Chapter 29
The next day, the 448 and the other two special forces squads, Sierra Six and Echo, were called into a quarterly meeting. The topics were broad, a chance for the brass to check in with the teams and inform them of any pertinent base information they’d missed while they were out in the field. They also discussed weapons and tactics — new ones to implement and ineffective ones to retire.
Ice took a seat at one of the tables. Ortiz sat next to him. The soldiers tended to stick with their own squads during these muti-team meetings.
Bored, Ice started leafing through the meeting packet. He’d just flipped to the second page when goosebumps rose on his arms and a shivery feeling tugged behind his navel. He snapped his head up, something drawing his attention to the doorway.
At that exact moment, Hazard walked in. He was with Jax, laughing at whatever the alpha had said. But Ice didn’t pay attention to their conversation. He was too focused on Hazard.
Ice continued to watch him as he sat down on the opposite side of the table. Something about him was different. No one else seemed to notice it however. The meeting began without anyone saying anything to Hazard or even looking at him curiously. Hazard didn’t seem bothered either. But Ice could tell something was off.
His scent was softer. Richer. His lips a touch fuller. And his scent glands were slightly rosy in color, with the barest hint of swelling. All of that could only mean one thing. Hazard was about to go into heat.
But that wasn’t right. As an officer on the team, he knew the omega’s scheduled bi-annual heat time. And he wasn’t supposed to be going into heat right now. Alpha and omega soldiers were given suppressant shots to regulate their ruts and heats. On the shots, omegas had a heat twice a year. Alphas had a yearly rut unless they were triggered into one when their partner went into heat. Hazard was too responsible to risk missing his suppressant shot since doing so might cause him to go into heat out in the field. So why was he exhibiting pre-heat symptoms today?
Ice endured the meeting, eyes drawn again and again to Hazard’s throat and his sweet-smelling scent glands. Beneath the table, he clenched his hands into tight fists. It was all he could do not to get up and drag Hazard from his seat to take him somewhere private. No one else should be around the omega, watching as his lips grew even more plump than usual and a delicate flush stained his cheekbones. He couldn’t do that however, so he remained in his chair, his entire body rigid as he fought to control his impulse.
As soon as the meeting was over, Ice shot up from his chair and went over to him.
“Corporal Mitchell, I need to speak with you for a moment. In private.”
Hazard looked surprised but he rose and dutifully followed after him. He remained silent until they were outside.
“Are we about to have another delightful alleyway chat?” he asked, his voice laced with annoyance.
“No.” Ice led them to a spot where there was no one around, but still out in the open so he wouldn’t give in and touch the far too tempting omega.
Hazard faced him. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression cool and distant. Ice wanted to sigh. He missed the relaxed, charming aura Hazard used to have whenever they interacted. The change was his fault. Not for the first time regret tightened his chest, but he reminded himself it was for the best.
“I need to inform you in case you aren’t aware.”
“Inform me of what?”
“You’re about to go into heat.”
Hazard frowned, his brows drawing together in confusion. “Not possible. I’m on suppressants just like every other wolf on this base.”
“They’ve failed,” Ice said bluntly.
Hazard scoffed, clearly doubting his claim.
“How do you know?”
Ice let his gaze dip to the gland on Hazard’s neck. The swelling was still barely noticeable, but the sight of it and the scent drifting in the air from the omega wolf made his mouth water. He wasn’t going to say that however. “I just do,” he said instead.
Hazard silently glared at him for several seconds before he spun on his heel and marched away.
Ice watched him go. He was headed in the direction of the infirmary. Ice released a deep breath. He’d done his part. The medical staff would take it from there.
* * *
Hazard went directly to the shifter wing of the medical center. He didn’t believe he was going into heat. His suppressant shot should be good for another two and a half months. But he couldn’t imagine that Ice would tell him that he was about to have a heat for shits and giggles. Something had to be up with him for the alpha to have said that.
“I need to see a doctor,” he said to the Legion nurse behind the counter.
“Of course, sir. May I have your ID number?”
Hazard rattled off his name and military identification number then waited as she pulled up his records.
