Wolf Dominion Volume 2

Before I wake up human Hades, I decide to talk to my son again very quickly. I hope he didn’t leave the crater, potentially trapping me in here to die. I just – trusted him. With everything. Probably foolish.

I guess I better decide to expect the worst, so I head toward the opening where a metal pipe is still stuck inside.

“Ryder,” I call out to him, “I’m back… help me out…” I wait, for silence, “Ryder?” I almost choke on his name now. No, please don’t let my son betray me to, “RYDER?!” I scream his name now, in complete agony.

I wait. He has to be there.

Silence.

NOTHING!

In a rage, realising I’m fucking stuck down here forever – I understand my only hope is myself.

I grab the metal pipe, pull it more through until my hand slices on a split part of metal by accident.

Screaming, I heave on it anyway – and the hull inches up

Now I had to work out how to get through, gritting my teeth… while Ryder looks back in at me, blank faced. It takes him a second, and the shock of him still being there almost makes me drop my hold.

He swiftly leans down and sticks in his own pipe, keeping it open – as I scramble out.

I stand up next to him, as he drops the hull and turns toward me.

“You’re not human,” he says it with total confusion and a bit of anger, throwing his pipe aside, “Who are you?” Oh, he just tested me?! It makes me more proud than angry.

“I’m –” I start to say it with a smile, but then I also realise what’s going to happen if I tell him I’m his mother. He’ll confront Skye – the Alliance would then know I exist. The element of surprise would be over. Overthrowing Skye would be impossible. Taking down Wolf Dominion would be a doomed plot. And despite everything that would fold, I still say it because it’s my fucking right to – I’ve waited too long, “I’m your mother, Ryder,” when the words finally fall out of my mouth, I feel I could collapse with the relief, but I keep myself steady. Finally saying that, being able to take ownership of this fact for once in my life since his creation. And I couldn’t believe I was courageous enough to do it.

My gawky smile is plastered over my face.

While Ryder adopts a stone cold look just his father.

At least… for a few seconds.

Before his expression almost breaks with the emotion he’s barely holding back – and he leaps forward to embrace me!

I didn’t expect that!

Ryder hugs me so tight, I can’t breathe, as he lifts me off my feet and spins me around.

I return the embrace, feeling my son’s strength of character and resolve, so tough, so sturdy, so sure!

My bloody injured hand unfortunately tarnishes his cloak, but I don’t care.

“I’m Ryder!” I tell him again, laughing as he finally lets me go but doesn’t, holding my shoulders, tears streaming down his face.

“I remember you,” he admits, wiping away his wet eyes.

We embrace one more time, just enjoying the impossible reunion.

“RYDER, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE –?!”

Skye’s snarl comes out from somewhere around the wreckage.

Oh shit.

I immediately shove my son back and motion to the hull as I lean back against it, hiding, I put a finger to my lips and he sees the panic in my gaze.

Without a word, but clearly disturbed, he grabs the pipe and moves the hull aside so I can slip away.

Ryder closes it apprehensively, just as I hear heavy boots come around the wreckage.

“What the hell are you doing in this pile of junk, I told you this whole area was off limits – ”

“I was just– ” Ryder is about to fully explain, with no restraint – but at the last second he stops, “I…”

“Did you find something?” Skye asks, more calmly.

“Yes.”

“Go on.”

“I… father, why did you never tell me much about my mother?”

“This again?” Skye snaps, “She’s dead – so there is nothing to know.”

“Skye,” Ryder’s voice gets all serious, “She’s alive. I just talked to her,” Skye goes silent at that, “Father. Believe me. She’s in here.”

“…son, this is where she died…” Skye admits, “This place is probably haunted with her unrest.”

“No, you don’t understand, she’s actually alive. She’s in there.”

I see the metal pipe shift a little.

“Give that to me,” Skye asks calmly.

I turn to run down the hall, seeing a head poke out from another room I haven’t explored yet at the bottom.

What the?

I’m staring at a very naked Hades.

And not the human one – but a second clone. And he’s very aware, memories in-tact, kind of looking gross and covered in juices but… he must have walked out of some tube from somewhere.

He motions for me to hurry, and I leap over things to make it toward him.

Father and son continue to talk outside the ship, their voices muffled.

