And kept walking.
He’s proof that a Prime Alphacanleave the Fathim military. It puts a dangerous thought in my head.
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I made a mistake—
Prime Alpha Zero grabs my arm and pulls me forward into a march.
I dig my nails in harder until the sting is unbearable.
I can’t be thinking about my love life right now. I have much bigger problems, like the fact that I’m going to need a whole truckload of luck if I’m going to make it through this.
I force myself to remember my training and grimace. Remembering my training means remembering them, because every stance, every movement, every rule was taught with a hand on my shoulder and their lips brushing against my ear.
I hold my rifle the way Viper taught me, elbow tucked, grip steady, muscle memory clicking into place with ease.
He never snapped at my self-taught bad habits. Never raised his voice, just stepped in close, and corrected me with those unwavering hands. It took me a while, but I finally realized he used it as an excuse to touch me. Andoh, did I like it when he did.
My skin prickles as I remember warm fingers ghosting over my arm, anchoring me in place. The memory feels less like a thought and more like a sensation that never left.
Frack!
Not even the threat of death is enough to get my mind off them.
We jog through the quiet streets of Rheamont, and I'm struck by how motionless it is. A surveillance drone buzzes from somewhere high above, and the sound sets my teeth on edge.
"Where is everyone?" I pant after a while.
"Hopefully gone, but probably hiding," Prime Alpha Zero says before bracing as a loud explosion shakes the ground. The fight on the front lines is heating up and someone is using heavy explosives. "Come on, we're running out of time."
At first, we knock and ring doorbells, asking the occupants to evacuate, but the light fades and the clock ticks down.
Time is almost up and the tactics change.
Prime Alpha Zero kicks in doors, and the Betas rush in, shouting orders and shoving the citizens into the streets.
It’s awful and violent and my Omega hates it, hissing in the recesses of my mind.
The town isn't silent anymore. It's heaving with screams of terror and the shouts of our comrades.
"If you don't leave, they will kill you!" I hear one of the soldiers yells at a stubborn-looking man. His children hide behind his legs, tears streaming down their faces.
Zero, noticing the disturbance, approaches. His hand shoots out and grasps the father’s face, fingers digging harshly into his cheeks, making him stare up into his gleaming eyes before speaking with perfect clarity.
"Leave. Now."
The Alpha Command twists around the Beta, his eyes going wide before falling to half-mast as the Command takes hold. He turns to obey, pulling his whimpering children with him when another explosion erupts.
I crouch to steady myself, flinching as the deafening noise assaults my hypersensitive hearing. The blast is closer this time, and a spray of debris and soil showers down on us.
As if jolted awake, the Alpha Command wanes and the father stumbles to a stop. He spins on his heels, his finger raised in accusation as he yells, “You're all fucking monsters!”
Others halt their retreat, outrage quick to rise. Generations of mistreatment by Alphas overpowers their survival instinct to flee.
“Did you see that?” he hollers. “They’re Commanding us to do what they want. The Humans are here to save us from them!”
The crowd roars, whipping itself into a frenzy as outrage turns to fury. A rock is thrown, hitting a soldier in the chest.
