Chapter Eighteen
Halley
Knox storms out of the tent like a thousand-strong army is chasing him, the fall of his boots thumping against the ground.
Good, let him run.
I bet he’s going to make me pay for my little show of defiance, but I can’t bring myself to care.
“That was really stupid,” the Beta drawls, and I drag my eyes away from the retreating Alpha’s ass to look at him.
“I know,” I reply, rubbing my tingling mating gland, only to hit the leather collar and sigh in frustration. I’ll never get used to wearing this rut-damned thing.
“You don’t have a bone of self-preservation, do you, Omega Sparks?
” the Beta begins, his face hard. He doesn’t look angry, rather disappointed, and for some reason, it slices me deeper.
He’s seems like the same age as me, early thirties, but he has a wisdom that I can’t explain.
I find myself wanting to make him proud. Weird.
“Not a bone,” I mumble and frown at my boots.
His eyes stay fixed on me, looking up and down my body until I fold my arms over my chest. The adrenaline pulsing through my body during my confrontation with the Prime Alpha is wearing off, and I feel as if I’m deflating.
The ill-fitting uniform I’m wearing suddenly makes me feel ridiculous, and a faint blush of embarrassment colors my cheeks. I’m meant to be making a good first impression with the team, and here I am dressed inappropriately.
Like a cheap whore.
“Let’s just get this over with, shall we?” The Beta sighs like he’s a long suffering prison warden.
“I’m Specialist Shade. Officially, I’m in charge of logistics and support for the squad. Unofficially, I keep these three knot-heads from killing themselves with reckless decisions.”
I tilt my head and study him. I expected a single Beta in a team full of Alphas to be submissive, but he brings a steadying hand to the situation. There is nothing submissive or second-rate about him. And he certainly gives off the vibe of being the team caregiver.
“So you’re the squad Daddy?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. Shade’s eyes snap to mine with an intensity that makes me slam my hands over my mouth. A hungry expression slides into place, and I have to look away.
A cackle of amusement bursts from behind Shade, and the hairs on my arms stand to attention.
It’s the Alpha from the dig. Blaze.
“You have no fucking idea how right you are, Sparkles,” he howls through laughter as he presses a hand to his gut.
I look at Shade with confusion, which only grows when I notice the Beta’s cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Interesting.
“Give it a rest, Blaze,” he snaps at the laughing Alpha, and gestures at me. “Introduce yourself.”
Shade pins Blaze with a warning glare before striding towards the front of the tent. He frowns at someone outside, pointing his finger inside the tent insistently like one would do with a misbehaving dog.
Blaze finally collects himself and saunters forward. He vaults up onto the table behind me and sits on the edge, swinging his feet like a child instead of a fully grown, physically imposing Alpha.
“No introduction needed, Sparkles already knows me.” He shoots me a wink, giving me a wide grin. “We had a date today and I helped her with her hole.”
I choke on my own spit.
Shade groans and shouts, “For fuck’s sake, Blaze. Do it properly.”
“Yes, Daddy,” he crows back, pouting at the Beta and batting his lashes.
I bite my lip to hide my amusement as Shade throws his hands up in exasperation.
I still have no idea what to make of this Alpha, but I know I can never be off-guard around him. He feels like crackling energy. “Fine, if it will keep Knoxy from having a shit-fit for not follow protocol.”
He straightens himself on the table, his spine ramrod straight, and he schools his scarred face into something similar to seriousness.
His shaggy black hair falls into his eyes, and I visually trace the patterns he’s shaved into the short sides. I realize that the shock of white streaking from his temple grows out of a deep scar, the hair follicles forever changed by the trauma. I want to stroke it, kiss it and make it better.
“I’m Sergeant Blaze. I specialize in stealth and intel.”
I whip my head to Shade and ask in an incredulous voice, “Stealth?”
Shade’s lips tilt upwards at my disbelief as he nods. “Yeah. For someone so obnoxious, he’s annoyingly good at disappearing into nothing.”
“Not just good, Daddy. The best.”
“Great. Now he’s got a new nickname to terrorize me with,” Shade mutters under his breath.
“I’m basically a magician, I can get in and out of anywhere.”
“Well then, you can start your magic show by getting your ass off the table where we eat.”
Blaze forges on: “…if you let me in those tight pants, I’ll show you a magic trick. I’ll make something disappear, then reappear, disappear, then rea—”
Shade slaps Blaze up the back of the head, and the Alpha dramatically falls off the table. He lands gracefully on his feet, which reinforces my suspicion that he’s somehow part cat.
“Yes, Daddy. Slap me harder!” Blaze cries. Shade groans, rubbing his hand over his face with exasperation, and begins to berate the wild Alpha. I like their dynamic. Even though Blaze is clearly baiting him, Shade handles it with finesse.
Shade turns to face me as he bats Blaze’s hand away from reaching towards my waist.
“He’s not usually this bad. We don’t see outsiders much and you’ve got him all riled up.” I hide another smile. It’s like he’s apologizing for a naughty kid, not a highly skilled military operative. If I’d had my suspicions before, I’m convinced this squad is not a standard team.
My amusement cuts off when I hear the clearing of a throat, and I spin on my heels.
I freeze.
Standing in the doorway is a massive Alpha, so large he has to duck to enter the tent and his shoulders brush the sides of the doorway.
A high-pitched ringing sound squeals in my ears as recognition settles between my shoulder blades.
It’s him.
The Blood Lust Alpha.
My Blood Lust Alpha.
I emit a soft whimpering sound, its echoes filling the space between us.
Viper.
Despite not being in a homicidal rage and covered in the blood of his enemies, I’d know him anywhere. He visits me in my dreams and I see his face when I close my eyes. Wearing the same green tactical uniform as the others, his enormous muscles strain against the material.
He’s as I remember him. Wild hair, and a thick dark beard covering his lower face. Broad facial features and a wide nose. I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes, those soulful green orbs, so I stare at his lips instead. The same lips that kissed me so intensely my eyes crossed.
The memory of those plush, tender lips on mine resurfaces, igniting a deep yearning within me.
I need reassurance that the connection I felt was real.
Does he remember me?
Does he remember the press of my body against his?
I’m aching to be closer, to feel him again.
My gland throbs helplessly beneath the stiff leather of the collar.
I want to bury my face in the crook of his neck and breathe in his scent like I did that day in the hospital.
I want to wrap my arms around his huge chest and squeeze him like he’s my favorite teddy bear.
I stand there in disbelief, my mouth opening and closing repeatedly, making me feel foolish. Finally, I simply whisper, “It’s you.”
The statement hangs in the air, met with complete and utter silence. He holds himself with such rigid stillness, I’m not even sure he’s breathing. Yet I can feel the press of his gaze, seeking and searching every inch of my form.
I still can’t meet his eyes. It’s too much.
What will he see shining in my purple eyes? Not even I know, and I can’t risk it. It’ll leave me bare and vulnerable.
“Ya know, you’d never guess you two dry humped the ever-loving-shit out of each other—” Blaze coos.
“Blaze!” Shade barks and slaps the back of the mischievous Alpha’s head again.
Both of us snap out of our reverie, and I sit down heavily, suddenly exhausted by the overwhelming emotions.
I hear a huff, then my giant Alpha’s deep voice. “I’m Lieutenant Alpha Viper. Armorer for the squad and specialist in weapons.”
All I can say is a gentle, “oh.”
Apparently, LT is short for lieutenant. LT and Viper are the same person.
“And now you’re one of us,” I hear Blaze sing happily through the roaring in my ears.
One of them.
I’m not sure that’ll ever be true.