Chapter 13 Cade
"Swallow."
Rowan rolled her eyes and gulped, sticking out her tongue and making a facetious little ahhh noise.
"Good girl. You ready?"
Her attitude faded. A nervous look replaced it, and she nodded.
I faceted my hand around the back of her neck, firm but steady, guiding her close enough that my lips brushed her ear. "Killian and I are right here, baby. Nothing touches you. Breathe and stay calm. I promise we won't let anything happen to you."
Killian moved ahead of us, shoulders wide, attention locked on the hallway. He gave a sharp nod without looking back, as if confirming what I said.
Nerves slipped across the bond as she fidgeted. It was clear Rowan was uneasy about the appointment, but I suspected the real dread came from traveling across the base, filled with other alphas.
The last time she encountered Jayden and Finn, it had ended in an attack, a memory her body refused to forget. I'm sure now every unfamiliar scent and passing gaze felt like a threat, and the base no longer felt safe, even with us at her side.
I wished I could take that fear from her. To erase those memories so she could regain a sense of security and peace. But I couldn't. All I could do was make sure it never happened again.
The walk to the science wing felt endless. It was located on the basement level of the Border Front Base’s primary facility. I noted every alpha and beta we passed who so much as flicked their gaze toward Rowan.
Yesterday, I had called in a favor from one of the tech geeks who owed me.
He hacked the base's security cameras, routing a direct feed and recording straight to my laptop.
As soon as we got back to the dorm, I planned to review the footage, watching everyone Rowan passed to make sure no one lingered too long or showed too much interest.
The image of the two alphas who attacked her, standing near the elevator, eyeing her with hunger, entered my mind. I should have known then that they were going to try something by their unmasked desire and the way they scented Rowan so brazenly in front of us.
As we walked, Rowan’s eyes stayed fixed on Killian’s back. Her skin flushed red under the weight of the attention. There were other omegas on base, but they rarely showed their faces in public spaces for this exact reason.
Most people tried not to look too closely. Alphas and betas alike kept their expressions neutral, their gazes forward, making a point of restraint. But hardly anyone could resist that first glance. The quick flick of eyes and instinctive curiosity gave them away.
Rowan was fresh meat, whereas most omegas on base were old news. There hadn't been a new omega here in a long time. And while I was biased, Rowan was especially beautiful. Everyone wanted a look at the fiery new omega, whether they admitted it or not.
At one point, Killian reached a hand behind him, checking on her without breaking his focus on potential threats. She caught his hand and soothed him quietly. "It’s okay, big guy. I’m right here," she said with a soft, little purr.
The way she comforted Killian, gentle and feminine, pulled something tight in my chest. I had spent years shielding my brother from my mother’s scorn and had no idea how he would react to an omega after everything he endured.
I suppose that was part of the reason I had turned down my father's offer to match us with one from the Training Center.
But now seeing Rowan ease him like that made me realize she had already started to heal something inside him.
When we finally reached the science wing, I pressed the call button.
A woman with a familiar voice answered over the intercom and buzzed us into the department.
I couldn’t place why her voice stuck with me until she stepped into view.
It took a moment, but I recognized her. She was the same blonde research assistant who had greeted us at Rowan's last appointment in Falcon City. Rowan's blue eyes widened in shock.
"Hello again, Captain Green," the woman said, confirming my suspicion that we had met before.
"Why are you here?" I asked, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Sir?" she asked, confused.
"Weren’t you stationed in Falcon City?"
"Ah, yes. Command recently transferred me. I’m very excited for the opportunity to advance my career here at the Border Front Base. I will let the chief science officer know you’ve arrived. He’s been expecting you."
She walked down the hall and left us standing in a sterile laboratory.
"That’s weird. Why is she here? I hate her! She was so rude to me last time. Something feels off, Cade," Rowan whispered.
Killian growled low in his chest and shifted closer to her.
"I know. I feel it too," I said. "Stay calm. Play the submissive omega and let me handle the talking. I’ll make this as quick as possible."
