Page 57 of Their Alpha

“Your feisty little omega did good to find this place,” Goode went on when I didn’t engage him. “I’m certain this will make a perfect love nest for the two of you for years to come.”

I agreed with him and I saw the three of us keeping the place and using it for vacations, but that was the last thing I wanted to say to Goode. He wasn’t my friend. We weren’t two alphas swapping sweet tales of our omegas. Gideon wasn’t his omega at all, he was mine.

I felt that more than ever, even though there was no bond. Although you could have fooled me on that score. I could have sworn I knew exactly where Gideon was in the kitchen below. Whatever he and Fletcher were doing together, I could have pointed to their exact location with a hundred percent certainty.

Goode sighed and rocked back on his haunches, dropping one act and assuming another.

“Look, I’m not the bad guy,” he insisted.

“You’ve hunted down an omega who you abused for years in an attempt to force him back into an abusive situation,” I said. “That sure sounds like you’re the bad guy to me.”

Goode sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face. “It wasn’t like that at all,” he said. “Gideon was a sweet, inexperienced omega when we married, as all omegas of that ageshould be. He was never educated in the way of the world. He was meant for a purer calling. It was a shock to him when his first heat started. He didn’t know what to expect, which, again, is as it should be. Omegas like that panic when nature takes over.”

I scowled, not liking where he was going with his argument.

“You’re an alpha,” he went on, grinning slightly at me, like we shared opinions because we were both alphas. “You know how it is when you’re with a young, beautiful omega in heat. God gave us our reactions to omegas so that we might be fruitful and multiply. That’s exactly what I tried to do, though my seed didn’t take. It wasn’t abuse, it was just ordinary procreation, even though my husband was frightened and failed at his duty.”

A rush of heated anger pulsed through me and I gripped the hammer in my hand tightly. I considered using it against Goode’s skull, too. I’d spoken before thinking earlier when I suggested we eliminate the man. I hadn’t necessarily meant kill him, but I was certainly capable of that kind of violence, knowing how remorseless Goode was about hurting Gideon.

“Gideon didn’t fail at anything,” I said, fighting hard not to shout with fury. “He was young and frightened. His family pushed him into something he didn’t want. Everyone around him let him down and took advantage of him.”

Goode huffed a wry laugh and shook his head. “You know how omegas are. They can’t be trusted with their own emotions or their bodies. They’re flighty and weak-minded. They need us, their alphas, to keep them in line and guide them to their true calling. Whatever my husband told you, it’s all just a flight of his silly, omega fancy.”

“Gideon is bright and creative,” I defended him. “He is passionate about his career and the people he loves.”

“His career?” Goode asked, genuinely confused.

I could have kicked myself for letting that slip.

“He’s not your husband,” I went on, hoping Goode would ignore the slip. “He’s married to Fletcher.”

Goode snorted. “That’s not a real marriage,” he said, acting like it was funny instead of dead serious. “Two omegas can’t reproduce. They both need a firm hand to guide them back to the light. Clearly, you and Fletcher have some sort of connection. You should get that young man with child as fast as possible. I promise you, both of you will be happier for it. An omega’s purpose in life is to bear and raise children.”

The bastard went so far as to rest a hand on my arm, like he was some sort of pastor counseling a member of his congregation who had come to him for help.

“Fletcher is strong and brave,” I told him in return. “He amazes me with his fortitude and his loyalty tohis husband.” I emphasized the words on purpose. “I wouldn’t want to change him for anything.”

Goode sighed, like he’d failed to convert me. “I’ll pray for you,” he added before going back to work.

The man was living, breathing frustration. Either he was so convinced of his rightness that it blinded him to everything else, including Gideon’s wishes for his own life, or he was throwing everything he had into his deception.

I had no idea what to do about it. I refused to let him leave with Gideon. I refused to let him threaten Gideon for a moment longer. But he wasn’t going to give up easily. I was afraid he wasn’t going to give up at all. People like Goode went after their targets with single-minded purpose until they got what they believed was theirs. I had no ideawhatsoever about how to convince him to give Gideon up and let him go.

“Life with The People of God on Earth is actually quite wonderful,” Goode went on talking as we continued to work, though I definitely hadn’t asked him anything about his sick cult. “It’s family-oriented and all about community. Omegas are revered for their purity and ability to create new life. I’m sure Gideon has told you about growing up on a farm, surrounded by a large, happy family.”

He'd certainly mentioned the farm and the large family part, but happiness wasn’t part of the story.

“Right about this time of year, the community all comes together to plant the fields,” Goode went on, though I gave no indication of listening. “The omegas and female betas cook all sorts of amazing dishes, while the male betas set up tables and chairs by the side of the fields. The entire community takes part in the feast. There’s singing and hymns of praise, and while the children and older folks enjoy a special seed cake we eat to celebrate the occasion, the married alphas take their omegas out into the newly planted fields and breed them over the seeds.”

I snapped my head up from where I’d been working, appalled by the idea. Forcing their omegas, whether they were in heat or not, in an open field with the entire community near enough to see?

“Any child that is born from the planting is considered blessed,” Goode went on, as if violating an omega in public was a good thing. “If the baby is an omega, they are considered to be one of the highest prizes an alpha of the community can win.”

That made it even worse.

“Omegas are not prizes to be won,” I said, letting my disgust show.

Goode paused his nailing and looked at me like he was frustrated I wasn’t getting the point.

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