I don’t blame Ryder for ratting me out, he didn’t understand and he wanted to know the truth. I would have done the same thing.

I reach Hades, just as I hear the hull shift more, letting in my son’s voice, “I’ll hold it dad, you check – she’s in there, check every corner if you don’t believe me,” my son is still excited, not realising the implications, assuming Skye would care too, and probably thinking I’m stupid for wanting to hide.

Hades has come out of a secret door, that just looked like a section of the wall. Him and I back up into the secret area he walked out of, and he turns to slam it shut on purpose – making a hell of a lot of noise.

“Why did you do that?” I whisper, aghast and confused.

“I’m going to beat his ass,” Hades cracks his knuckles, while I look him over – pure muscle and sinew. Right. He could do it. Skye wasn’t totally weakened but he wasn’t at his usual strength. Hades turns to me and points in the corner, “Hide.”

“No,” I grab his hand, looking at it, larger – the veins bigger, something about him… I could be imagining things, but Hades looks visibly bigger than I remember.

When I don’t listen, Hades grabs my shoulder, walking me back into the dark.

He’s quick and forceful about it, making sure I don’t show myself.

When I’m out of the way, he walks back over.

I can hear Skye jumping down the obstacles in the hall, coming towards the secret door.

I briefly turn to an open tube which houses Hades’ clone.

What I read gives me all my answers.

On the outside of this open tube it reads:

‘Messier Alpha 99 [Location : Earth].’

Confused, I glance down what I thought was just a short room.

I’m so wrong.

My eyes have adjusted to minimal light, and it’s a long, narrow, walk.

No wonder the area had no door.

It was sealed.

Messier Genesis Clones. Writing inscription on the wall shows – ‘Welcome, Enrique. R. Halifax and others, to your perfected G.M. Wolf soldiers.’

Welcome…?

This was hidden on purpose.

But –

The door finally creaks open with Skye’s arrival.

“Hello, brother,” Hades growls and waits for Skye to fully smash it open – and while they charge each other – Hades grabs him by the robe, tripping him up so he falls.

Skye tries to immediately launch back up – but Hades starts smashing his fists into his face.

I let it happen, feeling relieved.

Hades is going to kill him.

About damn time.

I turn away from the one sided battle.

“Hades!” Skye calls out in a bit of a panic, “Stop!”

“Hmm, no,” Hades picks his little brother up and throws him against the wall.

“My s-son, is o-outside,” Skye croaks out, trying to shield his face, as he stands crumpled against the wall, about to receive more blows.

“Really? Good. I’ll kill him next!” Hades taunts Skye cruelly, but holds out a precarious hand toward me – as if to say ‘stay back, I’m just playing with him.’

But Hades has my full attention at that.

Kill Ryder?

He wants to make Skye suffer but now I watch as Skye suddenly comes to life.

He rips something off the wall and smashes it into the side of Hade’s head, getting in a disorienting blow.

Skye gets the new height advantage, as he kicks out Hade’s knee.

But as Hades falls, and Skye has the opportunity for a split second to gain the upper hand – he can see me at the back, reclining against a wall, just watching.

Skye absolutely freezes.

Then Hades rises up and grabs him with one hand – in a choke hold.

“Do you want to do it?” Hades growls at me, looking back, because Skye has suddenly succumbed.

Hades realises his submission in mental defeat, and lets him go.

Skye just drops to his knees and hands, unable to look away from me. His eyes say it all.

I walk forward, suddenly giddy.

“Check if he’s armed,” I tell Hades, as I stand over Skye’s face.

Hades rips aside his robe, and finds a laser gun holstered.

That gun sure looks familiar.

Hades takes it out and places it in my outstretched palm.

“Our son is outside,” Skye begs me, as I heat up the gun to fire, and casually aim it to his head, “…but I know I deserve it,” Skye sits back on his heels and closes his eyes, giving up, “Forgive me,” I know he’s accepted death, and it’s not me he’s asking for forgiveness, it’s the whole universe.

I hold my aim steady, but my finger is frozen.

I am Luna Messier of Wolf Dominion. Skye was my Alpha.

I realise pretty quickly my fault, so I tell Hades, “I can’t do it,” I whisper.

