Page 239 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

If I was being honest with myself, there was also a morbid curiosity. I wanted to know how far the demons had gone and see firsthand what the humans were experiencing.

Even worse, they were still following Hel’s last orders.

She offered them this freedom to gain her own and she knew exactly how they’d react. The gods would swoop in and clean up this mess. They couldn’t remain complacent. I doubted she had much faith in me closing it alone.

At least Odin was giving me a semblance of a chance.

She hadn’t anticipated how strongly he’d react to her betrayal. It wasn’t just a small lie left unnoticed. The widespread fear, destruction, and death, were all on her.

In reality, Odin was likely humoring me.

I may rule over the realm and have an insane amount of power, but I was not like the other gods and rulers.

Even in the afterlife I was an outcast, something that didn’t quite belong.

For the first time in my existence, I embraced it. There was a balance to the world and maybe this was my contribution and the reason the realm could heal.

Only time would tell.

The closer we reached the source of the fire, the more unsettling it became. Jeers and taunting screams were made from raspy demon voices but there were humans mixed in.

A fury that wasn’t just my own, but Helheim’s as well my mates’, filled me at the realization.

They’d openly defied their orders to not harm humans and were quickly ensuring the downfall of the human race.

Monty had been right. The demons that remained in Helheim were nothing like the demons who’d escaped.

The ones beyond Dark Haven had gone feral, lost their sense of reason and intelligence. Now they thrived on easy thrills and base needs.

“Let’s get a better view from above,” Hiro hissed as he walked to the fire station. He wound around the building until he found a roof-access ladder. It was chained off for safety, but Drake didn’t hesitate to pull it free, muscles flexing as he tore it apart.

If we weren’t in the middle of a spy mission I’d have taken more than a few moments to appreciate my alpha and his bulging muscles.

My heart hammered in my chest as I climbed the rungs. The cold metal did nothing to ground me. I knew whatever we saw below would be burned into my memory forever.

“Keep low,” Drake warned and crouched down to an almost crawl as he neared the edge of the building.

Of course, Monty didn’t bother. He stood above us, glaring down at his former soldiers.

In the town center, what used to be a memorial gazebo was now a large fire pit. They’d lined it with tires and threw pretty much anything on for kindling. There were doors, jagged wood planks, and random furniture poking out of it as more demons threw new fodder into the flames.

“They could be burning worse things,” Monty noted dryly.

“I expected it to be bodies if we’re being honest,” I agreed. All of our faces were marred with angry expressions as we watched them move below, humans following their lead like mindless zombies.

“There’s Crew,” Drake hissed. I followed his pointed finger to the steps of the former town hall. The entire top was gone, stone walls crumbling around it, and our former friend was standing front and center with two demons by his side.

They were merely observing the chaos but it was clear they were the ones in charge.

And Crew was their human puppet.

Crew looked like a character from a post-apocalyptic movie. White war paint etched sigils over his dark skin. His hair was covered by a red bandanna and strips of cloth held his tattered clothing together.

“Why give up Dark Haven for this?” I whispered to the others. I couldn’t wrap my head around him leaving Layne forthis life. Even if the fire was every pyro’s dream. Outside of that, it was survival and nothing more out here.

He was right at the center of the exact beings he hated. He’d never been quiet about his feelings on the demons and supernatural. Hell, he refused to believe the truth until he couldn’t deny it any longer. Even then, he was ready to leave, though he had nowhere to go and no one to look out for him.

Had he sought a sense of family in the demons? But how could he justify the death and destruction here?

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