Page 124 of Alpha Awakened
Get this armor off me.Hazard impatiently demanded once they’d made it back to the ex-fil point.
Jax came over and released all of the buckles and straps securing the vest and head covering to him.
As soon as he was free, Hazard ran at Ice. He leaped, shifting in mid-air so that when Ice caught him in his arms, he was back to human form. The scent of happy wolf bloomed all around them as Hazard wrapped his limbs around the big alpha in the tightest hug.
“You’re safe,” he whispered in relief.
Ice squeezed him back equally as hard.
“I am.”
Hazard tucked his face into his lover’s neck, breathing in the smell of sweat and the alpha’s cedar scent. It settled all of the stress and fear that had been twisting his guts into knots.
“For fuck’s sake, Hazard. At least put your goddamn pants on,” Jax said with a laugh.
Hazard shook his head, still holding on to his alpha like he was a koala. “I don’t give a fuck about pants right now,” he said.
Ortiz laughed. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag with you two.”
“Does that mean we can stop pretending like we don’t know they’re a thing?” Jax asked.
“Might as well since they’re hugged up all naked.”
Hazard snorted a laugh, but he finally loosened his hold, letting his legs fall from around Ice’s waist. He meant to drop to the ground, but Ice held on to him for a few seconds longer. Hazard was perfectly happy to dangle there, extending their hug.
“I got you back, sir.”
“I knew you would,” Ice said roughly.
Now Ice let him go. His feet on the ground, the two of them shared a long look. Hazard saw so much emotion in those lovely dark eyes. He wanted to say something, but now wasn’t the time. They needed to get back to base. Hazard swallowed hard and turned to his squadmate. “Where are my clothes?”
Baker pointed. “You flung them over there.”
Hazard jogged over and grabbed up his uniform. The second he was dressed, he returned to Ice’s side, this time checking him for injuries.
Ortiz smiled at them both as she got on the radio.
“Major Ortiz to flight. We’ve secured the package and we’re ready for ex-fil.”
Chapter 46
When they returned to base, Ice was sent directly to medical. Hazard, Ortiz, and Jax tagged along, crowding into the exam room with him. Ice settled on the exam table while his squad took up spots around the room.
His gear was already gone, taken when he was in the hands of the mercenaries. Now, Hazard helped him out of his shirt. Ice looked down. His torso was a colorful collage of fist-wide bruises and small burns from the stun gun.
Ortiz winced when she got a look at him.
“We’ll do an official debrief later, but what can you tell us about your time being held? I assume from those bruises that you were tortured.”
“Yeah, I was.” He lightly touched the biggest mark over his ribcage. “These are courtesy of Merc Number Five. But their interrogation was so half-assed I don’t know why they bothered.”
“Maybe that was the first time they’d interrogated anyone,” Jax suggested.
“Possibly. But I don’t think information was their main target. They took blood from me. Several vials of it. Plus, secretions from my scent gland.”
Ortiz’s eyebrows shot up in question. “Did they say why?”
Ice shook his head. “Negative.” He went on to explain that he suspected that the doctor who’d come was either current or former military and an American by the sound of him.