Chapter 65
Chapter Sixty-Five
Shade
We leave most of our gear at the waterfall camp and begin the hike to the tallest crest of the mountain range. It’s our best bet of getting a clear signal to radio in to base.
Halley doesn’t protest as we set off, her face pulled into a familiar grim determination, leaning forward to drive herself up the steep incline.
Viper takes the lead, and Knox and I flank her.
Blaze disappears behind us, tailing our movements from afar to ensure we’re not being followed.
It’s very unlikely. We’re so far into the remote mountains, there isn’t even a radio signal.
The Alphas who attacked would have a tough time figuring out where we went.
We’re taking the path that’s easiest to traverse, but we’re still climbing a rut-damned mountain.
It’s slow going with Halley on foot, and sure we could have carried her like yesterday, but she’s still in training.
She’s made leaps and bounds with her fitness and endurance.
This is just another opportunity to train our Omega.
It’s midday and we’ve stopped for a break. Halley is drinking heartily from a canteen, while the rest of us snack on ration bars.
Knox is playing around with the radio when it emits a buzz, and his face lights up with a grin. “There we go,” he announces. “We have contact.”
He begins searching for the correct secure channel to reach General Stone.
Halley sighs in relief as she massages her right calf. I reach over and haul her legs over mine, digging my thumb into her aching muscle.
She groans and tilts her head back, wincing as I find the offending tight muscle.
“How are you holding up, baby girl?” I ask.
“Just peachy,” she replies dryly, but then smiles up at me. “I’m fine. Honestly, I’m more worried about you.”
“You don’t have to worry about little ol’ me,” I say, waving her concern off.
She takes another swig of the canteen, a droplet of water sliding down her chin.
“You nearly died yesterday, Shade,” she says quietly.
I don’t agree or disagree. The situation was definitely out of my control, but I’m not sure if I was close to death. My brothers have had my back in the past, and they would have come to my aid again, I’m sure. Instead, this time it was our gorgeous, capable Omega who saved me.
“Have I thanked you for coming to my rescue?” I ask.
She blushes a light pink. “Maybe after this radio call, you’ll have the green light to show me that tongue ring again.”
I tilt my head back and laugh, giving her a clear view of the silver ball sitting on my tongue.
She stares at it with hungry eyes and licks her lips.
“Sure, baby girl.” I chuckle and continue massaging her calf, my finger trailing along her shin to the delicate ankle.
She has a delicate everything.
It’s one of the things I love most about her. How can someone so small be so strong willed?
And it is love. How could I not fall for her?
Knox tunes the radio into the correct frequency, and punches in the code to clear the encryption.
“Barkrood Base secure transmission. This is Scorch Squad-1. Do you copy? Over.”
Static stretches through the silent forest.
“I repeat. Barkrood Base secure transmission. This is Scorch Squad-1. Do you copy? Over.”
More silence.
“Is that the General’s direct line?” Halley asks.
Knox nods and runs a hand through his hair.
“He’s usually quick to respond,” Knox says, his brow furrowing in annoyance.
“He didn’t respond after you radioed during Halley’s breakthrough heat,” Viper points out.
Knox pins him with a glare. “We wait.”
He pulls out his notebook, the one he’s always writing in. I used to think it was war strategies and leadership bullshit. After years spent in his company, I know it’s something much more precious.
Our illustrious leader keeps a journal.
I’ll never tell his secret though. Especially to Halley. She has to figure out that our Prime Alpha is a giant softie on her own.
Another hour passes and Halley takes a nap with her head pillowed on Viper’s thigh.
He offered to comb out her long, tangled hair.
Her comb is still sitting in the bunkhouse back at the training camp.
The gentle brush of his fingers through her hair must have made her feel safe and cozy, because once the snags were gone, she melted into a light sleep.
“She likes it when you touch her,” I say lowly to Viper, not willing to wake her up.
“I like touching her, too. It’s…” he pauses and frowns, looking down at her. “Therapeutic.”
“Therapeutic? That’s a bit of a clinical way to describe it,” I say.
“Well, isn’t it? She’s… like my medicine. Around her, the Blood Lust doesn’t feel like it’s a knife hanging over my head.”
I hum and watch as Blaze flicks his lighter back and forth, fingers dancing in and out of the flames before they can burn him.
“What about when she went into heat? Wasn’t that Blood Lust?” I ask, referring to him losing control and needing to be locked in the troop carrier.
He huffs and shakes his head lightly. “Nah, that was a different kind of lust.”
“So, what? Do you think she’s cured you?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” He shrugs. “All I know is that she brought me back once and she can do it again. It makes me feel free.”
I look down at the Omega sleeping in the Alpha’s lap, and smile.
Knox puts down his journal, shoving it into his pack and picks up the radio receiver. “Let’s give this another go, shall we, fellas?”
“Yeah, I’m getting bored,” Blaze drawls, the lighter snapping shut as he pockets it.
He’s burned a pattern into a log that’s actually rather artistic.
Or at least, it would be, if the psycho hadn’t burned himself on purpose to add ‘red paint’ to his artwork using his blood.
Blaze is the poster child for misusing his enhanced Alpha healing.
Knox flips the switch and starts the process of radioing in.
“Barkrood Base secure transmission. This is Scorch Squad-1. Respond urgently. Do you copy, over?”
I lean back and listen.
The forest is so quiet, I can hear the leaves rustle in the wind.
Still nothing.
