Knox knelt on the cold stone, his breath coming in sharp, ragged stabs. For a time, there was only the dull echo of his own weeping and the creeping numbness in his bones. Gradually, the spasm subsided, leaving the cold Alpha with a void too vast to fill. But Ravage eagerly rushed to fill it.
'We are not weak!' Ravage snarled. 'Kill all of them!'
Knox pressed his palms to his temples, willing the voice away, but it would not be denied. It raked claws along the inside of his head, splitting his thoughts into fragments.
'They think we are sick. They think we are weak. But they are wrong. We are not weak. We are not. WE ARE NOT.'
Knox shut his eyes tightly.
'Revenge! Revenge!' The chant pulsed in time with his heartbeat. 'We are stronger! Make them suffer!'
"Stop," Knox whispered, but the word held no conviction. His resistance was more of a habit, not a true denial. The truth was simpler and far more terrifying: he did not care if Ravage stopped. Not anymore.
