Wolf Dominion Volume 2
Chapter 19

Hades takes us to what now seems to be a family secret, so that I may show Skye – since he is keen to see it with his own eyes. We do it without much talking. I go down the well first – and Skye follows afterward, while I hold the door open to the Acklen so the lights from the inside make the jump easier for him.

I am more confident now that I’m here a second time, and the halls are still empty of life. I look at Skye beside me, and he looks anywhere but at me – taking in the honey comb structure far too similar to Wolf Dominion.

I cough to clear my airways, before I talk, “Ah – so, walking in a straight line, you’ll see the cloning area… I’ll go… the other way… if you don’t mind,” I tell Skye carefully. He still doesn’t acknowledge me much.

He barely looks at me, taking in the buried ship instead. Nodding, his only small response, he then moves off alone, dressed in a pair of Hades’ spare ripped greying pants – and no top.

I linger to watch selfishly, looking at his back move as the message of the ship booms through on repeat, “Too early. Time Remaining Before Relaunch. 400 years. To Initiate An Emergency Relaunch, Override Required.”

I decide to explore while I can. I turn down the nearest smaller corridor, and I go for a very short walk.

I don’t get far – with areas beyond the main corridor completed sealed off.

The digital message shining above the locked doors spell ‘Override Required’.

I see nothing else, even as I walk back to check any other sections on this level.

Nothing else is accessible beyond the very main hubs.

This being clear, I quickly go to replace Skye again. He’s standing at the window of the restricted Cloning Hull, staring within.

He’s also trying to open the door with his hands.

“Wait. Don’t go in there!” I hiss in a whisper as I come up behind him, but as I get closer to the window pane allowing us to see in, I see what he sees.

An empty room.

No murdered bodies – just the tubes full of the thousands of preserved bodies, including Skye.

“There’s no one else here,” Skye growls out.

“I saw things, people things, last time,” I say, “…machines… handling the dead bodies… they have to be somewhere in there…”

“I won’t be long,” Skye dismisses my worries and stands back. He kicks the door once – to test the strength. It wobbles but does not budge, “It’ll break,” he hisses his determination as he kicks harder – and the whole lock snaps despite his withered strength from recent slavery. Okay.

“Wait –” I reach for Skye in a panic but he’s already going straight into the laboratory, towards his form in the tube. No hesitation. Fine.

I follow, looking around for threats – but it is indeed a very empty space. They’ve all gone somewhere else.

I take a seat on a clean bench, not wishing to get too close to the tubes.

Meanwhile, Skye doesn’t care too much for staring at himself, he walks through everything to take in all the other bodies.

I wait for his reaction, as he walks back.

“I have memories of this place,” Skye calls to me, walking out from one row of tubes, to come straight for me now. I sit stiff as a bone, as Skye walks up and stands a few feet away, staring down at my crossed arms, “…I’m different… to the rest of you…”

“Why did you not tell anyone?” I murmur, confused.

“Every time I remember something, I have seizures,” Skye explains, tilting his head.

“Do you understand what’s happening here?” I ask. Skye looks me over slowly, and it’s judgemental, “Well?”

“…I barely remember anything, not enough to understand what it all means,” Skye shrugs one shoulder, “Let’s get out of here.”

I nod and look to the ground as I stand up, feeling the heat of his gaze.

As I’m turning, he’s walking into me, not with me.

His lips replace my ear, “You still belong to me, Ryder.”

It’s just a ‘polite’ warning, as he walks ahead, I stare after him, irate.

I’d bring it up with him later.

Skye goes back to the well first, but holds the bucket over so I can easily step into it.

As I swing back to the centre, I stare back at him in the darkness.

“And you belong to Tyra,” I mock Skye, just so he knows what it feels like – as the bucket starts to be strung back up.

Skye glares, but doesn’t get a chance to reply.

Once the night reaches my eyes, and I’m free of the darkness of the well, I can talk to Hades alone for a few seconds. I eagerly jump out, and I place my hand on Hades’ arm, as he looks down at me, hesitant.

“What?” he murmurs, while he loosens the bucket back to Skye’s level.

“I don’t think Skye’s going to listen to me,” I whisper, feeling my heart contract, “He still thinks he’s the Alpha of Wolf Dominion.”

Hades shrugs, “So?”

“We need to be united,” I step back, glaring, “We can’t be disagreeing now, while we’re so scattered.”

“You forget, I don’t care about your belief in a Dominion… although I do care about my Luna, I don’t care about anyone else,” Hades admits, tapering off slowly before abruptly adding, “In this city anyway. I’ve killed for you.”

“And yet you won’t submit to me,” I add, frowning and annoyed.

“No way,” Hades laughs, “I… just don’t think you and I would last… we’d burn too quickly.”

“You won’t know unless you try –”

“I see the way you look at Skye,” Hades cuts me off, actually glaring at me, “Don’t make this about me.”

