Page 29 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
"You see before you the traitor!"
The silence shatters.
The crowd erupts.
A chorus of snarls and growls, of alphas snapping their teeth, baring their fangs, ready to fight, ready to take, ready to claim. Gideon lets the frenzy build, lets them writhe with anticipation,lets them hunger for blood and submission before he lifts a hand.
Silence.
A preacher’s command, effortlessly obeyed.
He smiles, slow and sure, turning his gaze back to me.
"The princess we never thought would come home."
His voice is almost gentle, like a father welcoming his child back into the fold.
But it’s a lie.
"And she needs to be taught a lesson, doesn’t she?"
The response is deafening—a wall of noise, howls of agreement, snarls of approval.
The heat of it presses in on me, thick and suffocating. I keep my head down, eyes locked on the fractured, uneven ground beneath me, my pulse pounding like a war drum.
Gideon starts pacing, the Bible still held aloft in one hand, his free hand gesturing wildly as he preaches to his congregation.
"Because this is what it says in the Good Book, doesn’t it?"
He turns in a slow circle, voice thick with righteousness, with certainty, with the weight of a man who believes he speaks for God himself.
"‘Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you!’"
The alphas shout in agreement, some stomping their boots, some laughing, some shifting slightly, muscles tightening, itching to fight.
Gideon’s voice rises, sweeping through them like a fever.
"‘Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence!’"
The laughter grows.
I clench my teeth.
"‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.’"
Gideon stops pacing.
Turns.
Looks down at me, standing just above where I kneel.
"You know what it means, darlin’...an omega should know her fuckin’ place."
The world explodes with sound.
The men go wild, snarling, bracing for the fight to come, some already shoving at each other, testing their strength. I don’t move; I don’t flinch. But inside, something is splintering apart.
Gideon lifts his Bible high again, voice booming across the deck.
