Fever (The Omegaborn Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  He’d been a good friend of mine for a long time. The two of us had worked to smuggle goods in and out of the city through mostly forgotten paths through the drainage system. Our work together included weapons, clothing, and even drugs. He’d always been sympathetic to the omega cause and I knew he had provided them with goods before to make their lives easier in the sanctuary, all under the nose of the city leader. He’d done everything he could to remain anonymous and he liked it that way.

  If he got involved in the upcoming battle against the beta army, though, he’d likely want to come out of hiding and meet Nikki face to face. He’d want to ensure that she was someone worthy of receiving his assistance, especially if he were to involve other beta allies that would be willing to help the omega cause.

  I left the sanctuary via the tunnel system, much of it familiar due to the smuggling I’d done in the city prior to coming back here. I made my way toward the more affluent part of Tharia, and into the underground entrance to his home. In silence, I climbed a set of stairs and typed in a code on the handle of a locked steel door. It slid open and I walked inside. I knew that it would alert him of my presence, so I sat down in a leather chair and waited. Very few people were aware of that door and even fewer had the code to get in. I was on a short list of people who did.

  It didn’t take long for him to appear. I heard the upstairs door slide open and his footsteps as he descended to the basement where I was waiting. Casually, I watched him as he pressed his palm against a gun holstered at his waist. I smirked. He’d known it was me. This place was rigged with cameras. He’d done it just to fuck with me.

  “Viktor,” he began. “I didn’t think we had any unfinished business to handle. Am I wrong?” he continued, a sly grin coming over his lips.

  “What if I just missed you, old friend?” I replied wryly and he chuckled.

  “Unlikely. You always want something,” he replied, winking at me as he sat down in the leather armchair across from me.

  “Maybe. But you always seem to make out too,” I said with a smirk, and he laughed heartily, the sound carrying throughout the large basement lounge.

  “Indeed, I do,” he replied, flashing a rather glitzy-looking gold watch in my direction. “Product of our last deal,” he added, grinning broadly. Finally, he calmed, a more serious expression coming over his face. “Well then, Viktor, what can I do for you?”

  I sat back and took a deep breath. The success of this endeavor counted on him and his resources. He’d be a crucial part of this uprising; that is if he even wanted to take part. It was my role to convince him that he did.

  “I’m sure you’re aware of the massive numbers of alphas banished into the wilds?” I began, and he nodded, so I continued.

  “It’s creating problems for us out there. Packs are fighting. Both omegas and alphas are dying and it’s quickly devolving into chaos. There’s a massive imbalance in the natural order and the Central Gathering wants to fix it,” I said, and Damiyen stared at me in silence. He was a shrewd beta. Clever, intelligent, and crass at times, but it suited him. It had gotten him far in life.

  “We know what’s happening here in the city. We know that the omegas have all been forced into the sanctuary, thousands of them, and conditions worsen every day,” I said next, leaning forward and placing my hands on my knees.

  “We want to get them out. Omegas aren’t meant to be imprisoned and kept from their alphas. It’s not right. The only time an omega belongs on her knees is for her alpha, not for anyone else,” I continued.

  Damiyen sat back, leaning on his elbow and running a single knuckle down the line of his jaw. His expression was pensive but unreadable.

  “What you’re suggesting is dangerous, Viktor. It’s treason,” he said, choosing his words carefully. His hazel eyes studied mine and I could tell he was intrigued, but hesitant.

  “I know. If we’re to succeed, we need to work together, the alphas on the outside and the omegas on the inside. But they’re not ready. The omegas have heart, but they aren’t trained soldiers. They don’t have enough weapons for battle and more important, they don’t know how to use them,” I answered.

  “I see,” he replied coolly.

  I knew him though. He appeared cold, but he was running the numbers through his mind, assessing the possibility of what he could do to help. Damiyen, although cunning and shrewd in his business, had a soft spot for omegas. He’s one of the few people inside the city who actually had a birth mother, rather than being formed inside a test tube. His mother had been raped by one of the city guards, an omega brutalized within the sanctuary. He’d been forced away from her arms and he’d found out about her years later, only to watch her die of a sickness that could have been easily treated if the city had funded adequate medical care for the omegas living there.

  He’d always hated the sanctuary for that very reason and had done his best to smuggle in supplies through his various connections to help them survive the city’s brutal treatment. He was a big reason why the omega underground was so successful in gathering resources.

  “What’s in it for me?” he asked prudently.

  “There’s an omega. Her name is Nikki. She’s their leader,” I answered.

  “Unclaimed?” he asked.

  “Indeed,” I replied.

  His grin grew.

  “You want her too,” he observed, and I chuckled.

  “She’s a strong one. She’d going to need more than one man to teach her what it means to submit to her mates,” I offered, and he grinned. Cocking his head, he stared at me. I stayed silent. I knew that he was deciding whether it was worth it or not.

  It was unheard of for an alpha to offer a beta rights to an omega, but here I was. Nikki was unclaimed and I’d already decided she was mine, but I’d be willing to share her with Damiyen if he could help me free her and the rest of her kind. His gaze appraised my expression, trying to figure out if I was truthfully offering him such a thing.

