Chapter Four
Nikki
The next morning, I woke up bleary-eyed and exhausted, but still I pushed myself out of bed. I made a cup of tea and tried to wake up, but the clock ticked onward and soon it was time for me to leave. I left my apartment and proceeded to attend the mandatory counts in Sanctuary Square. It was a way for the guards to monitor all of us omegas and ensure that we all remained here in this sham of a prison. If anyone was missing, it always created problems for us. If the guards found any of us arriving late or absent, the consequences were always cruel and harsh. I shuddered just thinking about it.
I kept my head down and bit my lip when one of them grabbed my ass, groping between my legs as he did so. I was extremely careful not to protest in any way and he moved on, looking for a reaction from someone else. I got back into line, dressed in my gray regulation clothing and tried to ignore the itch at the back of my neck from the cheap, scratchy fabric. I did my best to look absolutely miserable, so that no other guards expressed an interest in me.
The women lined up in rows of ten. Now that the population had exploded though, we overflowed onto the streets. The number of guards had also increased too, which was problematic for many reasons.
Thankfully, this morning went rather smoothly. The whole process took just under two hours as the guards split up and counted various sections. It took much longer now that the city’s entire population of omegas had all been awakened and forced into the sanctuary with those of us who had been unlucky enough to already live here. Luckily, the men only lost count once or twice this time, but none of us protested. We stayed silent and let them do their work. It was hot though and beads of sweat were dripping down my face. It took everything in me not to wipe them away. I stood there, hands clasped in front of me and stayed still as I could.
No one wanted to be signaled out for punishment. When the guards felt like it, they picked whomever they wanted to make an example of, and I didn’t want to do anything to catch their attention. There was too much hinging on me as the leader of the Omegaborn and I couldn’t chance any of it.
When the count was finally completed, we were released. Today happened to be our one day off from work, so I hurried off toward my apartment building. I used the tunnel in the basement to travel back to the underground and there, I rushed back into my office. I shut the door, tore off the itchy regulation clothes, and replaced them with my favorite black leather vest and matching pants. I slid on my boots and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.
My skin burned hot and it took quite some time for my body to cool down.
It didn’t take long for someone to knock on my door and I groaned. I needed some fucking coffee. I hadn’t had a cup of that in ages.
Damned food shortage. Too many people living in the sanctuary and the government had refused to raise the budget just to feed us all. Fucking bastards. Fucking Philip Savile. I shook my head and grimaced, before lifting my chin and remembering myself.
“Come in!” I yelled out, pulling my shoulders back so that I’d appear strong and confident.
Ellie opened the door, just popping her head in, and she smiled nervously.
“The alphas are ready for you,” she murmured. “They’re waiting in the strategy room and one of them brought a friend.”
“A friend?” I asked. I cocked my head curiously to the side.
“He’s a beta from the city. He says he’s here to help us,” she replied. I lifted an eyebrow and she shrugged. I was intrigued by this development, as it was kind of unprecedented. From what I knew about alphas, they usually never deferred to another, especially not a beta. Why they would bring one along was a complete mystery to me.
“Let’s do this then,” I said and pushed myself up to follow her. We walked down the hall together and she opened the door to a decently sized conference room with an oval-shaped wooden table. I entered and Ellie closed the door behind me. Lifting my eyes, I appraised the four men waiting inside the room for me. The three alphas I had met last night were sitting on the sides of the table. Interestingly, the man I had yet to meet sat at the head of the table.
The beta.
He was physically smaller than the alphas, but the way his eyes appraised me indicated that he was a man used to getting his way, by whatever means necessary. His eyes were hazel, seductive, curious, and analytical. His dirty blond hair was fine, fairly straight with just a hint of a wave that hung to just below his shoulders. A short beard covered his chin, kept trim and clean. He tilted his head to the side, running the knuckle of his thumb along his jaw, watching me, studying me. He appeared strong even though he was leaner than the alphas. Then he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.
“My name is Damiyen and I’m here to help you win the war. Here’s how this is going to work,” he began. His voice was low and gravelly and entirely too masculine. I licked my lips, taking a seat at the other end of the table. I drew my shoulders back, leaning against the chair and waiting, my hackles already beginning to rise.
There was no doubt in my mind that these four men were here to take over my role as leader here in the sanctuary. Viktor, Alaric, and Ethan looked from Damiyen back to me and didn’t say a word. I noticed that Viktor’s eyes stayed on Damiyen just a moment longer than the others, his expression indicating some sort of mutual respect. They had something planned from what I could gather.
“I have many connections within the city, including distributers of food. The first thing we need to do is get you all fed and healthy. I’m going to smuggle a few medically trained doctors in here and start supplying healthcare. One key aspect of a strong army is the health of your soldiers,” he offered.
I didn’t respond.
“Next, you’re going to need weapons and places to teach your soldiers how to use them. I have a few places in mind and have already reached out to my connections to start smuggling guns and other various tools that might prove useful in battle for you,” he continued, and I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to quell the anger brewing deep inside. How dare he?
“Aside from all that, you’re going to need allies. I have a great many of them in the city, a fair number of those sympathetic to the omega cause. But most important, you’re going to need money. And a lot of it,” he said next.
“How the hell would you be able to provide all that? And why would a beta even care?” I asked, unable to keep the animosity from my tone. All my life, I’d been forced to live under someone’s thumb, and I’d made a life for myself here in the sanctuary where the women I led both respected and loved me as their leader. Now these four men had come to take that all away from me.
He sat back, elbows on the table and drummed his fingers together. His jaw ticked, tensing as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I have my reasons. You’re just going to have to trust me,” he replied.
I stared back at him in disbelief, but I bit my tongue.
“How do you know this man?” I asked, turning to look at the three alphas. Ethan and Alaric shook their head, but Viktor leaned forward. So he did know him then.