YORK

 

Hunter had gone back to work with his construction job. I wasn’t sure if it were a good idea for him to go back to work when he was still suffering from injuries but he assured me that he was fine.

Ruby was comfortable taking care of the Omegas in the shelter. I had nothing to do and it was still the middle of the afternoon. I figured I would pay Hunter a visit.

The building he was working on was several stories high. Even though it was mostly rubble, Hunter and all of the other construction workers had to work together to tear it down so that something new could be built in its place.

Dirge was a constantly evolving city. When one building was going up, another was coming down. I figured it was for the best but I wasn’t the one who made any decisions. That was mostly for the rich folks in Azure to decide.

As I made my way through the building, I noticed several Beta workers relaxing on their lunch break. I looked around and spotted Hunter sitting off near the edge of the building with a younger Beta right next to him.

I approached them and listened in on the conversation they were having.

“…three of them. That’s crazy.”

“Do you believe the stories?”

“A lot of crazy stuff happens in Pandora. I’ll believe anything that comes out of there. I just didn’t think I’d be working with a guy who was involved in one of the biggest fights in recent memory.”

“I can hardly believe it myself.”

Hunter didn’t seem to care one way or the other about the story of his last fight. The Beta was in slight awe as he stuffed his mouth with his sandwich.

As I got closer, the Beta and Hunter turned toward me.

“Hello,” I said to Hunter. “I was in the area. I was wondering if I could stop by.”

“I’m on a break,” Hunter said with a smile. “You’re here right on time.”

The Beta got up to his feet and shook my hand.

“Brady.”

“York. It’s nice to meet you, Brady.”

“It’s a nice to meet you. Anybody who’s cool with Hunter is cool with me.”

“Is that right?”

“Sure! He works harder than everybody here. It makes everybody else’s job easier. It’s nice to have an Alpha around…”

Brady eyeballed Hunter, who was staring out into the distance silently.

“…I’ll give you two a moment,” Brady said as he excused himself.

“Thanks,” I said.

Hunter chomped on his sandwich, a slight smile on his face as he kept looking off into the city.

“Peanut butter and jelly?” I asked. “Again?”

“You should know me by now.”

“I think I know you well enough. But it doesn’t hurt to try something else. A little ham. A little cheese. A little chicken.”

“That’s all good. But why switch when you already know what you like best?”

Hunter gave me a wink then took another chunk out of his sandwich.

“Do you want some?” he asked.

“I ate at the shelter. I’m fine. I just wanted to see you.”

“I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to see you.”

Hunter had his shirt off. His body was covered in sweat, the result of hours of toiling in the heat while swinging a sledgehammer. It was hard not to marvel at his body but I knew I had to talk to him.

“Since I’m not working for Rip any longer, I’m not making any money. I figured I could get a job.”

“Did you have anything in mind?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I’m going to start looking into it though. There are plenty of places in Pandora that are hiring.”

“Pandora…”

The way he sighed along with the fact that he wasn’t looking at me told me something was on his mind. I figured there was no point in waiting any longer.

“What is it?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you have something to tell me. You still haven’t told me what you were planning on doing.”

Hunter took another bite of his sandwich then glanced at me. He nodded softly.

“Okay,” he said as he smacked his lips. “I’ll tell you.”

He paused for a second, looking down at the ground.

“…Saxon and I went to Azure.”

“Azure? Why would you ever go to a place like Azure?”

“Because that’s where Valentine is.”

“Valentine… The Alpha we saw at your last fight. You went to Azure to talk to Valentine? Hunter, please don’t tell me—”

“Valentine offered me a big fight. A fight that’ll net me enough gold to take care of you and the entire shelter.”

The thought of so much gold was nice but I immediately started to worry.

“I don’t like this,” I said. “Fighting in Pandora is one thing. You’re just beating random Alphas trying to make a few pieces of silver to try and get by. The Alphas you’ll have to fight in Azure are trained killers.”

“I don’t have to fight all of them. Just two.”

“Two?”

“Valentine will give me a chance to show what I’ve got. I win that fight, I’ll get a chance at the biggest fight. I win that fight, it’ll be more gold than you or I could count.”

Hunter was determined. I could see that much on his face. I shook my head in disappointment.

“I don’t know if I like you fighting,” I said.

He put a hand on my shoulder to try and reassure me.

“I know you don’t like me fighting—”

“Then why are you doing it? Why would you risk your life for some gold?”

“Because you need it. The shelter needs it.”

“I can get a job! There are other ways to make the money we need.”

“You know there’s no job in the city that’ll pay you enough money to renovate the shelter. This is the only way.”

“The shelter isn’t your responsibility.”

“York…”

He squeezed my shoulder gently in his palm. He stared at me with obvious sincerity in his eyes. Hunter always left me hypnotized just from the way he looked at me.

“I want to do this,” he said. “What kind of Alpha would I be if I let this go without doing something about it?”

“Just because you’re an Alpha doesn’t mean you have to keep risking your life in these fights. Look at how hurt you got the last time. You’re still recovering from your injuries.”

“I’ll be recovered in time for the next fight.”

“But—”

“You don’t think I can do this? You don’t think I’ll win?”

I clenched my jaw, unable to respond to him.

Hunter was different from any other man I’d ever met. He was capable of anything. But I was still worried. He was walking into the unknown.

“I can do this,” he said. “You just have to trust me.”

I sighed a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t refuse him. When he smiled, I somehow managed to smile right back.

“Okay,” I said with a nod. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep looking for another job. You shouldn’t have to put your life on the line just to make a living.”

“Living in Pandora isn’t any way to live. Not for you. Not for any of the other Omegas in the shelter.”

He released me from his grip and turned his attention back out toward the view of the city. He stuffed the rest of his sandwich between his lips. There was a calmness on his face I envied at the moment.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” he asked. “There’s always room for peanut butter and jelly…”

I watched the smirk form on his lips and couldn’t help but laugh. Despite what Hunter just told me, he made me smile again.

“I’m going to get a job,” I said. “I’ll make enough gold to take you out to eat. You’ll see there’s more to Dirge than peanut butter and jelly.”

“I don’t think so. But… I’m still looking forward to it.”