Playing Along

The Resistance was bombing the orphanage?

They had to be out of their minds!

Annie struggled to lift her head. "Is the Butcher dead?!"

She shook her head, only then realizing the ringing in her ears had subsided a bit. The next moment, she heard Charles Lang's command: "Eleven o'clock, open fire!"

Ugh.

Why couldn't that damned man just die?

"Watch out!"

Arthur reached out again and pressed Annie's head down.

Bullets zipped through the dust-filled air, whizzing just past their heads.

The swirling sand served as a temporary shield; the attackers couldn't see Annie and Arthur, and likewise, they couldn't see their assailants. All they could do was strain to hear snippets of the New Theban dialect between the hails of gunfire.

"Don't let that couple get away. We can't let them become the face of Twilight. Find them."

"What right do terrorists have to speak for the Prophet's will?"

"Time to show those traitors who's in charge!"

Annie: "..."

So they really were the Resistance.

She lifted her head and met Arthur's blue eyes. He cursed under his breath in the local dialect.

"Not necessarily Boss He's people," Annie whispered. "If they wanted us dead, they could've just had Madam Hado poison our food."

It seemed the Resistance had its own factions, and they didn't always share intelligence. This group had no idea that Annie and Arthur had only allied with Twilight to help a scientist enter the city.

New Thebes might be behind the times, but its political landscape was anything but simple.

They couldn't stay here—it was too dangerous.

Annie steadied herself and flicked her fingers.

The personal terminal on her wrist, sensing the gesture, released several specially designed multi-purpose ropes that thrashed wildly across the sand like serpents, churning up the settling dust once more.

Arthur Kane caught on instantly.

The Alpha rose swiftly, scooped Annie into his arms, turned, and leaped toward the rear, retreating from the crossfire to the shelter of a corner.

After tucking her behind cover, Arthur spoke directly: "East side. Your call."

"What?"

Annie cautiously peeked out.

Her contact lenses zoomed in automatically. On the wind-eroded slope to the east, three human figures were auto-highlighted in red. They were all lying prone, one of them holding binoculars.

Under the sunlight, the lens caught a quick flash as it reflected the light.

In that instant he'd escaped the sand cloud, he'd spotted that glint and alerted Annie to confirm.

What kind of dynamic vision was that? Annie was stunned—was he even human?

"Probably the leader," she deduced. "We can't let Twilight capture him alive. Can you get me his comm terminal?"

Arthur rose without a word.

No prior approval, no promise—just action. The Federation agent strode forward, his whole body surging like a leopard!

Annie: "Wait—"

The words had barely left her mouth when Arthur was already several meters past the cover.

At the same time, the Butcher's voice rang out from afar.

"Hey—the little bride's over there! You two go watch her. If anything happens to her, I can't answer to my little brother!"

Damn it.

Annie cursed inwardly. She'd planned to circle around, but now two soldiers were charging over with rifles raised. Twilight's tradition dictated that Omegas couldn't participate in combat.

They'd only just earned these people's trust; she couldn't blow their cover now.

She ducked back behind cover, using her contacts to watch Arthur vault up and land directly on the cliff face beside the building!

She'd seen Arthur's leaping ability and strength firsthand back at the Ancient Temple.

He gripped the rough rock wall, his shoulder blades rising like mountain peaks. The dry wind caught his coat, revealing a narrow strip of tanned skin. His biceps flexed with explosive power, and in three quick moves, Arthur Kane was atop the cliff, landing on his feet.

Her lenses zoomed in further. Annie clearly saw all three men up there freeze in shock.

No one had expected someone to climb up that fast.

Arthur's blue eyes glittered in the sunlight, a color like gemstones that seemed almost too vivid for a living man.

The air froze for a heartbeat, then—click—a round was chambered.

"Don't move!"

"Stop him!"

But the Alpha paid their threats no heed.

He twisted his waist, dodging the nearest blade tip by a hair, then reached out with a long arm and seized the gunman's wrist.

The crack of a broken radius bone and the man's scream echoed off the cliff walls.

Arthur kicked the knife-wielder away and shoved the shooter aside. The leader, who'd been watching through binoculars, saw the tide turning and bolted!

Arthur let out a cold snort. In two strides, he slammed the man to the ground.

The leader's alloy mask scraped against a rock with a sharp clang. Arthur pinned his back with a boot, bent down, grabbed the back of his neck, and ripped the personal terminal connected there clean off.

"You—"

The man beneath him struggled, twisting his head to curse: "Traitor! Rot in hell! Your parents died at Twilight's hands, and now you're playing lapdog for the Butcher!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You have a mole in the Butcher's ranks?" Otherwise, how would he know about Arthur's past?

The leader froze.

Another one who spoke before thinking. Arthur was starting to wonder if there was anyone sane left in New Thebes' Resistance.

He pocketed the personal terminal and said flatly: "Don't cause trouble for Boss He."

The leader: "Wh—you know Boss He?!"

Seeing the man finally catch on, Arthur gave him another kick. "Get lost!"

Down below, the remaining Resistance fighters were still exchanging fire with Twilight. The two disarmed men helped the leader up, who stared at the tall Alpha in disbelief. "...Retreat."

A shrill whistle cut across the vast desert.

Even the Butcher was too focused on the sudden attack to notice Arthur climbing back down from the cliff. He'd deliberately stalled, waiting until the gunfire below had died down before slowly making his way down.

