29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Knox
Day One
Prime Alpha Zero is the soldier on the front lines of this war. He's the face the other soldiers look to for orders, and he's the Alpha who holds their respect. He is top of the food chain.
He also has no interest in being the next General of Blackgate Fortress.
It would be simple for him to claim an office as his and bark orders from there, but Zero isn't a desk jockey. If you want to talk to him, you meet him where he is: with his troops.
The mess hall is at capacity, with every seat filled by hungry Alphas and Betas eating breakfast. It's loud in the familiar way soldier spaces are, metal trays clattering, benches scraping on stone, boastful voices rising, and somebody laughing harder than necessary at a dirty joke.
The moment Halley crosses the threshold, the room changes.
It doesn't go silent exactly, because nothing here ever goes fully quiet, but the noise thins and shifts. A few soldiers stare directly at her with their mouths hanging open. Others turn their heads slowly, looking out of the corner of their eyes, as if they're afraid to look directly at her.
The citizens of Fathim have never been superstitious, and certainly not those in the military. And yet, faced with an Omega who came back from the dead with the ability to force an army to retreat, they're uncertain whether to be fascinated or frightened.
Halley keeps her pace steady beside me, neither inviting their attention nor shrinking from it.
I force myself not to spin her around and march her right back to her nest. I won't though, because she asked to be here, and I don't have any valid safety concerns.
That was our deal. Halley doesn't push my boundaries or seek out ways to prove herself, and I get to keep her safe as long as I'm not being unfairly restrictive.
Besides, she's right. I need her with me. It might be manipulative, but Zero has a huge soft spot for Halley.
I also think keeping her distracted will be the key to our Pack surviving the next two weeks with our sanity intact.
Fuck knows I'll need to stay distracted.
My Omega mate might be pregnant. We might be about to become fathers…
Nope.
I slam the mental shutter down hard on that thought.
Zero sits at a long table near the center, not at the head. His tray is mostly untouched. A mug of coffee steams beside a datapad that is already lit with reports. He looks up as we approach, and his eyes assess me with the intense focus of a Prime Alpha.
"Prime Alpha Knox," he says, clipped, nodding at me.
Then his gaze slides to Halley and catches for a fraction of a second, long enough for me to see the flash of guilt and regret behind his eyes.
His expression stays controlled, but his hand tightens slightly around the mug, knuckles whitening before he loosens his grip as he catches himself. Yes, that's a weakness I can use.
"Omega Specialist Sparks, good to see you well."
"Good to see you too, Zero," Halley answers, calm and steady with a genuine smile. Our girl holds no hostility toward this soldier, even though it was his presence that set in motion the conflict which killed her.
We don’t sit. The mess hall doesn’t pretend to ignore us, either. The soldiers at Zero's table keep eating, but the way they hold themselves tells me they’re listening, hungry for whatever comes next.
Zero’s mouth tightens. He knows why I'm here, and I just hope he reacts the way I think he will.
"I’m not taking it," he finally says without prompting.
I exhale.
Halley cuts in before I can speak. "And you'll support Knox?"
Zero’s eyes flick to her again, and this time he doesn’t let them linger. He looks down at his tray like the eggs are suddenly interesting.
I can almost see Halley's death replaying in his mind.
"Yes," he says.
I keep my face still, but I feel the shift in my chest, relief that the plan has gone the way Shade had hinted it might after he did some initial recon.
"They’ll resist," I say, making sure Zero isn’t the only one who hears me. Every soldier pretending not to listen needs to understand I know exactly the hypocrisy I’m asking them to accept. "Stone had loyalists, and Viper was the one who ended him. They won’t like that he’s my lieutenant."
"They can resent it," Zero replies. "But you’re the Prime Alpha with the experience, the strength, and…"
His gaze cuts to Halley.
"…the Pack to get us out of this war alive."
Halley steps forward before I can answer. The movement is small, but every soldier nearby tracks it.
"Then say it plainly," she says.
"Plainly?"
"Yes." Her voice carries across the table without rising. "You don’t want the General’s position. Knox does. Blackgate needs someone who can lead soldiers in the coming battles, protect civilians, hold the Pass, and keep this fortress from turning on itself before the Humans reach us."
A bench creaks behind us. Someone sets down a fork.
Everyone in the mess hall is listening now.
Halley holds Zero’s gaze, refusing to give him the smallest sign of deference.
"So I’m asking you in front of your troops," she continues, "Will you officially support Prime Alpha Knox for General of Blackgate Fortress?"
Zero’s jaw shifts.
Shade, Jason, and I discussed it. This was supposed to be a casual conversation to test the waters and my first public step toward command.
Instead, my Omega mate has decided subtlety is a waste of time, and she is currently forcing one of the most respected Alphas in this fortress to swear fealty in front of his soldiers.
This was definitely not part of our strategy.
Every possessive instinct in me approves anyway. My clever, brave Omega.
I fold my arms and stay where I am, letting the room see my choice. Halley speaks for our Pack, and I won’t stop her.
Zero glances at the surrounding soldiers, and there’s no pretending now. Everyone is watching him and waiting to see how he will respond to such a challenge to his authority.
He pushes his tray aside and stands.
"Yes," he says, loud enough to carry. "I will support Prime Alpha Knox for General."
Halley lifts her chin. "And our Pack?"
A muscle ticks in Zero’s cheek.
This is the point where he could assert himself.
Every instinct in him must be screaming to remind her that he’s a Prime Alpha and that she should show respect for his rank.
He could demand that respect in front of his soldiers by forcing me to choose between reprimanding my wayward Omega, or keeping peace with one of Blackgate’s strongest leaders.
He does none of that.
"I will stand behind Prime Alpha Knox and Pack Scorch," Zero says.
His gaze drops from Halley's, and with that one move, he tells the whole mess hall something extremely important.
He might be declaring his support for me, but it's not me he is submitting to.
He has submitted to Halley.
Halley keeps him under her steady stare and has the audacity to add: "Say why."
There is a collective inhale as everyone expects Zero to finally push back, that she's pushed too far this time.
He doesn't.
"Because Stone is dead," Zero says, but his voice doesn’t waver.
"And this fortress needs command. Because Knox has the experience to hold it, he's commanded legions for decades, and knows how to keep fighting when the battle turns ugly. And because Pack Scorch has already done what entire battalions couldn’t do.
They stopped the army at the Pass, protected Blackgate, and forced the Humans to retreat. "
His eyes move briefly to me before returning to Halley.
"And because any soldier who looks at Omega Specialist Sparks and sees weakness hasn’t been paying attention."
The mess hall absorbs that.
So do I.
I came here to take the first public step toward General, but Halley has just taken control of the room in a way no rank could give her.
She challenged a Prime Alpha in front of his troops and made him answer to her with calm, ruthless grace while I stood beside her and let everyone see I would not interfere.
An Alpha can agree to support another Alpha and still test him later.
This is different.
Every soldier in this mess hall has watched Halley place herself on top of this fortress's authority hierarchy.
Zero answered to her with no challenge, and I deferred to her.
The most respected Alpha and the most dangerous Pack in Blackgate have just shown the fortress where its authority truly lies.
They may put the General’s title on me, and I will carry it because this fortress needs command, order, and a soldier who knows how to run an army.
But after today, none of them will mistake rank for power.
Halley doesn’t smile. She only nods, decisive and unafraid, with a room full of Alphas and Betas waiting on her next word.
"Good," she says. "Then let them also understand this now. If they want me and my Omega Command to join the fight, they get every member of my Pack too."