Page 105 of Chosen Beta

It’s not even nine a.m. and I have three dozen angry emails from old donors, demanding answers. I highlight them and send every one of them to the reception email for Erika to deal with when she arrives.

One problem down, only a few dozen more to get through.

The thought that someone behind one of those emails could be willing to hurt me to make sure none of the changes I’ve been implementing can affect them is more than a little chilling.

They’re assholes in general, sure, but they’d have to be a bit more than just an asshole to do something bad enough to another person to force them out of a job.

Even if it means paying someone else to do it, they’d still have to be a psychopath.

I’d be willing to believe some of them are.

Warren Corvina was a donor, and he’s the biggest psychopath I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The creep he tried to make his daughter marry was also a psycho, and he was the son of an academy donor.

How many psychopaths can there be in this city?

Frank Palmer’s already dead. Though I probably shouldn’t count him. He wasn’t rich so he never donated money to the academy, and besides, he was actively murdering people, leaving bodies where they fell for the police to find.

There were dozens of houses raided when the Alpha Alliance uncovered the trafficking cases that were linked to a single businessman who kidnapped women for his clients.

That’s only the cases that were linked to one guy and he only operated here, in Cressidan City.

It accounts for a few dozen psychopaths.

They’re probably not the only ones out there, but it stands to reason that one of those Alphas might have enough reasons to want to take me out.

I’m the one who gave the Alpha Alliance a safe place to bring the Omegas they rescued.

If that wasn’t bad enough, in their eyes, I’m also changing the way the academy runs so that no rich Alpha can exert any control over what goes on here.

That’s bound to be making someone angry.

I shiver as I try to get those thoughts out of my head.

It’s no use.

They’re stuck in there now, making me feel paranoid.

One glance at Owen makes me feel a little better.

As distracting as his presence has been, I’m not going to complain about it again.

I’m kind of glad he insisted on being in the room with me.

It takes the edge off my sudden anxiousness to know he’s there, where I can see him.

I might have a target painted on my back while I’m working this job, but I don’t have to deal with that on my own.

I have people I trust who want to keep me safe.

From now on I’m listening to whatever they say.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Pete

Four hours of unbroken sleep is enough to make me feel refreshed, and that’s just as well considering Ezra and Shadow looked exhausted by the time I stepped back into the room and told them to go get some rest.