Chapter Thirty #2
When the giant turns to sneak a peek at me, Shade strikes. Kicking the back of Viper’s knee, making the Alpha crumble with a bellowing roar. Shade wastes no time pushing his knee into his lower back and wrenching his arm to lock behind his back.
“Halley, are you with me?” Shade shouts, and I flinch.
Am I? I still feel rather detached from reality.
“You pulled yourself out of O-space, that’s great work.”
I pull a face. I don’t know if what the Lieutenant and I did should be considered ‘great work.’
We both stiffen at the sound of hammering boots rapidly approaching.
“You’re close to camp, finish this strong,” Shade insists, pointing towards the streaming sunlight.
Whoever is incoming, they’re sprinting towards us with alarming speed.
“Go, Halley!”
I don’t need to be told twice. My hair has come loose and streams behind me as I dart between the thinning trees. The camp is ahead, only a few more lurching steps to the tree line.
My victory is so close. I can taste it.
My pursuer is gaining on me, closing the distance with every thundering step.
I push forward. My lungs burn with effort and my heart hammers against my ribs.
A hand grabs my wrist, and I scream with frustration.
I’m ripped backwards into a powerful body, and a heavy arm bands across my chest, holding me close as we stumble to a halt.
“Game over,” Prime Alpha Knox growls in my ear, and I immediately feel the fog roll in once more.
My skin is on fire. Coated in sweat and mud and slick.
“Submit.”
With one word, he pulls me under. I whimper and sag in his grasp, unable to stop myself from turning my head to present my neck to him.
His nose buries in my neck, inhaling deeply, drawing a line from the top of my collar, up my neck and over my jawbone.
“You smell so sweet, little Omega.” His words escape through clenched teeth, as if he finds them offensive.
I half-heartedly thrash, fighting against the swell of my instincts, but it’s too late.
He spins me around to face him and the world blurs into a dizzying whirl.
I blink up at the handsome face of the Prime Alpha. His red eyes burning like embers as he glares down his strong, aristocratic nose, the long scar stark against his tanned skin. His scent is thick, spicy and earthy. It makes me feel safe and wanted, and I rub my cheek against his hard chest.
“Fight it, Halley!” Shade’s voice breaks through my reverie for a split second, but it’s enough to shatter the O-space spell.
Frack.
A faint idea sparks in the back of my mind.
I’ve begun to suspect O-space doesn’t render me as vulnerable as assumed.
Viper listened to me when I spoke while under O-space. Not just from courtesy, but almost like he was compelled. It didn’t feel like a weakness when he complied. It felt powerful.
“Let—” I rasp before swallowing the weak words.
This time I gather strength, tapping into the defiant, powerful feeling I’ve barely explored.
“Let me go.”
The words rattle out of me, wavering but purposeful.
Knox stills, his thick brows furrowing.
Emboldened, I say it again.
“I said, let me go!”
Knox releases me like I’ve become molten lava.
I don’t stop to admire the shocked expression etched on his features.
With a last rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins, I dash the final distance to the tree line and burst into camp, gasping for breath.
A triumphant shout escapes from me.
I did it.
I won.
Laughing in disbelief, a wide grin spreads across my face.
Knox emerges, watching me with incredulity in his red eyes. I hold his gaze, a knowing passing between us.
I want to ask if he knew what just happened and if he felt it, too.
Shade breaks our connection, rushing to my side with a first aid kit clutched in his hands. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
I shake off my pensive thoughts to enjoy my victory.
“I’m fine. Actually, I’m great!” Filled with joy, I can’t help but laugh.
I’m sweaty, dirty and exhausted, but I outran a pack of Alphas.
I did it.
I squeal as I’m scooped up into a pair of toned arms and swung around in circles.
“Blaze!”
“You bloody brilliant little maniac!” Blaze beams down at me, his bright eyes alight with happiness.
I laugh as I cling to his shoulders, giddy with the rush of success.
“Put me down!” I squeal as he swings me around again.
When he puts me down, he keeps me tucked in his arms and holds me tight to his body. I don’t move away, taking comfort in his radiating heat. “You’re incredible, do you know that?”
I hope my flushed face is hidden beneath the thick coating of mud on my skin.
“Covering your tracks in the stream, muting your scent with mud, creating false trails with your clothes, it was all,” Blaze kisses his fingertips with an exaggerated chef kiss gesture. “Mwah! Delicious to watch.”
“He’s right. You did amazing.” I beam up at the handsome Beta and feel my chest swell with pride. A compliment from Shade feels like a warm hug. “I’m especially eager to evaluate how you were able to break out of your O-space.”
My smile dims as I remember why I slipped under the influence of my Omega instincts. More like who was the cause.
The ever observant Specialist must see my apprehension because he sighs and adds, “But we can run through the exercise at debrief tomorrow morning after we speak to our commander. Tonight, you earned a night off.”
My smile returns.
“Sparkles,” Blaze says with a twinkle in his eyes, which hints at mischief. “Do you need help scrubbing all that sticky mud off?”
I shake my head at him, rolling my eyes. “I will manage on my own, Blaze.”
“Are you sure? My fingers can reach places yours can’t—”
“Blaze!” Prime Alpha Knox barks, and my skin tingles at the sound, and I’m reminded of his hot breath against my neck.
“Well, fuck me for wanting an equal taste of this sexy little pie. Sharing is caring, Knoxy-pants, everyone else got a bite…”
Before I hear a response, I spin on my heels and lumber towards the bunkhouse, desperate for a shower and some alone time with my thoughts.
And if I’m being honest, my fingers. I’m painfully turned on, my body prepared to be mounted and fucked by not one, but two Alphas.
If Shade hadn’t intervened like he promised, how far would they’ve taken it?
More importantly, how far would I have let them go?
My stride falters as I catch movement from the corner of my eye. Viper emerges from the forest with glowing, hungry green eyes.