"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 thefuckwas 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 befilled."
"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 isnecessary. 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. Colordrained 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?”
