Chapter 25 Rowan #2
The elevator dinged and opened wide. Inside, two alpha soldiers were deep in conversation, but their heads snapped up when they scented me.
One was redheaded, and the other was tall with dark hair.
Hungry eyes met mine, and I immediately felt fear, backing into Cade.
I tried to look away quickly, hearing my alphas growl when the other men's views settled on me.
Ryker stood in front of us, shielding my body from sight with his bulky form, placing his hand on the gun holstered to his thigh.
Their bodies were rigid, on high alert, and tension was thick in the air.
“Damn Ryker, I didn’t know you guys got assigned an omega for your unit. She smells fucking sweet. Where’d you find her? The center?” the redhead asked, trying to see past Ryker.
Before Ryker could answer, Cade stepped in front of me and snarled furiously.
“Keep. Fucking. Walking,” he growled.
They hadn’t seen Cade lurking behind Ryker, as their focus had been on me. When he stepped forward, their eyes widened, and shock passed over their faces. The brunette put his hands up in acquiescence.
“Sorry, Cade. Ignore him; he’s a fucking idiot. We're going,” he said, pushing the other soldier forward and giving us a wide berth.
The redhead also muttered, “Sorry, Cade,” eyes downcast as he passed us. Neither looked at me again.
We crowded into the elevator together, and Cade re-gripped the base of my neck, standing behind me. I took a breath of relief when the door closed, and my body slumped into his as tension drained from me.
Cade leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t look at anyone. Stay between Ryker and me at all times. Tell me you understand.”
“Yes, sir, I understand,” I assured him.
I already had the attention of enough alphas; I didn’t need anymore.
“Good girl,” he said, straightening out and gripping my neck tighter. I could feel the possessiveness surging through him, raw and barely restrained
The elevator went down three floors, and its doors slid open to another common area, although this one looked more like a lobby of some kind.
Flags, banners, and plaques lined the walls, all of them sporting the Arca logo.
Large glass panels separated the space from a training facility, and doors on our side led to the courtyard.
Behind the glass was a state-of-the-art gym, stocked with plenty of workout equipment. Soldiers in casual clothes swarmed the space, jogging on treadmills, bench-pressing weights, doing pushups and other exercises.
I did my best not to make eye contact with any of them, but soon I could feel eyes on me as the busy energy inside the gym stalled.
They had all stopped working out to stare at me through the glass.
The few lingering men in the lobby also stared, while some left quickly at the sight of Cade and Ryker.
My heartbeat got faster, and as much as I wanted to visualize my surroundings, my nerves kept my eyes glued to the floor.
People parted and cleared a path as we walked through the lobby and turned down a narrow hallway.
There was another scanner, which Ryker swiped this time, and then several more turns.
At one point we passed a huge cafeteria. I could smell the food as we neared it, and even though we only walked by its entrance for a moment, a hush fell over the room as we passed.
Ryker and Cade picked up their speed, reminding me again to keep my head down.
I had lost track of where we were and what turns we had taken.
The base was absolutely massive, much larger than I expected based on the view from my bedroom.
At least I had gotten to see the stairwell, lobby, and courtyard.
I felt confident that the stairwell would be the best pathway for escape.
Based on the way every alpha and beta soldier were eyeing me hungrily, I knew leaving through crowded spaces was not an option.
It would be dangerous to run into another person, but the dorms seemed relatively quiet.
People came and went from their living spaces and didn’t linger.
Finally, we turned down a hallway with a set of metal doors at the end.
Two frosted windows adorned the doors, and a small sign above the threshold read “Science Department” in simple green letters.
There was another card reader to the side of the door with a call button and keypad above it.
Cade swiped his card, but the reader flashed red and made an electronic siren noise. The doors didn’t budge.
Cade groaned in irritation, pressing the call button, which buzzed until a female voice answered saying, “Hello. How can I help you?”
“This is Captain Cade Green. My keycard is not working. I have an appointment with Dr. Anthony Zolkos at 0800. Open the door.”
