Page 42 of Terror

“Which one?”

“The one where you threatened to strap people on electric poles and turn on the power.”

“Oh, you mean the one where I said Betaren pills are poisonous and the people I’m threatening are feeding them to the entire Omega population of Earth?”

Tabby plays with the bubbles. “Everything got out of control.”

“It was never in control. Omega heats are not something we should fucking cure.”

“That’s not what Betaren was about. It was about scent suppression.”

I shake my head and crouch near the bath. “It is about exterminating Regha Alphas. If we can’t scent an Omega, chances are we’ll believe the population is Beta.”

“You scented me anyway.”

“I’m trained to use more than my nose. Almost every Alpha out there isn’t, and training them all would take time we don’t have at the moment.”

Tabby bites her lip. “What can I do? I’ll do anything to help.”

Nothing. They want her dead so they can take full control of her vast fortune. For that kind of money, they’ll come after her, and I’ll be waiting. Let’s hope shedding green armor and growing red armor is a fast process for me. During transition, I’ll be useless. I couldn’t have found a worse time to bond Kitten, but I don’t regret it. Not now, not ever. She’s mine.

I grab the laundry basket and head downstairs, where I find an empty kitchen. A note on the counter tells me Kade’s at the grocery store picking up cake ingredients. I don’t like it. He shouldn’t leave my sight, though I have no proof he’s an Omega. I can’t entice a male Omega into displaying his dynamic for me unless his sexual preferences align with Christy’s, which I don’t believe they do.

Still, Kade is on my Omega radar, and I prefer to have him where I can see him. I check the clock. It’s eight in the morning. I better get the laundry going. Unless we find more Betaren people in this block, the power will cut at ten.

“I’m coming in, and I better not see things I can’t unsee,” says a female voice.

I stand a little taller. From the back of the house, my aunt Sidone walks in, arms stretched out, a big smile on her youthful face. She’s older than she looks, her body kept frozen in stasis.

She envelops me in a hug and tugs my braid, then whispers in my ear. “Tone down the pheromones for me, would you?”

I laugh and rein in my raging needs, even though I’d like to rub my scent all over this house.

“How have you been?” I ask.

“Excellent. Now that I’m put to use.” She sits at the island, throws her legs up on the opposite chair, and leans back, fixing her hair. “Where did you get those beads?”

“The pink ones?” I lean an elbow on the island and finger the pink beads. “Tamika girl makes them.”

“Raven’s secretary?”

“Mm-hm.” I unbraid some of my hair and slide off a few beads. “Here.”

My aunt takes them and works them into her hair. “So…” she begins. “You’ve bonded an Omega.”

“I have.”

She purses her lips. “Sotay tells me she’s involved in this Betaren problem.”

“Sotay talks too much.”

“But I don’t, so I’m just gonna give it to you, boy. Her God won’t help her if she fucks you over. During your transition, I’ll be here.” She points at her eye. “Watching her every move.”

“You will not hurt her.”

“Of course not. I’m a delicate fucking flower, watching from the corner of the room.” My aunt winks and walks to the fridge. She opens it, scans the contents, and promptly closes the door. “Is Antonia opened yet?”

“Not until eleven.”

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