“It’s dangerous to even say it.”
My earlier anger springs back to life, quick to reignite the flames of my injustice and rage.
Before I can stop it, the familiar shimmering, alluring feeling wraps around me, less like a fog and more like a tornado. It batters me from within, rising and rising, scraping my throat until I shout.“Tell me!”
Shade’s eyes go wide, his face pale as the answer is ripped from him.
“Omega Command.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Halley
I stumble through the tree line of camp, heaving lungfuls of panicked air, and am immediately skewered by the intense glare of Prime Alpha Knox.
I force myself into a slow walk, but I know I don’t look casual, especially when internally I’m in full meltdown mode.
I can’t believe I did that, and to Shade, who’s been nothing but supportive and kind.
Iforcedhim to tell me.
As soon as the words left my mouth shrouded in that enthralling magic, I regretted it. The look of disgust and disappointment on Shade’s face cut through me like a sharp knife.
Omega Command is real, and it isterrifying.
What I thought had been a figment of my imagination – a wild fantasy concocted by my lust-fueled brain – is so much more.
My Omega has awakened and is evolving, changing right before my eyes.
The part that frightened me most was how intoxicating the sensation was. The raw power that crackled within me like tiny bolts of lightning. I’m achingly hungry for another taste.
Shade stumbled away from me like I was an enemy who had a weapon.
“Thisis why we haven’t acted on the experiment results,” he spat, his voice rasping in a chilling tone. He doesn’t look me in the eye, as if I’ll transfix him with a simple stare. “You’re still at the start of your training. It takes years for Alphas to learn how to control their Alpha Command.”
“Is that what you think this is? The same as an Alpha Command?”
“We don’t know. That’s why we need more data before we even start to explore how to control it. Only fools mess around with something they don’t understand.”
The implication is clear. I’m the fool.
“Stripping another of their free will isn’t a game. The temptation can consume you quickly.”
The wind has left my sails and I feel like I’m back in my father’s house, being reprimanded for not acting like a proper Omega.
In a weak voice, I stammer, “Why didn’t you just tell me what the plan was?”
“What was the first lesson you learned when you came here, Omega Sparks?”
I purse my lips, wrapping my arms around myself. The very first day, Prime Alpha Knox made me dig a hole in the heat for the simple reason that he told me to. It was supposed to teach me that in my new role as a soldier, I don’t get to know the reason why. I do what I’m told.
I guess I’m a shitty soldier.
As I slowly walk across the camp, my face blazes red as Knox’s stare sears into me. It’s like he can read my thoughts, and I wonder if he knows what happened with Shade.
His expression hardens, and his trademark scowl sets on his handsome face.
Does he know that Shade told me the truth? Can he tell I forced him to?