As soon as he touched the ground, a white-robed figure rushed over through the sand.

"Arthur!"

Annie's voice was choked with tears. Under everyone's gaze, she ran straight into Arthur Kane's arms.

Her soft, slender frame collided with his chest. The petite Omega looked up—

Arthur's blue eyes narrowed slightly.

His body tensed, but when Annie raised her hand, the Alpha didn't move.

Smack!

Just like at the checkpoint outside the quarantine zone, Annie's palm connected with his cheek.

But this time, Annie knew perfectly well: his hands weren't covering his head, and it wasn't unexpected. Arthur Kane had caught her intent the moment she moved, yet he chose to let her hit him.

...Not bad!

Annie curled the corner of her mouth beneath her scarf: the mad dog finally knew how to play along.

Thinking back to how exhausting he'd been at the start, Annie felt she'd really earned this.

Relief washed over her, but her sobbing performance continued.

"Why did you have to charge up there?! Why not leave it to the army?!" Annie choked out. "You going up there... I was scared to death!"

This was to make it clear that Arthur was the one who'd disrupted the Resistance's command and forced them to retreat.

They couldn't let the credit slip away—not if they wanted to solidify their standing with Twilight.

Annie kept crying: "If you die, I don't want to live either. I'll follow you—"

She didn't get to finish.

A solid arm wrapped around her waist, and Annie felt herself suddenly lifted off the ground.

The Alpha's towering frame loomed over her, blocking out the blazing desert sun. Those translucent jewel-like eyes closed in, catching Annie off guard for a split second.

In the blink of an eye, Arthur yanked down her scarf.

What?

Annie's instincts screamed—on New Thebes, an Omega couldn't show her face.

But the next moment, Arthur kissed her.

Annie's eyes widened slightly at the touch of his lips. Just this morning, Arthur had been reluctant to even kiss her.

Maybe performing was different, she reasoned.

Except...

Amid the jeers and whistles from the Twilight soldiers, Arthur's thick lashes shadowed his blue eyes.

Just acting.

Newlyweds, life on the line—a perfectly reasonable reaction. It also shut down Charles Lang before he could stride over and interrogate them.

But when Arthur bit down on Annie's lower lip, he felt the liquid in his veins turn to oil, ignited by a tiny spark.

The Omega's pheromones hit his brain straight through his throat—a crisp, tangy sweetness that made him salivate involuntarily.

He'd only meant to go through the motions. A light brush, a simple touch.

Yet when he caught that soft tongue, greed surged up from his gut, entangling his will.

Just a little more.

Sweep across the soft palate, pull her closer, trace and nibble again.

A little more.

Make her sob in his arms, make her beg, make her melt before him like a real Omega—

Then Annie squeezed the back of his neck, barely noticeable.

Stimulated directly, the Alpha jolted.

The metallic burn of his pheromones surged wildly, yet he landed on a single point of calm.

Arthur exhaled with reluctance. His broad palm enveloped Annie's slender fingers, slipping the personal terminal into her sleeve.

That was the real purpose of this public display.

Annie stowed the terminal away without a trace and pulled back a little.

She wiped the moisture from her lips. "Put me down."

Arthur just bowed his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Don't move."

He inhaled the lemon-leaf scent into his lungs one last time before reluctantly letting her go.

Charles Lang, standing off in the distance, watched with an appreciative whistle.

"I gotta say, little brother," he drawled, slouching like anything but a soldier, "you spoil that little bride too much. No Omega should be walking all over you like that. That just won't do."

Annie turned her back to the Twilight soldiers and hurriedly pulled her scarf back up.

Under the fabric, her lips still burned. She knew without looking that Arthur had bitten them red. What a dog!

She glanced back at the Butcher, who wore a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile.

That bastard... He was playing dumb on purpose.

From the very start, he'd known Arthur hadn't marked Annie. And it seemed none of her little tricks had escaped Charles Lang's notice.

But the Butcher didn't call it out.

What did that mean? Was he trying to confirm Annie's motives, or deliberately letting things slide?

Something was off.

Annie filed that thought away.

Arthur wore his usual sour expression: "None of your business."

Charles Lang spread his hands.

"True enough. Can't tell another Alpha how to handle his wife." He broke into sudden laughter. "But you chased off the Resistance for us—that's a real feat! Not many kids got hurt. I'll pass the word up and get you credit for it. And today—"

He paused deliberately.

"Day after the wedding, it ought to be a proper celebration."

The Butcher waved a hand magnanimously. "Come on, come on, little brother. This one's on me! Back to the Governor's Mansion—we party till dawn!"

Annie: "..."

Celebrate my ass! She still had to crack that personal terminal Arthur had slipped her.

What was there to celebrate about a sham marriage? But she couldn't say that to Charles Lang, and she couldn't refuse. Annie ran through her options and let out a faint sigh.

"You'll have to cover for me," she murmured. "I need to crack that terminal as fast as I can."

Arthur didn't answer, but his blue eyes dropped immediately, locking onto Annie with a look that clearly said: go on.

"That was well done just now. Thanks for playing along." Annie hinted. "Looks like I'll be working from your lap all evening."

The Alpha's face was unreadable.

But the moment the words left Annie's mouth, the metallic burn of his pheromones hit her again, even stronger than before.

Out here, in the open desert, and his scent still swirled thick and heavy.

Annie: "..."

It might not be a full heat, but he was definitely reacting, wasn't he?!