Page 88 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
“I’m not helping you,” he says. “I just want you gone, and dad will never kill you. And I can’t exactly do it, so…”
A chill runs through me. I can tell in that moment that he means it—that he would kill me if he had the chance. There’s murderous intent in his eyes, something ugly and monstrous.
I ignore it.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “He hates me.”
“You more than anyone should know that dad doesn’t hate or love anyone,” he says. “He just sees people as tools—and he wants something from you, so he’s going to work his ass off to get it.”
“What does he want?”
Ephraim cocks his head. “Haven’t you noticed there’s something wrong on the Rig, Esther?”
I narrow my eyes, searching my mind for what I’ve seen since I got back. Sure, the Gulf Pack is messed up, but that’s not exactly new. I consider everything I’ve talked about with Javi, how we’ve unpacked the terrible circumstances we’re in piece by piece…
And something strange occurs to me.
My father’s mates—the hidden omegas on the Rig—the betas in the mess. There are plenty of women here, but there’s something missing that I’m starting to see plenty of in Austin.
“Oh my God,” I whisper. “The babies. There are no babies.”
Ephraim barks out a bitter laugh. “You’re not as stupid as I thought you were,” he says.
I don’t bother to argue with him. He wouldn’t listen anyway, and I’m more intent on understanding what’s going on here.
“Why?” I ask.
“We don’t know,” he says. “Dad’s convinced it has something to do with the way he’s assigned mates to his alphas…which is why he did it the way he did with you and Javier. He wants to use you as a test—to see if you can produce children to keep us going.”
“What is he gonna do if we can’t?”
“Well…” he says. “If you end up staying, I don’t think you want to find out.”
I chew on my lip, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Ephraim, be honest—why are you helping me?”
He glares at me. “Because I want you gone…and if you have a baby and show it’s possible, we’ll be stuck here forever. I don’t want to help you, I just don’t want you with our pack. You don’t have a place here.”
I furrow my brow. “I completely agree.”
Sighing, he turns and leads me back down the stairs, and I go silent again. I don’t want the other omegas hearing me, or any other alphas who might be lurking.
Thankfully, we make it all the way back to my room. I’m about to shut the door behind me when Ephraim stops me.
“I answered your question,” he says. “Now you answer mine.”
I cross my arms. “Fine.”
“Why’d you take her?” he asks.
I know exactly who he’s talking about—June, the girl he’d chosen as a mate…and one of the women who escaped the Rig with me years ago. I gulp, knowing what I’m about to say won’t make him happy.
“I didn’t do anything,” I say. “She wanted to leave, so she left.”
“But why?” he says. “Didn’t I make her happy?”
I stare at him.
