“Hey, you still with us, asshole?” Tamryn asked, snorting as she snapped her finger in front of my face.
“Get in the truck, Tamryn. I’ll race you home.”
“I don’t know the way!”
“I’m aware and okay with cheating.”
“Jerk.”
“Bitch,” I smirked.
“Fuckers, get in!” Kinvara snorted as her eyes rolled.
I watched her climb back into the truck before I slipped into the car and started toward home. The moment we got to the long winding hills that took us deep into the original family’s mansions, I slowed as children became visible on the sidewalks. It was a rare sight to see the little ones outside, even when everything was right in the world, and right now, it wasn’t right. It was all wrong.
“You know Tamryn came home because you need her, but also because Amara is missing. We gather when one of our own is in need, we always have since we were children.”
“I know, and I love her for it, but she’s also not fully healed from her husband dying.”
“Technically, they were only married as humans and not mates.”
“It’s the same thing, Kinvara. The only difference is that our people wouldn’t acknowledge the union. I don’t think Tamryn cared since he was mortal. Love is love, and who are we to say differently? It broke her when he died, and she’s finally coming back, and the end result is a new woman, born of chaos and remade from the ashes. Let’s hope that if we ever live through that, we’re half the woman she has become.”
I pulled up into the driveway and moved to the trunk, pulling out a box of crystals that Aurora had asked me to bring home. Screaming sounded from across the block where Dimitri had been throwing one hell of a party for days now.
I hadn’t seen more than a few glimpses of him since he’d checked on me. Knox had been radio silent. His house was dark, and little to no activity had come from it since the night of the party.
It had been days, and everyone had held their breath as the alphas returned some resemblance of normalcy to their house. I exhaled and moved to the front door, shutting the world out.
Later that night, I stood on the balcony, watching the House of Alphas as women were being escorted out. Car engines revved up as they’d pulled up to line the street. It was an endless stream of women, some in their early thirties, others younger. Each of them looked abused and exhausted. Some were half-naked, their bodies bearing claw marks or bite marks on their thighs and arms, still bleeding. I could smell the sex covering their flesh from the porch, and it made my stomach recoil with bile. Some hadn’t even put more than a shirt on before being pushed out of the house.
Shinedown’s Monster played quietly from inside my room while I watched the horror unfolding in front of our house. I’d turned it up to block out the endless screams that offered little relief to the debauchery coming from their house.
Women had screamed in pleasure or pain, sometimes both. Men had howled endlessly, sending chills racing down my spine as more had joined in as if it was one long orgy they shared in together. They celebrated in tradition, giving the alpha a sense of victory while they moved pieces around for the newly crowned king to take his throne.
I watched as Dimitri followed behind the women, hanging close to one of the cleaner females, shoving her to her knees in the dirty street. My heart raced as she looked up at Dimitri, watching him with hunger in her eyes. He moved his body until she became obscured by his larger frame. His hips pumped, and my body flushed with need. His hand rested against the car as he fucked her mouth, her moans loud enough that I could hear them from where I stood. It was horrifying, and yet my libido didn’t seem to care, responding even though I was disgusted by the action.
“They’re Fallon’s women,” Aine stated, settling next to me in her nightgown as she leaned over, watching Dimitri as he fucked the woman’s mouth. “Tradition states they are fucked until it appeases the men, and all alphas are well sated. Had you not killed Fallon, it would have been you they fucked without care of your needs. As the alpha to the House of Alphas, Dimitri has to fuck each one of them first. They’re then given to the others, who will rip them apart if the need strikes. It is brutal, and without a male claiming a female as his mate, it is still legal.”
“There are over fifty women down there.”
“Which is another sign of weakness for Fallon,” she snorted, speaking softly. “An alpha will keep enough bitches on hand, so more than one is always in heat to carry his offspring. The alpha in charge fucks them for days, and if they don’t breed his seed, they are then given to the others to see if her womb will accept another’s child. If she cannot be bred, she is abandoned or murdered because she carries no use for them at that point. They’re vile creatures, Aria. It’s why I am here and not with them. They breed and feed, and don’t always care what happens to the woman, nor are they treasured once they become pregnant. A true alpha will not collect a child, not until it becomes useful to him.”
I studied the speed and motion of Dimitri’s hips as he pumped his cock into her mouth. He growled and then grunted, slowing as he threw back his head and howled into the night. She slowly stood up, grasping his shirt as he pushed her into one of the vehicles, turning to stare up at me where I watched him. His hand came up to run over his mouth as he found me watching him with her.
A shadow moved in the street, and I followed it, watching as Knox stopped next to Dimitri, handing him a suitcase. Dimitri opened it, and I frowned, seeing stacks of cash.
“Well, that explains them leaving.” Aine leaned against the rail, watching the shit unfolding before us.
Knox’s eyes lifted to mine, holding them briefly before turning back to the girl who had jumped out of the car, holding on to Dimitri, creating a scene. Dimitri pushed her softly away from him, but she sobbed and spoke low, inaudibly.
“What do you mean?” I refused to take my eyes from Knox, who had dismissed me and was walking away from the chaotic scene in silence.
“As the top wolf, he is entitled to their lives. He can either slaughter them or breed them. It’s unheard of for an alpha to release the breeding mates. I assume Knox paid Dimitri to release the women. Knox just saved their lives, yet he had no reason to do it since they are all wolves and cannot mate with him.”
“Dimitri may have kept the women to mate with. Knox, though, why would he buy wolves? Not unless he is one, maybe a hybrid of some type?”
“It’s worse when they do keep them to breed. The women go from being cherished to the lowest member within the household. They’d be nothing but a cunt to fuck, and a womb to fill. They’d be given scraps to eat, and more than likely, they’d waste away. It’s brutal, but they knew there was a chance when they agreed to be with the alpha as his breeding mates. Also, I don’t think Knox is any type of wolf, sweetie. I think he’s something you and I have never seen or dealt with before.”
A car door slammed, and I peered down, watching Dimitri as he started for our house. Swallowing hard, I watched until he stood at the protective barrier, staring up at me.
“You’re being summoned,” Aine said. “Guess that mouth didn’t scratch his itch. If I was you, I’d keep my distance.”