On Tuesday morning, Captain continued testing me to see what I could do. He took Reid and me to the firing range, where I got to shoot a lot with different guns, and they both seemed happy with how I handled them. I was much better at shooting things in a short distance, but I did manage to get several nice long-range shots as well. I had a lot of fun, especially when Captain gave me an assault rifle and two full magazines, and told me to just blast the target to smithereens at the end.
And the day didn't end there. After lunch, Captain asked if anyone would like to go for a little hike at the nearby forest hills with him and Nico. I turned to look at Reid with pleading eyes, and he told Captain we'd come with him without having to ask me about it. Daz, Ash, and Rio decided to come along as well.
"Keita? Chandler?" Captain asked them.
"You know my knees can't handle that anymore," Chandler said, laughing loudly.
"As in, he's feeling lazy today," Keita translated.
"You know you have to get up from your butt once in a while, right?" Captain asked him teasingly.
"I'll get up from my butt once I'm retired," Chandler said, still chuckling.
"Fair enough," Captain said, and turned to Ryan and Ethan, giving them a questioning look.
I wasn't sure if I imagined it, but it looked like Ryan was about to look at me before he stopped himself.
"Maybe another time," he told Captain without even considering it.
I was taken a little aback. I tried to tell myself I'd only imagined it, but... Now that I thought of it, I still couldn't really tell what Ryan – and Ethan as his partner – thought of me. I mean, they didn't seem to avoid me, but even though our paths had crossed plenty of times, we'd mostly exchanged short greetings. Sure, I hadn't interacted a lot with any of them yet, but maybe things were colder between me and Ryan than I'd realized.
I tried not to think about it. I really needed to get to know everyone better before jumping to conclusions. At least he didn't hate me or anything. Maybe he was just shy. Hell, maybe he thought I didn't like him since I'd not tried to get to know him better.
I really did want to get to know him better. All of them. And that... That was an odd thought. I'd never wanted to make friends with anyone. Especially with alphas. And that there was another weird thought. Having alphas as friends.
Damn, they really got under my skin, huh... All those alphas in my past.
I was still having those same thoughts when we arrived at the beginning of the hiking trail an hour later. I tried to listen to the conversation the others were having, but more than once, I slipped back to trying to guess if Ryan had something against me, or if I was just being ridiculous.
And it didn't take long before Reid noticed it.
"You all right?" he asked me quietly, slowing his step.
"Hmm? Yeah, yeah," I said hastily, matching my pace with his.
"You sure?"
"Uh-huh. Just... Thinking stuff..." I admitted.
"You... want to talk about it?" he asked hesitantly.
I glanced at him. I could probably talk to him about it, right? The others were getting ahead of us, so they wouldn't hear my question.
"I was just wondering... if I was just imagining things after lunch... When Captain asked Ryan if they wanted to tag along," I said, part of me wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. But since I started already... "I kind of got this feeling that... he didn't want to come because of me."
"Huh," Reid uttered, his posture relaxing. "I didn't spot anything odd, but knowing Ryan..."
"So I was right? He didn't want to come because of me?" I spoke slowly.
"It's nothing personal, don't worry," Reid told me reassuringly. "He's... He's been through some really fucked up shit. He and Ethan. Letting people close is hard for Ryan, but he's trying."
Heartbreaking stories...
"Oh," I said quietly. "Now I feel stupid..."
"Don't," he said gently. "You've been through fucked up shit, too. It can't be easy to relax around us."
I nearly stopped walking when he said that. Fucked up shit...?
"Sorry... I shouldn't have brought it up," Reid hurried to say.
"No, I just..." I muttered as I followed him. "Didn't think it was that fucked up... I mean... I guess it was, but I..."
His expression was gaining an angry hint when he looked at me.
"...didn't see it like that," I added quietly. "It was just something I had to endure..."
Reid stopped me by putting his hand in front of me.
"It was fucked up," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "And they're all getting what's coming to them."
I stared up at him, and his anger soothed me. I gave him a smile, then touched his stretched arm.
"I don't really care anymore. Or at least right now," I told him.
"Well I do," he growled.
Of course he did...
"I was also thinking I want to start getting to know everyone better," I said to change the subject and took a slow step after the others, who had slowed down to wait for us. "Do you have any tips for me?"
