End of Chapter 38

"My people," Klaus called, stood with raised hands, his voice echoed, velvety and awful through the microphone. His body towered, strength rippling through him. His eyes glowed a violent crimson, his wolf creeping to the edge. On the podium, sat a single empty throne. "We come together today to celebrate another year of our rule. The anniversary of Euodia's death, and the birth of our Kingdom." Quinn's body grew tense at the cheers, heart rate escalating. It'd been four years since she'd arrived in this world, four horrible years. "We have survived incredibly in the aftermath of the war on the scraps that the Alphas leave for us. And our success deserves all the praise."

The cheers had grown into low hoots, fists to chests like savages. And her expression grew pinched at the way some kicked at the Alphas, smashed drink in their faces. The soft cries were silenced by their masters. The jeers grew as the girls were brought out of the halls, pushed one by one into the shadows until the only Alpha left in the room was her. Her body tensed. There was no fucking way she was staying here. The city had worsened its treatment of Alphas so drastically that it was inhumane.

"You've asked for answers," Klaus stated, eyes roaming the crowd and then to her. Her pulse quickened mouth dry. "I bring them to you through this meeting."

His eyes caught hers, a harsh glare, irritation on the sharpness of his jawline. Be good. They'd warned her that it was going to be hard, that they'd have to act an ugly show. And Klaus had told her that if she wanted the deal fulfilled, she needed to play her part in appeasing their people. She'd answered with questions. "What good will it do for your people to know that you've got me bowed at your feet?" Her eyes had widened then, understanding the situation quickly. "You want to show them that I'm broken."

Solar cleared his throat. "Our court is not happy that you're alive, that Elysian and Icarus protected you with their lives. They need reassurance that we're not controlled by you, that you've not overtaken us. That they had a reason for doing so." Solar explained, his eyes grew hazy, blinking twice, then focusing upon her, touching upon the little strings of fate he could see. But Solar's visions were dog shit, whispery images like smoke in the air. "My premonitions state that you are to be quiet and submissive to our demands, it is the only way."

Quinn had shook her head at that, her laugh spiked. "Are you so easily overthrown as Kings?"

The snarl that had ripped her way was expected, but Klaus had stalked closer, rage rippling from him. The frustration roared from within him, eyes a smouldering, dangerous heat. "Don't test my fucking patience—"

Solar had stood, a hand on his. "Klaus." The others were all standing now, and Quinn's smile was grim. The wolf before her growled, eyes flashing hard. But he couldn't hurt her, and something in her chest knew that, burning within like molten fire. It was rare to see him pushed so tightly to the edge, which meant that she'd hit the nail on the head.

The king released her with a grunt. But Quinn wasn't going to submit. "I'm right," she stated. "You've lost them all, they don't respect you. They think you're all weak."

The temper burned in Klaus's eyes and shame grew flushed in his cheeks. Bingo.

"This is what you get for letting run amok, for cultivating their brutality. What society reigns in one so marked by the violence upon others?" Her sneer grew. "All you've got now are groups of power-hungry, savage boys eager to take out your frustrations on Alphas. And now you actually do need to show who's top fucking dog. What happened to kindness, generosity and equality?"

"You dare to speak of what you do not know?"

"Your reign is fucked," she'd spat out, courage blossoming in her. But she needed this, they needed this. "Tell me a society that blossoms on the violence of others?"

"Yours," he'd spat, "Alphas—"

"Alphas have never pushed it this fucking far," she answered. "The Omegas were at the bottom of the chain, but they were free to climb those ranks." Quinn scowled. "And now with the Lonely, even a dictator could barely control your people. You're now using Alphas like martyrs, what good will that do?"

Klaus had snapped his mouth shut, temper throbbing at the corner of his jaw. But they knew she was right, and that kept them silenced. Eventually, he seemed to calm a pleasant smile stretching across his face, revealing dimples that winked at her sweetly. "What do you suggest we do then if you're so fucking smart?"

"From the beginning, you spun a tall tale to us Alphas about a land of equality. And for a while, it seemed that you wanted to try something. But your people could not overcome the prejudice, they yearned for blood despite all your attempts to have peaceful packs. And with the situation, here we are," Quinn answered. "You need success. You need results. You need answers. You need solutions. What you don't need is to enable their brutality."

"Answers we don't have," Klaus replied with a shrug. "And the only change that resulted in the rise in the Lonely is the increase in Alpha., Alphas that are, by the way, all convicted criminals who've done awful things. What do you think we should do now, little Beta?" His mockery was on his tongue. "Put them all in a pretty little house? Hide them all and declare them innocent of their crimes? You are the only one lucky enough to have no records in your history." His snarl deepened, animalistic as he grew closer, so close she could see the flecks of red in his eyes. "But you were out in those wastelands, and that means. You have always been a criminal."

"I'll find the answer," Quinn replied, her glare deepening. But she was startled by his rage, pulse hammering in her throat. "But you need to stop your people from losing their sanity, from allowing this madness. I'll be quiet but I suggest that you do not encourage their behaviour. To stand on the Alphas during this time is to bite your own goddamn tail."

"How confident," Klaus had drawled, a dry chuckle on his tongue. "How fucking daring you are."

"I have nothing to lose."

And now despite her loud angry words, despite all the shit she'd said, Quinn knew that there was nothing they could do standing before an incensed crowd that held no remorse. That within weeks the mistreatment of Alphas had crossed a point of no return, and the society had been poisoned to a state of disrepair with the panic and chaos. The situation had pushed prejudice to its maximum, putting mistrust upon the margins of society, breaking them all so bitterly that they were changed. Distinctly in her mind, she was reminded of history.

The blame. The accusations. The riots, the destruction of the foreign. A common enemy was what kept them surviving. A common enemy, a common purpose to survive. They'd break the women first, women who represented the stones of society. And then they'd destroy their own minds for violence they did not understand.

And who better to blame than the oppressors that they'd just overthrown? The outsiders of their world in the mystery? They damned the Alphas despite their need for them. The Alphas that they knew to be criminals, justifying their violence. It was only a matter of time before blood would be shed, and lives lost. For now, the Alphas that survived were going to be treated like cattle.

And in the arms of the seven, Quinn was in a state of privilege.

Her horror pulsed in her head. And so, Quinn got to her knees on the podium and knelt on the ground as Klaus took his seat on the throne. With legs crossed, he propped his feet upon her back just as she pressed her lips to the ground, forehead on the cold marble with horror in her eyes.

Fuck.

She needed to run.

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