57. Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Halley
A month ago, Viper showed me a hidden path carved through stone, ice, and stubborn Alpha devotion. Today, he is an escort for survivors ready to start their lives in Blackreach.
It's just after breakfast, and the northern side of the courtyard next to the secret exit gate is busy.
Ten survivors stand in an uneven line with packs at their feet, wrapped in thick clothing to battle the chill of the mountain peak.
Some have nothing more than a small knapsack and rolled bedding, while others have bags so overstuffed that the seams strain.
I can't blame them for over-packing. They came here with nothing and are starting a new life in a strange land with only whatever they can carry over the mountain.
Everlyn is giving them all one last check-up, inspecting swollen ankles, listening to coughs, and tucking extra ration packets into the hands of anyone who looks like pride might keep them from asking for more.
Near the secret gate, climbing ropes hang from iron hooks. Weatherproof maps, not datapads, because there won't be a scrap of electricity where they're going, lie weighted beneath stones on a supply table.
Above it all, the mountain waits.
It rises beyond the open gate, pale and brutal beneath the morning light, with Viper’s route disappearing into it if you know where to look.
I stop at the edge of the yard and breathe it in.
This is what hope looks like now.
A line of frightened survivors ready to start a new life, knowing we'll stay here to guard the entrance to their sanctuary.
My eyes fall on Viper.
He's already watching me.
He stands near the supply table with a pack slung over one shoulder, dressed in cold-weather gear and a climbing harness.
His trusty sniper rifle sits across his back, a blade is strapped to his thigh, and a pistol is tucked beneath his jacket, visible only when he shifts, because apparently there are never too many weapons for a man who considers protection a love language.
The bond warms at once.
I cross the yard, weaving around soldiers and supply crates until I’m close enough to scent him. Viper smells like he always has, roses and gunpowder, but now there is the faintest trace of our nest clinging to his collar.
My Omega preens at the claim on our Alpha.
He reaches for me the second I’m within range, fingers closing around my wrist and tugging me into his space. His thumb brushes slowly and deliberately over my pulse, checking me the way he always does before he lets himself soften. Always my big protector.
'You came to see me off,' he says through the bond. There are too many people around, and he's never been one to enjoy being on display.
'I came to make sure you weren’t planning to sneak out before saying goodbye.'
His mouth curves. 'I’m wounded you think so little of me.'
'Not that long ago you kept disappearing into the mountains for days and eventually came back with a secret road, so I don't think I'm being paranoid at all,' I reply with a raised brow, but I don't hold my firm expression for long.
I nuzzle into him, rising onto my toes, straining so I can reach the warm skin above his scarf. Whenever I kiss him there, the Alpha in him answers with a low, possessive sound that slips straight under my skin and wakes every needy Omega instinct inside me. I love it.
'Yes, but my secret road was romantic.'
"It’s a very impressive secret road," I murmur against his throat, muffled by the scarf in my way. This close, I can get away with talking aloud without anyone overhearing us. "But it doesn’t get to take credit for the romance. That was all my handsome mate."
Viper huffs a quiet laugh and bends down for me, taking pity on my tragically inconvenient height.
I wrap my arms around his neck and slide my nose beneath his scarf exactly where I want it, breathing him in before licking a slow stripe over the exposed skin.
Salt, cold air, and Viper. I hum at the taste and press a trail of kisses along his neck.
The growl that rumbles out of him is rough and possessive as expected.
My whole body answers with goosebumps and shivers.
"Mhmm," he says, his voice low against my ear. "And who is this Alpha? I’ll kill him for romancing my Omega."
A laugh slips out of me.
Viper laughs too, but his grip tightens around my wrist, which tells me he absolutely would murder for me. He's done it before, and he'll do it again without hesitation.
The playfulness fades between us, and the unspoken weight of what comes next settles in its place.
He’s leaving for a week. Maybe more if the weather turns, or the group struggles with the climb and the trip through Blackreach. He’s leaving because our people need him.
I’m proud of him.
I hate it anyway.
Blackgate soldiers are checking names against a manifest and tying colored strips of cloth around each survivor’s wrist to mark their assigned travel group.
Two groups. Five survivors each with two support soldiers assigned to each line. Viper will lead the first, and Prime Alpha Zero will lead the second.