"On what?" he asked with a deep frown. It was clear he was still angry and reluctant to let the conversation move on, but he decided to honor my wish.
"How to make friends around here," I said.
His frown grew even deeper. "You're seriously asking me how to make friends?"
"Come on," I said with a chuckle. "What do they like? What should I ask? What could I do to make them like me?"
He wrinkled his upper lip at me, but then glanced at the others. "I mean... You can always ask why everyone loves Captain. I bet you'd get a lot of stories that way."
"Uh-huh. But what about something a bit more personal? Like hobbies?"
"Well, you can always ask Nico if he'd let you play video games with him," Reid said slowly. "He'd love that. But... That's pretty much all I can tell about him. He's... Reserved. And I... haven't really spent time with him..."
I nodded slowly. "Okay. How about the others?"
"Well... Oh, I bet Rio would like to help you with all those curtains and stuff. He's tried to make the base more homey ever since he joined the team. And he knows a lot about a lot of things, so if you want a smart conversation, I'd pick him. Then there's Ash. You can ask him pretty much anything. He'll talk your ears off, no matter the subject, and he's always ready to do anything. And everything."
"Gotcha."
"Chandler and Keita have really great stories from when they were younger. Really interesting stuff. And they have plenty of army stories if you care about those. They've been soldiers long before they joined this team. But keep in mind that they won't shut up if someone lets them start."
I laughed a little. "So better have enough time in my hands, huh?"
"Definitely," Reid said, and peered at the others. "Daz... He lives for this job. And for his partners. If you want to get to his good side, all you have to do is say something nice about Ash and Rio in front of him. Although that applies to everyone."
"Obviously," I said with a grin.
He chuckled a little, then quieted down. "I uh... I'd give Ryan and Ethan some time first. I think small friendly words here and there will do the trick. Ethan would probably be easier to make friends with, but he's Ryan's partner, so..."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said quietly.
"Good. So, that's about it. There's all the things you need to get started," he said.
"No, no, no... You forgot one," I told him.
"Hmm? Who? Captain?"
"No," I said. "You. How do I get to know you better?"
"Me?" he asked, laughing a little, but his smile had sadness in it. "There's not much to know about me. I just kill terrorists."
I hummed slowly. "Well, maybe I'll ask you to show me your car and take it from there."
The sadness faded a little in his eyes, and he chuckled. "Yeah... That's a start."
I wondered why he got sad. Did it have something to do with his partners? Probably... I assumed a lot of his memories involved them. A lot of his personality and things he enjoyed had to have a lot to do with them.
Heartbreaking stories...
At least Reid was open to making friends with me. Maybe in time, he'd open up to me a little by little.
We caught up with the others, and Captain gave me a smile.
"All good?" he asked.
"All good," I said reassuringly, and he turned to Reid.
"All good," my partner said as well.
"All right. Let me know if you need a break," Captain told me.
"Sure thing."
I peered at the others as we continued our way up on the pathway. This was a good opportunity to ask something and learn more about them, right? But damn, I didn't really know what to say. I mean, I was bad at making friends, too. I... didn't really have experience with that. I wasn't going to let that stop me, though.
So I came up with a simple question everyone could answer.
"So how long have you guys been in the army? And this team?"
Reid gave me a small, encouraging smile, while the others gave me curious glances.
"Oh, uh... I think I've been in this army for like... Six years? Four on this team," Ash said.
"I've been eight years in this army, and a little over three years on this team," Rio replied.
"Two years on the team. Two and a half in the army," Nico said.
"Six years, both," Daz said quietly.
"Eight years on the team, almost ten in the army," Reid said, even though he'd told me that already.
I nodded and turned to Captain.
"Oh, uh... Twenty-five... Twenty-six... Twenty-seven years in the army? Twenty years on this team," he said, and grinned. "The original bastard of Zero-Seven."
We chuckled at his words. Man... Twenty-seven years. I wasn't even born back when he joined the army.
"How about you?" Ash asked me.
"Five years," I said. "How about the others?"
"Chandler and Keita joined my team about two years after our unit was formed," Captain said. "So... Eighteen years ago."
"And Ryan and Ethan joined us about six months before Daz," Reid told me. "So... Six and a half years ago?"
