Page 11 of Unhinged Alphas

Thane's pacing grows more agitated, his boots carving angry paths through the snow. "We need to verify this," he growls, his voice low and dangerous. "If it's true..."

He doesn't finish the thought. He doesn't need to. We all know what it means if the Council is truly involved in omega trafficking. Everything we've fought for, every mission we've carried out in their name, becomes tainted.

Meaningless.

A lie.

Everything we've done has been utterly pointless.

And to make matters worse, we have Ivy to worry about now.

It's fucked up. I know it is. I shouldn't care. She should be nothing to me. Just another mission. Another body to keep alive because we were ordered to. I'm not like the others, clinging to some misguided notion of honor or duty. I'm here because it's better than a cell or a grave. Nothing more.

And yet I can't shake the image of her being sold off, passed from one set of greedy hands to another. The thought of her fierce blue-green eyes dulled by despair, her spirit broken the way she was when Thane brought her to us...

It makes me want to set the whole fucking world on fire.

"We protect what's ours," I find myself saying, the words slipping out before I can stop them. The others turn to look at me, surprise evident in their expressions. I'm not known for my protective instincts.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

I shrug, trying to play it off. "If we fail Ivy, it's no better than putting a bullet in her skull ourselves. And if the Council is actually involved in this shit, she's never going to be safe as long as we're undertheir thumb. Or your father's," I say, meaning it as a direct challenge as I meet Thane's gaze head on.

He holds it for a moment before nodding slowly, a rare concession. "Agreed," he says finally. "We protect our omega. No matter what."

"So what's the play?" Plague asks, folding his arms over his chest. "We can't exactly confront the Council about this."

"No," Thane agrees, his expression grim. "For now, we keep this to ourselves. We need more information before we make any moves."

I nod, forcing myself to focus on the practicalities. "I'll reach out to some of my contacts," I offer. "See if I can get anything.”

Thane looks at me sharply. "Be careful," he warns. "If the Council catches wind that we're digging..."

He doesn't need to finish the thought. We all know what happens to those who cross the Council. Even their pet monsters aren't immune.

"Always am," I reply with a smirk, though there's no real humor behind it.

As we head back into the mansion, my mind races with possibilities, each more grim than the last. If the Council is involved inomega trafficking, what other secrets are they hiding? How deep does this corruption go?

And more pressingly, what the fuck are we going to do about it?

The Council has no idea what they've unleashed. What vengeful demons they've awoken with their betrayal. But they'll learn.

And may God have mercy on their souls when we come for them.

Because we sure as hell won't.

Chapter

Four

IVY

Iwake with a start, my heart pounding in my chest. For a moment, I'm disoriented, the unfamiliar surroundings sending a spike of panic through me. But then it all comes rushing back.

The mansion in the mountains.

The Ghosts.