Page 81 of Alpha Awakened

“What the hell?” Confused, he rolled to his back, hoping a change in position would help. When it didn’t, he let out another frustrated whine. He grabbed the toy and held it upright on the bed with one hand. Kneeling over it, he slid down until it was sheathed inside him. He started to bounce, desperate to climax. But this wasn’t working either. He kept trying, his frustrated whines continuing. Before he knew it, they changed pitch, becoming stronger, longer until he was full out howling.

Knees spread wide on the bed, he threw his head back, another howl coming from his throat. Lost in the haze of his heat, Hazard sobbed with frustration. His mate should hear him and come to him. Why wasn’t he there? Why was he alone during his heat?

Hazard howled again. Louder. Demanding,pleadingfor Ice to come and give him what he needed.

* * *

Sam abruptly awoke and sat straight up in bed. A noise had snatched her out of sleep. She sat there, ears straining as she listened, trying to figure out what she’d heard. There was only silence for several seconds. And then the sound came again. A high, plaintive howl. Her wolf’s brain instantly recognized the tone. An omega calling for his mate. It was Hazard calling for Ice. Fuck.

She scrambled from bed, quickly tugging on her pants and a T-shirt. She opened her bedroom door at the same time Jax burst out of his own room. They stood there in the middle of the common area, staring at each other.

“Was that what I think it was?” he asked.

“Hazard calling for Ice.” Sam ran a hand through her hair. She hadn’t expected this to happen when she’d granted Hazard permission to spend his heat in his room.

The howl came again. It was pure as a crystal bell with an unmistakable note of demand. Hazard wanted his mate and he wanted himnow. The sound sent shivers of apprehension down her spine.

“Should we make him stop?” Jax asked in a low whisper.

Sam shook her head. “I don’t think we can. The best we can do is try to get him moved to the omega heat house. But we’ll need to get some omega or beta medics here to assist. He might not deal well with two alphas who aren’t his mate near him right now.”

She turned to go into the kitchen, where the phone was on the wall next to the pantry. She reached for the receiver, but before she could pick it up, an answering howl, distant but deep and powerful, echoed down from the direction of the hills to the east of the base.

Sam dropped her hand from the phone. She recognized that howl.

“It’s too late,” she said quietly. “Ice will be here soon.”

Chapter 32

“Make yourself scarce,” Sam said to Jax. “The less alphas around when Ice gets here, the better.”

Jax nodded. “Smart. No point in setting him off unnecessarily.”

The corporal went back into his room. When he came out, he was dressed, a coat thrown on over his T-shirt and fatigues. He grabbed the book he’d abandoned on the couch before he’d gone to bed earlier that night and left.

After making a mug of tea, Sam sat down at the kitchen table to wait. It didn’t take long. Barely five minutes later, the sound of a vehicle swerving up to their barracks followed by tires screeching to a halt announced Ice’s arrival.

The front door slammed open, bouncing against the wall. Ice stood framed in the entryway, the black of night behind him. His dark gaze locked on her.

“Did you touch him?” he asked in a low rumble.

“What?” The question surprised her until it dawned on her that Ice was in the thick of his alpha instincts and not thinking clearly. Rationally, Ice knew she wouldn’t do anything intimate to or with Hazard but right now, his rational mind wasn’t in control. Hazard’s heat had pushed him into a rut just as she’d feared it would. “No, of course not,” she said firmly.

Ice nodded. He strode into the barracks and headed straight for Hazard’s quarters. He tried the knob. It was locked. Ice took a step back, then surged forward and rammed his shoulderagainst the door. With a crack of splintering wood, the door burst open from the force. Ice disappeared inside the bedroom.

Sam raked a hand over her hair as she pondered how to handle this situation. Getting between an alpha and omega during a situation like this was stupid and dangerous. Dangerous she could handle. But she didn’t deal in stupidity. Unfortunately, both men had said they didn’t want to share this heat. As their pack leader, it was her responsibility to make sure they didn’t do anything while in the thick of a heat and triggered rut that they didn’t actually want to do.

Sam sighed before steeling her spine. Being the leader was rough work, but somebody had to do it.

* * *

Ice went into Hazard’s room. The smell of the omega’s heat hit his nose, a beautiful scent that drew him closer to the bed before he’d even decided to move his feet.

Hazard lay atop tangled sheets, naked. A warm flush turned his skin to rose gold, and he glistened all over with sweat.

Ice’s cock throbbed at the sight. Hazard was gorgeous, delectable, laid out just for him. There was only one thing wrong with this picture. Hazard was alone in his nest. Ice wanted to be in it with him, their limbs entwined in a sensual embrace.

“I called for you,” Hazard whispered.