"They've been on the unit way longer than that, though," Ash said, but then snapped his mouth shut, giving Captain a timid glance.
"It's all right, angel," Captain told him soothingly, and touched his arm lightly. "It's not a secret."
Ash relaxed and gave him an apologetic smile.
I was dying to ask what that was all about, but it was clear the topic was sensitive, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. But my curiosity was growing.
"Ryan and Ethan weren't originally mine," Captain explained. "They were on a different team, but it was decided they are better off with me."
"Gotcha," I said, leaving it at that. I had the feeling that the fucked-up shit Reid mentioned had something to do with their transfer.
"I wasn't originally on this team, either," Ash said quietly.
There was that pain again... I hesitated, but maybe he wanted to talk about it? It kind of sounded like it.
"Right, you said something about that," I said, giving him the opportunity to choose what he wanted to tell me.
"Yeah," he said, and fell silent. I assumed he wasn't going to tell me more, so I just nodded. But he continued. "I was in Zero-Three. Back then, my alpha was way worse. I struggled to focus on even the simplest things..."
Captain walked closer to him and put his arm around the younger alpha's shoulders to comfort him.
"I think I know what happened," I said quietly. "You don't have to talk about it."
Ash nodded and took a deep breath. "The captain... He wasn't a good person. My alpha was getting worse around him. I wasn't the only one he bullied, either, so the atmosphere was... It was horrible. And none of us dared to speak about it to his superiors."
"The rest of us failed your team," Captain said. "We should've seen you guys were suffering under his command."
Ash shook his head. "He hid it well... But he's gone now."
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"He got fired. For assaulting me," Ash said, his voice harder than normal.
I remembered his words.
"Got crippling anxiety as a parting gift."
"I couldn't focus at all that day," Ash continued. "He got really mad at me. Couldn't hold back any longer, even though we were out in the training fields. Broke my arm, some ribs and fingers, and gave me a concussion."
"What the fuck...?" I breathed out.
"Don't worry, he got it worse," Ash said, and smiled a little. "There happened to be this bigger and stronger alpha on that field that day. And he was fucking angry."
"I still wish I'd smashed his face in," Captain spoke to him gently.
"You almost did," Ash said, chuckling, and looked at Captain with shine in his eyes. "But that's all I really remember. My alpha and I both shut down apparently, so I can't remember anything about the next several days. Then I woke up at Zero-Seven base."
"Right where you belong, my sweet angel," Captain said, and hugged him tightly.
"Yes, and my alpha is much calmer now," Ash said. "But enough about me."
"Sure," Captain said, and planted a kiss on his temple.
The warm look Ash gave Captain made me smile. Maybe because I knew exactly how he felt.
"So... Is it all right if I ask how everyone ended up on this team?" I asked carefully, curiosity taking the best of me.
"Well, you already know how I ended up here," Daz said, giving me a bit of a timid look.
"Yeah. Well, I know the basics. Captain got you out of Jomica, but why do I believe there's a bigger story behind it?" I asked tentatively.
"It was a magnificent battle of life and death, indeed. Tom got shot saving my ass, while I didn't even want to be saved," Daz said. "I was too brainwashed to understand how bad things were."
"Had to drag you out of there," Captain said.
"And I'm glad you did," Daz told him softly. "But maybe it's a story for another day."
I so wanted to know... But it couldn't be an easy story to tell, especially to someone he barely knew.
"I was one too..." Nico spoke carefully, glancing at Captain like he was seeking for reassurance. "A terrorist."
"Hardly," Captain grunted.
Nico let out an amused snort. "Fine... I was living with terrorists."
"Forced to live with terrorists," Captain said.
Nico rolled his eyes, now definitely amused. "Fine. I was homeless and had nowhere else to go, so I ended up staying with a small terrorist group," he said, but the amusement faded, and I could see a hint of pain in his eyes when he continued. "And... I wasn't careful... There was this guy... He seemed charming... But I ended up in the hospital with a cracked skull."
"Well fuck," I muttered in shock.
"I suffered months of abuse in his hands," Nico continued, talking like he had no emotions, but it was clear he was still in pain because of what was done to him. "I couldn't even eat in the end because..." He gestured at his lips with nine scars on them. "But I took my revenge by ratting them out as soon as I woke up from the coma."
"Fuck me..." I breathed out.
