"Welcome to our video seminar. You're watching this because you have been recruited to our Special Operations Unit. Congratulations. I'm Sergeant Colton, and in this first part of our seminar, we talk about the fall of True Order, and the rise of terrorism around the globe."
I rolled my eyes and rubbed my temples as I sat behind my laptop. This seminar was fucking mandatory. All three hours of it. I already knew all this, but I still had to watch it through.
"In the nineteen-sixties, True Order was still the biggest political party in our country, with up to eighty percent support rate in the majority of states, and at least sixty-five in the rest. Their main political views revolved around affordable housing, education, and health care; the growth of a rich social and economic infrastructure; and preserving individual freedom.
"Noble views, however, this all was only meant for alphas, as they strongly believed omegas were lesser beings, weak and far less intellect, therefore didn't need basic human rights, and were treated as possession."
"You mean as pets, slaves, and baby makers," I muttered to the screen.
"Over the years, attitudes changed, and omegas began gaining more rights, while True Order kept losing support in each round of elections, until the rival parties outnumbered them. Entering the twenty-first century, the support rate of the True Order party had plummeted below forty percent, being as low as fifteen percent in many states.
"And in the year two-thousand and two, all laws restricting omegas and their rights were demolished, and they were declared as equals to alphas. But this day that should've marked the exciting beginning of a new era of equality went down in history as the Day of Eleven Flags."
I was five years old that day, but I still remembered it. The whole country was watching the news when the laws were demolished. Minutes later, several groups of True Order supporters set off bombs in eleven cities, killing thousands of people. On that day each year, black flags were hoisted all over the country to mourn the people lost.
But it didn't end there.
"That day brought terrorism into our lives," the sergeant continued with a grim voice. "Encouraged by the horrific events of the Day of Eleven Flags, the supporters of True Order began attacking civilians, setting bombs in large, crowded buildings and events. The political party itself dissociated themselves from these groups, loudly demanding for their supporters to stop engaging in these deadly acts, but later it was found that some of the biggest figures in the party were endorsing these groups, supported them financially, or even took part in the terroristic attacks. These discoveries marked the end of the True Order party, as it was quickly disbanded and banned from politics."
Which made things only worse.
"With these attacks on the rapid rise, our military and police force couldn't respond to these threats as efficiently as would've been needed. In two-thousand and three, military special operations units were founded all over the country as a response, and you are now in one of them."
The man stared at me, and I paused the video. Suddenly, I felt... I felt something. My reason to be in this unit had never had much to do with True Order, but listening to this seminar was bringing up hatred I didn't know I had.
When I was about to continue watching the video, someone knocked on the door. Thank fucking god...
"Come in."
It was the captain who opened the door. "Mind if I interrupt?"
"Not at all," I said and turned around in my seat.
He made his way to my desk and peered at the screen. "You're watching the seminar?"
"Just started," I said, glancing at the laptop. "It's the first episode."
"The fall of True Order," he said with a sigh. "The reason we exist."
I nodded slowly, expecting him to tell me why he was here, but he turned the laptop toward him instead.
"You know, I'm one of the original twelve captains in the unit. The seventh they recruited."
"Really?" I asked, facing him.
He nodded. "Yup. So would you rather watch this seminar, or get a private tour from me?"
"A private tour sounds so much better," I said.
"Great! Grab your stuff and don't forget your tag. Let's go for a little ride," he said, returning to the doorway.
I quickly took my phone and the tag, then grabbed my jacket. When I followed him out of the room, the familiar feeling of being lured into a trap slowly raised its ugly head, but I chose to ignore it. My omega, however, did not. It was getting nervous, but I couldn't understand why. It had been fine with this man until now. He hadn't given us a single reason I should be wary of him, and his alpha hadn't shown any interest in my omega. Unless I'd missed something?
But... If the captain had bad intentions, maybe it was better to get it out of the way. There was nothing I could do about it, anyway, not as long as I wanted to stay in this unit.
And fuck, that made me feel sick... The omega in me hated my reasoning.
"All good?" he asked me when we exited the building.
"Yeah. All good," I said.
"Hmm..." he uttered, taking a good long look at me like he didn't quite believe me.
I stayed silent as we made our way to his Jeep, trying to keep my omega calm, but when we sat in the car, and the captain peered at me from the corner of his eye, the scent of his pheromones growing stronger, both my omega and I got nervous. He closed his door, but I suddenly couldn't. I just sat there, my hand frozen on the door, my omega begging for us to leave the car.
"Sir, I..." I didn't even know what I wanted to say.
