Page 46 of Dark Revolution

Sighing, Langston sits next to sme and shakes his head. “Shit happens. I thought you did this on purpose.”

“Never.” The venomed edge in my voice must have convinced him because he finally relaxes next to me. “I would never knowingly harm her. She’s my life, my world, my everything.” The soft crack in my voice sends a slither of irritation through me, but masculine embarrassment is the least of my worries. “I need you to hold me accountable for what I’ve done. Annora can’t do it. You’re the only one actually bigger than me.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t care. Just make me bleed.”

* * *

The heatfrom the suns shimmers across the wasteland, and I peer up, squinting into the bright light. The three are high in the sky, all of them in the upper quadrant. A Zenith. Apprehension fills my gut as Langston leads me to a crumbling pillar - something to hold onto while he does his worst.

I’ve only seen two Zeniths in my lifetime, and both of them preceded horrible moments for me. Seeing a Zenith now can only mean one thing...I’ve fucked up beyond all reason. Even if I can somehow get Annora to forgive me, there’s no guarantee the bond will ever be okay. Even now, as we cross the heated earth, I reach out for her.

She’s still asleep, with no concept of what’s about to happen. Should I shield her? No. Better to let her know the full extent of my sorrow of the situation. What better way for her to know how repentant I am than to feel my punishment? If only she had a way to punish me. I would rather it be her, but Langston is the only choice.

As a neutral Alpha and one that can overtake me if possible, he for sure should be the one. I still don’t really trust anyone, but he’s the closest I have to a possible comrade. That, and he is the one that taught me how to punish her. The fact that I’ve abused that, even unknowingly...Langston is unquestionably the Alpha for the job.

He’s even keel, fair. He will make sure I suffer enough to ease some of the guilt but won’t kill me in the process. Those other Alphas down there would probably love to see me fall. No doubt, some of them are even planning for the day that I die so they can steal what wealth I have left.

It’s uncharitable and possibly unwarranted, but I saw their eyes as I exited the office with my bag of credits. I saw their noses quivering when I brought in my new mate. It would be stupid of me to ever turn my back on them. On the outside, they seem perfectly fine, but when an omega is involved, things get precarious.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Gripping the edges of my shirt, I pull it overhead and toss it to the ground. No doubt after Langston’s done with me, I won’t want to put it back on. “Want to? No one ever wants to have pain inflicted on them. Need to? Yes. I need this absolution. I can only hope that one day Annora will forgive me, and I’m hoping this goes a long way in making that happen.”

Turning, I watch in fascination as he unlocks a hook on his belt, and a handle pops off. Until now, it all looked like one seamless piece. A whip uncoils from around his hips, and my heart stutters for just a moment. I’m not having second thoughts - this needs to happen - but watching the object of my punishment as it unwinds around him like a snake is disconcerting.

“I will not stop until I feel the punishment has been met or you are no longer able to stand. This will also be a test of how badly you want to atone. See that you stand longer than a few strokes.”

“I will stand until you’re done.”

Langston chuckles, and the air is soon punctuated with the sound of the whip cracking. A frisson of fear skitters down my spine, but instead of letting it buckle me, I turn my mind to the reason I’m here, to Annora. I already wanted her before the bond was in place, but now that the spiderwebs of her consciousness are now forever linked to mine, I crave her even more.

Enduring this punishment is the least I would do for her. I can’t say I would die for her since that would also signal her death, but I would come as close as needed to keep her safe. I would slay any demon that thought to bring her harm. If possible, I would give her one of the suns as light by which to work or read. I can endure anything Langston gives me today, and not because I’m some strong Alpha, but because I'm her Alpha, and that gives me the strength of a dozen men.