"Prime Alpha Zero," Halley squeaks in surprise, her voice high-pitched.
Her scent shifts sharply, turning sour enough to make all of us tense. Whatever it is about this Alpha, it’s setting Halley on edge.
If he laid a hand on her, if he hurt her in any way, I’ll make sure he regrets it. My brothers and I will make him pay for it tenfold.
I slide my hand to the small of her back. If she gives me the signal, I’ll have her out of here before he blinks.
“I didn’t expect to see you…” she says, her voice thinner than usual, eyes locked on the ground.
The Prime Alpha raises a brow in something close to accusation.
“After you sent me away in Rheamont?” he finishes for her.
Halley flinches, so slightly I might have missed it if I weren’t touching her. Through the bond, a flood of what feels like guilt hits me.
Guilt?
What could our sweet Omega possibly feel guilty about?
“I looked for you at Blackgate,” she says, quiet and careful. “I wanted to apologize.”
The Prime Alpha’s brown eyes are ringed with gold, which almost appears to glitter in the sunlight.
“Yes?”
She swallows and shuffles her feet, but doesn’t retreat. “I shouldn’t have Commanded you like that. I… it got away from me and I lost control.”
Oh.
That’s why she was alone in Rheamont. Not because she’d been abandoned by General Stone’s soldiers, but because she’d sent them away.
Zero looks at her for a long while, his eyes studying the Omega like he’s searching for something. Finally, he seems to find it. “Apology accepted, little one. The task given to you wasn’t fair. The mission was compromised and I’m glad you got out safely.”
Halley releases a breath she’d been holding. “And did you and your men make it out okay?”
He inclines his head. “No casualties.”
“Good. Good,” she mutters.
An uneasy silence settles over our group.
Zero doesn’t seem bothered by Halley’s discomfort. He tilts his head slightly, eyes raking over her with the detached precision of a Prime. Assessing a soldier for their potential.
His eyes clap on me.
“I see you’ve joined with an Alpha,” he says, voice clipped and cool. He’s clearly not an individual for small talk.
“I have,” she replies as her cheeks flush. She lifts her chin with quiet challenge and adds, “More than one, actually. This is my Pack.”
She gestures to us, and I feel my chest tighten with pride.
Knox steps forward and wraps an arm around Halley’s waist, pulling her firmly against his chest. It’s a deliberate show of dominance, one any Alpha would recognize for what it is.
Halley doesn’t protest his domineering manner, not like she used to. Instead, she softens against him, her body pliant. She tilts her neck slightly, offering that vulnerable curve in quiet submission.
Huh. That’s new.
But not unwelcome. For the sake of our Pack’s balance, it’s a damn good sign.
