Every part of me rebels at the thought. I won’t let her die. Least of all, because if Halley dies, if we let her slip through our fingers again, whatever’s left of this Pack? It won’t survive it.
Blaze’s lighter snaps shut, smothering the flame.
Halley’s trembling intensifies, and her hands are clenched in her lap, white-knuckled. She’s holding herself together by threads.
“With the strength of a fully bonded Pack behind her, Omega Sparks won’t just be powerful, she’ll be unstoppable. She’ll Command entire armies. Bring the strongest soldiers to their knees with a single word. When the enemy comes, and they will come right to the foot of this mountain, she’ll be our weapon. She’ll Command, and they’ll retreat.”
Through our weak connection, I can feel Halley’s fear in the bond. A snag in a taut line.
Stone’s gaze goes distant, like he’s seeing some version of the future only he’s convinced exists.
“It’s time for you to do your duty.”
Stone lets the silence settle like dust after an explosion, the echo of his last words still rattling around the room.
Time todo your duty.
Shade doesn’t waste a second.
“You’re not a General anymore,” he snaps, stepping forward. “You left. Defected. And we’re not your soldiers. You can’t order us around.”
He crosses his arms, a deliberate challenge.
But I catch the flicker in Stone’s eyes. That smug spark, like a man who’s already stacked the deck and is just waiting for us to figure it out.
“You’re absolutely right, Beta Specialist,” Stone replies, his voice dipped in mock civility. “You don’t have to listen to a single thing I say…”
Then he leans in, just slightly.
“…but you’re going to anyway.”
Shade’s jaw tightens. “And why the fuck would we?”
That’s when Stone smiles. Really smiles. Not just a twitch at the corners of his mouth, but a full, victorious grin. Like a man who just played his winning hand.
“Because your duty is to defend Demi-human life. It’s what you were bred for. Trained for. They need you to protect them now, more than ever before.”
Fuck.
He knows exactly which buttons to hit. It’s a direct bullseye.
We might not be his soldiers. But he’s controlling us all the same.
A strangled snarl rips from Blaze’s corner. The metallic click-click-click of his lighter is rapid, uneven, with no rhythm and no calm. The fire isn’t working this time. It’s not anchoring him. It’s barely containing his wild rage.
Viper’s voice is low. “We’re not traitors. We won’t defect.”
I glance toward Halley.
At its core,thisis why she left us.
‘Cause she knew we’d never go AWOL. Leave our duty. Walk away from all that we know.
Her breath catches. And the hair on her forearm lifts, reacting to the resonance of Viper’s voice. Even now, after everything, her body still responds to us.
Stone softens his tone, like a predator trying to appear reasonable. “Neither am I. I’m a patriot to all Demi-human lives. Alpha. Beta. Omega. Leaving the military doesn’t change that.”
I shift my stance, striving to steady the mess of thoughts thrashing in my head.
