Chapter 2 : The Test

She arrived at ten AM. Not in a car. In a black SUV with tinted windows. Two men in suits got out first. Then her.

Victoria Blackwood. The Iron Lady.

She didn''t walk. She moved. Like a predator assessing territory. Forty-five, maybe. Dressed in a suit that cost more than my monthly rent. Hair pulled back tight. Eyes that missed nothing.

The mill went quiet. Not completely. Machines still ran. But the human noise stopped. Men watched. They knew power when they saw it.

She came straight to me. "Jack Redmond."

Not a question. A statement.

"That''s me."

"I''m Victoria Blackwood. Lucas''s sister."

"I figured."

She looked around. Not impressed. "My brother is here."

"Observant."

One of the suit men stepped forward. Victoria raised a hand. He stopped.

"I want to see him work," she said.

"Why?"

"To see if this is worth his time. Or mine."

I almost laughed. Almost. "He''s on the press. Section three."

She nodded. The suit men stayed with her. I led the way.

The press was old. Hydraulic. Big enough to crush a car. It had killed two men last year. Jammed. They tried to fix it while it was live. Stupid. But desperate men do stupid things.

Lucas was under it. On his back. Tools scattered around him. He didn''t see us coming.

Victoria stopped ten feet away. Watched.

Lucas had the access panel off. His hands were deep in the machinery. Grease to his elbows. He was talking to himself. Low. Technical. Diagnosing.

"Main valve''s stuck," he said, not to anyone. Just thinking out loud. "Seal''s gone. Fluid bypassing. Pressure unstable."

He reached for a wrench. His hand slipped. The wrench fell. Clanged on the concrete.

Victoria''s expression didn''t change. But I saw it. A flicker. Disappointment? Concern?

Lucas cursed. Low. Then went back to work.

Five minutes passed. Ten. The press loomed over him. Tons of metal. Deadly if it moved.

He slid out. Stood. Wiped his hands on a rag. Saw us.

His eyes went to Victoria. Then to me. Back to Victoria. "Sis."

"Lucas." Her voice was cool. "Progress?"

"Valve replacement. Two hours."

"Manual says four."

"Manual''s written by engineers who''ve never touched one."

A smile touched her lips. Small. Almost not there. "Show me."

He nodded. Went back under.

Victoria turned to me. "He''s good."

"He''s okay."

"Better than okay. He fixed the lathe yesterday. In an hour. A job that should have taken three."

I shrugged. "Lucky."

"Not luck. Talent. Our family has it. For machines. For business." She looked at me. Really looked. "You''re an edge Alpha."

"Observant."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why edge? You have the strength. The instinct. Why not lead?"

"Don''t like politics."

"Politics are everywhere. Even here." She gestured at the mill. "Foremen. Managers. Owners. All politics."

"Different kind."

She studied me. Like I was a machine she was assessing. "You''ll teach him."

"Maybe."

"Not maybe. You will. Or I''ll find someone who will."

Threat. Disguised as request.

I lit a cigarette. "Why me?"

"Because you don''t care about his name. Or his blood. You''ll treat him like any other apprentice. That''s what he needs."

"Or what you think he needs."

She didn''t answer. Just watched Lucas work.

He finished in ninety minutes. Not two hours. Slid out. Stood. "Test it?"

I nodded.

He hit the controls. The press rose. Smooth. No jerking. No strange sounds. Lowered. Same.

"Good," I said.

Victoria walked to the press. Put a hand on it. Like feeling its pulse. "Well done."

Lucas nodded. Wiped more grease off. "Thanks."

She turned to me. "He stays. You teach him. Properly."

"I charge extra for properly."

"Money isn''t an issue."

"Never is for Blackwoods."

She almost smiled again. Almost. Then to Lucas: "Dinner. Sunday. Be there."

He didn''t answer. Just watched her leave. The SUV drove off. The mill noise returned to normal.

I looked at Lucas. "She''s something."

He picked up his tools. "Yeah."

"Pressure?"

"Always."

We worked through the afternoon. More machines. More repairs. Lucas was fast. Precise. Better than apprentices with five years experience.

But something was off. His focus wavered. His movements lost their precision.

I noticed it around three. We were in the storage room. Getting parts. The room was dark. Cool. Smelled of oil and dust.

And something else.

Emily''s scent.

She''d been here last week. With me. On the sacks in the corner.

Lucas stopped. Sniffed. His head turned toward the corner. His eyes changed. Not much. Just a flicker.

Then he looked at me. Really looked.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No."

But it was there. In his scent. A change. Sharp. Acrid. Jealousy.

Omega jealousy.

He knew. Knew I''d been with someone here. A human. Knew it was recent.

His hands tightened on the toolbox. Knuckles white. Then relaxed. "What''s next?"

"Bearing replacement. Rolling mill."

He nodded. Walked out. But his walk was different. Tighter. More controlled than before.

The rest of the shift passed. Normal. But not normal.

At four, he cleaned up. Faster than usual. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

He left. I watched him go. His scent lingered. That sharp note. Jealousy. And something else. Interest.

Omega interest.

Game changed.

---

I went to the bar after work. Mill bar. Dark. Smoky. Beer cheap.

Emily was there. At the counter. Nursing a drink. She saw me. Nodded.

I sat next to her. "Rough day?"

"Always. You?"

"Interesting."

She smiled. Small. Tired. "The new kid?"

"How''d you know?"

"Foreman talks. Rich kid. Blackwood. Big deal."

"Not that rich. Not here."

She drank. "You sleeping with him?"

The question surprised me. "What?"

"Come on, Jack. I know you. I know the signs. You''re interested."

"He''s my apprentice."

"And?"

"And he''s eighteen. And pure blood Omega. And his sister could buy this town."

"Since when do you care about that?"

I didn''t answer. Drank my beer.

Emily watched me. "Be careful."

"Always."

"Not always. That''s the problem."

She finished her drink. Stood. "I''m off. Early shift tomorrow."

"See you."

She left. Her scent lingered. Perfume and antiseptic. Human.

I thought about Lucas. That look in the storage room. That scent change.

Jealousy.

Why? He didn''t own me. Didn''t want me. Did he?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Omegas were complicated. Especially pure bloods. Raised with expectations. Rules. Traditions.

Maybe breaking those rules was the point.

I finished my beer. Left.

The night was cold. Full moon in two days. The ache in my bones was stronger.

Walking home, I thought about the storage room. Emily''s scent. Lucas''s reaction.

Game changed.

---