Page 42 of Dark Revolution

“Watch your tone, Annora. I let you sass off to me yesterday, but make no mistake, it’s not something I’m willing to tolerate.”

“Oh. Big shocker,” I spit back. My brain screams at me to stop. Jaxxon is enormous and more than capable of ending my life with a flick of his wrist, but I’m beyond caring. Dying would be a better welcome than this. If I cannot make him see reason, then what’s the point in even being here. For all I know, Karis isn’t even alive anymore, so then there really is no point.

“Let me see if I understand you. You know, just so we’re on the same page. I know betas and omegas are not as smart as you, Alphas, so I’ll make sure I understand. Can’t let me being a weak female keep me from getting your message.”

“Annora.”

“Yes, Lord Jaxxon?”

His growl reverberates through my skull as his anger chokes me on the ash of his ire. He makes no move except to also stand up, towering over me like the hulking monster he is. “This is your last warning.”

“Oh. A warning? You’re actually giving me a warning? Does this mean I have a choice in whether I obey you like a family pet or defy you? Gods, the fact that I actually have a choice. Shocking.”

“I was going to put you over my knee again and use my lecture as the real punishment while my hands were just a physical reminder, but it seems I’m going to have to resort to other methods to make you heel.”

“Heel?” I pause for a moment, processing his words. “So, you do consider me a pet? I knew it. That’s all I am to you!”

He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. “Maybe heel was the wrong thing to -.”

“You’re damn right it was, but there’s no taking it back now. Just because you claim that’s not what you meant, somewhere, even if it’s deep, deep inside, something thinks that. How dare you uproot me like this, take away my life, then expect me to just kowtow to your every depraved whim.”

“Depraved? What exactly have I done to you that’s depraved? You have no concept of anything. You’re so sheltered that even a kiss is shocking. The places I touched and licked? Those are tame compared to what I could do to you. I’m going slow to ease you into it because despite what you think about me, I do give a damn about you.”

I open my mouth to dispute his words, but he holds his hand up, cutting me off. “As for unrooting you, how in the gods’ names can you pin that on me. If I weren’t there at that auction, Caulder would be the one mounting you now. He’d have his cock so deep in your pussy that you wouldn’t be able to breathe. I’m the asshole that’s waiting. I’ve wanted to fuck you since the moment I scented you, and here I am, being the nice guy, refusing to rape you, and yet you’re still not satisfied.”

Climbing off the bed, he stalks over to the nearby closet and flings the door open. I flinch and slide back further onto the bed until my back is against the wall. Jaxxon is so incredibly angry, and yet, despite my fear, I know deep down he won’t lash out at me. That must be the only thing giving me the courage to hold my ground as much as I am.

“I’m not satisfied because you haven’t done a damn thing to try and make this better for me. You know how innocent I am, how naive I am, but I never chose to be your omega. In fact, I chose the opposite. You and your breed forced me into this. I begged you to let me be beta again, but even that you’ve refused to do. What the hell do you want from me?”

Jaxxon whirls around, eyes blazing. “What I want, Annalise, is for you to not spread your legs for the other Alphas, to stay the fuck alive, to not leave me so broken and shattered.” The air stills as we both stare at each other. His eyes are unfocused as they look at me. I’ve seen that look before, that haunted, half-alive gaze the girls at the brothels wear. No one else seems to notice them, but I do.

My heart thumps painfully in my chest as he shakes his head a moment, clearing whatever demons haunt his mind. There’s something clearly wrong with him, and it's further proof that I just need to leave the first moment I can. Now that he’s shown me how I can get pleasure, I won’t need another Alpha to do it for me.

I shift across the bed, easing down to the floor. Perhaps if I move slowly enough, I can slide by while Jaxxon’s still embedded in his nightmare. His eyes follow me, drilling into me as he remains motionless. Bending low, I grab one of the sheets that puddled on the floor and wrap it around my body, making a makeshift covering.

“Drop the sheet.” His voice is low and deadly, sending a tremor of fear fluttering through my chest. Have I gone too far? I can’t let him catch me. If he does, it will be all over for me. I don’t think he’ll kill me, but something’s shifted inside him, something dark and dangerous.

Despite the fear, a trickle of moisture slides down my inner thigh. I clamp my legs together, hoping to stop it before he realizes what’s happening, but then his nose quivers, and I know that he smells me. Never run from a predator; that will only spark their need to take you down and conquer you. I know this, yet, at that moment, all rational thought flees.

Gathering the sheet around me, I take off, darting into the living space. It’s still so unfamiliar to me that it takes me longer than it should to reach the door. By the time my hand goes to the panel, he’s there, right on top of me. Grasping my wrist, Jaxxon whirls me around, slamming my back against the door.

His eyes are solid black with no hint of an iris. Fuck. He’s never looked more like a Feral until this moment. Dread fills my body, freezing my soul. I can’t run anymore. With his body pressed firmly against mine, there’s no escape. Tears fall, sliding over my cheeks and trickling down my neck, but I don’t stop them. Maybe if he sees what he’s doing to me, he’ll stop.

Dipping low, he laps at my collar bone, licking at the tears as they pool there, growling at the salty taste on his tongue. Jaxxon yanks me closer and bends to throw me over his shoulder. How many times am I to endure this barbaric treatment? I lash out at him, using my fists and feet to persuade him to put me down, but he doesn’t even flinch. It’s like my strikes have no effect on him. And why should they? What possible hope does an omega have against an Alpha?

The truth of his words hit home in that instance. If it were Caulder that bought me, things might have been a whole lot worse. At least with Jaxxon, I’ve had moments of pleasure. Would Caulder have allowed me that? With a jerk of his shoulder, Jaxxon upends me back onto the bed, and I hit the mattress with a bounce, jarring me from the inside out.

The instant I’m free of him, I dart away again, determined to make it to safety. Jaxxon’s roar rattles the glasses in the kitchen, but still, I run until his firm hand grasps me about the waist. With quick movements, the leash is back around my neck, and Jaxxon presses the button until I’m unable to breathe.

Spots dance before my eyes as my fingertips scrabble against the metal. Any moment now, he’ll let me go. He has to. Blackness encroaches my vision as my blood thumps through my skull, loud enough that I can hear the throb. He’s not letting up. He’s going to fucking kill me. I fucking knew it.