Her Broken Alpha

by Isoellen

  "What do you know of a guy named Louis, Tenbel's scribe?" Darre asked.

  "That is one tricky beta there. And I don't think he was just a little law slug. I think he was the scribe for the whole outfit. You know there are two other groups in the sector, right? Do you want to raid those too?" Mac said.

  Darre stared at Mac. "Yes. Today. Send a force to clean them out. Bring the males in for questioning. Tenbel owed me 30,000 credits. Let it be known he didn't pay his debt and take everything. I want the district cleared of them. Put the drones and females in building C.

  “I want to know some things. Were they using females to recruit? Were they only recruiting betas? Was he gonna try to take me down? Do you have answers for me?"

  Seta answered. "He was only recruiting betas. He talked about females as rewards, but that was inner circle shit. And maybe he was planning to take you down with a beta army, but I think that was going to go nowhere."

  "I don't ask you to think. I ask you to bring me information," Darre growled. "You knew he was gathering a force against me and said nothing? How long?"

  "Alpha," Seta began, starting to look nervous and guilty. Darre couldn't tell if it was because Seta had realized he'd screwed up, or if it was because he had hidden shit on purpose.

  "How long?"

  Seta glanced at Mac, and then looked back to Darre. "It's not an army. They aren't training and don't have weapons. But he's been gathering his true flock to stand against ‘the false alpha’ since the beginning. I thought he meant the King—like you thought. But when that Constantine Kane took his breeder bride, something changed. Don't know what, but lately talk moved toward sounding like it was all the alphas in power that needed to be reeducated. Including you."

  Carefully Darre said, "You know how I treat my enemies."

  "In the pits, yeah. But Tenbel was on your payroll. He was just a beta. You talked to him every month."

  "You were watching him too. Did I ever tell you not to watch him?"

  "They are a bunch of reject betas listening to crap from a book written by a crazy person. I watched him." Seta looked at Mac again. "You know I was doing my job."

  Darre curled his lip in a snarl. "I don't know that. You want to show me you're doing your job? Find Louis. Is he in the Hole? Did someone ask?"

  "No, Louis isn't in the Hole,” Mac replied. “They don't seem to know anything. They keep talking about ‘the way of truth’ and ‘the First Alpha’ and how we don't know anything. They are weak-ass sons o’bitches too. Three of them died already."

  " Three fuckin’ dead? What the hell?! I said not to kill them.” Darre narrowed his eyes at Mac. He couldn’t believe it. Three dead?

  His frustration bled out on to Seta. The weaker man winced under his glare. The reaction made Darre’s muscles tense.

  “Find out who sent my mate here and why,” Darre said. “And find out who is planning to try and take me out. I don't know if you are thinking too much, Seta, or not at all, but you are out of chances. You get me that Louis, or you're done. I want him by tonight, and if not, I want to know why. Do you understand?

  “I'm thinking I made a mistake with you. Stay away from the women here and get out on the street with your people. Get me some information."

  He held the other man's eyes, forcing his order down Seta’s throat and all the way to that hungry gut of his. Seta was gonna bring information or meet the monster in the fighting pit.

  "Nixon, you are good with women. Get your wife and go talk to Tenbel's stable and those other drones. Get me some information. And someone find a midwife. There are pregnant women everywhere. I'm gonna need numbers too. All these new people, mouths to feed—I need to figure it out."

  "Alpha, I gotta say, I don't want to bring my wife into your shit," Nixon said.

  Darre gave him a toothy grin. "Too bad. You work for me. She might be able to help. You can send her up to meet my female too. I bet she's been lonely locked up safe in your cellar."

  Nixon growled. Darre laughed. All the men gave him wide eyes. He ignored their surprise and took a bite of his breakfast.

  "Mac, you are with me. We are going to the Hole. Gonna sort through those betas and see what comes out myself."

  "I need to recruit men for Berendal. Check supplies. Oversee taking out the crows. I can't be everywhere at the same time," Mac said gruffly.