“Thank you, Corporal Mitchell. Have a seat and we’ll have a doctor examine you shortly.”
He only had to wait for a few minutes before he was shown into one of the examination rooms. The nurse who escorted him in took his temperature, noting it on his chart. He left after letting him know the doctor would be there in a few minutes.
Not too long after he was settled sitting at the end of the exam table, the door opened and the doctor walked in. She was a beta, average height with blond hair cut short in an easy to manage style. Her dark green uniform had a blue medical staff symbol patch over her left breast. She gave him a friendly smile as she closed the door behind her.
“Good afternoon, Corporal Mitchell. I’m Lieutenant Adams. What seems to be the problem today?”
“I think I’m going into heat, but my suppressant cycle isn’t scheduled to end for another couple of months.”
“That’s unusual. Let’s take a look.” She picked up the metal clipboard that held his chart and looked it over. “Your chart reads your temperature is 101 degrees. That’s high, but normal for omega pre-heat range.” Looking concerned, she put the chart down and snapped on a pair of exam gloves. “Lift your chin for me.”
Hazard raised his chin and she carefully prodded his scent glands. He winced and had to force himself not to recoil from her touch. His Instinct told him that it was wrong for her to touch him there because she wasn’t his mate. Fuck. Thinking like that, he already knew what her diagnosis was going to be.
“Well, Corporal Mitchell, it looks like you are indeed about to go into heat. I’m surprised you caught it this early.”
Hazard groaned. He didn’t have time for this right now. Especially with this being his first heat on this base. He hadn’t had the chance to adequately prepare for it. “I didn’t. Someone else did.”
“Well, whoever did is very attuned to you. Is it someone you might consider sharing this heat with? It will make it go by faster than riding it out on your own.”
“No. I don’t know.” He scrubbed a hand over his buzzed hair in agitation. “Maybe I’ll ask them.”
“If you don’t there’s a store just off base where you can get heat aids to help you get through it on your own.”
“Roger that, doc. Thanks.”
“You’re new to Fort Grove, correct?
“Yes.”
“The omega unit will accommodate you if you choose to have your heat without a partner. They have private rooms where you won’t be disturbed until the heat is finished.”
Hazard sighed. He hadn’t checked out the omega unit to make sure he would feel safe experiencing a heat there. “How much time do I have before it hits?” Normally he had about two days between the start of his heat symptoms and a full heat.
“Let me take your temperature again.”
Hazard opened his mouth so she could put the thermometer beneath his tongue.
“Close.”
He closed his mouth. He stared at the health posters on the wall while she watched the clock.
“And open.” She withdrew the thermometer and read the mercury. “A hundred and one point two.” Adams peered at his scent glands but this time she didn’t touch them. “Going by how fast your temperature is rising and the increased swelling in your scent glands, I’d say you have about eight hours.”
Hazard’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That soon?”
“Although this is extremely unusual, I’m afraid so.” She frowned. “Did you do anything that would have counteracted your suppressants? Take any new medications or anything like that?”
“No.” Hazard shook his head. “No new meds. Same diet.” He suddenly remembered the flowers from the other day. “There is one thing. I was out on a mission. There were these big yellow flowers that made all the alphas recoil in disgust from the smell but they didn’t bother me at all. We thought it could be some kind of bio agent that only worked on alphas, but they’ve all been fine since we got back.”
“Hmm. That could be the culprit. I’d like to examine those flowers.”
“We didn’t bring any back with us. But the major put it in her report that they might be something for science team to check out. I can let her know you’d like to have a sample of them as well.”
“Please do. I’ve never heard of an omega having a heat due to an allergic reaction, especially in a case where it’s overpowering suppressants. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility. If there is something out there that can do this, that’s information that the medical field needs to know.”
“Okay. Thanks for your help, Doc.”
“You’re welcome. Come back for a checkup after your heat clears and we’ll do another examination and adjust your suppressant schedule.”
Hazard left the medical center and returned to their barracks. On the way back, he came across Ice. The captain was watching over a group of privates running drills. Before he realized he’d changed direction, his feet took him to the alpha. He came to a stop and stood there facing him across the line of soldiers doing burpees. For once, he didn’t have anything to say. But he didn’t need to speak. Ice knew what he was there to ask and he gave his answer without hesitation.