The captain let out a long breath and leaned back against his seat, but I couldn't even look at him.
"It's been a bit of a weekend for you, huh...?" he said quietly, his voice soft.
"Kind of," I whispered.
"It's different here. Different smells. New people. My boys are big and strong, which probably doesn't help at all. You're strong, but it must be overwhelming," he spoke quietly.
"Sir...?"
I still didn't look at him.
"What I'm trying to say is take a deep breath for me. You're all right," he said.
I hated it. I hated him for his words. I couldn't afford to show weakness, but here I was, nearly panicking, letting this alpha see me in a vulnerable state. I was stronger than this. All the things I'd been through... Why was I now breaking apart? I got where I wanted, for fuck's sake! Why was I now constantly breaking apart?!
"One deep breath, okay?"
I forced air into my lungs, wishing he'd just assault me already, so I didn't have to keep guessing. Then I'd know. I could live with that. I'd lived with that for a long time now. But this? I couldn't live with this.
"This is going to sound weird, but..." the captain said, moving his hand closer, keeping his palm down. "You could try touching my hand."
"What?" I asked, finally turning to him.
He shrugged a little, giving me a small smile. "You don't have to, of course, but it may help."
I turned to stare at his hand. He held it hovering over the gearstick, keeping it perfectly still. Why would it help...? But he was a natural behavior therapist, so... Slowly, I reached for it, and carefully touched the back of his hand with my fingertips. This was the oddest shit anyone had ever made me do...
"Now take a deep breath..." he told me, and I did. "Good boy."
Fuck me, my omega actually calmed a little as I moved my fingers on his rugged skin.
"And why is this working?" I asked, and he laughed a little.
"My alpha is actively trying to send messages to your omega to let it know you two don't have to be afraid of us two. Our natural communication happens through body language and touches, you see," he explained. "It's been doing that this entire time, but I guess your omega shut down on us."
I focused on my breathing and my omega. It was no longer begging for us to leave. It was... a little more accepting of this alpha's presence again.
"By asking you to touch me, I wanted to draw your omega's attention back to us. I couldn't touch you, because your omega would've seen that as a forced interaction, so I needed you to touch me out of your own will. By doing so, you showed your omega you aren't afraid of us, and it looks like your omega trusted your judgment, so now it's more willing to listen to us again."
I listened quietly to both his words and his body language. His expression and posture were nothing but relaxed and friendly. Nothing about him made me feel nervous anymore. I couldn't even figure out why we freaked out in the first place.
"I... I think it's working. My omega... It's calming down," I told him.
"That's good," he said softly. "Take your time."
"I..."
I was going to say I was fine now, but I couldn't pull my hand away just yet. I just... Just a little bit longer...
After all the pain...
I forced myself to get a grip and pulled my hand back.
"I'm sorry... I don't know what got into me," I said quietly, finally closing the door.
"Don't worry about it. I know it's been a long weekend for you," he said. "Sometimes things simply get overwhelming."
I slowly relaxed my shoulders and took a few deep breaths while he started the car. I did notice he waited for a bit before he backed out of the parking spot, giving me time to change my mind. But I was feeling better now. When I looked at him, he gave me a kind smile.
I... I just couldn't see him as a rapist. I simply couldn't.
But maybe that was why my omega was freaking out. I was being too careless.
"So. The seventh captain?" I asked to get my mind off this fucking issue I couldn't do anything about.
"Yes. It was nineteen years ago," the captain said. "At first, the teams were way smaller, only five or six people in each, and we had only one building to ourselves here at the base. We trained and lived with the other units, and used their equipment, so the first few years were rough. We had a lot to learn, equipment to get, and people to train.
"At times it felt like we were nothing but a public joke. The terrorists weren't afraid of us. They really made us run around for nothing. It was too easy for them to fool us and kill us. We lost men. Good men... The four guys I started with only lasted a year or two... It's a miracle I survived. Most of the original captains are now gone. There's only two left besides me."
I listened in silence while he spoke, trying to picture the world he was painting for me. I'd been too young around that time to remember what it was like, but I'd heard similar stories before. I couldn't even understand the amount of people who'd died because of True Order.
"But things changed. We grew and learned. The governors paid a lot of money from their own pockets to give us what we needed. That's why they own us now. We're their crown jewels, their bloodhounds. Governor George Morgan paid for the construction of our homes, for example. All twelve teams now have their own bases because of him. And when his daughter, Lilah, inherited his title as the new governor, she paid for our public spaces, like the grocery store and the bar."
