levels. As we disembark, I smell her again, that phantom scent that’s lodged in my brain. The ragged edges of my bond cry out for her, demanding her to be underneath me with my teeth embedded in her flesh. Who knows, maybe it’s not really her scent. Maybe all of this is in my head - just another side effect from missing my stolen mate.

We walk down the quiet road, everything exactly as it had been when I was put to sleep. It’s like a time capsule. I was never here long enough to really know my neighbors. My family lived the level above here. I only came down when I was old enough to leave my paternal home and strike out on my own.

Pausing, I look up at the house that used to be mine. The windows are dark and cold, empty. The whole house is devoid of life. Towards the end, I spent most of my time in my underground bunker, but I still had pockets of treasures hidden in the walls. I wonder if the new owners ever found anything. Langston pulls up beside me, a key swinging from his finger. It can’t be true. This is the house?

“Is this one familiar to you?”

“I used to live here.”

“No shit! Well, welcome home again, Lord Alpha Jaxxon. You’ve been ‘dead’ long enough that no one will bat an eye at you living in your old homestead. We usually house betas on the run here, so the neighbors are used to activity, but they won’t be at all shocked with a new Alpha face. There’s been so many...restructuring activities, shall we say, that no one will question it. It’s actually safer for them if they don’t. I’ll meet you back here in two hours. That should give you time to settle in and reacquaint yourself.”

He hands me the keys and walks off, disappearing into the setting suns. Glancing over the horizon, I know that True Night will fall soon. Better to be inside when it does. The door creaks open in a way that it didn’t when I was here, but other than that, nothing has changed. The furniture is still the same, just in different places, and the air smells of fear and anger - the smells of rebellion.

Shaking my head, I walk down the hallway, padding down until I reach the master bedroom. The old metal bed is still there, complete with tie-downs and other instruments of torture. The Alpha before me claimed it was a sex bed, but it never really appealed to me. The mattress, though, that was the stuff of dreams.

I let myself plop down, memories flooding my brain. This was going to be the bridal suite. Everything was planned. The bed was big enough to have a full nest, but if not, I would place it by the window. That way, she could see the suns rise and fall. Annalise had a longing for all things astrological, and it was the one thing I could indulge her in.

Sitting up, I walk over to the closet and slide my fingers around the back wall. Once my nails feel the small indentation, I dig in and pull forward. With a hiss, the panel slides out, revealing the treasures hidden behind. It was supposed to be a surprise for her. A large telescope, covered in dust, sits in the corner of the open space, but more importantly, next to it is the hyperbaric sealed chest.

The clothes inside would probably be old-fashioned, but it’s better than being covered up with Langston’s cloak. The uniform underneath kept me fairly cool, but it’s not comfortable by any means. Laying my thumb against the lock, I wait for the hiss to open it up. Inside, untouched, are the casual clothes I hid away.

As a Guardian Alpha, there was no time or need for anything casual, so I stuffed it here, waiting for the day I retired. Who knew it wouldn’t be retirement that brought them back into the light of day? I lift out a shirt and pants, frowning at the lump in between. I bring the bundle over to the bed and set it down. When I remove the shirt, tears prick my eyes. There, nestled in between the clothes, is the collar I picked out to present to Annalise when we got home.

Once she was bound to me, this collar would mark it for all to see. My claiming bite would be there, but this would add a touch of civility to the ravaging that occurs. That and I knew she would find it pretty. The large, gray pearl shines in the dying suns, so close to the color of her eyes. Clenching the precious stone in my hands, I roar as pain floods my soul. Flinging it to the side, I watch as it lands in front of the window. I don’t care if it never moves from that spot.

That part of my life is over now. It’s no longer me mourning but the bond. The sooner I can find a new mate, the sooner that gaping wound will close up, making me human again. Grabbing my clothes, I stalk over to the bathroom and set them on the counter. Thank gods they didn’t try to improve on the shower. I want to be clean and not spend the next hour trying to figure out new technology.

As the water heats up, I walk over to the toilet, my bladder protesting the abuse heaped upon it. Fire races down my shaft as blood and urine flow into the bowl. Cursing in every language I know, I rest my head against the cool tile and force myself to empty everything. Peeing less won’t make the pain go away.

Flushing, I duck into the hot spray, letting the warmth soothe me. Now that I’ve attended to those needs, my baser urges come to the forefront, but how badly will that hurt in comparison? I want so desperately to get off, to take the edge off even if it’s only a little bit. I’m worried when I see her again, I’ll go into a rut, and that won’t help anyone.

Slamming my fist against the wall, I once again curse the impotence of my situation. As an Alpha, I shouldn’t have to hold back. I should be able to take what I want when I want it. They didn’t just take away my mate; they took away my free will. Hell, I don’t even have a king to serve anymore. I have no purpose, no other occupation. Even if I did, there’s no way they’d let an Alpha work on the lower levels, not anymore.

Growling, I soap down my hair and body, forcing the stench of the lower levels off of me. I could probably offer my services as an assassin to another colony. Perhaps they would want to actually use me. From what little I’ve seen of this new world, I have the option of rejoining the Guardianship, which is never going to happen, or sitting around like a lazy house husband.

Perhaps if I had a doting mate, it would be a nice fantasy, but I’m not built for that. Eventually, I’ll go crazy. I was trained to kill, not sit back and let others do the work for me. But perhaps that’s all in the past too. When Langston gets back, I’ll see if his magical betas can conjure up an occupation for me. If not, then I’ll have no choice but to leave. The decision isn’t hard, and knowing that this world is no longer the one I traversed makes it easier.