Then he stood, walked to the door and rested his hand on the handle. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he turned to me, his expression calm again, certainty settling over him.
“I have nothing but time,” he said evenly. “I can see howclose you are now. Every heat takes something from you. I’ll keep chiseling away at what’s left until there’s nothing to resist with.”
His eyes held mine.
“It’s been five years, Lena. My resolve hasn’t weakened, but yours has.” His mouth curved into a cold smile. “Even if it takes another five, you will be mine,willingly.”
The door closed behind him with a final, echoing click.
Chapter 2: Silas
Waiting in the lobby was souring my mood. That was unfortunate for the poor bastard currently tied up in my interrogation workshop.
I had spent the better part of the last hour deciding whether it would hurt more to pull out his fingernails or his teeth. As my patience thinned, I decided there was no reason to choose.
Bothwould suffice.
The click of General Green’s office door cut through the noise of my thoughts. His previous appointment exited at a near run, boots sharp against the marble.
Captain Cade Green, the general's son.
Restrained irritation locked his jaw tight and stiffened his shoulders. Everyone knew the Green brothers, the general's prodigal sons. Cade and I had crossed paths a few times while his unit was stationed in Falcon City. He noticed me immediately and changed course to greet me.
“Special Officer Mercer,” he said, stopping short and offeringa curt nod.
“Captain Green,” I replied, polite enough.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he added. “We were finishing a debriefing.”
“I figured I’d be waiting,” I said with a shrug, letting a smirk creep in. “I always budget extra time for appointments that end with someone being unhappy.”
His eyes flickered with understanding, just briefly, but he didn’t comment.
“I hear your unit just grew,” I continued. “Rumor has it you picked up an omega deserter. Haven’t seen one of those in a while.”
“Yes,” he said, without divulging much else. “Hiding in plain sight.”
The intercom buzzed before I could push further.
“General Green is ready for you now, Special Officer Mercer,” the secretary said.
I nodded once and moved past Cade, already done with the exchange. Whatever was happening inside that unit was his problem.
The general’s office smelled faintly of old leather and polished wood. He didn’t look up as I took a seat across from him, eyes still fixed on a folder spread open on his desk.
A photograph sat face-up inside it.
Red hair. Pale skin. Omega.
Pretty thing.
I wondered briefly how long she’d last with Cade's savage unit. Especially that feral brother of his, and the wolf shifter. Guy gave me the creeps with his glowing yellow eyes.
“Special Officer Mercer,” General Green said at last, closing the folder and sliding the omega's photograph out of sight. “Just the man I needed.”
“How can I be of service, sir?” I asked, voice smooth despite my frustration at having to wait so long.
His summons had surprised me. The general and I met briefly before, but he usually funneled requests through my superior, Arca Internal Enforcements Division or AIED Director Bill Mallory. Although I suppose when a general called you in personally, it meant someone had finally become too big to ignore.
