Page 181 of Inside the Sun

I curse under my breath.

Sun must be reading my mind, because he adds:

"I’m pretty sure Anzo suspects more than we think."

The way he says it, so quiet that it’s barely the sound of breath, makes me realize he’s worried we’re being listened to. No beta, no standard mic would pick up something this low in volume. Even most alphas would miss it.

I answer just as quietly, praying he hears me.

"Did he say something?"

"In a way. I think he’s picked up on all the little things, how Summer acts, how we react. And I think Moon might’ve told him a bit."

Unfortunately, I’m thinking the same thing. Moon, back when he was deep in his addiction, probably had moments of dangerous honesty.

As a family, we all agreed to keep Summer’s secret a long time ago, no matter what, but who knows what Moon said when he was high, or how Anzo tricked him. He might’ve been too far gone to think straight and just let something slip.

Before I can ask anything else, the door opens and here we go…

Anzo walks in.

Which means someone’s definitely been watching us. They knew I was awake.

The dim light in the room brightens.

Anzo glances at Sun like he’s checking if he’s still alive, then walks over to Summer’s cage and inspects the IV. He leaves the door open there.

After that, he slowly turns toward me.

That’s when it hits me, I’m not wearing my contacts. He’s looking into my real eyes.

There’s no doubt anymore.

He smiles.

"You three really are something. It’s amazing what can come from a union between True Mates. Scientists say these pairs tend to produce children with a higher percentage of alien DNA. So, often purple alphas or rose omegas are born. But every now and then… anomalies happen. Ever heard that term?"

Neither of us reacts. We stay completely still. I’m trying to shake off the last of whatever Anzo drugged me with, trying to get my head clear.

Anzo strolls around like he’s giving a college lecture, totally relaxed.

"You all know our species’ history. We were created by aliens after the epidemic wiped out all women. The idea was for us all to be hermaphrodites, but that didn’t exactly pan out. That’s how we ended up with the three sub-genders."

He chuckles softly to himself as he passes by my cage.

"The aliens whose DNA runs through our cells lived underwater, in the oceans of Europa, Jupiter’s moon. No one really knows what they looked like. They didn’t want to be photographed. Maybe they were humanoids. Maybe they were like sea creatures, forms we can’t even picture. Jellyfish? Octopuses? Mermaids? Fish?"

Anzo walks over to Sun’s cage and studies him for a moment. His expression is totally neutral.

"One thing we do know, their society wasn’t split by gender, since they were all hermaphrodites, but by caste. Or so the ones who met them claimed. There were common workers, drones, like bees in a hive. But there were also magical warriors. They called them the Purple Warriors. And even within that class,there were different ranks and types. No one knows the full breakdown."

Anzo sends me a hostile, wry smile, as if this part of his story includes me.

"Yeah, maybe even a silver variety. But there was one more caste… the rarest of aliens. They were called Sorcerers."

He slowly turns to look at Summer.

"That’s my personal theory. It’s hard to find solid proof in scientific literature, it’s more like a working hypothesis. But a lot of people seem to think it’s plausible, based on what I’ve dug up online."

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