  "Ha! Fine, then. I will go play by myself."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Naya

  Naya wasn't sure if it was the shutting of the chamber door, Monster's absence, or the presence of four drone women in the room that woke her.

  Four women were lined up against the wall: two girls near her own age, a woman with short, gray-streaked hair, and a girl with a shaved head.

  "I'm Sara, miss." The oldest stepped forward, eyes on the floor. "He said we were to do what you wanted, get you what you needed."

  "I'm Tee," said the girl.

  "Oh." Muzzily she blinked at them, trying to catch up with what was happening. After Monster had kissed her goodbye and left the nest, she’d slipped into a deep sleep—the restful kind that weighted every muscle. All she wanted this moment was to soak up the softness and security of her nest. Monster had kept her up most of the night with his attentions. Her mate had wrung every bit of energy out of her. Her butt was sore and she felt raw all over.

  He had done unspeakable things to her. She hadn't decided how she felt about those things.

  Waking up was difficult.

  But the drones filled the room with an acrid nervousness she could feel against her skin. Badly treated, they had no idea what to expect in this new situation. There would be no cozy hours of rest with them standing there, watching her every move.

  Their smell reminded her a little of the drones of her mother's household—cautious, eager to please, and afraid. Old-fashioned in a way that embarrassed Naya, her mother ran everything with lofty expectations. Everyone feared her, even her alpha husband.

  "I'm all for drone rights," Mother would say to her friends, "but what of employer rights? Don't I deserve decent service?"

  Though she was autocratic and haughty, Naya missed her mother anyway. She loved bossing drones and would grab at any chance to do it. Mother would have taken over this task with glee.

  A wall against every storm—a steady, trustworthy bulwark—her mother knew how to do things right and saw them done.

  Life in her mother's home had been predictable and orderly. There was comfort in that.

  She missed her mother's dry, powdery smell, the brisk sound of her walk, and her voice most of all. Her mother wasn't openly affectionate, but the touch of her hand on Naya's shoulder had gone a long way to centering Naya when she felt out of her element.

  Mother's ways didn't allow others room for choices, but it made living in her home easy. Naya could just do what she was told and not have to think too much about it.

  Easy was nice. If her mother were here, the drones would have a list of things to accomplish longer than their arms. Naya would have nothing to do but drink her morning tea, eat her favorite type of butter biscuits, and watch it all take place.

  Expectations and events would slip by without her.

  That sounded lovely right now.

  Instead Naya would have to order these poor people about and send them running errands for her. There wasn't a way for her to accomplish anything for herself. Monster had told her to stay in the room, and he expected her to stay put.

  Her thighs still stung from his introduction to punishment, reminding her not to disobey his rules again. The only way she was going to get things accomplished or acquire basic necessities, like support wear for her heavy chest, was through drone help.

  Spending another day with her breasts jiggling everywhere, no decent shoes, and wearing clothing not fit for rags was not optional. She wanted to get dressed.

  She had no freedom to leave the room or explore the tower herself, yet she’d been given permission to ask for anything she wanted.
>
  The familiar scent of drones wanting to please oozed out of the females nearby. Having tasks would help calm them.

  "Well, I'd love some black tea with milk and honey. I don't know if you can get that or not. Please." She rolled to her back, pulling bedding over herself. "Everything needs cleaning and I need fresh bedding. And clothing. And support wear. And decent food."

  She chuckled at herself. "I’m sorry I’m so demanding. Monster said things are scarce, but he doesn't have anything at all here suitable for women. If I ask for something that is impossible to get, you'll have to tell me. I have no idea about things here."

  She ran her toes down the soft side of one of the furs at her feet. Could they tell that she wasn't mistress material? Mother had always said one must be stern with employees or they would walk all over you.

  "I don't think anything will be impossible for you, miss," Tee said with a breathy awe in her voice that made Naya's cheeks heat.

  "I don't know about that, but I don't want you to think you will be punished if you don't please me or can't find something. All right? Monster won't be a bother for you and it's not your fault if we can't find something,” she said more confidently than she felt. She hoped Monster wouldn't be a bother. She hoped he would be the male she knew he could be.

