YORK

 

There were plenty of places in Pandora to go to if you wanted to have a drink. There were bars packed with Alphas looking for a good time and Omegas willing to provide it for them. And there were other places where people went when they just wanted to have a drink to themselves. In the slums, alcohol was the last refuge for those trying to escape the lives they had to live, even if it were only temporary.

Nighttime in Pandora meant everybody was out looking for an escape.

The bar was filled with people like me trying to get away from everything. Alphas and Omegas alike sat at their tables by themselves. The only sound came from a broken jukebox in the corner of the bar. The somber music was perfect for the smoky atmosphere.

I leaned up against the bar and watched the bartender pour my drink. Seeing the glass fill up made me let out a contented sigh.

“Didn’t anybody ever tell you that you shouldn’t be wasting your money on alcohol?”

I slowly turned my head and saw Saxon standing there. I’d grown used to seeing the Beta’s face. His yellow smile and dirty face weren’t much different from most of the other people in Pandora. I couldn’t blame him for being the way he was. You had to live life a certain way to survive in the slums.

I turned back to my drink and swirled the liquor around in the glass.

“It’s a waste of money,” I said. “Especially with silver so rare these days, it’s not something I should be doing.”

“Why are you doing it?”

“…Sometimes you just want to forget.”

Saxon took a seat right next to me. The bartender asked him what he wanted but Saxon put his hand up and refused.

“Not drinking tonight?” I asked.

“…What do you think when you look at me?” he said.

“What?”

“What do I look like to you? You can be honest.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. I didn’t know what he was getting at but I figured I would play along.

“I see a man like everybody else in the slums,” I said. “A man living on the streets doing everything he can to make it.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“I mean…”

“I said be honest.”

He smiled softly at me.

“I mean you’re a hustler,” I said. “You run street fights and make money off the bets. You let Alphas tear each other apart all in the name of profit.”

“All in the name of trying to make it.”

Saxon nodded and leaned up against the bar counter, his elbows propped up on the table.

“I went out to the Timberlands once,” he said. “There are a lot of packs still out there. A lot of wolves living life the old way with no intention of coming to the city. It’s a strange sight to see men living among nature.”

“I can imagine. There are generations of people living in Dirge. Living in packs is nothing but a thing of the past to most people.”

“When I was out there, I saw a couple of packs going at it. I think they were fighting over territory. Or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, it was a pretty rough sight.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The two Alphas of the packs stepped up. They went at it with one another with both packs watching. Eventually, one of the Alphas had to submit.”

“What happened?”

“Not much. One pack left with their Alpha in defeat. The other pack celebrated their victory despite all the injuries their Alpha had sustained. But you know what was strange?”

“What’s that?”

“Their demeanor didn’t change. The Alpha who won went about his business like nothing was wrong. The other pack left without any problems. No matter how violent the fight was, they were still able to turn their backs and walk away.”

I wasn’t looking at Saxon as he told his story. My attention was focused on the liquor I continued to swirl around in my glass.

“That’s how I got the idea,” he said.

“What idea?”

“The idea to start hosting fights in the city. There are no packs in Dirge. Everybody lives out here on their own. But Alphas are always full of pride. It’s in their blood to prove their dominance.”

“And you took advantage of their nature.”

“That’s one way of putting it. I like to think I’m giving them an outlet for their aggression?”

“An outlet? You let Alphas beat each other bloody just so you can make money betting on them.”

“I’m doing what I can to survive. We’re living in the slums, remember?”

The dreary picture Saxon painted wasn’t making me feel any better. But I didn’t have the strength to shoo him away either.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because it would have happened either way. Even if I hadn’t met Hunter, even if I wasn’t running the fights, Alphas would find some way to go at each other’s throat. That’s just who they are. That’s just who Hunter is.”

I clenched my jaw as I remembered the biggest problem I had to deal with at the moment.

“Just because he’s an Alpha doesn’t mean he has to be irrational,” I said. “Stepping into the arena with Golden… With all of the injuries he has…”

“You don’t want to see him get hurt,” he said. “I understand.”

“Do you? You’ve been profiting off of Hunter ever since you met him. And you stand to gain a lot more if he goes through with it.”

“You haven’t been listening to what I’ve been telling you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means Hunter is an Alpha. It doesn’t matter what you or I say. He’s going to fight. There’s nothing you can do to stop him.”

“It’s who he is. It’s in his blood. He’s an Alpha. I get that. I just… I just wish that he could see things from my point of view.”

“He can’t. That’s what makes him an Alpha and you an Omega.”

I kept shaking my glass in my hand, letting the alcohol moving around hypnotize me. I was searching for a solution this entire time but nothing had come to me.

“He cares about you,” he said.

I didn’t say anything. From the corner of my eye, I could see Saxon staring at me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about my feelings but Saxon persisted.

“You care about him,” he said. “You don’t want him to fight because you don’t want to see him get hurt. He wants to fight because he wants to be able to take care of you.”

“I’m not his Omega,” I said as I shook my head. “We’re close but that doesn’t mean he has to risk his life for me.”

“He’s an Alpha. An Alpha without a pack. For the first time in his life, he finally has something to fight for.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“It shouldn’t make you feel one way or another. You’re wolves.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means it’s just a part of life. That’s just who you are. Just like the two packs who fought and went on with their lives. Your relationship is something you can’t avoid. Trying to run away from it is just denying who you really are inside.”

The alcohol was affecting me because Saxon was starting to make a little bit of sense. I knew I couldn’t let Hunter do whatever he planned on doing without being by his side.

“I’m just a Beta,” he said. “I’ve never had someone in my life. It doesn’t matter to me. That’s not what drives me. But I’ve lived long enough to understand what it’s like for Alphas and Omegas. I know that you can’t control your feelings. Why deny what’s already inside of you? Why pretend you’re any different?”

I shook my head.

“I care about Hunter,” I said. “He’s not like any other man I’ve ever met. He’s done so much for me and I haven’t even done anything for him.”

“You’ve done more than you know. Even I know that an Alpha becomes something more when he has an Omega in his life. Just… being there for him is more than he could ever ask for.”

I’d been through so much with Hunter. It would be a lie to say that he hadn’t changed my life for the better.

But I still couldn’t accept what he was planning on doing.

“Hunter had a good life,” I said. “He had a job. He had a place to live. He always had something to eat. Ever since he met me, things have changed for him. I know they have. Now he’s risking his life for me.”

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe he’s risking his life because now he actually has something to live for? Did you ask Hunter just how good his life was before he met you?”

I looked at Saxon and he raised his eyebrows at me.

“For a Beta, you sure do know a lot about Alphas and Omegas,” I said, laughing softly.

“Hey, I’ve been around,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve been around too long.”

I sighed as I got up from my seat.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m heading back to the shelter,” I said. “I… I need some time to think.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod. “You planning on finishing this?”

He pointed at the full glass of whiskey sitting on the bar counter. I chuckled as I shook my head.

“Someone once told me I shouldn’t be wasting silver on alcohol,” I said.

“Sounds like a smart man.”

Saxon gave me a wink as he sipped on the alcohol. I smiled at him before turning around and leaving the bar.

Regardless of what was happening, I knew heading back to the shelter would clear my head.

The fight in Azure was on the horizon. Hunter’s time was coming. When that time came, I knew exactly where I needed to be.