Wolf Dominion

1 week later

Lemeri, Skye and Vastian sit with me for a late dinner in Skye’s residence as we dine before Mila and Raygar return briefly for a report about their adventures as Rouge Masters. I hadn’t received much more information beyond that, although I had a few sneaking suspicious something was up, something no one was telling me about.

All week I had trained hard, with some days leading into night in the training facility as I learned how to navigate the deep underground systems of Cracklen in a virtual environment. Xrat was not welcome to come with me, so I missed his company dearly… but I had simply not seen him, although Vastian reassured me once that he would not be touched again for relinking purposes. Strangely my faith was in Vastian. The moon had guided Vorth to guide Vastian into protecting my bonds to Genesis and that included Xrat.

That left me spending time with Jawkin, and seeing Skye for short periods during the night when I returned for sleep. I was always in my cage – never allowed back in his bed.

Nothing was necessarily weird between us, but he was busy, and I was avoidant.

Skye, sitting next to me, for probably the first time this week – is forced to have better conversation with me along with Vastian and Lemeri.

This, now, is the awkward phase.

I know without having asked reconfirmation this week, that Skye understands whose Luna I really am.

I peck at a grain heavy salad, and I have to chew considerably while Lemeri plays her toes into mine, annoying me but only because she keeps getting my attention with her sly cat eyes.

“…the air systems have also been successfully conditioned, the air is now purified,” Vastian is murmuring boring monotonous reports to Skye, who nods and answers with guttural mmms, “Why do you look ready to set something on fire?” Vastian abruptly asks Lemeri, who sits elbow to elbow with him across from me and Skye, “Meri?”

“Fire is appropriate. I’m getting fucked tonight,” Lemeri whispers, at me directly, “By all three brothers. Skye, Vastian and my lovely Ray.”

Ah – I didn’t expect to hear that.

I stop chewing on my food, then I gulp the amount down unsuccessfully, and I have to cough and splutter, but then I eventually snort, grin and laugh aloud.

“I thought you were serious for a second,” I giggle as I stab more salad, and I roll my eyes to Vastian and Skye, who are uncomfortably looking between each other and the food in the middle of the table.

“Tonight the moon is brighter than ever, it happens quarterly, the Shining,” Lemeri lays down her utensils to pat the glitter along her neck, while flinging her long ribboned braids behind her shoulders. She was looking awfully fancy tonight, that much was true, “Some rituals never die,” Meri wriggles her brows and can’t contain her smirk, “Fuck a hostage from another Kind, promote internal dominance within the Dominion!” Lemeri smacks down her fist on the table, “Rawr. I mean, woof woof.”

“I think it’s more a howl, Meri,” Skye interjects with a soft smile, and Lemeri bites the other end of the bone.

“Or a pup whimpering from my teeth, and letting your blood drip, drip onto my pussy – after you’ve caught me and tried to hold me down to submit, but you have to use the rope to contain my fury,” Lemeri leans over the table as Skye does – and they both try to grab a piece of pheasant together, they grab the same wing and Skye just manages to tear it from her grasp, making Lemeri’s mouth pop. Then he tosses it on her plate.

“Eat, you’ll need it,” Skye sounds barbaric and excited. I’ve gone uncomfortably silent as I glance to Vastian to see him staring at me. He’s not comforting either. He’s rather amused by my shock.

I don’t know what to think.

“LEAVE SOME FOR ME!” We’re all interrupted as Mila screams her happy rage across the room, dressed in robes of violence, her knuckles bound with military tape and her face painted with what seems to be bloody symbols, “You couldn’t wait?” she grins at Vastian and Skye, while ignoring Lemeri… and me.

“Welcome home,” Vastian fills up a plate for Mila, while Skye huffs in her direction, his mouth full.

“Where’s Raygar?” Lemeri asks.

“He requests Ryder to help, with something, or something,” Mila half rolls her eyes, then everyone goes weirdly silent.

“Huh?” I speak up eventually.

“Go down to the military lift down zone,” Mila instructs me, “Worm. Now.”

I glance to Skye and he finally catches my gaze.

“Good luck,” Skye blinks at me, and his eyes seem to hold kindness – but there is something else heavy in his eyes, and within the room in general. The thing that’s hidden from the unwelcome human, apparently.

Without another word, I rise to leave.

“May the Moon guide you, Ryder,” Vastian farewells me while chewing into a bone. I just ignore them all.

They all bicker while I exit, free of the ankle weights and the collar, although not free of the brown shift.

Military lift down was into the ground systems, or out into the sand dunes. I assume Raygar has just arrived. Perhaps with humans who needed guidance?

That would make sense.

It’s a good distraction, regardless, to help my mind not focus on Lemeri’s sly mouth.

I wasn’t sure how much of it was true, but Genesis were strange and had strange customs, so how would I know? They liked to keep me in the dark.

With a heavy heart regardless, I find a stream of soldiers in robes, burnt or bloody, coming back from missions on Genesis. The stream of them exiting the military lift down zone is what I follow.

I am ignored by all, but when I enter the hanger, I find Raygar immediately as he’s in the centre, overlooking a table of weapons.

He senses me and his nostrils flare as he looks up with my smell. I head straight to him, completely overwhelmed by his return and his state.

Raygar’s armour is unharmed, and he wears heavy metal shields – with a metallic robe around them, bullet proof material and the highest luxury battle gear. His face is untouched and he looks like a god returning from a war he was a master of. Rouge Master suits him therefore, while Mila looked like a warrior queen bathing in the blood of others.