  Out the corner of her eye, Naya saw them look at each other, uncertain if they could believe her.

  "Have you eaten?" she asked.

  Sara nodded vigorously. "Cook made a porridge. Better than I've had in a long time, said there would always be a hot pot in the dining room of building C and to eat our fill."

  "Couldn't believe it," Tee said.

  Looking at the two quiet blondes who were regarding her cautiously, she asked them, "What about you? Have you eaten?"

  Tee pointed at the girl next to her. "This is Ann, and this is Nor. They can't talk. They do hand signals. I only learned a little. They understand everything you say, but don't talk. Not dumb, though." Tee was showing herself to be a bit of an imp. She lowered her voice. "They played dumb with Tenbel ‘cause they are just that smart."

  "Tee," Sara warned.

  Naya smiled at them. "I'd let you go. You're all free, you know. But I guess no one's free in this sector and it's not safe for you without an owner. Is that right?"

  Sara nodded. "The Second Alpha is seeing about collars for us so we can go to the market and not be bothered. I guess he kept only a couple of male drones."

  "Yes. Collars. Ugh. This sector is really horrible, then?" She wanted the answer to be different, wanted them to say there were bright spots.

  But the drones looked at their feet.

  "Were you born here? All of you?"

  They nodded. Tee pointed to herself, Ann, and Nor. "Farm."

  Naya closed her eyes. She must mean a slave farm where drones were bred like cattle.

  Should she apologize? She felt guilty that her life had been easy, guilty that Monster had made the horror of these drones’ lives possible. She didn't know why yet and didn't know if his answer would be an excuse she could accept.

  These drones, these people, hadn't deserved the injustice of this inhumane, horrible treatment. What excuse could anyone give?

  Now there was nowhere to go but forward. She'd have to figure out how to navigate this situation. There was no turning back from their bond and she didn't want to try. Reconciling the reality of living with the Mad Monster of Sector 2 was going to take some careful stepping, like walking on slippery rocks in a wet stream and trying not to fall in.

  "I'm sorry for that. Not that it matters or changes things." She sighed. "All right. If you can, tea, breakfast, laundry, and…" Naya frowned. "I'm not to leave the room. How do I wash? There's no toilet."

  "Oh!" Tee said. There were filled baskets on the floor at her feet as well as something metal. She lifted it up for Naya to see. "Bucket!"

  Naya's face fell flat. He was such a beast.

  *

  "If I'm going to be stuck in one room, this room isn't big enough," Naya declared, surveying the work they'd accomplished. There were now two lamp stands and a small table, plus another standing rack for Naya's clothes.

  The cold, empty aesthetic of the room warmed with rugs on the floor, one of them an Old World, hand-woven beauty that had survived centuries of feet. Naya quite liked the look of it, so she put it where she wouldn't be walking on it all the time.

  The women had been a great help. At the end of the hall, one of the guards—an alpha named Alreck—would take their requests, tell them where or how to get something, or shout down the elevator shaft for someone else to take care of it. All morning her helpers had been running back and forth to Alreck.

  Tee, Ann, and Nor had made multiple trips down the stairs to go talk to the kitchens and seemed none the worse for wear. Their youthful cheeks were pink and brows sweaty for the effort. Naya kept asking if the girls wanted a rest or something to drink.

  She’d asked for new bedding, but when it arrived it smelled strange, so it would need washing before Naya was willing to exchange it for the old.

  With an archaic system for cleaning clothing, washing anything here in Sector 2 took ten times longer than at home. No electricity. Things had to be air-dried. There were wood fire stoves in some of the buildings, from what she was told, and the kitchen had a hot room to dry things, but it would still take hours.

  Water for cleaning came from the roof cistern and had to be hauled in and out with buckets. Daily tasks that were simple at home were complicated in Sector 2.

