Deviant Games (The Controllers #8) - L.V. Lane Page 0,38

Omega within the Empire.

He was a little piece of that lost life. A tiny hope.

“That one,” I said. As the words tumbled out, I recognized my mistake.

He had been shielding, just how well horrified me.

His head snapped my way and the sea of bodies between us faded from view.

“The Omega has spoken,” Hammond said. His voice carried over the hushed gathering. “Her heat is imminent, and the honor of being the first to rut her will be yours.”

I felt sick, like I might throw up all over the podium on which we stood. The Alpha’s dark thoughts assaulted me, crashing over me like a giant wave that sent me tumbling, drowning in the horror of what I’d done.

He was bonded, and his precious mate was pregnant.

His nostrils flared and his dark eyes turned pitch black. Beside me, the general chuckled. “I shall enjoy watching the show. Join your chosen Alpha.”

The Alpha was barely recognizable from the images I’d seen, other than in his impressive size. Blond hair, cropped close to his head as was the usual style among the Uncorrupted—his natural color being dark brown. Silicone implants to the cheeks, nose, and chin could alter facial features with ease.

As I met Ethan Black’s eyes, I saw naked fury.

As I read his mind, I felt it tenfold.

The other Alphas might break me, but this one would destroy me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Lilly

RYKER FLUCTUATED BETWEEN annoyingly chirpy when I was 'behaving myself' to stone cold when I was not. Tomorrow, I would be returning to my duties at the program, and I welcomed the coming distraction from my worries.

Ethan had been gone a week.

He should have been back by now.

I'd been told he would be absent for another week, maybe more.

And I still hadn't returned my father's calls.

I felt perilously close to a form of madness. There were brief periods when I could forget that Ethan was not here.

When I could busy myself in some baby research as I curled up on the couch beside Ryker.

When I could believe my missing mate was closer, perhaps in the next room taking a shower, or in the special operations office where he'd occasionally worked late when Ryker was home.

These brief periods of near normality made the pain of remembrance all the more acute.

It had been many weeks since I'd suffered nightmares, but those too, started again. I understood that an Alpha mate needed to remain close to their pregnant Omega. I hadn't realized how all-consuming the need was or how strong the physical and mental consequence of their absence would be.

Ethan wasn't an ordinary soldier, which I'm sure would be bad enough. I almost wished I were a little less aware of the kind of work he did before we'd bonded that I might wallow in plausible denial.

But I knew exactly what he did, the way he could walk boldly into an Uncorrupted ship and snatch me from within. He had killed men, torn them apart before my eyes. Alphas like Ethan did not come along very often. I'd been foolish to think he might be allowed to put that part aside.

The war was far from over, and the life growing inside me cast the future into a new light. What Ethan was doing would be important, but selfishly, I wanted him with me where he could better protect our unborn child. Perhaps this was the culmination of that long ago determination that I wanted, not just any mate, but the deadliest of all—I'd gotten two such Alphas. Their protection was no longer about me; it was about the unique gift derived from our love that I would soon get to meet.

My poor mood was made worse when my mother paid a visit, unannounced because that was the way she rolled. She approved of Ryker less than she approved of Ethan, and she didn't approve of Ethan much. Her visit began with her cross-examining Ryker on his last mission, his ongoing therapy, and how he was caring for me in the absence of my primary mate—yes, she actually used this term.

Ryker thought this was hysterically funny and determined that Ethan's nickname would now be upgraded from Sasquatch to Primate.

His questionable humor went right over my mother's head as she spent the remaining time complaining about my father's poor handling of everything that had happened between my birth and now. Ryker was in a particularly playful mood and provided outrageous bait for her rant.

It was all very wearing. I didn't hate Daddy. Deep down, I knew he wouldn't