Page 64 of Alpha Awakened
I’m the pack omega. You’re supposed to baby me.
Jax snorted at that. But he brought a hand up to scritch through his ruff.
Content, Hazard sighed and closed his eyes. The TV was on, but he didn’t pay it any attention. After a few minutes of comfortable quiet between them, Jax paused his scratching and asked him a question.
“Are you two going to be okay?”
Hazard knew he was talking about him and Ice.I think so.We just need time to adjust some things.
“Don’t take too long to figure it out. Ortiz is nice, but she’ll be on both your asses if whatever today was happens again.”
I know.
“Good.”
Jax went back to his scratching and Hazard let it lull him to sleep. He’d figure out what to do about the situation with Ice after a nap.
* * *
The next afternoon, Ortiz called the team to her office. Hazard walked in with Jax and Ice. Ortiz was sitting behind her gray metal desk.
“We’ve got a milk run tomorrow,” the major said. “A last-minute request came in to escort a high-level arms manufacturer executive and their company’s security codes over state lines.”
“Sounds good,” Hazard eagerly said. “I’m up for an easy mission.”
“Actually, you’re staying back this op.” She looked at Ice. “Both of you are remaining behind.”
Hazard’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What? Why?”
Ortiz leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “I think the shitshow that was training yesterday should make it obvious. But let me state it plainly in case it wasn’t.” Her expression took on a hardness that Hazard rarely saw off the battlefield. “I’m not letting you two back out in the field with the animosity you have between you. The 448 works together asa team.Allof us. And what I saw yesterday wasn’t teamwork. You’re both benched until you figure out how to work as a team again.”
Hazard’s mouth dropped open. He gawked at their CO in shock. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” she answered dryly. “You two need to fix your shit. Jax, we leave at oh-eight-hundred.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jax crisply replied.
“I’m in meetings for the rest of the day so I’ll see you all at dinner.”
At the dismissal, Hazard left the office, in disbelief that he’d been benched. In the hall, Ice stalked past him. That was fine, Hazard didn’t have anything to say to him anyway. But he glared at the alpha’s back until he was swallowed up in the crowd of soldiers going about their business. Ortiz had got on their asses, just as Jax said she would. They needed to figure out how to fix what was broken before she took further action.
Chapter 26
The morning of the escort mission, Hazard woke up early as usual. He dressed in his field uniform, wanting to be ready in case Ortiz only wanted to prove a point by threatening to leave them behind or had changed her mind. Ice clearly had the same idea, as he was dressed and sitting at the kitchen table when Hazard emerged from his room.
Unfortunately, Ortiz hadn’t issued an empty threat and she didn’t change her mind. She said good morning, but didn’t tell them to gear up.
“See you when we get back. I trust the issue between you two will be fixed by the time we return,” she said as she and Jax prepared to head out.
Hazard simply nodded. He couldn’t give a definitive answer since fixing the problem required him to work with Ice. And that wasn’t going at all well or they wouldn’t be having the problem in the first place. Hazard fist bumped Jax as the alpha passed him on the way out. And then he and Ortiz were gone.
Once the door closed behind his squadmates, Hazard got up and stormed off to his bedroom. “Fuck!” he furiously snapped as he slammed the door shut.
* * *
Ice flinched at the bang of Hazard’s door slamming closed. But he didn’t move from his seat at the kitchen table. Being left behind on a mission felt like failure. He’d never failed before. He didn’t like the feeling not one damn bit.
Hazard suddenly burst back out of his room. “This is bullshit!” he yelled, his face red with anger.