I looked around carefully when he drove past the gates of our gated neighborhood, memorizing everything I saw so I wouldn't get lost if I ever had to move around alone. As Captain Hale showed me around, he kept talking about the base, how and when everything was built, and who paid for what. This all was part of the seminar I was supposed to be watching, so I was grateful he took his time to show me the buildings I needed to learn about.
Then... He stopped his car in a small parking lot and turned off the engine. We both sat there in silence, staring outside. My chest suddenly felt heavy as I watched the countless white stones spreading into the distance in front of us.
It was a graveyard.
"We got better. The terrorists finally feared us," Captain said quietly. "But the cost was great. These men and women, alphas and omegas, gave their lives protecting our country. I've buried too many of my own boys and girls here..."
I said nothing, and let him honor his fallen. There were so many graves... Hundreds of them. Maybe mine would be there, too. My only wish was that I'd die on the battlefield, not get killed by the Lace or a rapist.
Captain Hale let out a quiet sigh. "We were hopeful. We were better than them. Stronger than them. Eliminating them was like swatting flies. But like flies, they just kept coming. Just when we thought we got the hang of it, three of the biggest groups joined forces, creating an army of their own."
"Jomica," I said with a nod.
"That's right," he said. "Vaughn Johnson, Henry Mitchell, and Ruben Campbell. They started the war that lasted for several years. And they were rabid. They only wanted to kill as many as they could. More people died. More buildings were destroyed. They nearly turned our entire state into an apocalyptic dystopia."
"But you guys stopped them. You destroyed them," I said.
"Destroyed...? I wouldn't say so. There's still some out there, in the shadows, trying to grow strong again. But yeah, we did kick ass, and killed most of their leaders," he said, smiling a little. "I actually came face-to-face with Campbell more than once. Called himself Rubell."
"Like the disease, rubella?" I asked.
"He got really pissed when I called him that," he grinned. "But he got back at me by shooting me in the shoulder."
He moved his shirt a little so I could see a big scar right below his collarbone.
"Still pisses me off," he grunted. "But I got my revenge. Shot him twice and kidnapped his lover."
"What?" I asked, chuckling.
"Yeah..." he said, chuckling as well, but it faded fast. "I know I messed him up. Those shots should've killed him, but his body was never found. I know he's still out there. It's been years, and no one ever heard a word from him again, but I know... He is alive."
"Are there people still looking for him?" I asked.
"Of course, and I keep my tabs on things as well, but I think he's left the country. For now," he said. "Anyway. Let's continue with the tour, shall we?"
I nodded, and he fired up the engine and continued driving. He showed me the rest of the base, where to find the gym and the training fields, the canteen, and the three exits leading to the outer base. He then looped back around to the store and parked his car in front of it. But he didn't get out. Instead, he turned to me.
"Any questions?"
"I'm still trying to process all this new information, sir," I said. "If I come up with something, I'll let you know."
"Sure. You can always ask the boys as well. And Reid. They'll help."
I snorted when he mentioned Reid, which he sure didn't miss.
He smiled at me. "He'll warm up to you, don't worry. And if he gets too difficult, come to me, and I'll arrange something."
I shook my head and sighed a little. "It's fine. I understand him. It must be easier to hate me. And if it's better for him, I can make sure he'll never like me."
"No, don't do that," he said slowly. "He needs a partner."
"You said that yesterday, but you didn't really elaborate," I noted.
"Because this job will slowly eat us alive," he said. "We all need someone by our side. Someone to share this life with. The bond we share with our partners gives us strength and keeps us sane."
"Yeah, don't know if I can give him that," I muttered, looking away.
"You know, I think you two will be just fine," he said with a chuckle. "Come. I'll show you how to pay with your tag."
When I followed him into the store, I still thought of Reid. He'd already left when I woke up this morning and hadn't returned home, so the last time I spoke with him was when we had that conversation during the night. While I held the knife. It kind of felt idiotic now. An elite soldier like him could easily assault me in my sleep...
I stopped when that thought escaped my mind. I hated that thought. I hated the fact that getting assaulted was always the first thing on my mind. I hated it. I'd thought that after getting here, it would finally end. That I'd finally be safe from it.
Maybe that was also a reason my mind was breaking down... I'd held myself together for so long, but it still wasn't over. It would never be over...
"Riley?"
I looked up when Captain Hale returned to me. I realized I was standing in the middle of the main aisle, gaining weirded looks.
"Sorry," I said, shaking myself. "You're right. It's been a rough weekend..."
"It'll get easier," he said reassuringly. "Once you get to know us and learn the ropes."