Viper follows my gaze to the two lines, and his thumb keeps moving over my pulse.
'Zero’s taking the slower group,' he says, using the bond to speak again. 'Older survivors, two children, and anyone Everlyn thinks needs extra stops. I’m taking the stronger climbers ahead to secure the first camp before nightfall.'
I frown. I dislike that it reminds me that he'll be sleeping somewhere other than our Pack nest.
'How many camps are there?' I ask, partly because I'm interested, but also partly because I need to distract myself from our coming separation.
Blaze leaves for days at a time regularly. He's like a half-feral house cat that comes and goes as he pleases. Viper, however, is domesticated.
'Three before we cross into Blackreach proper,' Viper says. 'After that, Zero leads us across the plains on the relocation route his team used before the Pass fell. With civilians, rest stops, and weather, it’ll take the full week to get them to the closest settlement.'
'A full week,' I repeat, hating the shape of it in my mouth.
'One night there to make sure they’re received safely,' he says. 'Then Zero and I come back alone. Without civilians to protect, we can move fast and travel light. Less than a day, if the mountain behaves and doesn't kill us.'
I look up at him. 'Comforting.'
His mouth twitches. 'I’m excellent at comfort.'
'Yeah, you are,' I agree, because it's true. No one gives a hug like Viper. He's so big, when he wraps me in his arms, I feel so safe.
I try to smile, but it doesn’t hold for long.
A week should feel insignificant after everything we survived, yet I already want to cross my arms and pout like a spoiled Omega from the Capital.
I have three other mates, so I won’t lack affection or company, but Viper’s place in our nest will still be empty.
Viper’s expression gentles, the amusement slipping away as he reads me. He releases my wrist only to cup the side of my face, his gloved fingers careful against my skin.
'I’m coming back,' he says.
'You’d better. I’ve become fond of you.'
'Just fond?' I poke my tongue out at him.
His eyes dart down to my mouth and darken with a hint of arousal before he forces himself to look away.
A wave of Omegan smugness washes over me.
His thumb brushes beneath my eye. 'This route exists because you wanted a way back to Blackreach. Now we have one. People are going home because of you.'
'Because of us,' I correct.
His gaze warms and he tilts his head in concession. 'Because of us.'
I lean into his palm and breathe him in again, trying to imprint it on my memory as if it hasn't already permanently fused with my soul. I will never forget the scent of my big Alpha.
'I still hate it,' I admit.
'I know.'
'But I’m proud of you.'
'I know that too.'
His hand slides to the back of my neck, fingers brushing close to my mating bites beneath my collar.
The bond pulls tight and tender. I have complete faith that the bond will manage the distance just fine.
I expect that it will stretch and allow us to keep a connection, even if we can't hear each other's thoughts, but just knowing he's alright will be enough.
Prime Alpha Zero approaches with a manifest tucked beneath one arm and a pack strapped across his broad shoulders.
When I first met Zero, he was just another soldier in a uniform. A man leading me into a battle I didn't want to fight.
Honestly, when I first came to Blackgate, I barely saw anyone as a person. I was too depressed, frightened, and trapped inside my own pain to care much about anyone else’s.
Since then, I’ve learned who Zero is.
He is a Prime Alpha. He takes duty seriously, and he expects the same from everyone around him. But he also carries the weight of his past. He was a leader in a military that harmed the very people it was meant to protect.
The day I died in the processing camp, he was forced to face that harm. To this day, I see the strain it has left on him, and just how heavy his guilt is.
Now that I know it’s there, I see it in everything he does. Every order, decision, and survivor he helps.
Prime Alpha Zero is trying to atone.
"Omega Sparks," he says, dipping his head.
The respect in his voice still catches me off guard sometimes. There is also no mistaking that he cannot meet my eyes. I've already told him that he is forgiven for the role he played in my death, but I suspect it'll take a long time before he accepts it.
I nod back. "Prime Alpha Zero."
His gaze flicks to Viper’s hand at the back of my neck, then away again with careful neutrality as he pretends he hasn’t interrupted a goodbye between mates.
Viper doesn't move his hand. He's not one for public displays of affection, but he's also driven by possessive, protective Alpha instincts that bristle whenever there is a strong Alpha around his Omega that isn't part of our Pack.