Chapter Ten
Halley
Every jolt from this rut-damned troop carrier sends a shockwave of discomfort through my behind and lower back. Seriously, they could have at least thrown in a squishy cushion – this must be some sick initiation ritual.
Traveling in darkness with nothing but the monotonous drone of the engine to keep me company makes me feel like I’m stuck in a never-ending purgatory of impending doom. I don’t know how long we’ve been traveling, but it feels like hours. Maybe even a day. With no distractions, my mind wanders.
The same topic is on repeat.
The Alpha.
Lieutenant Viper.
The way his hands felt, so strong and sure, yet almost reverent in their touch.
His vibrant green eyes fighting through the haze of Blood Lust like sunshine reaching the forest floor.
The orgasm he ripped from my body with almost no effort.
The feel of his rigid erection pressed so firmly against my aching core.
I almost fool myself into believing I felt the swell of his knot.
When I’m not thinking about Viper, I’m thinking about the Beta in the front seat of the car. And when I’m not thinking about either of them, I’m fretting about my situation.
My sweaty hands wring the hem of my shirt into a tangle of knots with fraying edges. My mouth is dry and I sip at my canteen, spilling water down my front with each sway and jolt of the truck.
I squirm, trying to find some relief by tucking my knees up and squeezing them against my chest. My inner Omega is begging to be released, and I’m desperate to do something, anything, to relieve my climbing anxiety.
I try my best not to think about what awaits me at the end of this drive, but the suspense is killing me.
What if the team doesn’t like me? Or worse, what if they like me a little too much?
What if there is an Alpha on this team? A rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios tumble through my mind and I smell my scent sour with distress.
I’m going to be entirely at this team’s mercy, trusting them to keep me safe and protected… Who will protect me from them?
“You’ve got this,” I whisper to myself. I rest my cheek on my knees, squeezing my eyes shut in a futile attempt to summon some inner calm. The vehicle bounces over a pothole, and I’m launched forward, my teeth knocking against one another.
I groan.
Just when I consider banging on the wall to the driver’s cabin and begging for a bathroom break, the vehicle slows down.
The gears shift, and we make one turn, then another, and another.
It feels like we’re winding up a corkscrew, and my stomach does somersaults with every twist. And finally, mercifully, the constant turning stops.
I hear the familiar sound of tires crunching over gravel, and the truck rolls to a shuddering stop.
The handbrake jolts into place with a sharp, metallic grind, followed by the thud of the driver’s door shutting. I’m breathing in short, sharp bursts as if the anticipation is strangling me. My ears still reverberate with the echo of the engine’s hum, and I strain to hear what is happening outside.
The low rumble of masculine voices reaches me, adding a potent undertone to the muffled sounds.
Heavy boots crunch across gravel, the sound growing louder as each step comes closer to the rear of the vehicle.
I hold my quickening breath, my heart hammering a wild rhythm within my ribcage as the doors open.
A flood of radiant daylight pierces the darkness.
I squint and raise a hand to shield my eyes, tears welling in response to the abrupt change in light.
“Omega Sparks,” the Beta grunts, his voice matching the roughness of the gravel beneath his feet. It sends a shiver that has nothing to do with my nerves down my body. “Come meet your new commanding officer.”