“Apologies, Captain Green. We recently adjusted our access privacy, limiting it for now. Only science personnel with clearance can use their key cards for entry. I will buzz you in for your appointment and inform Dr. Zolkos of your arrival.”
Cade impatiently checked his watch as the doors swung open.
Of course, type-A control freaks needed to be on-time for appointments.
We continued down the hallway, approaching a slender and tall blonde woman who stood waiting for us.
Her face was sharp like a bird’s, and a set of square rimless glasses rested on the tip of her nose.
When she spoke, I recognized her voice from the intercom.
“Dr. Zolkos is just finishing up with your packmate, Lieutenant Talon Grayson. There was a bit of prep work to be concluded before the start of our last tests. He should only be a moment, but he asked me to get started taking a few samples from your pack’s omega.
We will need a urine sample, blood sample, and DNA swab. Can I have your consent?”
She stood there staring at Cade, as if ownership of my body belonged to him.
I snapped my fingers, drawing her attention to me.
“Excuse me? Hello. I’m right here. My name is Rowan Mills, not omega. I’m not sure why you're looking at him. If you need permission to take samples, you can ask me,” I huffed, irritated.
She looked at me with a shocked expression, like a robot malfunctioning because I had done something she couldn’t compute. She glanced between Cade, Ryker, and me before turning back to Cade and asking, “Sir?”
“Yes, you have permission. Proceed,” Cade said, sighing and completely ignoring me as usual.
I shook my head. This was precisely the reason I had hidden my designation for so long. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want men making decisions for me, and I certainly didn’t want to be treated like a pet.
“Very good. Thank you, sir, right this way,” she said, holding up her palm, showing us which direction to move in.
Tears unexpectedly welled in my eyes. At that moment, more than any since my capture, I felt subjugated.
I hadn’t yet experienced what the world was like beyond our small dorm now that everyone knew my true designation.
My only interactions as an unsuppressed omega had been with these men in a controlled environment.
I was suddenly acutely aware of how others now treated me.
The female scientist had essentially ignored me and regarded me as lesser, deferring to Cade for permission.
It made me feel a myriad of emotions: anger, worthlessness, despair.
No one had ever treated me that way when they thought I was a beta.
I didn’t have any defenses in place to shield myself from this judgment and dismissal.
Would this be my new reality? A woman once thriving and free, reduced to compliance and submissiveness.
I considered my own prejudices against omegas and my belief that they were meek, subservient, and docile. I didn’t even consider myself to truly be one, as I had lived my whole life pretending I wasn't. That was until recently.
I didn’t want anyone to see me crying, so I cast my eyes down at the floor, trying to count the tiles, attempting not to burst into full-blown sobbing.
Cade was discussing my previous test results with the female scientist, and I tuned them out.
They hadn’t even afforded me the consideration of consent, so it didn’t really matter what they were saying.
I accidentally made eye contact with Ryker though, and tried to look away quickly, but he had already seen my glassy tears.
The scientist led us into a sterile-looking laboratory.
Fluorescent overhead lights and drop tiles lined the ceiling.
Glass cabinets filled with all manner of beakers, microscopes, funnels, goggles, and other equipment bordered the room.
I wouldn’t pretend to know what any of the large machines were, but I'm sure they all had a purpose.
Every item in the lab was stark white, metal, or glass, which made the modern, clean space feel eerie and uncomfortable.
I liked soft fabrics, cushioned furniture, delicious and comforting scents, of which there were none nearby.
The lab smelled of chemicals and alcohol, burning my newly sensitive nose.
No wonder only betas and thetas worked here.
I took a seat in a white plastic chair, and Ryker plopped down in one beside me, stretching his corded arms behind his head and getting cozy.
It was amazing how this man could look comfortable and at ease on nearly any piece of furniture despite how uncomfortable it was.
He loved lounging, and I was beginning to think it was actually a talent.
Cade continued talking to the scientist. They had moved on to discussing Talon, the shifter. I tuned them out, wallowing in my melancholy mood. Ryker scooted his chair towards me and leaned forward, looking at me with his head tilted.
“What’s wrong, Kitten? Why are you crying? Who do I need to kill?”