Capítulo 3: Chapter 2
If there was one thing I'd focused on when my parents formally handed over the family business to me, it was the training facility.
A building built entirely for the purpose of breaking and remaking its students to be full-fledged members of the Underworld. Be they children or adults, men or women or those betwixt and between, Alpha, beta, or omega—there were absolutely no limitations for its users.
It was my favorite place because it was where I'd honed myself best; from a dull knife to a spear, I had become my parents' official heir after having been shaped and sharpened by the firm hands of the people in this facility.
And now, the children I took in would be the ones using it.
"Too slow."
I watched from one floor up as Sasha treated the children like training dummies, cleanly sweeping them off their feet to be pinned to the floor or thrown to the side. He was one man against a dozen children, and yet, there was no sign of breaking a sweat on that cool face.
One of the first kids I took in, back when I understood that I needed to bring in my own people to stay by my side. That young, scrawny pale face that I'd saved had become someone so strong now, enough that he showed no struggle despite taking on twelve wild children at once.
Thwack.
A black-haired child with dark skin gave a grunt as she fell to the floor, one hand coming up to press against her throbbing cheek. Aisha was her name, and she'd been one of the more stubborn betas of the bunch since I first picked her up.
Sasha didn't flinch even with the sharpness of that young glare.
The puppy-like face that I was so used to didn't exist, here. Sasha's expression—despite the distance I was at, and even with the aggravated pheromones of the children pouring in from all sides—was as cold as ice, unshakeable.
"Recklessness will cost you," he said. "Assess your chances. Consider the strength of your opponent. If you have to use your pheromones, so be it. There are no dirty tricks in a real fight."
His clear voice echoed through the room, reaching my ears.
I bit my lip with amusement.
The same words I'd told him when he was younger had come back to me like this. It was interesting, having him be the ones to say them.
Thud.
"Ugh..!"
Smack.
"Eek!"
Thwack. Bang.
"Augh!" "Ngh!"
One by one, or even twice at once, the children fell to their knees on the floor. Some were bruised, some had blood dripping from their split mouths, and all of them were heaving for breath as if exhausted.
Despite this, I could smell the determination in their intermingling scents. These children, despite being smacked around like mere dolls, would not be giving up so soon.
What if..?
I descended the stairs with one lingering thought in my head.
When I came down to where Sasha and the children were, everyone except Sasha was already crumpled down onto the floor on their knees or on their sides, struggling to get up and failing to do so.
This was all before I'd even taken the last step off the stairs, and I knew it wasn't just because of their ongoing training.
"Wh-what is this," stammered a black-haired, pale-skinned child.
"An Alpha..?"
"I c-can't stand..."
"That's right."
I smiled coolly as my heels clicked out a sharp rhythm on smooth tiles. Multiple eyes tried to turn to me at once, but they struggled in the middle of it.
Two pairs of eyes managed to meet my gaze after some struggling, however. Sasha was already an exception since I'd trained him to manage holding up against me, but it seemed I had two more children who had the potential for quick growth.
Alex, with her dark-brown hair, golden skin, and dragon eyes.
Hajun, with his black hair, porcelain skin, and sleepy-eyed gaze.
I had two sleeping dragons, it seemed. I could easily understand Alex's resistance since she was an Alpha, but to think the omega Hajun could hold up...
Perhaps it was time for Angel to take on a student of her own, hm?
My smile widened just thinking about it. I could already imagine her exasperated face at the idea of having a small charge while already looking after me.
To Sasha, I asked, "Have you taught them about their secondary genders already?"
Sasha's cool expression quickly gave in to a smile at my question. Ah, there was the puppy that I'm so familiar with. "Not yet, master," he said promptly. "Did you want to give a short lesson?"
"I could." To the children, with my Alpha's intimidation still in effect, I ordered, "Sit up properly."
Some struggled due to the sorry state of their body, but most others heeded my order the moment I finished speaking. In fact, none of them seemed at all resentful or miserable at their current circumstances, even with all the minor injuries—it was as though they'd found something to fight for in their training, something that lent them the will to live, and keep fighting.
It seemed that Angel might have been right about the children, after all. What they needed wasn't coddling, or a reminder of their vulnerability.
What they needed was a reminder of their own power, and strength.
"The hierarchy of secondary genders," I began to say. "Alpha, beta, and omega. Could someone tell me what they know?"
A couple hands raised at my question. Some did so confidently, while others were a little more hesitant.
"Celio," I said, picking out one of the half-raised hands from the sitting children.
Celio jolted at having been chosen, seeming to not have expected it as he lowered his hand onto his lap. His cheeks almost instantly flushed pink in embarrassment; the color was so stark it stood out from his fair skin.
"Alphas," he began, seeming unsure, "are, um, at the top of the pack hierarchy. Seen to be the protectors and p-providers of the pack. Their pheromones can force some betas, omegas, and very few other Alphas, d-depending on strength, to listen to their commands."
I nodded. I had a smart child in my hands too, huh? It made sense; people in the most dire living circumstances, given a certain amount of determination and desperation, could force themselves to develop faster than their peers.
I'd be making use of that in full, of course. It'd be a waste if I didn't sharpen these toy knives into true swords.
"Correct so far," I said. "Betas?"
