Page 44 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
Knox storms out of the tent like a thousand-strong army is chasing him, the fall of his boots thumping against the ground.
Good, let him run.
I bet he’s going to make me pay for my little show of defiance, but I can’t bring myself to care.
“That was really stupid,” the Beta drawls, and I drag my eyes away from the retreating Alpha’s ass to look at him.
“I know,” I reply, rubbing my tingling mating gland, only to hit the leather collar and sigh in frustration. I’ll never get used to wearing this rut-damned thing.
“You don’t have a bone of self-preservation, do you, Omega Sparks?” the Beta begins, his face hard. He doesn’t look angry, rather disappointed, and for some reason, it slices me deeper. He’s seems like the same age as me, early thirties, but he has a wisdom that I can’t explain. I find myself wanting to make him proud. Weird.
“Not a bone,” I mumble and frown at my boots.
His eyes stay fixed on me, looking up and down my body until I fold my arms over my chest. The adrenaline pulsing through my body during my confrontation with the Prime Alpha is wearing off, and I feel as if I’m deflating.
The ill-fitting uniform I’m wearing suddenly makes me feel ridiculous, and a faint blush of embarrassment colors my cheeks. I’m meant to be making a good first impression with the team, and here I am dressed inappropriately.
Like a cheap whore.
“Let’s just get this over with, shall we?” The Beta sighs like he’s a long suffering prison warden.
“I’m Specialist Shade. Officially, I’m in charge of logistics and support for the squad. Unofficially, I keep these three knot-heads from killing themselves with reckless decisions.”
I tilt my head and study him. I expected a single Beta in a team full of Alphas to be submissive, but he brings a steadying hand to the situation. There is nothing submissive or second-rate about him. And he certainly gives off the vibe of being the team caregiver.
“So you’re the squad Daddy?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. Shade’s eyes snap to mine with an intensity that makes me slam my hands over my mouth. A hungry expression slides into place, and I have to look away.
A cackle of amusement bursts from behind Shade, and the hairs on my arms stand to attention.
It’s the Alpha from the dig. Blaze.
“You have no fucking idea how right you are, Sparkles,” he howls through laughter as he presses a hand to his gut.
I look at Shade with confusion, which only grows when I notice the Beta’s cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Interesting.
“Give it a rest, Blaze,” he snaps at the laughing Alpha, and gestures at me. “Introduce yourself.”
Shade pins Blaze with a warning glare before striding towards the front of the tent. He frowns at someone outside, pointing his finger inside the tent insistently like one would do with a misbehaving dog.
Blaze finally collects himself and saunters forward. He vaults up onto the table behind me and sits on the edge, swinging his feet like a child instead of a fully grown, physically imposing Alpha.
“No introduction needed, Sparkles already knows me.” He shoots me a wink, giving me a wide grin. “We had a date today and I helped her with her hole.”
I choke on my own spit.
Shade groans and shouts, “For fuck’s sake, Blaze. Do it properly.”
“Yes, Daddy,” he crows back, pouting at the Beta and batting his lashes.
I bite my lip to hide my amusement as Shade throws his hands up in exasperation.
I still have no idea what to make of this Alpha, but I know I can never be off-guard around him. He feels like crackling energy. “Fine, if it will keep Knoxy from having a shit-fit for not follow protocol.”
He straightens himself on the table, his spine ramrod straight, and he schools his scarred face into something similar to seriousness.
His shaggy black hair falls into his eyes, and I visually trace the patterns he’s shaved into the short sides. I realize that the shock of white streaking from his temple grows out of a deep scar, the hair follicles forever changed by the trauma. I want to stroke it, kiss it and make it better.
“I’m Sergeant Blaze. I specialize in stealth and intel.”
