Page 5 of Alpha Awakened

Throughout the night, his gaze had been drawn to the captain again and again. It had been a struggle not to get caught staring at him. At least now Hazard had a reason to look at the big alpha since he was speaking to him directly.

“Hazard. You’re with me from the second our boots hit the ground until we’re back on this helo. Understood?”

Another tingle shivered down his spine at the captain’s voice. It was deep and rough, no doubt from time spent shouting orders in the field. This time the tingle was followed by a flare of annoyance. What the fuck was going on with him? This wasn’t the time, the place, or the person for him to be feeling attraction. Hazard cleared his throat and answered.

“Yes, sir.”

Those dark eyes behind the wolf mask stared into his for a long moment before they moved on. From his talks with Ortiz, Hazard knew he’d been brought on to work as Ice’s partner. But after meeting him, Hazard suspected that Ice didn’t want him, or anyone for that matter, as a partner. This mission was probably a test. A way for Ice to scope him out and see if he was up to scratch. And if he didn’t keep up, Ice would have him booted from the team.

Hazard wasn’t worried however. He was confident in his skills. He didn’t know Ice’s standards or if he would meet them his first time out. But he knew he would get the job done.

Jax rose and slipped out of his clothes and shoes. As a shifter, Hazard wasn’t bothered by the nudity, but since he was still basically a stranger to the other corporal, he politely averted his gaze. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jax stretch, then the flash of white light that accompanied a shifter’s transformation. When he looked back, there was a large alpha wolf standing in place of the man. Jax’s fur was a rich, dark brown with black on his muzzle and streaked down his back and tail.

“Nice coat,” Hazard said.

“Thanks,” Jax replied telepathically.

Jax’s voice sounded in his head, faint but clear. Hazard was in human form and they weren’t bonded as pack members yet so their connection was weak. If he were in wolf form too he would be able to hear Jax as clear as if he’d spoken out loud. Once they’d strengthened their bond as pack mates, their wolf to human telepathy would grow stronger as well.

Ortiz took up the wolf body armor Jax had set aside before shifting, buckling it into place over his head and around his torso so that he would be protected during the mission.

The helo hit the drop spot exactly as timed. They landed to the east of the abandoned warehouse, far enough out that anyone inside the building wouldn’t hear the chopper approaching. Ready for action, they went the rest of the way on foot.

They ran through a commercial district, past dark, industrial buildings. At this hour, most of the businesses were closed up for the night. The area was lit by streetlights, moths fluttering beneath the bulbs. There were few pedestrians out and only the occasional car drove past. The further they went, the more dilapidated the buildings became until they passed several thatwere abandoned. They stayed low, keeping to the shadows to remain hidden from any lookouts.

Halfway there, Ice found a good spot to set up his long-range sniper rifle. Hazard took up position next to him and got out his night vision binoculars to scan for the guards. They’d need to eliminate them first in order to approach the warehouse undetected.

“Guard number one on the roof,” he said quietly.

There was a softthwipas Ice fired his silenced rifle. Through his binoculars, Hazard saw the guard fall back and lay on the roof unmoving.

“Next one is left corner of the building.”

Anotherthwipand that guard crumpled to the ground too.

Hazard scanned but didn’t see anyone else. He was about to give the all clear when he saw a shadow move in a window on the third floor. “One more, Captain. Third floor window. Two over from the right side of the building.” He’d barely finished speaking when Ice fired. The shadow jerked back and disappeared from sight.

“Didn’t think you saw that one,” Ice said as he started breaking down the big rifle.

Hazard grinned. “Did I impress you with my thorough scan?”

“No.”

“Ah. I’ll keep trying then,” he lightly teased.

Ortiz snorted. Hazard heard a quiet laugh from Jax in his head. Ice didn’t respond.

They resumed progress to the target location, Jax in wolf form loping alongside them. Moving with quiet stealth, they reached the brick warehouse. Hazard peered inside one of the grimy ground level windows. Ice had eliminated the guards on the perimeter, but there were men stationed inside. He silently indicated their numbers and positions to his new teammates.

Ortiz nodded and readied her weapon to breach the door. It was old, but had been fitted with two brand new deadbolts and thick, heavy duty strike plates.

“Breach in three-two-one.”

Everyone stood safely to the side while Ortiz blasted the reinforced locks with her shotgun. There was a flash of fire, followed by the acrid smell of gun smoke.

The locks destroyed, Ice shoved open the door and the team swept inside. They had the element of surprise, and they took advantage of it to drop the first few members of the cell. But it didn’t take long for the rest of the crew to regroup. Bullets flew across the dim, cavernous space as the two sides engaged in a fire fight. Unfortunately for Vengeful Claw, they were no match for the 448.

Hazard stuck to Ice’s heels as ordered, watching the captain’s back. The position treated him to a front row seat of Ice’s renowned prowess. Ice moved forward with deadly, single-minded intensity. He was careful, but there was zero hesitation in his progress cutting through the enemy. He fired twice, taking out two cult members with a single bullet each before the first had even managed to raise their weapon.

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