Wolf Dominion Volume 2
Chapter 38

Hades and I hug for a long time, and then I pull him back toward the trees, into the shade as the sun starts to set.

I lean against a trunk, while he just leans right into me, pushing me against the twisted wood, holding my waist and my face. He’s still taking me all in, making sure I’m real.

“You’re too heavy,” I whisper eventually, and Hades immediately pulls back.

“Sorry,” he chuckles, “I’m scared you might evaporate from between my fingers. Fuck. I still can’t believe it. Where the hell have you been?”

“This body was in a coma, in the incinerator that never actually fired up – but something woke me, Hades. Will, perhaps, a buried instinct maybe… what’s going on in Destor… with the alliance… if you’re this thin, I can’t imagine what the others are feeling…” I’m shamelessly digging for answers already. It was still a desperate situation.

Hades is happy to explain, “The ‘Dominator’ killed the humans, and used them for meat for Beasts… it’s not a thriving Dominion, or a thriving Alliance, that city over the hill, it’s a bomb with a fuse but weak explosives… Earth is dead. And soon we’ll all be too. Through sheer madness brought on by starvation.”

“No. I’m sure there is a plan, there always is, Skye looks healthy, so does my son…” I grit my teeth but suck in a quick breath, “Ryder my son, looks very healthy. Wolf Dominion have a secret supply of food, I’m sure.”

“No shit,” Hades speaks over my lips, wanting to kiss me, but pulling back at the last second and spinning away from me. I watch him grab a branch above and swing up onto another, turning around to sit, looking down on me with true joy, “Where have you been since you woke up?”

“With the humans, obviously,” I smirk, “Where else would I be, Hades?”

“You’re helping them.”

“Of course I am.”

“Then that makes two of us, I’m going back with you,” Hades raises a brow, “I’m in, if they’ll let me in.”

I pause, “They have nothing left but us,” I say tentatively, “And I have a plan.”

“You want to save their lives,” Hades says the obvious.

“…but?” I give him a knowing look.

“I’m in this for revenge,” Hades suggests, his eyes twinkling.

“You’ve never cared about anything enough to get revenge,” I just point out what’s true, “What’s changed?”

“My Kind, Shades –” Hades starts strong and clear, but immediately stops and loses his brief smile.

It doesn’t take me long to work it out, “…Skye targeted them…”

“Yup,” Hades whispers, eyes broken with sadness, “They’re all… I failed everyone.”

“You didn’t kill them –”

“I couldn’t stop him, you don’t understand, I was so stupid,” Hades blurts it all out now, “I trusted Skye as a brother and he told me to bring them all together, I helped lure them out. I was thinking Skye would welcome them into Destor, as their own official segment, the Free Kind,” Hades plainly admits, pained, “But the amount of times I’ve betrayed Skye must have caught up with me, and he decided to betray me in return,” Hades has dry eyes, tears swallowed inside, “Guess I deserved it. I helped Opular take the throne to Genesis. I took you away. I stole the first ship. I went against him before that as well. It all caught up with me –”

“Stop. Get to the facts. Why did you make all those decisions to betray or challenge the status quo?” I ask, already knowing the answers.

“Other than stupid rules making me want to vomit… freedom means a lot to me,” Hades speaks with pride, “It’s in my bones, I can’t shake it.”

“Freedom doesn’t exist for Skye,” I tell him, “You’re completely opposite.”

“I’m very fucking aware,” Hades murmurs.

“Can you help me, help humans?” I ask now.

“Long term, Ryder, long term,” Hades reminds me, “What. Is. Your. End. Goal? Even if you can help them.”

I think about it, “End goals? Get my son back, break the Alliance, restore Earthly freedom… but to do all that… I have to kill Skye… and Seye, public executions.”

“And Seye?” Hades bites on that immediately, questioning me.

“What is your end goal, Hades?” I whisper, changing the subject.

“Fooood,” Hades growls, smiling lopsided.

“Your serious end goal please…”

“Food,” Hades repeats, “I could even eat you, I’m so hungry.”

“Fine. I need eyes on the inside,” I quickly state, “Which means you can’t come back with me.”

“What do you want me to do, Ryder?” Hades asks, somehow sexy as anything just awaiting an instruction. I try to ignore the undertone of his arousal at my return.

“…for any of this to work, I need to get my son on my side before the battle… lure out Ryder to meet me alone,” I’ve thought hard on this already.

“No,” Hades snaps, “He won’t listen to you, he’s a stout Alpha. Thickest head. Exactly like his father and his mother. He won’t listen to you, he won’t believe you, he won’t like you.”

I want to kill him for saying that.

I look up in a rage and Hades swings off the branch and lands back down, welcoming it.

I stomp right up to him and aim to slap him. I make it obvious, and he catches my hand just before it lands on his cheek, and then he threads his fingers through mine and brings my hand down slowly.

