Wolf Dominion Volume 2
Chapter 28

It’s late at night when I hear footsteps approaching, and I expect Helpers to come free me. To fetch me, for the Wolves.

I’m a little surprised to see Vastian personally unlock the door and swing it open.

Black robes and a blue collar. Always in disguise.

I hold my knees to my chest, fingers tapping along my knees as I half smile.

He reaches a hand in toward me.

“Do you remember Vorth, when he chose me as your Luna,” I had been waiting for hours to say it. Thinking of what to say and choosing that. I stand up as I look at his face, looking for his reaction.

He doesn’t say anything or look any kind of way. Vastian simply waits for me to exit.

I limp my way out of the cell, light headed and a little dizzy, but I can walk okay just enough.

Vastian releases the door and it slams shut behind us, as he turns toward me, I can’t help but jump into him.

I grab his whole middle, holding him tight in a quick hug.

A thank you.

I pull back and Vastian also takes a step back simultaneously, confronted.

“What was that for?” Vastian asks, clearly taken off guard.

“You won’t know,” I say, “But long ago, we were married, just newlyweds, we got married before we took off in the ship. You and all your brothers were groomsmen. Skye was your best man.”

“Everything you just said, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Vastian cuts me off, a little cold.

“It’s kind of like being a King and Queen?” I say, “Um… never mind, that’s just a silly… way to phrase it.”

Vastian furrows his brows, still totally confused, but he holds out a hand suggesting we walk onward out of the dungeons.

I sigh and we walk side by side. I was probably a little wishful upon the memories that seriously didn’t matter at all anymore. It was all dead – all the bodies in the incinerator. That’s where my husband lay. Just ash.

Walking with Alpha Vastian, it was dangerous to assume he loved me.

Or could. Or would.

Although I can’t help but imagine it.

“For us to successfully launch the ship, I need your knowledge,” Vastian answers, taking me out of the clouds and back to ground, “So I’ll be using you.”

“Hmm, that’s nice,” I answer back, rolling my eyes to the honey comb ceiling. I’m kind of pissed off. Vastian glares over me, so I snap back, “What?”

“Do all humans have attitude problems?” he drawls.

“We’re complicated creatures, unlike all of you,” I mock him, maybe a bit too easily.

“When your knowledge is extracted, you will be useless,” Vastian cuts me off, “So replace a way to be useful. And don’t ever mention that you’re a Luna again. You’re human.”

“I’m proud to be human,” I lash out, “It is not an insult.”

“No one trusts you, because you lied in Cracklen,” Vastian snaps, “So. Find a way to be useful.”

“Yes, sir…” I say it grouchy and with disrespect fully intended with my sarcasm.

“YES, ALPHA,” Vastian snarls it with such vehemence – it makes my ears ring and my heart bleed a bit. His eyes pierce my soul.

Fuck.

I avert my face from his, staring at my toes.

It’s not him.

Not who I used to know.

Vastian takes me to the labs – I should not be surprised. Its where he created Luna Ryder. It makes me bitter walking around the tables, while he sets up a table for testing. He wanted samples maybe, as he puts on a lab coat and hangs up the Alpha robes.

After I walk around for a bit, past my old cells, I head back to the table where he wants me to sit.

I jump off a small stepping stool to land on it, and I face him with conflicted emotions.

From who I was living here, on Genesis, I could remember everything and how this kind of situation would make me both feel helpless but quietly enraged. Now I feel more calm and reasonable with my emotions. I feel like I can probably talk my way to his head. But my own heart says that. My head says it’s useless trying to reason with another Alpha who considers himself totally above my entire existence.

So, what the hell was I going to do?

Seye survived off giving them sexual gratification, admiring and worshipping them.

I didn’t want that to be the last resort, or even an option.

Vastian is staring at me for the moment, holding a pen in one hand.

“What are you thinking right now?” Vastian asks critically, and I feel this is more personal... I think. I hope…? Oh, my poor little heart was going to get me killed, for sure.

“Um, I don’t know,” I answer, briefly, “A lot. Of stuff?”