Besides; an Alpha had to replace another Alpha.

He had to do it.

Hades understands, and takes the gun I offer to him, while Skye peaks through one open eye – confused by my statement.

Hades cocks the gun – and presses the trigger for me.

At that final moment, as I see his finger move, I spin around.

I couldn’t fucking look.

My heart truly breaks in two, as Skye slumps and his heavy body hits the floor, vibrating under my bare feet.

It slams so hard into me like a train I never saw coming. Total, all-consuming regret. I immediately feel repulsed by our murderous revenge – and I don’t feel a sense of relief at all.

I was meant to feel better.

Why did it feel like a mistake.

Was this the worst decision I had ever made?

“I know it’s hard,” Hades says, also choking up, “ – he was my brother.”

He was also Ryder’s father.

Would he forgive me?

Blinking light.

I’m suddenly distracted, by a yellow light, that blinks and illuminates the very end of the hall. I didn’t even make the connection – it had all happened too fast.

“Hades,” I whisper.

“HELLO?” My son screams out down the ship, “FATHER? What happened…?” we all hear a crunch of metal, as Ryder jumps further down into the ship, coming for our location.

Hades stands by me, as a tube opens at the end.

I quickly grab Hade’s gun out of his hand and drop it to the ground, stepping over it with my metal foot and crushing it.

I hated that a trigger could end a life. It wasn’t right.

But that seemed to be the least of our worries – as Skye returns.

He stands out of the tube, dripping clear liquid as he walks down toward us.

A total giant, and probably unafraid of another attempt on his life.

Skye walks, totally redesigned to perfection, his eyes still a neon blue.

Skye walks right up to us, towering over Hades.

And I fucking feel small again.

“I guess we’re all even now,” Skye speaks so calmly, just as the door is shoved aside as our son appears – gasping at the dead body… but then silent when he sees his father’s new form.

Hades and I watch as Skye looks toward Ryder, our son, then Skye looks at me – forlorn and quiet. He is not angry. He seems at peace.

“Why?” I ask him, why about everything, ignoring the fact we just killed him, that he killed me, that he killed Hades – that we all now lived anyway. It just seemed we weren’t supposed to die. We couldn’t die. That in itself, was disturbing.

“You know who you belong to,” Skye’s voice rumbles, looking down his nose at me, before he leans down so we’re eye to eye, drawling, “Even when I say you’re dead to me?” he pauses, no expression, only cold hard truth, “You still belong to me even when I banish you.”

“That’s cold hearted, brother,” Hades states, irate at Skye.

“You have no idea,” Skye is still as he doesn’t deny it, “It’s in my blood.”

My heart beats unsteady and out of rhythm as they glare at one another, because I felt the truth of what he said in my genetics. In my design too. I’m silent with my anger and confusion – as we all are in our own way.

I –

“Incoming,” A voice crackles, interrupting all of us, “Who took our fucking landing area?... burn the trees… find a new spot…” other voices join, “…blast the launching rockets to make a space, hover then settle…. Can anyone hear me? Incoming. If anyone can hear me, we received the calling signal to return. G.M. alert 1.00. Um -… you don’t have to say any of that, everyone’s dead and the soldiers will be asleep in their pods… it’s just protocol, sir… yeah, buddy, protocol from 9 thousand years ago, give me a break... oh my fuck, LOOK, I see PEOPLE, I see – then turn off the transmission NOW! –”

A sharp cut to the buzz and an echoing silence.

It echoed off the wall from an inbuilt radio connected to the power.

We all hear a thundering noise outside this ship and crater, coming from the sky.

“Who the hell?” Hades murmurs. Skye looks concerned.

I already know.

Orrin had said.

“The Elite humans left thousands of years ago,” I whisper, we just didn’t realise they’d come back, “They’ve returned for us. G.M. soldiers – only four of us are aware, only two of you are awake.”

“Elite Humans?” Skye scoffs, but his voice is a little dry… a new kind of fear in his tone. The unknown.

“Not weak humans, Skye,” Hades sneers quietly.

My son looks intrigued and terrified, still frozen by the door.

“I thought the Alliance was the biggest threat to Earth,” I whisper, “I’m an idiot.”

“The Alliance was never a threat to Destor,” Skye snaps at me.