We wait another twenty minutes.
An unease settles over us.
We’ve been checking in with General Stone on this secure connection for weeks, keeping him up to date on Halley’s progress. It’s rare when we don’t make contact immediately, even more so when it happens twice.
“Something is wrong,” Viper says.
I agree, and I’m sure the rest of the team does too.
“Alright. We could try making contact through one of the main channels,” Knox says, looking at all of us for our opinion.
I gently shake Halley’s shoulder to wake her. She’s part of this too and deserves to be part of our decisions. She rises from Viper’s lap, her eyes bleary but alert.
“No,” Viper says firmly. “We shouldn’t. Something is definitely wrong, and we shouldn’t draw any attention to ourselves.”
“The chances of something happening to General Stone are low,” I add as a voice of reason.
“What happens if we can’t make contact?” Halley says, her voice wavering slightly.
“We’re on a classified mission reporting only to General Stone. He’s our primary contact and the files aren’t accessible to anyone below his rank,” I provide, explaining how fucked we are if the General doesn’t answer. “As far as anyone else is concerned, this mission doesn’t exist.”
“So no one else knows we’re out here?”
“Bingo,” Blaze says, flipping his lighter for effect.
Knox tries three more times over the next two hours without success.
The late afternoon sun has chased away the chill in the mountain air and I’m transfixed by the light beading of sweat on Halley’s brow. When a drop tracks down her cheek, Blaze appears in a flash to lick it up with his tongue.
“Hey!” Halley protests through a chuckle. “No face licking until later.”
“Ah, so there will be licking later. Promises, promises, Sparkles.”
She giggles and blushes prettily. It’s a damn good thing she thinks our resident nut job is adorable.
Knox sighs and nods curtly. “It’s time. I’m going to contact Barkrood Base to see if they can locate the General.”
He turns the dial and speaks into the receiver. “Barkrood Base, this is Prime Alpha Knox. Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?”
My skin prickles as the radio stays silent. I don’t like that he has to use his real rank and title over the compromised line, but it’s the only way he’ll get the information we need.
“Barkrood Base, this is Prime Alpha Knox. Please respond, over.”
“This is not good,” I breathe. Even stranger than General Stone not answering the secure channel is Barkrood Base not responding. Something is very wrong.
Blaze gets up and paces like a caged animal.
Viper is stiff and on edge, his nostrils flaring, eyes narrowing.
Halley is frowning and biting her bottom lip, the flesh turning red and swollen. I don’t stop her.
We wait, the tension growing by the second, until finally, after what feels like an eternity, a pop breaks the crackle of static.
“This is Hazlin Base. This is a secure military channel. Incorrect use will result in prosecution. Confirm your identity and security code.”
We all blink at each other.
Knox definitely called for Barkrood Base. Why would Hazlin Base answer?
Also, Knox identified himself. Prime Alphas don’t get questioned like this. Ever. They’re above reproach.
“Copy, Hazlin. This is Prime Alpha Thorin Knox of Scorch Squad, security code six-nine-six-niner-Foxtrot-Uniform-Charlie-Kilo-Uniform.”
Blaze snorts in amusement. Perhaps letting him select our squad security code wasn’t the smartest decision we’ve made. Spelling out ‘Fuck U’ in the military phonetic alphabet wasn’t going to earn us any good will.
“Requesting transfer to General Stone as a matter of urgency, over,” Knox says, his voice sharp with authority. His eyes are flinty, keeping his temper under control.
Halley sits up straighter and I realize it’s probably the first time she’s heard Knox’s first name. She doesn’t know any of our actual names, just our call signs.
The voice returns, equally authoritative. “I repeat. You are not authorized to use this secure military channel—”
Knox loses his fight with his temper.
“As a Prime Alpha I have authority to use this and any channel I so please. Do not disobey my orders. Transfer me to General Stone, ASAP. Over,” Knox snarls, a low warning rumble echoing in his chest. Alpha Commands don’t work over radio.
He clicks off the receiver and spits at the ground, tempering his bubbling rage.
“Knox,” Blaze clips, leaning forward sharply. “Listen.”
He’s right. There’s another sound in the background. A buzzing, clicking sound.
It’s coming from the radio.
“It’s bugged.”
We stare at the offending item in Knox’s hand like it’s a bomb.
“Get rid of it!” Blaze shouts, lunging to take the radio from Knox to destroy it.
“No, don’t!” I shove him back, stopping him. “It’s untraceable. They can’t use it to find our location, and this might be our only chance to figure out what the hell is going on.”
Blaze glares at me, but backs off. He slips in beside Halley, running his nose in her hair in an entirely unsubtle attempt to cool his rage. After a moment, his shoulders sag. She really is our miracle cure.
Knox nods. “Agreed. I’ll play along. See what we can learn.”
Blaze hisses.
Viper stands and prowls away, pacing and muttering to himself.
Knox looks at me, and I tilt my head, thinking hard. We have to push them to see what they’ll reveal. Something is happening out in the world which we’re ignorant of.
The static clicks again and again, floating between our team like a heavy cloud.
“Negative. Identity cannot be confirmed. Prime Alpha Thorin Knox and his team are registered as KIA.”
I blink rapidly.
Killed in action?
Well, that’s not good.
Knox turns off the radio, ending the conversation abruptly.
We stand in silence, the afternoon sun beating down on us with a biting insistence.
“We’re dead?!” Blaze howls.