112: 3.52 The Rebels

3.52 The Rebels

The single, spacious room was completely dark. Boxes of takeouts were strewn haphazardly on the table and dirty clothes piled up on the sofa. The curtain was fully drawn and the only source of light came from the floating hologram screen which was showing the headline news. Ryan was pacing back and forth across the room, biting his nails anxiously.  0

He had lost in the final match against Altair and lost consciousness due to concussion and blood loss. But an Alpha's healing ability had always been exceptional. Ryan had woken up a few hours later in the infirmary, disoriented. It took a while for the memories to come back to him.

He was defeated. And it was after he had proudly asked the Emperor to be the judge of the match, Ryan groaned in mortification. He had lost miserably, his pride shattered into pieces. He imagined how people must have talked about what a loser he was and felt humiliation crawling up his body from head to toe. He gnashed his teeth, chagrin. The more he thought about it, the more pathetic he felt. How could he face anyone again after this? Where would he put his face?! 

He had always been a proud Alpha. Yet it was only after he met Altair that he tasted such a bitter defeat for the first time. He was close to having a breakdown and thus he opted to turn off his communicator and holed himself up in the room. Maybe this way people would gradually forget about him. Maybe this way he could gather the broken pieces of his dignity and pieced them together, silently licking his wounds alone. 

He counted inwardly. It had been a week since then. 

After he felt adequately ready, he had turned on his communicator and replied to a few concerned messages asking about his well-being. Friends, classmates, teachers. He told them that he was sick and they dropped it at that. Then he had turned on the TV as per habit, trying to fill himself in on what was going on around the world.

Yet never had he expected that the first thing he saw would be the same person who had dealt a great blow to his confidence.

When Ryan thought that he couldn't be any more miserable, he was slapped by the fact that the person he had been trying to defeat was a Prince.

The Crown Prince. A member of royalty. 

Ryan burst out laughing, bitter. How foolish he was, trying to flaunt himself in front of someone who already had everything. So that's why Altair had never taken him seriously. In his eyes, Ryan was no different from a mere commoner, one whose position would be forever beneath him. His cheeks burned every time he thought of how he planned to humiliate Altair. 

From the beginning, he was fated to be the loser.

The revelation made Altair seem further and further out of his reach. No matter how hard he tried, he would still be looking up at him from the ground. Ryan shook his head, bitterness rising in his throat. He was unreconciled…but what could he do? The other person was a royalty, one that he couldn't touch without consequences. Or so he thought. Until one day, a message from an unknown number found its way to his communicator. The bold subject instantly captured his attention and before he realized it, he had clicked it open, despite how ridiculous and suspicious it sounded.

[Subject: Do You Want To Change How Society Works?]

Good day, Mr. Ryan.

You must be surprised to see this message and I appreciate that you're giving this a chance. I assure you that this is not a scam. All I want is to spread equality in this unfair society. I have seen your matches in Arena Fighting, you're a very excellent Alpha, much more excellent than the peers your age. Please never doubt that. What you lack is only an opportunity to overthrow your enemy. If I were to give you this opportunity, would you work with me?

If you're interested, we can discuss this further. Just reach out to me anytime. 

I will be waiting for your answer.

Yours sincerely, Peter

Ryan narrowed his eyes. Something was gnawing in the back of his mind. One thing for certain was, whoever this Peter might be, he was familiar with Ryan enough to address his grievance. He knew Ryan's one-sided rivalry with Altair and the way he worded his message implied that they were facing the same enemy. The same goal, and he was asking for Ryan's cooperation.

A word popped up in his mind. The rebels.

A quiet gasp escaped Ryan's lips. They must be the rebels. Ryan had heard about them from the news before. The rebellion group had gathered and called themselves the upholder of justice, trying to dissolve the hierarchy where Alpha ruled almost every aspect of civilization and Beta and Omega could only comply. Ryan had admonished them of their foolishness; Alphas were supposed to rule. They were dominant creatures! 

How brazen they were! Disgust coiled in his stomach. Ryan scoffed and his thumb moved to delete the message. However, a split second before he did, he hesitated, thumb hovering over the trash bin icon. Like Peter said, wouldn't this be an opportunity? Sure, this was a very risky move but if he succeeded… Ryan's brain kicked into gear. Peter would be able to elevate Beta's status within the kingdom and as his partner, Ryan could harvest the benefit as well. Royalties would no longer exist and it meant that his and Altair's status would be equal. He could force that bastard Alpha into submission, to see his face twisted in rage yet helpless to do anything to resist. 

Ryan gulped. That was quite a tempting offer. He read the message again and again, each word branded into his mind. And then, Ryan did the one thing he'd never imagined he would. 

He replied. [Let's meet.]

Shivers ran through his spine as soon as he sent the message. He had nothing to lose. If this was a scam, then he could worm his way out by pretending to not know anything. And if it's not…then he would listen to the offer first before deciding to proceed. He had nothing to lose, he convinced himself. Contrary to that, he might be able to gain more, much more than he thought was possible.

The reply came soon after as if Peter had been waiting for it. They decided on a place to meet and settled the time. 

It was the day after tomorrow.

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