Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Shade
'You're a fucking idiot, Knox,' I snap across the bond, my projection sharper than I intended.
He has the grace to grimace as it dawns on him how badly he screwed up. ‘That wasn’t how I meant to say it.’
It’s too late. Halley is shutting down right in front of our eyes. She’s making these soft whining sounds of pain, humiliation, and utter defeat that slice right through the center of me.
Viper reaches out to comfort her, but she swats him away like his touch burns.
Blaze, in his twisted mind, finds it funny.
“Can’t handle the truth, Sparkles?” Blaze chuckles.
‘Shut the fuck up Blaze, you’re not helping,’ I snarl.
He doesn’t respond. Of course not. He doesn’t share the link because his mind’s too fractured for the rest of us to reach.
If he was anywhere near sane, he’d be ashamed of the way he’s treating Halley, of how quick he is to wound the very Omega he used to swear he’d protect with his life.
This was supposed to be a reset. A clean slate.
Instead, it’s a fucking catastrophe.
Halley deflates like the air’s been knocked out of her. She sinks back into her chair, spine curved inward, folding in on herself.
“I’m never going to be good enough for you, am I?” she says softly.
I hate seeing her in pain. Every word she spoke tonight cut deep. Not because it was cruel, but because it was true. And somehow, I hadn’t seen it. I thought I had. I’m the one who’s supposed to see patterns and fix problems before they implode. But I missed it. I missed her.
She was so innocent and naive when we met. Wide eyed and eager to please. We watched her fight for our approval every damn day. She trained harder than anyone should’ve expected. She bent over backwards trying to meet every standard we set. And still, Knox told her she’d never be our equal.
I scrub a hand over my face and sigh. "Rutting-fuck, I swear our Pack has the worst communication skills."
Knox grunts and doesn’t disagree.
Okay. Okay. I can fix this.
I have to fix this.
“All right,” I say, trying to sound steady even as my voice threatens to crack. “We’re a mess. Tempers are running hot and nobody’s thinking straight. Let’s just take a breath.”
Rutting-fuck. How are we screwing this up already?
“I’m tired. I want to be alone.” Halley’s face is blank, her voice even flatter.
She stands to leave, but Viper catches her wrist and tugs her gently back into her seat. She doesn’t fight him, doesn’t even look angry. She just lets it happen.
That’s worse.
She’s not resisting. She’s mentally retreating.
Then Knox says something unexpected. “You’re right. I was wrong.”
I blink, not sure I heard him correctly.
Halley’s lips press into a hard, thin line. She’s wary, but she’s listening.
"And I'm sorry," Knox finally says.
Her expression doesn’t change. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”
Knox leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, his hands open and spread like he’s laying out weapons in surrender.
“I shouldn’t have put it all on you,” he says, voice low but clear. “I have been clouded by my pain and it let me forget yours. That was wrong. I see that now.”
She softens. Not much, but a crack in her armor. It’s enough, and Knox latches onto it.
“You’re not our equal because—"
"I heard you the first time."
‘For fucks sake, Knox! That’s not an apology.’
She tugs at Viper's hold on her wrist to escape, done listening to Knox’s poor apology and explanation.
“No, wait. Just— just listen,” Knox blurts, voice sharper with panic now. His hands curl into fists as his expression tightens, the scar over the bridge of his nose creasing. “Look... I’m shit at this, all right?”
Halley stills, and Viper loosens his grip. She doesn’t pull away.
"Yeah. You really are." She snorts with a dry little nod.
"It's new for me, you know? I’m usually the best at everything."
'Knox, you idiot. Stop bragging,' I shout in our link, fighting against rolling my eyes.
I expect her to try to leave again, but instead, she exhales heavily. The kind of breath you take when you’re too tired to be angry anymore.
"You really are such an asshole," Halley says, but it's lacking venom. It's almost like resigned fondness.
Hope flickers back to life in my chest.
Knox, seeing his chance, nods emphatically. "I am. A huge asshole. I'm trying not to be, but I'm way too good at it."
She almost, almost, smiles. It starts small, one corner of her mouth tugging up, and damn, it’s like the sun coming out after a hailstorm.
"You’re the biggest asshole I know."
‘Keep going, she’s relaxing,’ Viper encourages.
Knox tilts his head, looking at her from under his lashes with that cautious charm he rarely bothers to use. “Can we hit reset? Try this second chance thing again… but better this time?”
"Technically, that would make it a third chance," I add.
Knox rubs his mouth, thumb digging into his lower lip.
"I told myself I'd be different with you... I want to be different. I thought I could… but I immediately fell back into the same way of doing things. I made a strategy to ambush you and negotiate the terms of our reconciliation. It’s the way I was raised and trained… to see everything as a battle. It’s not an excuse. "
His thoughts push through the bond a moment later, strained and self-directed. He looks at me with distress written on his features.
‘I don’t understand my own actions, so how can I explain them to her?’ Knox's voice echoes in my head.
I take mercy on him and step back into the conversation.
“It wasn’t just Knox,” I say, locking eyes with Halley. “I didn’t push back either. I let it happen. We’ve all got years of wiring to undo, and none of us has handled it well. But we’re here now, and we want to do better. For you.”
Halley purses her lips and looks at the four soldiers giving her puppy dog eyes. Well, three soldiers. I don't know what to call the expression Blaze has going on, but it's not remorse.
“The military really messed you guys up, huh?” Halley says with a dry little laugh.
Viper huffs in amusement or relief. I’m not sure. “You have no idea how much, pretty girl.”
Her lips twitch. She mirrors his expression, and it’s enough to lift the heavy tension stifling the room.
“Fine,” she says. “You get your third chance. But this time, we do it right.”
