I’ve always thought him striking, all lean muscle and lithe strength, his movements as fluid and deliberate as a jungle cat.
But here, right now, I find myself struck by his appearance.
He is smiling, really smiling, his mouth curved in a way that smooths every hard edge from his face. Gone are the shadows and sharp lines of exhaustion. There is almost a youthful glow to his cheeks.
It’s hard to reconcile this Alpha with the one who recently pressed a blade to my skin and whispered twisted promises in the dark.
I wonder how long this easy mood will hold. There is no way to know, so I choose to savor it.
I breathe in the warm mid-morning air, grateful for the absence of Blackgate’s icy bite on my cheeks. After months surrounded by gray stone and cold corridors, this dusty path lined with green bushes and tall trees feels like stepping into another life. Birds sing above us, and the crunch of gravel under our boots keeps time with our pace.
I'm so glad I insisted we do this. I know the Pack is worried, but this is finally a chance for me to prove to myself that my inner Omega is inherently capable and good.
Back in Rheamont, I saved those civilians with my Omega Command. But it didn’t feel good. It wasn’t right. They were innocent, and I broke their free will over my knee like a twig. I’m ashamed of the twisted, dark compulsions that followed, urging me to do unspeakable things.
I want a do-over.
A chance to use my other abilities instead of my Omega Command.
I shake the dark thoughts off and squeeze Blaze’s hand. I'm looking forward to spending time with him while he's in a good headspace. It’s a heady thing to know that my mere presence has dragged him back from the precipice of insanity.
So… what do people do on first dates?
I think back to the sappy romance novels Flicker adored, each book carefully bartered for and hoarded over the years. What did those couples do when they first started to fall in love?
Awkward hand holding? Check.
A stroll through pretty scenery? Check.
Casual questions about their life?
"Tell me about your childhood," I blurt, and immediately wince. Nice work, Halley. Ask the psychotic Alpha to unpack his childhood trauma. Definitely a first-date no-no.
Blaze doesn't seem upset at the abrupt question. He simply shrugs and answers. "I grew up in The Capital."
I blink. "The Capital?"
That was not what I was expecting.
Alphas from the walled city are groomed for cushy government posts or seats in rich boardrooms, not the front lines. They are pampered, shielded from the ugliness of war.
"Yep, my mother and I had a cozy little apartment on the outskirts of the city, nothing extravagant," he says with a serene expression.
I run my thumb over the back of his hand, silently encouraging and thanking him for sharing a piece of himself.
"Where was your father?"
His smile falters.
"It's okay, you don't have to—"
"He lived with his mate. His Omega."
"Oh." My breath punches out of me. With his mate… whowasn’tBlaze’s mother?
“Yeah, he was the kind of knothead who thought he could have anything he wanted, whenever he wanted it. My mom, who worked for him, was just another thing to him.”
A lump rises in my throat, and I feel foolish.
