Page 77 of Unhinged Alphas

The outpost door is ajar, swinging gently in the mountain breeze. Thane holds up a fist, signaling us to halt. He gestures silently, and I nod, understanding his plan without words. I pull a small device from one of my pouches. A custom-made drone, no bigger than my palm. With a few taps on the micro computer strapped to my wrist, it whirs to life, its tiny camera giving us a view of the outpost's interior.

The feed flickers to life on our HUDs. The outpost is empty, eerily so. No signs of a struggle, no blood, no bodies. Just empty desks and abandoned equipment.

"Clear," I mutter, recalling the drone. "But that doesn't mean safe."

The outpost's silence unnerves me. Every instinct screams it's a trap, but we push forward. Our footsteps echo off bare walls, each sound amplified in the emptiness.

I scan for biological traces—blood, hair, skin cells—but find nothing. It's as if this place was scrubbedclean.

Tooclean.

A flicker of movement catches my eye. I spin, syringe in hand, ready to inject a potent neurotoxin into whatever—or whoever—dared to sneak up on us.

But it's just a piece of paper, caught in the draft from a broken window. I lower my hand, embarrassed by my jumpiness. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Thane's voice crackles through our comms. "Plague, check the med bay. Wraith, security office. I'll take command."

I nod, even though he can't see me, and head down the corridor. The med bay door slides open with a soft hiss, revealing a room as pristine and empty as the rest of the outpost.

I rifle through cabinets and drawers, looking for anything out of place. But everything's in order, neatly labeled and organized. It's wrong. All wrong.

A soft chuckle breaks the silence. I whirl around, my hand already reaching for one of my blades.

"Easy there, fellow corvid. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Raven lounges in the doorway, a smirk playing on his lips. His long blond hair is tied back, and his blue eyes sparkle with mischief. He looks like somekind of fallen angel glowing amongst the smoking ruins of the outpost.

I don't lower my weapon. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He pushes off the doorframe, sauntering into the room like he owns it. "Now, now. Is that any way to talk to the man who just handed you a golden opportunity?"

My eyes narrow behind my mask. "Youdid this?"

Raven's grin widens, rivaling Valek's in wolfishness. "Guilty as charged. You didn't think I was going to walk up to your government-controlled fortress, did you? I have the information you wanted."

I hear heavy footsteps approaching. Wraith appears in the doorway, his massive form blocking out the dim light. A low growl rumbles from his throat.

Raven's cocky demeanor falters for a moment. "Ah. The strong, silent type. Charming."

Thane's voice cuts through the tension. "Start talking, Raven. What information?"

Raven's eyes flick between us, his smile never wavering. "Information about your little omega problem. About who's really pulling the strings in this fucked-up world of ours."

My grip on the dagger tightens. "Where's the proof?"

Raven tsks, wagging a finger. "Not so fast. It's not going to be that easy. You're going to have to get it yourself."

Thane steps forward, his skull mask an even starker white than usual in the dim light that casts the rest of him in shadow. "You expect us to believe you without any evidence?"

Raven shrugs lazily. "Believe me, don't believe me. But can you afford not to check it out?"

I glance at Thane, seeing my own doubts reflected in his stiff stance. We can't trust Raven, but we don't have a choice, either. I sense Wraith shifting behind me, a low growl building in his chest.

"Fine," Thane says, his voice tight. "Tell us more."

Raven's cocky smirk returns, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "I believe I made myself perfectly clear when I told you I'm giving you the opportunity to get it yourselves."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I snarl, taking a step forward. Raven holds his ground, but I catch the slight twitch of his hand toward his hidden blade or gun.