Page 96 of Alpha Awakened
Now it was Hazard’s turn to be surprised. His mouth dropped open before he snapped it shut. “Denied? Why?”
Ortiz leaned forward to rest her elbows on top of her desk. “Did I bring a soldier onto my team who quits when the situation gets tough?”
Heat burned the back of Hazard’s neck at the implication that he was a quitter. “No, ma’am,” he said crisply.
“I didn’t think so. I know how to choose the right people for the job. And that’s why your request is denied. Whatever the problem is, sort it out. You fit on this team, Hazard, and I want you here. I would never have chosen you if I didn’t believe you were the right wolf for the 448.”
A small smile tugged at Hazard’s mouth at the praise from his captain.
“Understood, ma’am. And thank you for having my door repaired.”
“You’re welcome. Now get out of here and let me finish up these reports.”
Hazard nodded before pivoting to go. He left, closing the door behind him. In the hall, his shoulders slumped in relief. He had to admit that he was glad she’d denied his request for a transfer. He liked the work they did and he didn’t truly want to leave the team. The current situation with Ice notwithstanding, the 448 already felt like more of a true pack than any squad he’d previously been with.
A transfer would have been the easy way out. Avoiding his problem instead of solving it. Since that wasn’t happening, he would have to handle his shit. Lock his personal feelings down tight so he could get on doing the work he’d been brought in to do. Before he could do that however, there was something he needed to take care of first. He had to clear the air with Ice. Mentally preparing himself for an awkward conversation, he sought the alpha out.
* * *
After asking around and checking Ice’s favorite haunts, he found him on one of the target ranges. At this hour, the range was empty of other people. Ice was alone, practicing his knife throws. Not wanting to interrupt his practice, Hazard waited patiently until he was done. Even now, he had to admire the alpha’s skill. He threw each blade with both ease and power. His accuracy had each knife sinking into the target in a perfect circle around the bull’s eye.
“Hazard.” Ice said his name before he slowly turned around to face him.
Hazard almost faltered when he looked into those dark eyes. They were calm now, but he remembered what they’d looked like, burning with passion for him. He cleared his throat, forcing the memory away.
“Sorry to bother you, Captain. I wanted to come and apologize.”
“Apologize for what?”
“For calling you and making you spend my heat with me.”
“I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do.”
That answer left Hazard confused. “But you said no at first.”
Ice nodded once. “I did.”
“Why? If you wanted to spend my heat with me then why did you say no?”
“You know why. My reasons haven’t changed.”
Their ranks. Their working relationship. Hazard didn’t think those reasons were enough to keep them apart. He thought they should be able to work together, even if they were personally involved. But Ice’s mind was made up.
He desperately wanted to ask why Ice had changed his mind and shared his heat with him. But he decided asking would make the whole situation even messier. It was better to move on and forget it happened.
“I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again. What we shared... it’s over. From here on out, I’ll keep it professional. No more teasing and flirting. You have my word on that.”
He held a hand out to seal his promise with a handshake. Ice accepted it, his big hand engulfing his. But when it came time for the handshake to naturally end, neither of them let go. Their hands remained clasped. Hazard thought he saw regret in Ice’s expressive eyes. But he couldn’t question it after promising to let talk of any intimacy between them drop. He tugged his hand away, ignoring the way Ice’s lingered, fingers slowly drawing across his palm before they separated.
“Enjoy your target practice, sir.”
Hazard left, determinedly keeping his eyes forward and not looking back. He wished things could have been different.Wished that this was the start of their relationship. But he had to accept that it was the end for something that never truly began.
* * *
Ice watched Hazard walk away. Once the door closed, he spun around, plucked a knife from the sheath on his thigh, and flung it at the target all in one smooth motion. It hit dead center with a solid thunk. He sighed before he went to retrieve it.
Had he done the right thing taking Hazard to his cabin to spend his heat with him? He hadn’t let himself worry about it during their time together. His focus was only satisfying Hazard’s needs and making sure he was cared for. But now that they were back on base, back in uniform, he had to consider the ramifications of his actions.