Page 73 of Alpha Awakened

“And plenty of others who only want to cause chaos,” Ice added.

Gibbs leaned back in his chair and set the remote on the table. “You’ll have to clue me in. Why are there still shifters in those areas if there are no major packs left?”

Hazard answered the colonel’s question. “All of the shifters from the decimated major packs were given the chance and offered financial assistance to relocate and join other packs. Many did. Those who rejected the offer didn’t want to leave their territory. Unfortunately, life can be hard for those who are left behind.”

“My best friend growing up is originally from the Florida shadow lands,” Jax said. “He told me stories of how rough life was there.”

Hazard nodded. “The council supplies them with aid, but that doesn’t replace the support of having a full pack. Once a year, the council sends a relocation committee around to all the shifters in the shadow lands with the offer to move to any pack majora they want. There are always a few who take advantage of it, which means the shadow packs get smaller and smaller every year.”

“And the resentment grows for those who stay,” Ice guessed.

“Bingo.”

“I see,” Gibbs said. “A situation like that is the perfect birthing ground for an insurrectionist.”

Ortiz crossed her arms over her chest. “Indeed it is. And we can’t allow his movement to gain nation-wide momentum. We need to know exactly what he’s planning, when he plans to carry it out, and where he plans to set up his new pack.”

“I agree.” Gibbs rose from the table. “I’ll pass Cortez’s manifesto along to the intelligence team and let them know tracking him down is now a high priority.”

“They need to find him fast,” Hazard said. He hoped he was wrong, but he had a feeling that things were going to get bad before they would be able to bring Cortez down.

Chapter 28

A day after returning from their trek through the forest searching for Cortez, Ice still hadn’t managed to shift his mind and body back into relaxed mode. He was on edge, skin hot and tight, muscle clenching in his jaw. He’d thought it was frustration that they’d failed once more to bring in Cortez. But he’d quickly figured out that their target had nothing to do with his tension. He was tense because of his omega teammate.

Hazard had been on his mind non-stop, ever since those precious few moments of intimacy he’d allowed himself to have with him. He’d managed to compartmentalize and focus while hunting Cortez. Now that they were back on base, his thoughts were on Hazard. It was a struggle not to touch him whenever he was near. He wanted to feel the warmth and strength of Hazard under his palms once more. And right now, it was all he could do to keep his eyes off him so he wasn’t caught staring.

They were in the training yard, having just finished up a joint workout with Sierra Six. He was next to Jax, stretching to cool down. Hazard was a few feet away, facing away from him. It was a sunny day, but the temperature was edging toward cold instead of only chilly. Still, Hazard was dressed in a tight Legion green T-shirt that emphasized the muscles in his back. His belt cinched the narrow waist that Ice was desperate to get his hands on again. And the dip of his spine curved into the roundness of his ass. With the way the material of Hazard’s fatigues clung tohis thick thighs and ass, Ice was almost certain that he needed to go up a size in his uniform pants.

Ice groaned under his breath. He never should have touched him. Because now he wanted to do it again – every night. All night. The more he resisted his need for Hazard, the more he wanted him. It was an aggravatingly impossible situation to be in.

Plus, he was experiencing another issue. He’d ignored his wolf instincts for years, rejecting everything that came with being a shifter except for the physical abilities like strength and speed. His Instinct had gone dormant, until he almost forgot its existence. But lately, that inner voice seemed to be gaining strength, rising to the forefront of his mind. And with its re-emergence came something that he was staunchly refusing to acknowledge.

His wolf half was louder than it had been in years. And now it was snarling with impatience, ready to declare what it already knew but what his human half refused to accept. He would not say it. But the thought was there. Waiting. It was a daily battle to resist acknowledging it.

Ice determinedly pushed those thoughts aside. Instead, he focused on the alpha currently posturing in front of Hazard. The soldier stood as straight as possible, deliberately emphasizing his height. Ice meanly noted that he was still taller than the other soldier even without stretching his neck like a fucking goose.

He wanted to snarl at the alpha and tell him to fuck off somewhere else. His laugh was too loud as he joked with Hazard about something he clearly found extremely funny. And his scent was too strong. Why the hell wasn’t he wearing blockers?

His gaze narrowed into a glare when the alpha put a hand on Hazard. On his shoulder. Dangerously close to his scent gland. The word Ice had been avoiding burst to life from both his wolf and human halves before he could stop it.

Mine.

He didn’t speak it aloud, but a deep, menacing growl rumbled in his chest.

At the aggressive sound, Jax looked at him in surprise.

“You okay there, Captain?”

Ice ignored him. He stalked over to Hazard and took up position behind the omega. Close enough that his chest nearly brushed his back. Thankfully, the other solider had already removed his hand from Hazard’s shoulder. If he hadn’t he didn’t know what he might have done.

“I need to speak with you, Corporal Mitchell,” he said as he stared down the other alpha. He didn’t make the request an order, but he put his own hand on the back of Hazard’s neck, holding him firmly. Hazard went rigid, the muscles in his neck tightening in his grip. Ice knew what the move looked like. And in that moment, he didn’t fucking care.

The soldier’s eyes moved from Ice’s face to the hand possessively curled around Hazard’s nape. The man was no dummy. He nodded and stepped back before about-facing to walk away. After the alpha left, Hazard turned to face him. The movement dislodged the hold he had on Hazard’s neck. He was forced to release him, but he didn’t step back out of his space.

“What is it, Captain?”

Irritation was clear in Hazard’s tone. Again, Ice didn’t care.