“Right. Next heat then,” I say aloud, tasting the words.
“Next heat,” Viper echoes with a nod.
Knox, seeming more settled now that the decision has been made, rolls back his shoulders and launches into Prime Alpha mode, issuing orders. “Shade, start making a contingency plan for when the heat hits.”
Shade turns back to his tablet and starts tapping away. I’m not sure how he’s going to come up with a plan when we don’t even know where we will be sleeping tonight, but if anyone can, it’s Shade.
“Halley, stay close to Viper. I don’t want you falling into heat alone.”
I lick my lips and nod. That’s the last thing I want. I’ve had more than enough solo heats to last me a lifetime. Now that I finally have my Pack, I want to experience every second of it with them.
“Blaze,” Knox adds, tone dry. “Can you agree not to dismember anyone in the meantime?”
“Low blow,” he groans. “Do none of you appreciate I was being gallant?”
“You were being unhinged,” Shade mutters without looking up from his screen.
“Sexyand unhinged,” Blaze corrects.
A laugh slips from my lips before I can stop it. If one sentence could sum up my Blaze, it was that. Sexy and unhinged. Turns out, I like my mates a little on the crazy side.
Knox nods at his squad and inhales. “And I’ll… I’ll try not to spiral.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Viper
"Alright, boots on the ground," Knox says as he brings our truck to a stop at the entrance to the Blackreach Mountain Pass.
The Pass is a narrow road threading through a gap nestled between two mountains. Steep cliffs on either side funnel travelers from the governed realm of Fathim to the lawless land of Blackreach Province. Unless you're willing to brave the treacherous climb over the mountains, this is the only way through.
To me, it doesn't look like a passage. It looks like a jagged mouth ready to swallow anyone who dares enter. A trap disguised as a road.
Just before the Pass, nestled in the mountain’s shadow, sits a temporary camp of tents. The processing facility.
General Stone’s soldiers are scattered throughout the camp, watching us with narrowed eyes and fingers resting on their weapons.
I help Halley down from the truck. It's easy to forget how small she is when her presence takes up so much space in my head. For her, the drop is less a step and more a leap. I take the excuse to hold her a little longer than necessary before I set her gently on the ground.
“What are they doing?” she asks, her eyes scanning the camp beyond the soldiers.
Beyond the line of tense soldiers with weapons at the ready, the camp buzzes with movement. Armed personnel and scattered volunteers, most wearing uniforms without insignia, guide anxious Beta civilians through a maze of checkpoints.
“They’re interviewing the displaced,” Shade answers. “Recording names, skills, anything useful. Each settlement in Blackreach can only take so many people, and they try to match survivors to the places that need them most.”
She nods, chewing on her bottom lip.
"They're not mistreating anyone, are they?"
‘Ah. My soft-hearted girl.’
Shade shakes his head and gestures toward a supply tent.
"They're giving out food, water, hygiene items, and bedding. It's all very orderly and organized. The General might be a manipulative old dickhead, but he knows how to run a smooth operation."
Halley’s shoulders relax.
"Omega Specialist Sparks," a voice calls out, and a Prime Alpha strides towards our Pack. "I received word you were joining us."
