The Beta Dominates Alphas

Chapter 42: Ren’s Weakness

"Oh, I recall now," Jax abruptly halted, having an epiphany. "I’ve seen that beta before."

Upon hearing this, Ren didn’t show any sign of a response. He didn’t break his stride as he walked past Jax.

"Hey, Ren," Jax hollered after him. "Don’t you recall? We ran into that beta just a few days back."

He successfully got Ren’s attention, his voice casual, like he was having a light conversation with a close friend. It was as if the enraged man from earlier wasn’t him at all.

"Remember when you were headed this way, and you saved a group of betas from a blimp? That beta, the one we just saw, was part of that group," Jax mentioned, grinning at Ren and studying his response, letting his words hang in the air. "You recall, don’t you? Quite the unexpected meet-up, right?"

alphas have always had sharp eyes and keen observation skills, as well as a powerful memory. Jax, lost in anger earlier, had not noticed. But now, as he recalled, he realized he had seen that beta before, just two days ago. Among the scared and helpless group of betas in the blimp, that beta girl stood out for her calm demeanor and beauty. Despite just a quick glance, she had left an impression on him.

Jax spoke while studying Ren’s reactions.

But Ren didn’t give him any. His frosty expression didn’t change, his gaze as indifferent as always, carrying a slight chill.

However, Jax felt he had picked up on something, a faint tension around Ren that was almost imperceptible, yet he noticed. He felt that beneath Ren’s emotionless, glacial face, there might be a secret.

Jax began to think hard, realizing he had seen the beta more than once.

A while back, at the dinner party where Earl James was assassinated, this beta was there too.

Of course, Jax hadn’t paid attention to her then, merely aware of her presence. She was the subject of a scandal, vaguely about being jilted by her fiancé.

During the second half of that dinner, his focus had been entirely on Ren, who seemed slightly off that day. He remembered now, during the strip-search in the grand hall, Ren’s gaze had wandered over to the beta several times.

Jax knew Ren well; Ren was someone who never showed interest in betas. Yet that day, in front of everyone, the stripped-down Ren was watching that beta. It could have been a coincidence, but Jax didn’t believe in so many coincidences happening all at once.

"Let me think, what’s her name? I’ve heard it before, the beta that Tarian called off the engagement with," Jax finally said, "Right, her name was Kestrel."

As he uttered the name ’Kestrel’, he noticed a fleeting change in Ren’s expression.

Jax laughed, as though he had finally found something Ren wanted to keep hidden.

Every time Jax faced Ren, the latter always seemed to have the upper hand, which made Jax feel frustrated. He couldn’t control Ren, and he even believed that Cass couldn’t either. The reason being, there wasn’t much in the world that Ren cared about anymore.

Ren was alone, without parents or close friends; they were all dead. He lived in solitude with no attachments, no fears, and no visible weaknesses.

But if he had someone he cared about, that would change everything.

Jax also remembered that Ren was able to leave the Military Administration early because of a beta who supposedly cleared him of a wrongful accusation.

"This is really interesting," Jax thought, "If I can’t finish Ren off here, I’ll have to look into that beta when I get back."

Jax returned to studying the map in his hand. There was a discreet marker on it, known only to him, marking the location of a newly discovered monster lair.

These dreadful creatures were not few but many, lurking inside.

Jax had been carefully plotting for a long time, planning to eliminate Ren in the Polluted Zone. But a nagging feeling kept telling him he might not succeed. Ren’s strength had left a deep impression on him, leading him to believe that no trap was guaranteed to work because Ren always managed to crawl back from hell, like a demon.

Lost in thought, Jax didn’t notice Ren’s gaze.

Ren’s eyes initially cooled down, then gradually held a layer of frost, like the chill on autumn tiles, cold and slightly damp. He extended his hand from his pocket, approached, and slung an arm around Jax’s shoulder.

"Jax." Ren lowered his head, asking next to Jax, "How many times have you been into the Polluted Zone?"

In the past, back at school, they often walked this way, arms around each other. But since coming back this time, Ren hadn’t done this again.

"A few...a few times, I think." Jax didn’t understand why Ren was suddenly asking this.

"A few times?" Ren squeezed his shoulder, chuckling lowly. "You know what? I’ve been in and out of the Polluted Zone 380 times."

"Put away your map." His fingers pressed on Jax’s shoulder and then released, "Dealing with everything in the Polluted Zone isn’t just about information on paper."

He left those words behind, expressionless, and strode forward.

Jax broke out into a cold sweat, seemingly for no reason, or, maybe because those with ill intentions always tend to panic. "What does he mean by that? He can’t possibly know, it’s impossible," Jax wondered, eyes locked on Ren’s back.

After Ren left those baffling words behind, he said no more. His steps didn’t pause, leading at the front of their group.

Ren was responsible for leading the way, a duty assigned before they set off, and he had been diligently fulfilling this task.

The street ahead was straight, bright, and seemingly safe, devoid of people. But Jax knew that as soon as Ren took a few more steps forward, countless black arms would surge out, grab him, and drag him down into the abyss. freewёbnoνel.com

Jax gripped the secret map tightly in his hand, standing at the end of the group, in an area he was sure was safe. He watched Ren’s back as he moved forward step by step, a wave of anxiety suddenly washed over him.

Ren was the hero and idol of Jax’s teenage years, who was once his brother and best friend. Now, he was going to watch this man die, to personally push him into the hell he had prepared for him.

Ren kept walking forward, and just as Jax was tense, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Jax one last time.

"What... what’s up? Did you find something?" Jax asked from a distance, somewhat nervously.

Against the backdrop of a starry sky, Ren, standing there, suddenly smiled - a relieved, weight-off-the-shoulders kind of smile.

He waved goodbye and strode forward.