Page 117 of Alpha Awakened
She snorted a laugh. “Perish the thought. Just saying, I think it was the right decision to stop fighting against your Instinct. You’ve benefited from your closeness with Hazard and he’s benefited from being close to you too. A match made in the hell of battles and death.”
“It was Hazard’s idea for us to stop fighting our attraction to each other. Looks like he was right.”
“Knowing the both of you, that’s not a surprise. I also think he’s right about granting more shifter allowances. It’s why I wanted us all living together on this squad, to help build the bonds of a pack.”
“You knew his stance on pack and shifter allowances when you brought him on the team.”
Ortiz nodded. “I did. It’s one of the reasons I chose him. I hope that if we show the brass how well we do as an all-shifter team, that they’ll see working as a pack and embracing our true natures can in fact be beneficial for shifter soldiers and the Legion. There are other squads and officers out there working toward the same goal.”
“Why’d you pick me to be on the team? You know I’m not one for pack.”
“Yeah, you are a loner, aren’t you? Two reasons. I thought that it would be good for you to have that sense of pack. It’s notgood for wolves to go completely lone wolf and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to you.”
That surprised him. He hadn’t realized that he was that close to lone wolf status or that Ortiz cared enough to do something to stop it from happening.
“Second, if the big, bad Captain Ice Anderson can still do his job as effectively if not better when put with a pack, that’s a testament to allow shifters tobefucking shifters in this damn military.”
“You used me as a guinea pig.” There was no accusation or anger, simply statement of fact.
Ortiz met his gaze directly.
“I did. I would have let you transfer out if this squad didn’t work for you. But I have to be honest, I think you’ve thrived in the 448.”
Maybe he had. He certainly felt a sense of belonging for the first time in years. And Hazard. He wouldn’t have met Hazard if he hadn’t joined this squad.
“Plus, you got to meet Hazard,” Ortiz said, as if she’d plucked the thought right out of Ice’s head. “And I’d say that’s working out for you pretty well.”
“Did you come up here to tease me about my relationship with Hazard?”
With an amused laugh, Ortiz pushed back from the rail. “No. I came to tell you that we’ve been assigned a retrieval mission. The head of a big time drug cartel is in the country. We’re being sent to scoop him up.”
“Who ordered the mission?” Ice asked.
“That’s classified.”
“Too classified foryouto know?”
“Apparently.”
Ice could tell by her tone that she didn’t like that. He didn’t either, but it wouldn’t be the first time they’d been sent out on a mission that was more dark than not.
“Sergeant Marshal from Echo Squad is going to join us to fill in for Hazard. We leave at first light.”
Ice nodded. “I’ll be ready.”
Chapter 43
Date: Redacted
Time: Redacted
Location: Redacted
Ice sat on the edge of the helo’s open doorway, holding on to the safety strap beside him. They were coming up fast on a large coniferous forest, a half-moon lighting the way. The reported location of the cartel leader was on the other side of the giant swath of trees.
This was a night op, so he wore his black and green mask to blend in with the surrounding environment. Jax and Ortiz had both painted their faces with black and green streaks for the same purpose. Marshal had on a pair of night vision goggles. Unlike the three shifters, he’d need them to see in the dark.
“We can’t drop onto the X for this op,” Ortiz shouted into her headset over the noise of the helicopter blades. “We’re being set down five klicks out and we’ll cut through that forest to reach the target.”