“Tell me, the lot,” Vastian holds up a clipboard and the pen. I try not to snort. I chuckle a bit, he still had some old habits in his genes, “…and don’t laugh... speak.”

“I am thinking about... my emotions,” I watch him, looking at me like I’m crazy, “Specifics?” Vastian doesn’t move a muscle, so I assume that’s a threatening yes, hurry the fuck up, “I’m thinking about, how… how… am I going to be useful, I don’t want to be useless. I want to considered equal. I still see you all as my… ‘friends’… and yet why am I seen as a bug by all of you. So suddenly. I’m wondering if that means you’re all genetically malfunctioning, or if I’m just confused. Because I want to be friends, but logically, we aren’t anymore. I feel hungry too. I’m thinking about food. I’m thinking I feel alone, and I feel useless. I feel weak. I feel… kind of heartbroken. I… sound messy, sorry.”

“So it’s all emotion,” Vastian doesn’t write a thing down, he puts the clipboard aside, “Really?” I have to furrow my brows now – because he’s talking critically still.

“Yes,” I try not to snap, and I see in his face… he’s genuinely assessing this.

“Humans are a hyper emotional, unreasonable, agitated species,” Vastian summarises.

“Or you’re just… not emotional,” I counter.

“Advantage,” Vastian counters my counter, and he’s dead serious, while I’m smiling like an idiot.

“Emotions are a sign of a soul, Luna Ryder was empty, confused, lost… barely felt a thing,” I counter again, and now I really get his attention, “Especially after you tortured the fuck out of her, making her into a warrior. Pain. Closes off… basic feelings. So you can survive.”

“Luna Ryder was an exception to the rule,” Vastian is seemingly enjoying this conversation now, utterly invested in exploring this to understand humans better.

“How so, would you say? You know I have all her memories, I’m not a stranger, Vastian, I remember everything she went through,” I state.

Now he tries not to laugh, as he looks around the room and back at me, replaceing the right words.

“Fine. You,” Vastian states, “You were an exception to the rule. You were exiled for being a human, hunted for being a human… enslaved… but you weren’t a human,” I nod with each part, as he continues, “So you had the mind of a Luna and the heart of slave. You were torn every way. I made sure you focused. On something simple. Like killing.”

“I think I was just hurt and alone, I always felt alone.”

“Because you don’t belong anywhere,” Vastian concludes, looking me up and down “But now you’re different, more complete.”

Of all times, now… now I feel a sudden surge of rage in my body, rising fast. From her. Luna Ryder. The injustice of his assessment. I was always complete, her life was just harder and more horrific than my human one. She felt empty, became empty, from the horror of it all.

“You’re an ass, and I decided I’m not going to tell you shit,” I stand up off the table, “I’m done being complicit to your commands.”

“I’m just looking at and understanding what a human is,” Vastian circles me slowly, like this reaction is also important, “Is being reckless and illogical also true? I could easily overpower you and yet you provoke me.”

“It’s a matter of what’s right,” I snarl it, grabbing his clipboard from the table and tossing it over my shoulder, “What’s right, Vastian?”

“Purpose,” Vastian answers, as if it’s obvious, “The Purpose of an Alpha… of a Beta… of a Helper… of a Luna… of a slave… of a fighter… of an enemy…”

“No. No. No. What’s right is being kind. What’s right is life. Killing is wrong,” I blurt, “Bad things – are bad. And – and –”

“Calm down, you’re not making any sense again,” Vastian picks me up and puts me back on the examining table, while I gawk at his audacity, “Speak slowly. Be. Useful.”

“Humans know what good is,” I say, more ‘calmly’, “…and evil too… purpose is different… what you’re saying is different…”

“You said, humans made us to fight their wars – to kill for them. So, we do what humans can’t do?” Vastian guesses.

“Humans can kill too, but you can kill better –” Vastian seems to consider that the winning statement, as he turns to pace toward the door, “Don’t leave,” I beg suddenly, but he turns back around to pace back toward me. I stay still as he comes right up to me and he puts his fingers under my chin, lifting my head gently, assessing how easy I am to move around.