"People in the middle of Alphas and omegas," he explained, seeming to have gained confidence now that I'd accepted his explanation of Alphas. He was smiling a little as he spoke. "They're usually mediators, since they're less sensitive than Alphas, but better at sensing pheromones than omegas. They keep the balance of the pack because of that."
I nodded again. It bore well for me that there was at least one child who knew this much. Though I'd found these children from different places and at different times, it was easy to see that they had formed a pack of their own once I'd gathered them under my wing. This meant that Celio's knowledge, sharp as it was in his young age, was likely to have already been shared with the others.
"Omegas?" I asked.
"The rarest in the pack hierarchy," he said, before looking to Hajun and Maria—a child with auburn hair and warm beige skin. They were the only omegas of their pack. "Most don't have the sensitivities of either Alphas or betas to pheromones, nor do they have pheromones to express themselves, and so..."
Maria and Hajun gave him an encouraging nod, and he nodded back.
Looking to me, he said, "They're usually treated as outcasts for not being able to scent, or be scented. Most end up isolated by society because of this."
I nodded, and gave him a smile.
He flushed a darker pink and bowed his head to hide his face, though not before I caught the shy smile on his lips.
Children really were adorable. That was what I thought.
My Alpha seemed to think the same, given the sudden roar of heat from within me. It was ferocious, ravenous, and I could only thank my years of experience in dealing with it that I managed to tamp it all down without the children noticing anything. The desire, the cry for a child born of my blood and flesh—I understood it. I wanted it too. I wanted it badly enough that I'd made my own measures to track a decent mate down, and even signed a reluctant Angel up to aid in my search.
I inhaled slowly.
Then, with an exhale, I lessened the Alpha pheromones I'd been using to keep the children still, allowing them to breathe a little easier. Most, if not all of them, shifted from where they sat with obvious exhales of relief.
Such was the force of a prime Alpha, though that was something for them to learn more about later on.
"Though that's a good summary of public knowledge on pack hierarchy as science tells it, there's more to it than that." I looked around, and found each pair of eyes watching me with laser focus. Good; they wouldn't last in the Underworld if a bit of ass-kicking could so easily knock them out of focus. "Omegas have a greater power than people know. Alphas have their own glaring weaknesses given the amount of power they have."
My words were met with wide eyes, and slightly gaping mouths.
"You'll be learning about this over time. Sasha and I will be training you when it comes to dealing with your secondary gender," I said, resting a hand on my hip. The children, despite no longer being under the influence of my pheromones, sat still at attention. "He will teach you on the subtler aspects of the pack hierarchy, and I'll be training you so you get used to Alpha pheromones."
I smiled at all of them, and received a few smiles back. Some were confident, almost excited at my approval, while the others were a little more timid with their joy. These children I'd taken in, the ones who chose me knowing the kind of cruel salvation I offered...
I'd make sure they grew strong enough to protect themselves, and to stand on their own two feet. If my expectations on their development were to be met, then I could only eagerly look forward to my child's future with these people at their side.
"Master."
Sasha wore a curious look on his face when he called to me.
I could hazard a guess on why.
"Yes?"
"Is it true that you're doing branch inspections?"
I had to admire Angel's efforts to keep it confidential that I was looking for a mate. I was sure there would be chaos the moment such a thing came out to the world—the Underworld was a powerful group to have in your hands, after all, and what easier way to attain it other than marrying into the family?
As if I'd entertain such foolish thinking.
"That's right," I confirmed. "I'll be taking her with me, so I expect you and Cyril to take care of this place well."
There was a flash of annoyance in Sasha's gaze before he returned to his previous smile. No wonder; his relationship with Cyril—one of the older Alphas I'd taken in—was odd, to say the least. Fighting on some days, overly affectionate on others, but always denying the existence of a relationship at all.
Kids these days.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," I warned him.
"He's the guy you should be telling off."
Sasha's voice was grumbly, almost childish, and it made me huff out a laugh. Where had the cool and composed Sasha gone? Even the puppy-like version of him wasn't there anymore, replaced by this young man who felt unnecessarily competitive over an Alpha five years his senior.
But then, Cyril wasn't particularly helpful in keeping that competitiveness at bay. He was an obedient pup for me, that was certain, but with Sasha?
He poked Sasha's buttons whenever he could, whenever there was a chance to. Like a person who liked teasing an ornery cat, Cyril seemed to find amusement in reminding Sasha that he was shorter, younger, and a little less stronger, all to get him riled up.
"I'll be telling him off some other time," I said.
That seemed to soothe Sasha, going by the satisfied smile on his face.
The children, when I glanced over at them, looked confused at what was happening. They likely hadn't met Cyril yet as the man was often away for office visitations with our investors; they wouldn't have known the exact dynamics between him and Sasha.
That would change soon, however.
"Cyril and Sasha will take over training you when I leave for my branch inspections," I explained, to multiple nodding heads. "Cyril is an Alpha like me, so he'll be the one managing your pheromone training."
"He's a big guy, but don't take him too seriously," Sasha huffed. Of course, this kid was quick to ruin Cyril's image. "He's got a soft spot for kids."
Some of the children's eyes sparkled at that knowledge.
Well, they'd be fine. Though Cyril was, indeed, soft-hearted for children, he wasn't so soft that he couldn't handle a dozen of them.
The question was...
Would I be fine? Would I actually succeed in finding someone just from a change in location?
Or would my Alpha win, forcing me to feed the burning desire inside me regardless of my choice?
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