I’m silenced.

While we wait for Skye to come up in the bucket.

Hades starts to walk off while I’m focused on Skye jumping out.

“H –” hey. I almost call for Hades to come back, but I disguise it as another cough and then quickly follow Hades instead, as Skye also comes behind.

“None of this below, excuses his behaviour for how he ruined us all,” Skye speaks behind me, “I would never have been Tyra’s pet if I wasn’t betrayed by a brother.”

Hades ignores, even though he hears slyly from the front.

“He is an Omega –” I sigh.

“You don’t get it. Omega’s get their asses beat for insubordination, on the regular; they never learn,” Skye snarls – clearly challenging Hades.

We all come to a stop as Hades turns around on the crumbling path, rubbing out his smoke on the nearest rock wall.

I’m the only thing separating them. Great. I make sure not to move.

“You’re in no state to fight me,” Hades tells Skye calmly, “I’ll wait until you’re stronger.”

“The Luna is paired with the Alpha – you should watch your head doesn’t leave your shoulders for what you’ve done,” Skye steps forward, as does Hades, with a smile. They inch in closer, while I remain stiff and curious but silent.

“Ah, yes. Vastian – my real brother, my twin and the real Alpha, doesn’t seem to like her very much,” Hades says, lightly, “We made a deal as little pups – whatever is ours, is each others. You’re younger than me, Skye – keep yourself contained. I go easy on you.”

“That’s a blatant lie,” Skye snarls, clearly triggered. Hades is good at this. I am slightly impressed once again by the sly Omega. However, I have to tell Skye…

“He’s riling you, you idiot,” I roll my eyes, “It’s what Hades does best.”

“The only reason you were ever Alpha – is because I allowed you,” Hades lies again, I think, “I didn’t want it.”

“I am the Alpha, it’s not something you want or need – you just are what you are, and you’re a filthy snake. I built Ryder into who she is now – ” Skye mentions me again.

“I gave her freedom,” Hades retorts.

“I never forced her,” Skye smiles slowly, “She gave herself to me – came into my Dominion for me, looking for me, on her own,” Skye surprises me now. I turn to him only, raising a brow. He focuses on my eyes instead, “You wanted to kill me… but you changed your mind. Didn’t you?”

“…but I was a slave and–”

“You wanted that, that’s why you crossed territories,” Skye adds, “I know your story better than you do. That’s how you got close to me – and you’ve captivated me ever since.”

“I took her virginity.”

There’s a third voice.

“Argh,” and a fourth; disgusted.

We all look up.

Raygar is in a stolen white robe and stands above us, grinning.

While Fyre skulks off, muttering curses under her breath.

“How’d you escape?” I ask him, grinning back, if a little shocked.

“Opular let me go,” Raygar holds up his hands, “One of his concubines hypnotised him into freeing me. Pretty little thing she is.”

“Seye?” I ask.

“That one,” Raygar nods.

“And where is she now?” I wonder.

“Did I say hypnotised? Seye’s in hiding. She murdered Opular. Blood everywhere, yikes,” Raygar admits, completely unworried, “Hence; easy grab at freedom.”

The fuck.

“Bitch stole my fucking kill!” Fyre roars her frustration from far away, after walking off to kick rocks off the higher path.

“What…” Skye speaks with a monotone.

“The Imperator is dead, Skye,” Raygar nods, “Cat Dominion is weak.”

“So who is in charge?” I ask.

“Tyra is now Imperator,” Raygar looks passed me to Skye, while Hades lets out a worried whistle, “…she’s heartbroken you escaped, Skye, you were her favourite chew toy… and she wants to kill you – and all of us, actually. Mm.. especially our little wolf… Ryder. She wants you gone. She blames you for Opular’s bloody murder.”

“But it was… it was Seye… you just said–”

“And Tyra is saying it was you,” Raygar cuts me off with a sour smile, “So is Seye for that matter. You’re taking the blame. You may as well take the honour of killing the Imperator.”

“It’s not honourable if it’s a lie, Raygar,” which I shouldn’t have to say, “How did she do it?”

“Slit his throat as she rode his dick,” Raygar chuckles, “Sex was her weapon.”

“You should all take note of that,” I take my leave then, stalking away from all of them. Hades is bored out of his brain. Almost falling asleep where he stands. Skye is brooding about everything in the universe, staring up at Raygar. Raygar is just… sigh. Raygar.

I need to be alone. I need to be away from it all.

And I miss Xrat.

I had just become accustomed recently to life completely free of Alpha’s roaming around me, causing havoc and drama and gossip.

Now they’re all back. They’re all defiant. And Vastian was another piece of work to add into the mix, somewhere now in Cracklen doing who knows what.

How was I meant to make them all submit to me? I was done being their bitch. I had to work out a plan to survive their arrogance.