Chapter Sixteen
Halley
The rock fights me for at least an hour, and by the time I’ve hoisted it up over the edge of the hole with a primal scream, I’m shaking all over from exertion. I lean against the dirt wall and guzzle water from my canteen, not caring as some of it splashes down onto my shirt.
A slow clap echoes from the tree line and the Prime Alpha saunters out from behind the cover of a tree. How long had he lurked there?
“Well done, Omega Sparks,” he says, assuming his standard pose with his spread feet and hands behind his back. I’m recognizing it as his asshole power pose. If it’s what makes him feel in control of his life, then good for him.
“Thank you, sir,” I respond through heavy pants, ignoring his condescending tone.
My chest feels tight as I struggle to inhale.
It doesn’t help that he still smells incredible.
The spiced scent reminds me of the hours spent on the porch swing in front of our house huddled under a blanket, sipping a warm cup of spiced milk with a drizzle of honey.
Somehow, it always comforted me. The opposite of how Prime Alpha Knox currently makes me feel.
“Well,” he says, glancing at his wrist. “That took you so long that I canceled the rest of today’s training.”
I shake my head in confusion. “Sir, are you going to tell me what this hole is for?”
Surely he owes me that much.
“Omega Sparks, I don’t think you’re grasping your role here. A soldier doesn’t question the chain of command, they follow orders. Understood?” The vein on his forehead pulses.
I purse my lips together and ignore the indignation and utter frustration I feel. I knew he was making a point when he set this task.
Fine, let him have his little win.
But frack, I really wish he wasn’t so attractive. Despite his horrid personality, my instincts are still screaming at me to climb him like a tree and make with the mating. The mutual dislike would definitely make it hotter.
I mentally slap myself. Stupid, stupid hindbrain.
“Yes, sir,” I say with a hint of attitude creeping into my tone and a roll of my eyes.
A dark expression crosses his face.
That was a mistake.
I gasp as he materializes before me.
He’s lightning-fast as he hooks his hands under my sweat-soaked underarms and effortlessly lifts me out of the hole. Like I’m light as a feather. A thing he can toss around with ease. My head spins at the physical contact and my pussy clenches unhelpfully.
He grasps my chin in a firm grip, forcing my head up to meet his eyes.
I blanch. His eyes are red.
Bright, blood red.
He takes a deep breath through his nose, inhaling my sweat-infused scent.
His eyes were a subtle burgundy color a moment ago. Rare, but like Omegas, Alphas have unique eye colors which change with powerful emotions.
I’m utterly captivated. They’re so bright, they’re almost iridescent. I never thought red eyes would look so… sultry.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Omega,” he says close to my face through gritted teeth. “None of us have a choice in this little experiment of the General’s, but the only way it’s going to work is if you toe the line. There are rules for a reason. Follow them or face the consequences.”
Right now, consequences feel like exactly what I want to happen.
I can feel the heat of his breath on my face, and with the slightest movement, our lips would brush against each other.
I want to kiss him, to rub my nose along his and drown in the scent of a Prime Alpha.
I want to lick his full, plump lips and taste them with my tongue.
I want to wrap my legs around his waist and feel his desire between my thighs.
A whimper escapes me and a cloud of perfume explodes around us, twisting into the warm afternoon air.
Prime Alpha Knox’s eyes dart down to my exposed neck, his nostrils flare, and he drops his hands from my chin like I’ve scalded him.
He takes four giant steps backwards and resolutely looks away from me. I feel dazed, beyond the bone-aching weariness from the physical labor. My body is fizzling with an awareness that is new to me.
“Omega,” he says, the sudden detachment in his tone causing my heart to clench. “If I ever catch you with your bite collar off again, I’ll lock you in the brig for a week. Am I clear?”
I swallow, my eyes darting to the discarded leather collar sitting on a patch of upturned dirt. I forgot to put it back on.
Looking at the severity on Prime Alpha Knox’s face, I know he’s dead serious about locking me up. After all, what do you do with a dog that slips its collar?
Put it in a cage.
“You have twenty minutes to clean up, then you’re meeting the rest of the team. Word of advice, I’d use that time to scrub yourself down with scent suppressant,” he says, and his eyes dip down to my filthy, sweat soaked body. “Thoroughly.”
I blink back at him, wanting to ask what exactly he means by that, but he’s already striding off towards the camp, his broad spine ramrod straight and his hands clenched into fists.
Frack, he’s such a dickhead. An asshole. Rather than Prime Alpha, his rank should be Prime Asshole.
Looking at my work, I still feel a swell of accomplishment at the sheer amount of dirt I managed to shift on my own.
Working in the warehouses back on Barkrood Base always gave me a similar kind of satisfaction after a hard day of moving pallets of supplies, but I’ve always been one of many on a team and the Betas I work with are usually very eager to help out the Omegas.
Their instincts to protect and provide for an Omega aren’t as strong as an Alpha’s, but it’s still an urge.
This I did all on my own.
Prime Asshole can’t take that away from me.