I open my mouth to welcome him, but he gets in first.

“You look depressed,” Raygar reaches out a hand toward me and he grabs my elbow, to drag me in front of him so I’m looking over the weapons.

“What do you need me for, Ray?” I ask, not bothering to welcome him back now. Rude.

“Choose three,” he’s snappy.

“I’m not –” leaving yet on my mission. But he already knows what I’m going to deny.

“Yes you are,” Raygar sing songs, “It’s bad war mentality to send in Lunettes or any soldier with time to psych themselves up, so it’s randomly placed. Off you go in a few minutes. You’re relaxed and energised, you’ll be fine.”

What?!

“I’m –”

“I said choose three,” Raygar smacks my hand back to the table as I try to turn around toward him, and he holds my shoulder steady.

Fine.

I point, to a metal string, a fire lighter that also had a torch function, and a small pocket knife.

I’m too in shock to react any other way now, “This is going to feel weird,” Raygar speaks into my ear, as he grabs my wrist and he hovers a light device over my skin. I jerk back when I see the skin cut and peel back. I cry as I look the other way, even though I can’t feel any pain, it’s horrific to look at, “Ryder, seriously, relax, it’ll be over in a second,” I feel something cold and stinging inside me, and then the skin reseals and Raygar lets me go. I look to my arm, and it’s lightly red but it’s like it never opened.

I’m struggling to breathe from that horror.

“What the hell was that?” I inquire, as Raygar puts my three choices in a brown pouch, which I can wrap around my thigh, to appear as a scavenger in Cracklen. I had practiced it in training, wearing it with Jawkin.

“It’s a tracker in your arm, idiot,” Raygar explains, while leaning over and grabbing my ankle to lift my foot. I hop back and he puts on the strap for my thigh, all while catching my gaze, “Are you going to throw up, worm?”

“I’m fine,” I struggle getting the response out.

“Yes, you’re going under – is that a problem?” Raygar has no mercy, dropping my leg and then watching me with malice and judgment, no kindness, “Well, Lunette?”

“No,” I don’t sound very convincing.

Raygar almost continues, but then pauses, before leaning into whisper in my ear, “What’s got you so rattled, darling?” he pulls back with a worried look in his eye.

I look around us – and this area is deserted.

“I’m Luna,” I blurt it out before I can take it back, and I fix it by also whispering, “…to Vastian… I know. It’s crazy.”

Raygar looks at me like I’m crazy, “You’re crazy,” then of course, he confirms it.

“I’m not crazy–”

“I don’t have time for your human petty games, I have to deliver you to the trusted and heavily paid Shade who will escort you through Cracklen. But don’t trust him,” Raygar dismisses me.

“He’s heavily paid, and trusted, but don’t trust him?” I repeat it.

“Because I don’t really know who it is, never mind – it’s a random escort, look, it won’t be Hades so that’s all that matters,” Raygar holds both my shoulders, “Look for the Residue and preach our goodwill.”

From murderers and torturers. Sure.

“Yes, Alpha,” I comply anyway.

“Back up,” Raygar pushes me toward a wall, where there is an exit chute for rubbish.

I try to struggle away from it, but Ray shoves me into the bucket. It’s big but it’s still terrifying – because it will drop when he closes the door.

Raygar starts to close it, but I stick my hand between the door and the seal.

“What do you want?” Raygar asks impatiently, while I try to gather my thoughts.

All I can manage is, “Goodbye,” then I take my hand back to my chest, and I hold his eye to show him I’m worried but what could I do?

Raygar doesn’t say anything, but I see the nervous glance in his blue eyes before he shuts the door and the bucket drops.

I close my eyes and cover my face, and my stomach falls into my mouth so I’m screaming the whole way down. It goes from metallic screeching to throwing me out on the other end about ten seconds later, deep underground, onto a rubbish pit. I tumble and cut myself a few times before I hit rock ground at the end, in a cavern that stinks of toxic waste chemicals.

There is one Shade waiting for me, his large boots are basically next to my nose, as if correctly calculating where I would tumble to a stop.

From ragged breathing and adrenalin making my heart weak, I glance up.

Raygar said at least it wouldn’t be...

So… why?

I’m too confused to process.

Hades.

With a crowd of followers behind him!

He’s hand balling the head of another Shade between his palms, showing me with a dirty grin that he killed my escort before he chucks the head into the rubbish to free up his palms.

Oh.

Fuck.

I struggle to stand on my own, to show strength and he helps me by grabbing my throat and pulling me so far upright, my toes immediately leave the ground.

“Hello,” Hades is so polite for a swamp monster, with green eyes that glow in the night of the underground.

“Are you going to kill me?” I wheeze out the most horrifically pointless question I’ve ever asked in my life.

But still – I get an answer.

“Kill?” Hades brow twitches as he thinks, “I have no reason to kill a valuable hostage. Your life is safe with me, girl.”

“My life?” I gasp out the words because breathing is hard with my feet off the ground – everything in my neck hurts. Hades’ hand is so fucking large.

Hades drops me after I undoubtedly begin to turn blue, but he doesn’t unhand my neck. He licks his moist lips.

“Your life is safe,” Hades corrects himself with a lilt of excitement in his tone, while glancing the rest of me over with the slowest blink only a predator gives his next meal, as he adds quietly, “The rest of you is free.”