And it hit me, not all at once, but slowly as I surveyed the space. Knox and I hadn’t revised our checklist or thought past our usual rhythm. We failed to realize that Lena was unsuited for this cold or this waiting.
While we’d brought all the equipment we needed to surveil Marco’s stash house, we had nothing needed to take care of an omega.
Lena didn’t seem overly bothered at first, sitting a few feet from the small portable heater, a faint smile slipping across her lips as she held her hands out toward the weak stream of heat.
“You okay? Warm enough?” Knox asked from his perch by the window.
She nodded, quick and reassuring.
I had to remind myself that Lena had survived hell for years. This was nothing compared to that. She wasn’t fragile, no matter how small she looked bundled up in oversized clothing.
“You need sleep,” I said gruffly, motioning to the inflatable mattress I’d blown up breath by breath.
She nodded again, and crawled beneath the army blanket,tucking her knees to her chest as if she were trying to conserve body heat.
“So do you,” Knox said quietly. “I’ll take the first shift. Doubt we’ll see much movement this early.”
I laid on the floor beside the mattress, careful not to crowd Lena, stretching out on hard concrete. The heater hummed loudly, working overtime and failing miserably at its job. Cold seeped in from every surface. The kind that settled deep in your bones.
Then I heard it.
A faint, involuntary sound.
Teeth chattering.
The muscle in my jaw tightened as I stared at the ceiling, listening to the steady rhythm of the heater and the unmistakable tremor in Lena's breathing.
She hadn’t bothered to complain or ask for anything.
She never did.
Andthat,more than anything else, pissed me off.
“Stop chattering, little mute,” I muttered, irritation cutting through my words before I could rein it in. “You’re going to give our location away, your teeth are clicking so loud.”
The sound didn’t stop.
Knox glanced back from the window, eyes narrowing slightly as he scolded me. “She’s cold,” he said evenly. “She can’t help it.”
I exhaled through my nose, trying to tune out the sound. The useless heater hummed weakly, barely pushing out any warmth. The blanket draped over Lenawas too thin to do much of anything, even if she was pretending otherwise.
Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I pushed myself up onto an elbow and glared at her. “You’re freezing,” I said.
She shook her head immediately, too fast and automatic.
I scoffed. “Don’t lie, little mute. I can hear your teeth chattering. The floor is practically vibrating because your body is shaking too.”
On cue, her teeth chattered again, sharp clicking she couldn’t suppress no matter how hard she tried. She curled tighter, arms wrapping around herself like she could fold the cold out of her bones.
I leveled a stern look at her. “We’re not here for an hour or even a night. We’re going to be in this dump for three days.” I gestured around the room. “No power. No heat.”
She didn’t respond. Just watched me, with guarded eyes.
“Silas is right. You won’t last like this,” Knox added, calm and practical. “Lena, you’ll freeze to death. Your body barely has an ounce of insulation.”
Her eyes flicked to him, then back to me.
“I’m not asking to touch you,” I said, forcing myself to smooth my frustration and choose each word carefully. “I’ll lie next to you. That’s it. On the mattress. You keep the blanket. I won’t put a hand on you... unless you ask.”