“Not anymore,” I growl under my breath.

“What is it?” Hades asks, looking pale, because he’s working it out, just as I have.

“Fuck… all they need are these pods,” I whisper, waiting for that fact to settle, “…before anyone of us can prepare to fight back… they’ll kill everyone first… they don’t need anyone alive with these Messier pods.”

“This was their way to gain control over us,” Skye agrees, now grim.

What the hell do we do now?

We’re all thinking it.

“We need to warn them,” I suggest it with absolute dread in my stomach as the thunder gets louder from the sky, “They’ll be armed with weapons we don’t even understand. They created us in 3,000, it’s now 14,598.”

“Then we have to go now, we don’t have any time,” Skye agrees, letting out a snarl, he begins to head for the door.

“You’re all missing the point,” Ryder suddenly blocks the door, and kicks it shut, “We hide.”

And another point. Good kid.

My eyes light up with the new idea, as I walk back to the radio transmission, and I open the communication channel before the Alphas can protest, “Do not proceed,” it’s all I say into the radio, for the humans to hear.

I wait for a response.

After a long silent minute, we finally get one.

“…who is this…”

Ooo, they’re already arrogant.

“Do not proceed,” I am being annoying on purpose, to nut out their purpose, “I repeat, do not proceed.”

“…who do you think you are? Who is this…?”

“You’re speaking to Ryder Messier Luna. Proceed at your own peril.”

I’m going from defending humans, to threatening them.

All because now they’re the threat.

The irony.

Silence.

“…you’re in the wreckage…?” they ask, a very cunning question.

They’re playing dominance games already, refusing to answer to me.

Shit.

I didn’t have much left.

I think about it briefly, looking at the pods, “I’m with the gold mine, yes. If you want the gold, do not proceed.”

“…she can’t see us...” a voice filters through the transmission that they forgot to end, or they just don’t care, “…Ryder…” someone else speaks more firmly, “…we know who you are… you’re the one who won’t proceed any further with this line of communication... come into the open, we wish to greet you… we’re not the enemy… don’t say that…!” the last part is broken communication as they argue.

I didn’t want to threaten them, but… “Negative. If you proceed without our authority, we’ll open fire,” I could only bluff so far, but it was worth the shot.

“…let us speak to the Alpha…”

I look to Skye and Hades.

Skye lets Hades walk forward.

Hades turns the knob, “Hello you lying fuck-faces,” Hades opens the communication a different way, “Please proceed, without negotiation, at your own peril.”

I smirk. I like it.

However, after this, they fail to respond at all.

Skye shoves Hades out of the way and has his take.

“Proceed,” Skye says, “Ignore my subordinates.”

Skye pulls back, taking in Hades and I. The hell?

Skye shrugs at our annoyance, clearly, or hopefully, just pretending to be on their side.

It works like honey.

“…Alpha Skye, it’s a pleasure to finally speak with you…” a different voice altogether comes through, “Please co-ordinate everyone to greet our officials in the city. We’ll give you 120 minutes to prepare. We won’t open fire, we hope to see your Dominion holds its semblance and grace. Let us see your power. My name is Enrique, I’m the Wolf Dominion founder. You should call me your boss… when we… meet.”

This is a very big test.

“Say nothing, you’ve bought us time, that’s enough,” I tell Skye.

He nods.

None of us respond to Enrique and we step away from the radio.

“Why does this feel like the beginning of the end of everything we’ve ever worked toward?” Hades asks, looking and sounding grim.

“This is what it feels like when the power dynamic shifts,” Skye answers him, “The Elite Humans didn’t return here to play games with us.”

“We’re the prey now,” I whisper, looking to my son, feeling protective of him.

Unfortunately, we were in a precarious situation. None of us really knew what to do. Because we really had no clue what the Elite Humans wanted to do with us.

They had forced us to fight and go to war for their pleasure on another planet. Just because we were forced to evolve into perfect soldiers, didn’t mean we were just going to go to war for them. Humans also preferred other types of entertainment to violence, and whatever they considered their property – would be harnessed to the fullest extent of the law. The Elites no doubt, had no laws to abide to but their own. We were in trouble, and we only had 120 minutes left to simply ponder what would happen next.