Brylee with a bullet between her eyes.
Brylee, naked, forced to do who knows what by Noth soldiers.
Brylee crying, shaking, begging for us to come save her.
Brylee—
“Stop. Pacing.” This growl comes from Colter, who grabs the back of my shirt, pulling me to an abrupt halt.
I grit my teeth to keep from saying anything I’ll regret. Or biting him. I have been known to bite on occasion.
“We’ll get her back,” Ridge tells me, making sure to gentle his voice.
It’s something we were taught in our third year at the academy when we took a class on victims and hostages. We want to make sure civilians are put at ease, and we can’t do that if we’re constantly growling and snapping, exuding alpha pheromones.
I can’t believe the fucker is trying to use those tactics on me.
First way to put an innocent at ease—assure them everything will be okay.
Second way—gentle your voice and offer a serene smile.
Third way?—
“We have a plan in place. We’ll find her,” Ridge continues.
—tell them you have a plan.
I curl my hands into fists, a split second away from decking him. If we didn’t need every man available, I might’ve. As it is, we can’t afford to have anyone out of commission, even for a second.
The door to the room creaks, the noise ominously loud, and Ridge, Colter, and I all whirl toward the intruder. I already have my knife in my hand, my arm lifted, prepared to throw it.
Where did you come from, my little sparkly boo?I mentally ask the knife.
I suppose it’s second nature for me to grab it when I’m anxious or stressed. I hadn’t even realized I reached for it, but now I caress the blade like it’s an old friend. A stuffed animal you cuddle with late at night, when fear eats away at you and the darkness seems a little too potent.
Sam makes a strangled sound as his gaze volleys from face to face. The beta looks like absolute shit, if I’m being honest, like the stress of the last hour has taken its toll on him. His skin is paler than usual, and dark shadows underscore his eyes.
I know he’s close with Teddie, but I don’t think he’s ever met Brylee before. Unless I’m wrong. It’s possible. I’m wrong, like, twenty percent of the time.
Currently, however, there’s a perpetual fog clouding my thoughts, making it hard to focus or concentrate. The only thing I can see through this gray haze is Brylee’s face.
“What the fuck are you doing here, recruit?” Ridge barks, coming back to his senses faster than I do.
Sam swallows. “I-I want to help,” he stutters out, his gaze flicking to Colter momentarily before lowering to his feet.
He’s truly a pathetic excuse for an Eros Academy recruit. If his parents weren’t rich, the school never would’ve allowed him in. There’s a reason only alphas are allowed to attend.
Betas just can’t make the cut.
“Why the hell should we—” Ridge begins, his jaw thrumming, but Colter holds his hand up in the air, stopping Ridge in mid-tirade.
The giant of a man tilts his head to the side, as if studying the beta, before he nods once.
“Friends,” Colter grunts out in lieu of an actual explanation.
I furrow my brows. “You’re friends with Sam, or Brylee’s friends with Sam?”
Colter gives me an incredulous look, as if the mere thought of him befriending a beta is ridiculous.