  Resources were limited. Fabrics such as cotton and linen, Naya learned, were very hard to come by. Most drones had one set of clothing and guarded it carefully. There was wool, leather, and other animal byproducts. Since trade was limited, there were few manufactured items. Everything came from farms or the wilds of the Un.

  There was no formal sector market. No place where simple niceties and common luxuries could be found. The drones mentioned an underground market, but it was dangerous and expensive.

  Her alpha could send someone.

  Monster had given them access to all his resources, but Naya wasn't permitted to go look for what she wanted.

  Impossible male and his rules.

  "There are storerooms. You should see them. Stuffed to the ceiling," Tee said. "And Tenbel had a lot of good stuff. I think First Alpha had it collected. But I think you wouldn't like the smell."

  "No," Sara agreed. "It would all have to be aired first."

  "I never thought linen a precious commodity until I came here. I can knit with wool and make some of my own things, but not to have something simple as linen, or loomed wool, not to mention silk… Is there fabric in that storeroom, do you think, Tee?"

  "Might be. There’s lots of stuff in there."

  "What kind of things would that Tenbel have had?"

  "He liked his soft things," Sara said. "Women, wine, a feather bed."

  Naya felt her face pinch at the thought of a salvaged bed from Tenbel. "Do you know where all of Tenbel's people went? All the other drones?"

  "They’re over in Building C, making it livable." Tee answered. "Some of the alpha's men are making beds." Her eyes widened. "They’ve got their shirts off."

  "Don't be looking at them soldiers," Sara admonished.

  The two blondes covered their mouths, hiding small, nervous smiles. Naya didn't know if the two women were related, but they stayed close together and acted like a set of twins.

  Naya agreed with Sara. "I don't imagine those are gentleman alphas. It’s best everyone keeps their distance. I heard Darre say something about requiring contract marriages, but alphas wouldn't marry drones even in Sector 2, would they?"

  Sara frowned, sad thoughts clouding her eyes. "They might. But I don't know that it would end well for the girl. It never seems to."

  Unfortunately for drones, the genetically appealing breed drew their notice like bees to blooming flower. While they didn't respond helplessly to an alpha purr or growl, drones became s
ubmissive and biddable in response to the breed pheromones.

  Naya could empathize with them. They had all her weaknesses but were unable to reap any of the benefits.

  "The secretary announced it. He told us, so I guess he told all the men. Signed contract marriages, no force, and no fucking without it. You could have heard a pin drop. Never heard of such a thing. The punishment for breaking the rule is—"

  Naya was about to correct the girl's coarse language when Sara spoke up. "Tee, could you take Ann and Nor and see about some food for Miss? It's getting on in the afternoon."

  Naya realized that Sara had sent the younger drone away to protect her from a reprimand.

  "Anything fresh, if they have it. Anything. Bread, fruit. An onion," Naya added, smiling with gentle understanding at the gray-haired woman.

  "An onion?" Tee giggled.

  "As long as it's not pickled." Naya smiled at the girl. "Okay, maybe not, but an apple or pear would be nice. I had an apple yesterday, I think."

  "We will tell the cook. He'll have to add it to the market list with yarn and other bits you asked for. I have seen bread, cheese, crackers, porridge, meat, and shelves of pickled vegetables in the big larder. No fresh fruit."

  "There must be something," Naya said. "Just pass the message on. If you need to go all the way down again to fetch the food for me, please take time for yourselves and bring a bite back for Sara. I know there are a lot of stairs."

  The three headed out. Naya watched them go. "You can sit down, Sara. Please? You have been so helpful to me. I know this must be different from Tenbel's place."

  Naya took a breath. She wanted to get to know the drone and ask questions, but it felt delicate, almost confrontational. Her stomach churned at the idea, her hands twitchy. She wasn't good at talking to people.

  It was easier to leave it to her mother and sister while she just listened.

  She wished she had tea and biscuits to keep her hands busy and offer to Sara.

  "Did he call it a home or a temple?” she continued. “What was the man after? Do you know?"

  "He called it a parish. Anywhere with ten or more of the faithful was a parish," Sara answered.