"You sure about that?" I asked before I could stop myself.
He nodded, patting my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure about that."
He told me to grab something for myself, which I did without really paying attention to it. My focus was on the captain. I... I tried to find proof I couldn't trust him. A weird look or a perverted smile or threatening posture, anything. But no, nothing. There was no way he could...
When he said... When he said we all needed a partner by our side to keep us sane... I realized I desperately needed a person I could trust to keep me sane. Captain Fernand had been that person to me until now, and losing him had thrown me off balance harder than I ever could've imagined.
"Okay, so remember, no one is allowed to touch your tag," Captain Hale said when we were paying for our food. "Do not give it to anyone. So, when you pay, you press it against the reader here like you'd do with your card, but it'll ask you to confirm your purchase with your fingerprint as a safety precaution. Like this."
I watched while he swiped the machine with the tag, which then let out a quiet beep. There was a round glass panel at the bottom of the device that lit up, and he pressed his index finger on it.
"You can always pay with other methods, but this way, you don't have to carry your wallet around. It will get deducted from your salary," he explained.
"Got it," I said, and took my turn to pay for my stuff.
For a moment there, I was sure the tag would be declined. I still feared Stoll was doing everything he could to humiliate me, but the tag worked.
"And now you know how to use it," Captain said with a smile.
I followed him out of the store and stopped to look around next to his Jeep, trying to memorize the place while he opened the doors. I was pretty sure I remembered my way back to Lion's Gate from there.
"All good?" Captain asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Just trying to figure out where I am."
"Did you?" he asked.
"Yeah. Lion's Gate is that way," I said, pointing at a small patch of trees behind us.
"You're right," he said, but stopped to watch a few alphas walking past us.
They were giving me stares that made me uneasy. Like I was fresh prey. I looked away, my omega getting scared. It could tell those guys weren't happy to see us here.
Captain Hale stepped closer to me, but still stared at the guys until they vanished behind the corner. Then he looked at me.
He hesitated for a moment, but then he spoke. "I uh... I don't know if I should bring this up, but... I know... about the hell you've been through."
"It's fine, sir," I said a little too fast.
He nodded slowly. "Right. I'm sorry I brought it up."
We both stayed silent while we climbed back in the car, and he continued driving. I stared out the window for a moment, then glanced at him.
"I mean... It's over now, right?" I said quietly, looking away.
"It is over now," he said. "I'll make sure of that."
I nodded, shivering. "You know I don't believe you, right?"
"I know," he said gently. "Maybe one day, you will."
"I'd like that," I whispered.
It didn't take us long to arrive back home. Captain parked the car, then turned to watch me. I had to take a moment before I was able to look at him. He gave me a kind smile when our eyes met, and slowly, he moved his hand closer to me, stopping it to hover over the gearstick.
I hesitated. I didn't want to let my hopes up. I didn't want to... I didn't want to trust him. A small, sick part of me wanted him to drive to the middle of nowhere and rape me there so I could go back to how things used to be. It was easier that way.
But why would I want that...?
I moved my hand and touched him. He had big veins, hot skin, and countless small scars, and I took my time to study them. Why was it so calming...?
"I promise I will work hard to earn your trust," he said softly. "That's what I do here. Every single one of my boys has their own story to tell, and I had to earn each of their trust when I first got them."
"What kind of stories?" I asked quietly.
"Bad ones. Heartbreaking ones. Fear. Abuse. Torture. Neglect. Death. None of them are fully healed, but I will work with them as long as they need me," he told me. "And I'll work with you when you're ready to let me. But first, we'll take our time getting to know each other a little better."
"Sounds simple," I said, still moving my fingers on his hand.
"Only time will tell how simple it'll be," he said.
"Makes sense," I muttered.
We both fell silent. Captain just sat there, holding his hand still for me. This was weird as fuck. He was my captain, for crying out loud. And yet, I just sat there, moving my fingers on his skin like it was a sane thing to do.
But... For some reason... I needed it. The omega in me found it calming, and I... Well... After all that pain, this was... nice.
It was really nice...
And I was better not getting used to it. I pulled my hand away.
"Ready to go inside?" the captain asked.
"Yeah," I said, and left the car.
I wished I could believe him. And I wished I didn't believe him at all. Because... There was a small part of me that already did believe him.
And it scared me.
[Ream subscribers have 2 new bonus chapters up (total of 7 bonus chapters now up), plus the whole 10-chapter story of how Nico Angelos, Captain Hale's partner, ended up on the team! Link in my profile]