Rowan laced her fingers through Killian’s, trying to steady herself, but I could hear the nervous patter of her heartbeat. A few moments later, the blonde scientist returned, and behind her trailed the last person I wanted or expected to see.
Dr. Zolkos.
What.
The.
Fuck.
"Ah, hello again, Captain Green. This must be your brother, Staff Sergeant Green, am I correct? And Omega Mills, nice to see you again," he said, greeting all of us, though his eyes never left Rowan for a single second.
She went pale the moment she saw him. I prayed she could maintain her composure and keep the wolf at bay. What the fuck was he doing here?
"I'm surprised to see you, Dr. Zolkos. Did Command transfer you as well?" I said in an even voice, concealing the alarm I felt.
"Yes. My entire team came with me. We have a new assignment, a special project, and the previous chief science officer had an accident, so there was a void that needed to be filled."
"I see."
"It works out wonderfully, because now I can continue testing Omega Mills and ensure she is healthy to breed during her heat, which I understand is upcoming."
His words sounded harmless enough, but the way he delivered them was anything but.
He spoke evenly, almost too evenly, his focus locked on Rowan in a way that made my skin crawl.
He lacked the usual cadence of human emotion.
It was like listening to an alien in a human suit, close enough to pass at a distance but wrong the moment you paid close attention.
"I know we discussed this at the last appointment, but I’d like you to go over again exactly what your concerns are with Rowan. She doesn't seem to have any notable symptoms. Dr. Michaels examined her several times and ran many of the same tests you did. He noted nothing concerning."
"Of course, captain. The concern is not her symptoms, but her genetics. During Omega Mills’ initial evaluation, her DNA revealed an anomaly that does not align with typical omega or human markers. Certain segments of her sequence resemble what we have documented in shifter genomes.”
“Is it not possible that she could just have a shifter relative in her ancestry?”
"No. To be clear, this is not something she should possess.
Shifter genetics are not recessive. If an individual carries the shifter gene, they present.
There is no dormant or partial state. Yet Omega Mills carries the sequence exhibiting no traits.
That is… biologically contradictory. We do not understand what triggers the shifter gene.
It expresses at random and has no predictable inheritance pattern.
We cannot track it through standard lineage analysis.
But whatever informs the gene, something in her DNA aligns with it.
That is why further testing is necessary.
We need to understand why she reads genetically as a shifter when she is not one. "
"I see. I can understand why this interests you from a research standpoint, but if it is not affecting our omega’s health, I see no reason to continue these appointments.
Her role is to be a mate to our pack. These sessions are invasive, disruptive, and they unsettle her.
If she is not at risk and she is not presenting as a shifter, then explain why we are still being required to attend them," I said sternly.
"We would need to rule out any risk to her health or to a potential pup before discontinuing these appointments, captain. Until we have conclusive evidence, we cannot make assumptions. I can certainly bring the matter to General Green for review. He expressed a deep concern for the omega’s well-being, so I am sure he will want to be fully informed before any decisions are made. "
"I understand and care about her well-being equally.
I will allow you to continue your tests.
What I will not allow is unnecessary disruption.
Rowan has responsibilities within our pack, and I will not have those interrupted without clear medical cause.
So, you will conduct whatever is essential and keep it brief.
No extra procedures, no extended sessions, and you will inform me of every procedure in advance. Or else. Understood?"
"Yes, captain," Zolkos said, barely bristling at the alpha tone I used and the threat woven into it.
"Good. Tell me what you need today so we can be on our way."
“I will require additional samples,” Zolkos said. “Saliva. Blood. And another slick sample.”
Rowan had been staring at the floor, shoulders tight, breathing shallow. At his words, she jerked her head up. Color drained from her face, her eyes going wide and glassy.
“What?” The word came out raw. “Why would you need that?” She swallowed hard. “Wait… another?”
Killian and I moved at the same time, growls tearing from our chests as we stepped in front of her, bodies squared, blocking her from his line of sight.
“Explain,” I snarled. “What do you mean another, Zolkos?”
His tone remained clinical and even. “We collected a preliminary slick sample while the subject was in heat and sedated. The request came directly from General Green prior to finalizing her placement in your unit.”