"Thank rutting-fuck," Viper exhales and takes her agreement as permission for a full body hug. He drags her from her chair and onto his lap. His arms squeeze her close, enveloping her into his body, tucking her as close as possible.
Halley doesn’t resist. She curls into him like she never left.
But she doesn’t let us off the hook, either.
“You still need to explain what you meant earlier,” she says, tone dipping back into sharp territory. “About me not being your... your... equal.”
Knox’s whole body stiffens. He’s got the good sense to grimace.
“Yeah. That,” he mutters. “Not my best moment. What I meant was... I mean, you are...”
He glances at me with the wide-eyed panic of a man who knows he’s one sentence away from detonating everything again.
‘Viper, tell her about our decision,’ I project to my brother, hoping the good faith she has in him can carry this home for us.
Viper gently brushes her hair behind her ear, smiling as she unconsciously leans into his hand. We might have some trust issues and a truckload of baggage to wade through, but there is still hope. She’s still here, and she wants us to be her Pack.
“We want to make up for all of the shitty things you just listed. Starting with choosing you.”
“Choosing me? What does that mean?”
Viper presses a kiss to the top of her head. “We left our post, pretty girl. We are officially AWOL.”
I nod. “Our duty isn’t to the Fathim Military anymore, it’s to you.”
Blaze, in a moment of clarity, adds, “Fuck those guys right in the ass.”
She lets out a short laugh, but it fades quickly as her brow pinches with uncertainty. “But, the military is everything to you. You’re Fathim soldiers.”
“The moment we met you, that all changed, baby girl. Just took us some time to figure it out.”
Knox returns to the conversation after his self imposed time-out. “I can be better, it just might take some time to learn how not to be—”
“A giant asshole?” Blaze blurts.
“I was going to say a Prime Alpha all the time.”
Her frown remains.
‘Let’s tell her the plan for her training, that’ll set her mind at ease. Viper, it’s probably best if she hears it from you,’ I lock eyes with the big Alpha. He’s not a man of eloquence, but in this instance, he’ll have to be.
He shifts her in his lap so she can look up at him, reaching out to hold her hand.
It looks so tiny in his meaty paw, her little fingers grasping at his calloused fingers.
She was never meant for calloused palms or split knuckles. She’s so precious.
“Pretty girl,” he begins, his deep voice rumbling gently. It’s like magic. Her tense shoulders release and her frown softens.
I wait for the jealousy to come again. This time, it doesn’t. I think it’s because I know, given enough time and healing, Halley Sparks will be my, our, Omega, and she’ll melt like that for me too.
“You don’t have to throw a punch, because I can do it better than you.”
I slap my forehead into my hand. ‘Sweet rutting-fuck, save me from Alphas shoving their big feet in their mouths.’
She puffs up her chest, as if affronted by the suggestion she’s not capable.
‘Oh, shit.’ Viper quickly backtracks.
I sigh, step in, and do what I do best: fix what my Alpha brothers have broken.
“Halley,” I say calmly, carefully. “What these emotionally stunted cockwombles are trying to explain is that you’re not like us. And no matter how hard you push yourself, you’re not supposed to be.”
She shifts like she’s about to argue, but I hold up a hand.
“Let me finish,” I say, my voice low but steady.
Halley’s jaw flexes, but she nods once, wary and waiting.
“Combat. Killing. The front lines,” I continue, keeping my gaze on hers. “That’s not who you are. And it was a mistake for us to ever try to force you into that role. From now on, training is going to be different.”
Her brows draw together, uncertainty flickering behind her eyes.
Her throat bobs as she swallows, blinking rapidly. But she’s still listening.
“We’re going to figure out how to harness your Omega Command without tearing you apart in the process.
We’ll be there with you, step by step, but this time we’re not going to push you to be more like us.
We’re going to learn how to be a better support system for what you need.
From now on, you lead. We follow because we’re your Pack, not your superior officers. ”
Her lips part like she wants to speak, but she doesn’t.
Her eyes shimmer again. Not with panic this time, but something closer to belief.
“So yeah... Knox and Viper were right, even if they said it like jackasses,” I add, glancing briefly at Knox.
That earns the smallest twitch of her lips. A half-formed smile, but I’ll take it.
“You’re not our equal, Halley. You’ve never been, because you’re something rarer and more vital. You’re the heart of this Pack and you don’t need to fight, that’s what you’ve got four hard-headed soldiers for and we’ll protect you so you can be a badass in your own way.”
She presses her lips together, blinking rapidly. Her shoulders tremble, like she’s holding in too many emotions all at once.
“I still want you to teach me how to fight and defend my loved ones. I’m done feeling helpless and weak.”
I nod, and add, “Sure, baby girl. We can keep doing your combat training, but the priority is learning to wield your Command safely. And to do that, we have to work hard on repairing this bond. I think it’s clear that all of our new abilities come from our connection.
If we keep talking and listening, then I really believe it’s possible to control it. ”
Halley swallows hard and nods, her chin lifting slightly. That’s our girl. She’s scared and shaken, but forging forward anyway.
I glance around the table, feel the shift in the air between all of us. Less brittle and more open.
"So, what do you say? Still want to be part of Pack Scorch?”
Her purple eyes brighten, and she tilts her head curiously. “Is that our Pack name?”
Viper reaches across the table and covers her hand with his. “If you want it to be.”
She bites her lip and nods. “Yeah. I think I like it, and… I’m still game to make this work if you all are.”
Knox nods once. Blaze doesn’t speak, but for the first time all night, he doesn’t look like he wants to murder anyone.
I squeeze her other hand, grounding us both. “We’re with you. One mission. One Pack. One more chance to do it right this time.”
Halley exhales, and it sounds like hope.
And hope? That’s the best damn thing we could ask for.
“Pack Scorch is back.”