I wish I didn’t immediately view his touch as romantic.

But my heart can’t help it.

“Extinction is what you fear,” Vastian guesses again, correct, “Upon our return. That, Ryder, is just evolution.”

“So, it doesn’t bother you,” I whisper.

“What?” Vastian is genuinely confused, before he tries to answer, lowering his hand from my face, and I feel chills of wanting his touch back, damn my soul, “Evolution does not bother me… it’s a natural sequence of events. You know how to get us back?”

“Yes,” I answer, basic.

“You’ll write it all down,” Vastian walks over and replaces a second stupid clipboard and a pen, shoving it at me this time, “Now.”

“And then what, throw me under the bus?” I murmur to myself.

“What’s that?”

“Forget I said anything,” I put the pen to paper, clipboard to knee.

I begin to write.

Vastian watches with true intrigue.

I throw the clipboard at him, he catches it too smooth and reads what I wrote. ‘Never.’

“Attitude and agitation are barely the beginning of what a human is, you asshole,” I smile sadistically.

Vastian is shell shocked, for a small moment.

“Alpha,” he murmurs, meeting my challenge of my stare.

“No, I won’t say it,” I cross my arms over my chest, “Nope.”

“Alpha,” Vastian tries one more time… slyly.

“No.”

“Alpha Skye deals with insubordinate behaviour in our Dominion,” Vastian again, speaks lovely and gently. But the threat is terrible.

“No,” I beg differently now.

“You’re not scared of me,” Vastian says, “You’re scared of him.”

“Ahah – no… nah, don’t say that,” I shake my head, “I think you’re confused. You’re just as scary.”

“Alpha Skye is scary,” Vastian smirks, “While I am merciful. He is not.”

“I’m fine,” I add.

“You’re confused. He’ll deal with you.”

“He’ll just put me in the dungeon again, you got me out,” I try to sound reasonable, “Vastian, please, don’t be ridiculous.”

“You’re scared of Skye because you still love him,” Vastian just has to rub it in.

“I don’t – need – to speak to him.”

Vastian hands me back the clipboard slowly, “Then write down everything you know.”

I kick it off my knee, cross my arms and look the other way.

“Free will,” I whisper.

“Torture is not off the table either.”

“So, I mean nothing to you,” I face Vastian again, screaming, “Do I mean nothing?” I launch off the table to punch him, but he catches my arms flailing, “Answer me, Vastian!”

He stares down his nose at me, and then answers me, “You mean everything to Genesis.”

“Fuck Genesis. What does your heart say – your heart, Vastian, your feelings! Do you feel nothing, DO YOU FEEL NOTHING?”

“If torture does not scare you enough to concede, then what is making you lose it right now…” Vastian speaks over me yelling, getting to the point quickly. I shut my mouth. Fucking scientists.

I try to stay calm, before I blurt, concisely, “Being alone.”

“Not death?”

“Being alone while I’m alive,” I snap, “That scares me.”

“Ah. So. To a human, love is more important than life, but to us, our life is more important than love… so humans are bound by their feelings. So your weakness is your feelings. You’re always thinking about your feelings,” I’m speechless as I try to hold in all my need to sob. I didn’t want to sob in front of him, “Come with me,” Vastian holds my elbow, and drags me along, while I keep my head down to hide my slow falling tears. Fuck, “Lucky for you, Ryder, I found a usefulness in you. And I know you’re not a threat to us any longer. Your lies are not the problem. You’ll be loyal for your Master. You miss him.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

My Master.

Great fucking shit fuck.

We’re going straight to Alpha Skye.

And I was fricking uncomfortable, because Vastian did get to the crux of it, and was too damn right.

All human hearts ruled their head. And we only resisted or denied it – sometimes. But it was impossible to banish completely.

The fact is torture would not break me.

But someone I loved, denying me love, would.

Just being under his glare would be enough.

Seye never needed to warn me to stay away from Skye. I knew too.

Except now I really didn’t have a choice.