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “I would,” I answered, meeting his gaze firmly before I continued to speak.

  “The Central Gathering would also like to offer their eternal gratitude and whatever land outside the walls that you want. They have left it to me to offer whatever monetary compensation you require for helping us to acquire allies in the more sympathetic beta sector. We’d need weapons for the omegas and a place to train them. We need you, Damiyen,” I added sincerely.

  Without him, I feared our demise and the eventual loss of our omegas. Most of all, I feared the loss of the feisty silver-haired omega I’d already set my sights on.

  “If you fail, Philip will either kill them or use his new plan to genetically modify them all. You know that,” he replied, his tone ambiguous.

  “I know. It’s a risk. But you should see them now. They’re far too skinny. They look unhealthy and there are far too many of them stuffed into that excuse of a prison. If things continue this way, they’re going to get sick. They’re going to starve and many of them will die.” I gritted my teeth. “It’s a travesty to treat an omega like that.”

  He sighed.

  “I know. I’ve heard whispers of worsening conditions, of guards taking advantage of them at an alarming rate. I’ve seen the bodies of the weakest of them that have already succumbed to the harsh treatment. One of them even climbed to the top of one of the apartments and jumped,” he said softly, a sense of grief apparent in the tone of his voice. I stayed silent. I knew I had to choose my words carefully now.

  “It makes me angry too,” he added next, and then he turned his eyes from a spot he was studying on the floor to mine. “I’ll provide the goods, but in order for this to succeed, you need me. I’ll help you, but I want to meet her.”

  I had known he would. He wouldn’t get involved unless he could be an essential part of the strategizing of such an extensive endeavor. He’d want to ensure success and with his strategic insight, our chances had just improved substantially.

  “I think
the two of you will get along just fine,” I replied with a smirk.

  “Fat fucking chance,” he snorted, and the two of us laughed.

  Damiyen didn’t take shit from anyone and Nikki would learn really fucking quick that even though he was just a beta, he was not a man to be messed with.

  “When do I meet her?” he asked.

  “First thing in the morning,” I answered.

  “Well then, let’s go on an adventure,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  I couldn’t wait to see how this turned out.

  Chapter Four

  Nikki

  The next morning, I woke up bleary-eyed and exhausted, but still I pushed myself out of bed. I made a cup of tea and tried to wake up, but the clock ticked onward and soon it was time for me to leave. I left my apartment and proceeded to attend the mandatory counts in Sanctuary Square. It was a way for the guards to monitor all of us omegas and ensure that we all remained here in this sham of a prison. If anyone was missing, it always created problems for us. If the guards found any of us arriving late or absent, the consequences were always cruel and harsh. I shuddered just thinking about it.

  I kept my head down and bit my lip when one of them grabbed my ass, groping between my legs as he did so. I was extremely careful not to protest in any way and he moved on, looking for a reaction from someone else. I got back into line, dressed in my gray regulation clothing and tried to ignore the itch at the back of my neck from the cheap, scratchy fabric. I did my best to look absolutely miserable, so that no other guards expressed an interest in me.

  The women lined up in rows of ten. Now that the population had exploded though, we overflowed onto the streets. The number of guards had also increased too, which was problematic for many reasons.

  Thankfully, this morning went rather smoothly. The whole process took just under two hours as the guards split up and counted various sections. It took much longer now that the city’s entire population of omegas had all been awakened and forced into the sanctuary with those of us who had been unlucky enough to already live here. Luckily, the men only lost count once or twice this time, but none of us protested. We stayed silent and let them do their work. It was hot though and beads of sweat were dripping down my face. It took everything in me not to wipe them away. I stood there, hands clasped in front of me and stayed still as I could.

  No one wanted to be signaled out for punishment. When the guards felt like it, they picked whomever they wanted to make an example of, and I didn’t want to do anything to catch their attention. There was too much hinging on me as the leader of the Omegaborn and I couldn’t chance any of it.

  When the count was finally completed, we were released. Today happened to be our one day off from work, so I hurried off toward my apartment building. I used the tunnel in the basement to travel back to the underground and there, I rushed back into my office. I shut the door, tore off the itchy regulation clothes, and replaced them with my favorite black leather vest and matching pants. I slid on my boots and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.

  My skin burned hot and it took quite some time for my body to cool down.

  It didn’t take long for someone to knock on my door and I groaned. I needed some fucking coffee. I hadn’t had a cup of that in ages.

  Damned food shortage. Too many people living in the sanctuary and the government had refused to raise the budget just to feed us all. Fucking bastards. Fucking Philip Savile. I shook my head and grimaced, before lifting my chin and remembering myself.

  “Come in!” I yelled out, pulling my shoulders back so that I’d appear strong and confident.

  Ellie opened the door, just popping her head in, and she smiled nervously.

  “The alphas are ready for you,” she murmured. “They’re waiting in the strategy room and one of them brought a friend.”

  “A friend?” I asked. I cocked my head curiously to the side.

