The Rebellion

Chapter 6

Chapter VI: The Trap is Sprung

The rain returned with a vengeance three days later, turning the streets of the lower ward into torrents of black water.

Garrick walked through the deserted alleyways of the industrial sector, his heavy boots splashing through the puddles. He was flanked by four of his top Omega soldiers, their noses constantly twitching as they searched the damp air for any sign of a vampire ambush. They had received an anonymous tip that a high-ranking vampire cell was operating out of an abandoned meatpacking plant on the corner of 4th and Bleeker.

Keep your eyes open, Garrick growled, his hand resting on the hilt of a massive combat knife. The leeches are cornered. They'll be vicious.

Alpha, one of his soldiers whispered, pointing toward the rusted steel doors of the plant. The lock is broken. Someone’s inside.

Garrick grinned, a cruel, predatory expression that bared his yellowed fangs. Perfect. Let's paint the walls.

He kicked the heavy doors open, the metal groaning as it slammed against the concrete walls inside. The interior of the meatpacking plant was a labyrinth of hanging iron hooks, rusted conveyor belts, and the lingering, faint smell of rot. The only light came from the high, dirty windows, casting long, skeletal shadows across the floor.

Garrick stepped into the center of the main room, his soldiers fanning out behind him. Come out, leeches! We know you're hiding in the dark like the rats you are!

You always did have a remarkably loud mouth, Garrick, a voice smooth as silk echoed from the rafters above.

Garrick spun around, his eyes widening as Xavier dropped from the darkness, landing effortlessly twenty feet in front of him. The vampire Alpha looked completely calm, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his long coat.

Xavier, Garrick hissed, his muscles swelling as his wolf form began to push against his human skin, his eyes glowing a bright, aggressive yellow. The high king of the blood-suckers himself. You're a fool for coming here alone.

He isn't alone, another voice said from the shadows behind Garrick.

Garrick stiffened, turning his head slowly to see Luna stepping out from behind a row of hanging meat hooks. But Luna wasn't wearing his standard pack uniform. He wore a dark tactical vest, his knuckles wrapped tightly, his golden eyes glowing with an intense, unyielding fire.

Luna? Garrick growled, his aura flaring in a sudden, violent wave of confusion and rage. What the hell is the meaning of this? Why are you standing with a leech?

Because the leech offers a future, Garrick, Luna said, his voice steady, his posture completely devoid of the submissive deference an Omega was supposed to show their Alpha. While you and the Council only offer an endless graveyard.

Garrick snapped his focus forward, and this time, without the distraction of the gym or the outdoor elements, the truth hit him like a physical blow. Luna’s scent was completely unmasked, it was a rich, heavy, and unmistakably pregnant Omega fragrance, utterly intertwined with the cold, static aura of Xavier's Alpha vampire blood.

You you disgusting piece of trash, Garrick roared, the sheer realization sending him into a frenzy. You're carrying an abomination! You've been breeding with the enemy!

He is carrying my heir, Xavier corrected, his voice dropping to a terrifying, sub-zero frequency that seemed to drop the temperature in the room by ten degrees. And you will not speak to him in that tone again.

Kill them! Garrick screamed to his soldiers. Kill the traitor and the leech! Burn the body before the pup can breathe!

The four Omega soldiers hesitated for a fraction of a second, torn between their lifelong conditioning to obey their Alpha and the sheer shock of what they were witnessing. But that fraction of a second was all Xavier and Luna needed.