Alphas Reckoning

Danny's POV

The guard scoffed, threw his hands up in irritation, and stepped outside, slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind him.

Click.

"Wow," I muttered under my breath, shaking my head in sheer disbelief. "They have some exceptionally foolish guards in this world."

I turned around to face the dark corner of the room. The kids were huddled together, clutching each other so tightly their knuckles were white.

The moment my gaze fell on them, both flinched hard, shrinking back as if waiting for a blow.

My stomach churned. I walked over, dropping to one knee so I was at eye level with them.

"Listen," I whispered, keeping my voice as gentle as possible. "I swear to you... I’m not that bad daddy, alright? He’s... well, he’s on Earth right now. I’m a brand-new guy. And right now, we need to run."

Leaving the confused kids for a second, I hurried over to the heavy curtains and peered through the window. It was pitch black outside.

Good thing this place is a single-story bungalow, I thought, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

From the brief memories downloading into my head, I knew this was one of Alpha Derek’s hidden outposts, and armed guards were patrolling the perimeter.

And beyond these walls lay the dead zone of a broken world.

My mind flashed back to the novel’s lore as my brain tried to process the nightmare outside.

The apocalypse didn't start with nuclear bombs or a virus falling from the sky. It started right beneath people's feet.

Five years ago, this world itself broke open, and the soil began oozing thick, blackish-purple chemical sludge.

Overnight, agricultural fields turned to toxic mud, and crops withered into ash. Worse, the corrosive chemicals ate through concrete foundations, causing skyscrapers and bridges to collapse like cheap cardboard because the earth simply couldn't hold their weight anymore.

And the horror didn't stop with dead soil. Any human or animal exposed to the contaminated ground mutated into a grotesque, flesh-eating beast driven entirely by frantic, ravenous hunger.

A single bite from one of those monsters was an instant death sentence; the toxic infection spread through the bloodstream in minutes, turning the victim into another flesh-eating beast.

Yeah, I swallowed hard, staring into the dark courtyard. We are definitely not staying here.

"So... uh..." I glanced up at the ceiling. "System? Hello? System, you there?"

Crickets. Nothing.

"Right. Dump me in a death trap and ignore me right when I need you the most. Classic."

I turned back to the kids and snapped into action. "Lyra, come over here."

The little five year old hesitated, her big dark eyes wide with terror, but she slowly shuffled toward me.

I grabbed a thick linen blanket off the bed, carefully wrapped it around her, and hoisted her onto my back, tying the cloth tightly around my chest.

As a botanist who used to carry heavy soil sacks and take care of my useless, degenerate brother Connor when he was a baby, this was second nature to me.

"Noah, over here."

Noah froze, looking at me with deep suspicion.

"You want to die, kid?" I hissed, eyebrows raised. "Because if that guy comes back and realizes I’m not actually beating you, we’re all dead."

That did the trick. Noah scrambled over.

I scooped Noah securely into my front arms, took a deep breath, and threw myself out the open window.

THUD!

We landed in a heap on the dirt below.

"Ouch..." I groaned, wincing as my knees hit the hard ground. "It wasn't even high..."

We were crouched in the shadows behind a thick patch of overgrown garden bushes. I took a second to catch my breath, looking up at the dark sky.

Now, System! This would be the absolute perfect time to give me a shield or something.

RAT-AT-AT-TAT!

Suddenly, deafening gunfire tore through the night air.

Muzzle flashes illuminated the dark courtyard as heavy bullets sprayed across the estate.

"Daddy!" both children winced in terror, burying their tiny faces into my chest and back, shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm scared too, guys, trust me!" I yelped softly, ducking lower into the dirt as dust and splinters rained down around us.

"I think... I think Alpha Daddy is coming!" Noah whispered into my ear, his tiny hands tightening on my shirt. "He's coming to rescue us!"

I blinked, looking down at him. "Wait, really?"

Urgh... I wish I knew what was supposed to happen next. I didn't even finish reading the damn novel.

"SYSTEM!" I shouted toward the dark sky in a desperate whisper. "SYSTEM, HELP!"

Nothing. Just the distant screams of dying mercenaries and the heavy crunch of boots on gravel.

Footsteps were heading straight toward our bush. Heavy. Methodical. Deadly.

Panic seized my chest. Without thinking, I hunkered down, clutching Noah tight and keeping Lyra secured on my back, and began crouch-running through the dark garden, trying to find an exit.

"Found you."

A voice boomed through the night. Deep, rich, and dripping with lethal authority, it vibrated straight through my chest.

I froze mid-step, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Slowly, I looked up.

The storm clouds parted overhead, and pale moonlight flooded the garden, illuminating the man standing right in front of us.

Holy shit.

The fan art back on Earth didn't even come close to doing this guy justice.

He was towering and broad-shouldered, clad in a sleek, charcoal-black tactical military coat fitted with silver officer rank pins at the high collar.

The fitted uniform hugged his chest and narrow waist, boasting broad, absurdly sculpted shoulders. He couldn't have been older than twenty eight, but his jawline was cut so sharp it looked sculpted by a master artist.

Thick, dark hair fell loosely across his brow, dusted lightly with ash from the gunfight, framing a striking face that was unfairly handsome.

But it was his eyes piercing, grey eyes glowing with pure, predatory Alpha dominance, that made my breath catch in my throat.

He looked like an absolute war god commanding the night.

I swallowed hard, my throat going completely dry.

Alpha Chadwick Rodriguez.

"Daddy!" Noah gasped. In an instant, the boy squirmed out of my arms, running forward to wrap his tiny arms around the leg of the intimidating giant.

"Daddy!" Lyra screamed from behind my back, her voice filled with pure relief.

A massive wave of relief washed over me. I let out a breathless laugh. "Oh, thank God you're here to save us!" I wheezed, staring up at the breathtaking commander.

More heavy footsteps crunched against the dirt behind him as armored soldiers fanned out, clearing the perimeter with efficient speed.

"They're all dead, Alpha," a tall, stern officer reported, stepping into the moonlight."We need to go now, the virus is coming towards us!"

"Uncle Tony!" Noah cheered, turning to hug the officer.

Right! Tony! My brain instantly matched the face. Tony, Chadwick's right-hand man and Beta officer.

I let out a long, exhausted sigh, dusting the dirt off my knees. Nice. A happy family reunion. Now let's get the hell out of here, go home, and get some sleep.

I took one step forward...

CLICK.

The icy, metallic barrel of a heavy tactical handgun was pressed directly against the center of my forehead.

I instantly went stiff as a board, my hands shooting up into the air.

Chadwick stared down at me, his dark amber eyes completely void of warmth, looking at me like I was a treacherous bug he was ready to crush under his boot.

The oppressive weight of his Alpha pheromones hit the air, so dense and icy it made my knees want to buckle. So this is what it felt like to be in an omegaverse, and unwilling surrender to an Alpha.

"Tony," Chadwick commanded, his voice dark and smooth as silk. "Take my daughter."

Tony stepped forward without a word. He unknotted the blanket from my trembling chest and gently lifted Lyra off my back.

"Shoot Alpha," Tony said, his voice laced with disgust, "Danny deserves to die."

My heart sank straight to my stomach.