  “He’s a beta from the city. He says he’s here to help us,” she replied. I lifted an eyebrow and she shrugged. I was intrigued by this development, as it was kind of unprecedented. From what I knew about alphas, they usually never deferred to another, especially not a beta. Why they would bring one along was a complete mystery to me.

  “Let’s do this then,” I said and pushed myself up to follow her. We walked down the hall together and she opened the door to a decently sized conference room with an oval-shaped wooden table. I entered and Ellie closed the door behind me. Lifting my eyes, I appraised the four men waiting inside the room for me. The three alphas I had met last night were sitting on the sides of the table. Interestingly, the man I had yet to meet sat at the head of the table.

  The beta.

  He was physically smaller than the alphas, but the way his eyes appraised me indicated that he was a man used to getting his way, by whatever means necessary. His eyes were hazel, seductive, curious, and analytical. His dirty blond hair was fine, fairly straight with just a hint of a wave that hung to just below his shoulders. A short beard covered his chin, kept trim and clean. He tilted his head to the side, running the knuckle of his thumb along his jaw, watching me, studying me. He appeared strong even though he was leaner than the alphas. Then he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

  “My name is Damiyen and I’m here to help you win the war. Here’s how this is going to work,” he began. His voice was low and gravelly and entirely too masculine. I licked my lips, taking a seat at the other end of the table. I drew my shoulders back, leaning against the chair and waiting, my hackles already beginning to rise.

  There was no doubt in my mind that these four men were here to take over my role as leader here in the sanctuary. Viktor, Alaric, and Ethan looked from Damiyen back to me and didn’t say a word. I noticed that Viktor’s eyes stayed on Damiyen just a moment longer than the others, his expression indicating some sort of mutual respect. They had something planned from what I could gather.

  “I have many connections within the city, including distributers of food. The first thing we need to do is get you all fed and healthy. I’m going to smuggle a few medically trained doctors in here and start supplying healthcare. One key aspect of a strong army is the health of your soldiers,” he offered.

  I didn’t respond.

  “Next, you’re going to need weapons and places to teach your soldiers how to use them. I have a few places in mind and have already reached out to my connections to start smuggling guns and other various tools that might prove useful in battle for you,” he continued, and I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to quell the anger brewing deep inside. How dare he?

  “Aside from all that, you’re going to need allies. I have a great many of them in the city, a fair number of those sympathetic to the omega cause. But most important, you’re going to need money. And a lot of it,” he said next.

  “How the hell would you be able to provide all that? And why would a beta even care?” I asked, unable to keep the animosity from my tone. All my life, I’d been forced to live under someone’s thumb, and I’d made a life for myself here in the sanctuary where the women I led both respected and loved me as their leader. Now these four men had come to take that all away from me.

  He sat back, elbows on the table and drummed his fingers together. His jaw ticked, tensing as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I have my reasons. You’re just going to have to trust me,” he replied.

  I stared back at him in disbelief, but I bit my tongue.

  “How do you know this man?” I asked, turning to look at the three alphas. Ethan and Alaric shook their head, but Viktor leaned forward. So he did know him then.

  “Damiyen and I have been associates in business for a very long time,” he answered, his tone evasive.

  “What kind of business?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Damiyen answered. “Viktor and I have worked together for a very long time.”

  “This isn’t the first time he’s helped the omegas here in
the sanctuary. It’s because of his connections that you have many of the resources you do have down here, like the genetic sequencers and mass spectrometry machines,” Viktor added, and Damiyen shot him a look. Viktor sat back and folded his arms over one another.

  “I’m here to help you and that’s all there is to it,” Damiyen replied, cutting off Viktor from saying anything more.

  I was quiet for a long moment, studying the man as he stared back at me. From their ambiguous answers, whatever they were involved in together was likely illegal or at the very least unsavory.

  “Fine. Let’s say I believe you, at least for now. What do you want from me?” I asked warily. His answer would be incredibly important. I had to tread carefully. This man could be dangerous. He could be some sort of government spy, sent to gather intel and rat us out at a critical moment before we surged into battle. He could want rights to the women here or something else, something I’d yet to figure out. Either way, I had to stay alert. The women here were my responsibility and I had to keep them safe, no matter what.

  “I need you to work with me. If we’re going to be successful in getting the omegas out of here and free from the city’s thumb, we’re going to need to be a united front. I can’t have you fighting me every step of the way,” he answered, his tone low and dangerous. I gritted my teeth and shook my head.

  “What you mean is you want to take my place,” I scoffed, and he sighed heavily.

  “No, Nikki. What I want is for you to listen to me. The four of us are here to help you,” he answered, and I pressed my lips together.

  “The Central Gathering sent us to help prepare you as they ready themselves on the outside. The key to victory will be both the omegas here in the city and the alphas outside the walls. Without the two of us working together, we will lose, and everything will be lost,” Ethan reassured me, and I sat back.

  As much as I wanted to ignore his words, I knew he was right. Even Viktor who was sitting beside him nodded his head.

  “I’m just here for a good fight,” Alaric sneered, before smirking in my direction. His expression made me grin just a little and the brevity in his tone lightened the mood in the entire room.