A single shake of his head.
Hazard choked back the protest that wanted to come out of his mouth. He nodded once and spun on his heel to walk away.
When he reached the barracks, he stormed inside and slammed the door shut behind him. His emotions were running high, pulsing hot, ready to explode. He was annoyed at himself for even approaching Ice. Pissed that he was about to have an unscheduled heat. Irritated that it was coming up so fucking fast, robbing him of the time he needed to prepare for it.
Major Ortiz was sitting at her usual spot at the kitchen table. She looked up at his noisy arrival.
“You smell pissed off. Everything okay?”
Hazard bit back a growl. “Not really. I need to let you know that I’m going to miss training for the next couple of days and I’ll be unavailable if any missions come up. I’m about to have an unscheduled heat.”
“Ah. Okay then. No need to be upset. We all have to miss trainings and ops when necessary.”
“True. But what if we get a solid lead on Cortez while I’m out of commission?”
“The rest of us will handle it.”
This time Hazard did growl. “I wanted to be there when we took Cortez down.”
“Don’t borrow trouble, Corporal. We may not hear anything from him for another few weeks.” She was quiet for a moment before she asked him another question. “But that’s not the only reason you’re upset, is it?”
Hazard sighed. “No, Major. It’s not. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Understood. Are you going to the omega building for the duration?”
“Not if I don’t have to. Since I barely have any time to prepare myself for this one, I’ll feel better if I’m in my own space and nest. If that’s alright.”
Ortiz nodded. “It’s fine. The bedroom doors have scent seals so the smell of your heat won’t bother us. You’ll just have to make sure that you don’t come out for any reason.”
Some of Hazard’s agitation eased now that he had permission to stay in the barracks. He wouldn’t have to go to an unfamiliar location when he was at his most vulnerable. “Thanks, Major. I appreciate it. I’ll head to the store to pick up what I need and when I get back, I’ll lock myself in my room until it’s over.”
* * *
Sam felt for Hazard. As an alpha, she didn’t know exactly what he was going through right now. Alphas in rut didn’t have the same experiences and instinctual drives as an omega in heat. But she did know what it was like to want to be with someone and be unable to do so.
She knew her team and what was going on with them. It was easy to figure out from Hazard’s upset what happened. Hazard had asked Ice to share his heat and Ice had rejected him. This had to be a painful situation for them both. But since doling out relationship advice wasn’t in her nature or her job description, there was nothing she could do to help them.
She went back to working on the supply request forms. Five minutes later, the door opened again and Ice walked in.
“Exactly the man I was hoping to see,” she said.
Ice came over to join her in the kitchen. He took off the wolf mask, but as always left on the balaclava. It had been a while since she’d seen his face. A year at least.
“Yes, Major?”
“You know about Hazard. That he’s about to go into heat.”
A stiff nod preceded Ice’s verbal answer.
“Yes. I was the one who informed him it was approaching.”
That was interesting. She didn’t mention that however. “And so I’m clear, you two have decided not to spend this heat together.”
“That’s correct.”
She appreciated that Ice didn’t insult her intelligence by insisting there was no reason for her to ask that question. “Well then. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to spend the next couple of days somewhere outside our barracks.”
Ice tilted his head to the side in question. “Why?”
“Because Hazard asked for permission to spend his heat here and I granted it.”
“What does that have to do with me leaving?”
Sam couldn’t believe her captain was this deep in denial for what he felt about Hazard. The door seals would be enough to keep her and Jax from being bothered by Hazard’s heat pheromones. But the two of them weren’t attracted to or connected to Hazard in the way that Ice was.
A scent seal could only do so much. Some of Hazard’s pheromones would slip through and with the way Hazard and Ice had been dancing around each other, there was a high chance that Ice would be affected. She carefully pointed that out to her captain. Once he had a moment to digest that information, she asked him a question.
“Do you really think a locked door will be enough to stop you once Hazard is full into his heat?”
She stared up at the quiet alpha, waiting for his answer.