Page 8 of Dark Revolution

“Ladies first.” His voice is half growly and half raspy, setting every nerve on fire.

Fuck.

They’re not supposed to have this sort of power over me. It’s not possible. Squeezing my thighs together, I force myself to move. “No, my Lord Alpha. I insist. I’m sure you have far more important things to do. I would hate to waste even a moment of your time.”

The smile he gives me is all teeth - feral. I suppress a shudder as he motions again to the door. “No. I insist.”

I’m caught between fight and flight as we stare each other down. His voice is laced with a growl, demanding I give in to his orders. Even masking as beta, I’m not immune. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I were my true designation. I stand as he does, and we bump into each other.

His body is a solid wall, all muscle and aggression. His fingers grab at my cloak to steady me, drawing me closer than I ever want to be to an Alpha. His breath is warm against the top of my head, and my vision swims for just a moment. Too hot. Too close. It’s all too much.

The loud ding as the door opens breaks the agonizing spell for just a moment. It’s now or never. Forcing myself out of his grasp, I make a beeline for the door, knowing soon after I leave, I’ll be in the city proper where law and order rules once more. Even if he does follow me out, he legally won’t be able to do anything. As much as the High Echelon controls the city, even the Alphas don’t defy them.

To touch a pristine such as I would mean certain death. That is, in the city proper. Here, he can do what he wants with me, and no one will know until far too late. Anxiety gnaws at my insides as the awareness of just how potentially fucked I am comes crashing into my brain.

As long as the High Echelon and Guardian Alphas don’t know about my little excursions to the Dead Lands, I will still be considered pristine, untouched in their eyes. If not, any chance at an advantageous marriage is null and void.

The Alpha’s eyes bore into the back of my skull as I pick my way through the debris littering my path. In order to keep hidden, as little light as possible is allowed in, shadowing the tunnel in haphazard darkness. The main light comes from the tunnel transport, but it’s just barely enough to not trip over bits of brick, wood, and gods know what else.

Luckily for me, I’ve grown accustomed to the dim lighting, turning the journey from treacherous to just annoying. The Alpha pants behind me, attempting to keep up, but here, I have the advantage. With my body being so small and light, I can almost fly across the bits of brick and wood.

The noise of outside life is muffled, but I can still hear it over my heart ricocheting around in my chest. My breath comes in gasps, and each deep inhale fills my brain with more of the Alpha's pungent scent. Perhaps I should start doubling up my rations? I can barely afford what I’m buying now. What will happen if my body starts to become accustomed to them?

Making my way to the door, I rap out the secret code and hold my breath. He’s still a small distance behind me, but that gap is closing with every second. The heat of his body washes over mine just as the door opens, and I spill out on the street. Safe. Glancing this way and that, I dash over the rough-hewn roads of the lower levels. A few betas glance up at me, but I know they won’t say anything. They have enough problems of their own.

A stab of guilt pierces my heart as I weave my way around them, using their defeated bodies as a stopgap against the Alpha gaining ground. Though I’m safe here, there’s still not as much law enforcement as in the upper levels. The air is fetid and wet, a low bank of fog covering the stone streets.

I could easily be here with them, toiling away as the rotten air weakens my lungs. It’s only by the grace of my parentage that I even have the home I’m in. I make my way around the dismal city square, heading for the back alleys I know by heart. Hopefully, the Alpha chasing me doesn’t have as much experience down here as I do.

Minutes tick by, and soon, the strong, Alpha aroma begins to fade until all I can smell is stagnant water and decay. I’m never here long enough for lungrot to take root and fester, but it’s yet one more reminder of my stupidity in leaving my respirator at home. So much of today’s mishaps would have been prevented if I hadn’t forgotten that one crucial item.

The thick air begins to thin as I work my way up, going into the better part of the district. This is where the higher levels meet to do trade and meetings. It’s still not as nice as the meeting area of the high districts, but it’s somewhere I’m allowed to be without someone questioning it. Casting off the cloak, I lay it across the rotten, wooden fence surrounding a house with laundry hanging outside. Based on the clothes, at least one person is a similar build to me.

These cloaks are castoffs to me, a pittance that I only buy to conceal me in the Dead Lands. I try to assuage my guilt by finding a different house, a different fence, each time, leaving a cloak for someone in need. Now that I’m in a safe zone, I don’t need to hide my status. With my pills and illegal tender secure in the hidden pocket, and my credits and datacom in the outer pocket, I make my way to the food section, looking for groceries for Karis and me.