“That’s exactly why you can’t see him,” Hades whispers, “It’s just raw dumb emotion. You have to go to war first.”

“Skye will use him against me,” I whisper what terrifies me the most.

“They don’t know you’re back,” Hades reminds me.

“It won’t be like this forever,” I whisper the obvious, “And when Skye replaces out I’m alive, he’ll k–”

Hades unexpectedly slaps my mouth shut with his second palm, clamping my jaw together so I can’t say another word.

“He’ll have no idea what to do,” Hades tells me, “Because he loves you.”

“ –uo–” NO! What a lie! I try to yell and shake my head, but he won’t let me.

“It’s the precise moment you’ll have the advantage, you crazy bitch. We’re going to keep your identity hidden. The moment you reveal yourself. At the right moment. You’ll have your chance,” Hades nods at me, while my eyes imagine the scenario, and he finally releases my lips, “And don’t worry about Seye – she’s no one. A snake who likes a crown. She’s not a priority kill... you know that. Since when does the Luna feel all this illogical emotion?” Hades is just teasing me now on that.

“I’m free of my chains, Hades, my mind is free,” I retort, “Now go home. And bring me my son. West of this crater, a direct walk toward the river. Tomorrow at dawn.”

Hades knows this isn’t negotiable this time.

“Yes, Luna,” Hades agrees, blinking slowly, as the light is now rapidly decreasing.

“I know your banished, Hades, but don’t do anything stupid where you get yourself killed in the process,” I add before he waltzes away from me, showing now that I do fucking care.

“Wait. You have one more ally,” Hades holds up his finger, his eyes alight, “Opular. You should come with me. I’ll sneak you into his kitty cat condo,” I screw up my face and Hades actually blushes, which makes me screw up my face even more, “Ah-yeah, he’s kind of… a pimp now.”

“The Imperator… is now a pimp?” I ask, dry.

“I can get you in undetected, come on,” Hades swipes up my hand, turning and dragging me along, “Trust me. You need this.”

I’m speechless.

I… need what?

I trust Hades, so I go with him for this. I also feel confident now that the moon is out. Opular’s ‘kitty cat condo’ is on the outskirts of Destor – a separate little dirty kingdom in a small but sturdy three story mansion, surrounded by rubble on the cracked and messy streets, a short walk to the city centre.

I can smell the sex before it’s even in sight. It’s honestly repulsive. It’s so excessively feline, it makes my nose twitch and my eyes water.

Hades and I enter through the back door, while I’m disguised mostly through dirt and some large shoes I found and put on to hide my metal foot. A swirl of charcoal on my cheek falsely represents me as a Reptile, and charcoal on my lips, represents the same thing.

Some Guards at the back halt us.

“Reason for this visit, Shade?” one asks Hades, not too aggressively thankfully.

“I have a gift for Opular – someone looking for… work,” Hades is so polite when he doesn’t need to be.

I think I can get away with hiding with my face down, but the Lion does reach past Hades and lifts up my chin suddenly, to look me in the eye.

I’m not that well known visually. And I’m hoping there is no recognition.

“Snake,” he curls his lips, “Opular isn’t a fan –”

“Oh, he will be,” Hades immediately interjects, “She squeezes cock and applies just enough pressure on the throat to make your experience death defying. You don’t know that kind of sex until you know. And I know. Let me through.”

Eventually the guard shrugs and moves aside.

I hiss for good measure as we walk by.

Hades immediately covers his mouth with the back of his hand and tries not to fall over and die.

I don’t know what’s so fucking funny.

He holds my hand tight and jerks me closer to his mouth, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“How do you know so much about Serpents anyway?” I hiss back.

“I have six girlfriends,” Hades admits, boldly, “All sisters –”

“That’s enough information,” I squeeze his hand with my nails dug in on purpose. I don’t care if it’s petty.

“Jealous? You’ve had more than enough cock to know six is better than one – or have I beat your record for how many lovers you’ve had at one time?”

I choose not to answer.

I look around the mansion.

Surprisingly empty – as most rooms are curtained off. And there is no existing artwork in the halls. So far it’s just brick and mortar.

We walk slow, mostly because Hades is walking so damn slow.

“Hurry up,” I snap, quietly.

“You do know… how alliances are made…” Hades says, sheepishly.

“Common values.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Hades chooses not to elaborate. I try to pull my hand from his but he holds on tight, as he looks sideways at me, “Luna – listen to my advice.”

“What advice?” I speak through gritted teeth, never the less, I listen.

“Fuck him.”

“I knew you were going to say that –”

“I’ll watch,” Hades tries to fight back a chuckle.

I calm myself down, while he is laughing and thinking of sex.

“You need a leash,” I drawl at him, “You should have been on one a long time ago.”

He really did.

Hades might give me a dirty look.

But he doesn’t say a word more.