Page 36 of Unhinged Alphas

Emilia nods, her relief palpable. "Of course, Commander. Right this way."

She turns and strides off down the corridor, but my attention is caught by another sight. A slimy beta guard, leading yet another omega by a chain. Her head is bowed, her steps shuffling and unsteady.

I watch as the guard and omega disappear around the corner, a knot of unease tightening in my gut. There's something about the guard's bodylanguage, the cruel twist of his lips, that sets off alarm bells in my head. I've seen that look before on the faces of too many men who take pleasure in causing pain.

"Who was that?" I ask, keeping my voice carefully neutral.

Emilia glances over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. "Ah, that's Jace. One of our most promising guards. He's risen through the ranks quite quickly, thanks to his dedication to the cause."

Something about the way she says it, the slight hesitation in her voice, makes my skin crawl.

"Is that so?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "And who exactly is he guarding?"

Emilia waves a dismissive hand. "Just one of our other more challenging cases. But I assure you, Commander, Jace has the situation well in hand. The omegas are fortunate to have him."

Fortunate.The word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I can only imagine the kind of "fortune" Jace brings to the omegas in his care.

Then it hits me. Was he one of Ivy's guards?

"I see," I say, keeping my expression carefully neutral. "And what exactly makes him so qualified for this position?"

Emilia gives me her most grotesquesmile yet. "Well, for one thing, he's the son of a very prominent Council member. And he has a unique perspective on omega rehabilitation."

Another prettied-up way of saying he gets off on hurting innocent people.

"Interesting," I say, forcing a smile. "Perhaps you could introduce us later. I'd be curious to hear more about his methods. Pick his brain, if you will."

Or splatter it all over the walls.

Emilia nods, her eyes gleaming with something that might be pride. "Of course, Commander. I'm sure Jace would be honored to meet you."

Emilia leads me down another dark corridor, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead. The stench of fear and despair is even stronger here. Whimpers and sobs echo from the cells on either side.

We round a corner, and there he is.

The omega from a second ago is gone, and I can only assume he dumped her in one of those cells. He's tall and broad-shouldered, with close-cropped hair and an infuriating smugness in the set of his lips. It's the mark of a man who was born into a position of authority he didn't earn and has spent every day since lording it over those weaker than him. I've seen it a thousand times over.

Then I see it.

He's missing a finger.

Yeah, this is the fucker, alright.

I want nothing more than to wrap my hands around his throat, to squeeze the life from his body and watch the terror in his eyes as the light fades. As he realizes he's finally at the mercy of someone stronger than he is. Someone with as little mercy to show as he's shown his victims.

When I riphisspine out, I'll shove it up his ass.

But not yet.

"Commander Hargrove," Emilia says, her voice dripping with false warmth. "Allow me to introduce you to Jace, one of our most promising guards."

Jace steps forward, his eyes widening with something like awe as his entire demeanor shifts. He goes from power tripping douchebag to sycophant in an instant. "Commander," he says, his voice rough and grating. "It's… an honor to meet you, sir."

He holds out his hand and I take it, my grip tight enough that he winces. The jagged scar tissue on the stump of what was once his finger rubs against my palm. It gives me a twinge of satisfaction to know how badly that must have hurt.

And to know they weren't successful in reattaching it.

"The honor is mine," I say through gritted teeth,forcing a smile. "Emilia tells me you're quite the rising star around here."