I know she doesn’t like the food of the lower levels, but our credits go so much further here than in our home district. True, the food is tainted with the sour stench of the air that swirls about, but the food itself is nutritional and whole. Fingering my remaining credits, I pass over stalls that contain novelty foods - foods designed to bring in cash flow from visiting sectors and districts but have no real value.

Instead, I go to my normal booth, where a wizened old woman sells root vegetables and staples that will last. She squints up at me, her wrinkles crinkling as she smiles. Though I don’t really know her all that well, I still pretend that she could be my mother or grandmother. It makes the deception all less painful knowing I’m providing a living, at least in part, for someone I have familial feelings for.

Her hand trembles as she reaches out to grasp mine, and tears prick my eyes. In a place this bad, there’s no way she’ll have that much time left. To take her home with me would be a dishonor to her and a slap in the face to all betas that toil in the same toxic air. In truth, they don’t have it nearly as bad as some other sectors. Reports come in daily about the horrid living conditions outside of our area. The Dead Lands is the only thing between us and certain death.

Out there, beyond our borders, the world dips down, trapping this same toxic air, but at a much higher concentration. On the rare, clear nights, I can sometimes make out the twinkle of their tall towers and marvel at how their height rivals our own. I’ve never had a desire to visit the other lands, but from what little I hear from the Alphas in the brothels, there’s nothing out there for me - no escape that wouldn’t be trading a fast death for a slow one.

Looking down, I pick out my food and hand her the money. I don’t even know her name. She’s just a motherly beta to me, and how sad is that. I open my mouth to ask her but spot the Alpha from earlier stalking through the booths. My time is up. The fact that I’m no longer wearing a cape might buy me a few minutes, but there’s no doubt my scent is still lodged somewhere in his brain.

Like a dog searching for a piece of meat, he’ll eventually find me. Nodding my thanks, I hand her the credits and take my bundle with me. Will she even be here next time? My gut drops as I remember the fact that I’ll be coming through this way again in just a few days. I really was stupid for changing up my schedule. It will be far safer and cheaper, in the long run, to just work on my disguises.

The transport is close by - yet another reason I chose her booth in the beginning. It makes for an easier getaway. With the last of my credits, I slide them into the slot, hold my wrist out to be scanned, and press the button for my destination. The doors close in front of me, blocking me from the Alpha. The ship remains still, motionless as we wait for someone else from my district to scan their wrist.

He lowers his arm, and my breath stills in my chest, but the doors never open. He must be someone of high rank or an outcast to not be allowed in with me. The Alpha slams his palms against the glass, snarling as he studies me. I let him, tossing my head back for him to get a good look. Everything about me is a disguise, as if I’d be stupid enough to wander out into the Dead Lands with no plausible deniability.

Law is king now, and as long as I retain my sacred innocence and throw at least some bit of reasonable doubt onto my excursions, then I should be fine. The clock ticks louder in my mind as I search through any other reasonable alternative. No one would dare sell suppressants within the city walls, so that only leaves the Dead Lands.

I could always take Karis and run for the secret enclave I discovered soon after our parents died, but then we’d still have the issues of estrus only without a safe way to break the heat. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. No. I’ll just keep going to the Dead Lands and pray it will bide us time until I can find another option.

A loud hiss of air and sharp jerk snaps me out of my musings. The Alpha is still there, lips curled up in an angry snarl. For just a moment, his face looks so close to The Ferals that my heart stops. His head turns as we lurch forward, but it’s far too late for him to do anything. I’m untouchable now, and where I’m going, he won’t even be allowed to scent me without me being able to cause a ruckus.

Sighing, I hold the food tighter as I sink down into the plush chair, so different from the illegal transport from earlier. Everything is bright and airy - safe. They only allow the same groupings passage, so even if he managed to get next to me, he wouldn't be allowed passage if his designation wasn’t the same. It’s just one more way to ensure the classes stay far apart.

I let my eyes drift close as the transport takes off. From my calculations, I have about fifteen minutes before we land, and that’s just enough time for a quick nap to re-energize me for tonight. The sounds of the ship lull me to sleep, the soft hum almost like a lullaby.