"I'm much better now," Nico told me. He took one look at Captain, and his pain was gone, replaced by better emotions. "The army thanked me by taking me in."
"And when I saw you, before I heard your story, I immediately knew I had to take you on my team," Captain said gently. "You had the look in your eyes that told me I needed you on my team."
"You and the look," both Nico and Reid muttered in amusement.
"You had the look, too," Captain told Reid, and turned to me. "So did you."
"The look, huh? What is the look exactly?" I asked in amusement.
"The fire. The hunger," Captain said. "Whenever I see that look, I know I'm dealing with epic fighters. And they always prove to be the most loyal bastards there are."
I had to smile at his words. "You know that loyalty part is all your doing, right?"
The rest agreed with me, while Captain smiled softly.
"I didn't have the look..." Rio muttered.
Insecurities, huh...?
Captain let out a soft hum and stepped to him to hug him tightly. "It came out real fast though," he said. "And I'm proud of you."
"So... What's your story?" I asked Rio.
"It's not really a story," Rio said with a shrug. "Back when General Gray was still the commander, she forced Captain to take me on this team because of my father. He's climbing ranks in the navy, and I wasn't getting anywhere."
"Hey, your father had nothing to do with it," Captain said sternly. "And no one forces me to do anything. I took you because you had an impressive resume. And I haven't regretted it for a second."
"I know, I know..." Rio mumbled, smiling, but it seemed a little fake.
Definitely insecurities...
"You know I'll be forever grateful to General Gray for getting you on my team," Captain told him quietly. "Because I'm so proud of you."
"I know, I know..." Rio said again, but this time, his smile seemed genuine.
Rio claimed there was no story behind how he got on this team, but I had the feeling there was a story. Perhaps not one with fucked up shit, but a story, nonetheless. What I understood, the captains always chose who they wanted to take on their team, so getting placed in one by the commander sure sounded like a story.
So many secrets... I was dying to learn all of them. I'd never thought I could be so damn nosy. But these people were interesting, so could I really be blamed?
"And Captain recruited me straight out of a holding cell," Reid said. "But that you already knew."
"I couldn't leave you there," Captain said. "You didn't belong there. Your alpha was not doing well at all, and no one cared to help it."
"You never told me what was wrong," I carefully noted.
"One bad incident in my childhood that never got dealt with," Reid said, and sighed. "There was this accident with a friend's father... My alpha was lashing out, and he kept me pinned to the ground. Didn't know I could breathe. We... almost died that day, and my alpha... it lost trust in everyone, including me."
"Your alpha was too young to understand death," Captain said, and turned to me. "We believe it became absolutely terrified of dying, and since they were only twelve years old, and small compared to adults, his alpha learned that the only way to protect the body was to fight as hard as they could. The adults, who didn't know any better, had to get physical to control him, which his alpha saw as proof that no one could be trusted."
"Damn... I'm sorry," I told Reid.
"I'd completely forgotten that incident," he told me. "Just like everyone else, I thought my alpha was born a monster. When I grew up, I joined this army because I thought it was my only option, that I was too dangerous to civilians."
"It was back when no one was interested in our natural behavior," Captain said, wrinkling his nose. "That traumatized young boy grew up to become this six foot three, highly reactive, highly energetic young man, and they only made him lift more weights and run more laps without even trying to find the root of the problem... And they had the audacity to be surprised when he started putting people in a hospital..."
"Would you believe me if I told you Captain fixed my alpha in a month?" Reid asked, flashing our captain a smile, and Captain smiled and put his arm around him.
"You know what? I do believe that," I said.
"And all it took was to show his alpha he didn't need to be afraid," Captain said in a warm tone, but then sighed. "Aggressive alphas are so misunderstood..."
"We are now understood," Reid said quietly. "All of us."
"Yup," Ash said with a happy smile.
"Indeed," Nico said, and the rest of us agreed. "You've given us all a good home. And for that, we'll never leave your side."
"You guys... Come here..." Captain said, looking touched as he gestured for us all to give him a hug.
Even I was pulled into that group hug...
"I love you all. You're all such good boys," Captain muttered. "My sweet angels..."
"We love you too, Captain..."
Weird... I was surrounded by six large alphas... Held so tightly I was almost being squashed between their strong bodies...
And I found myself comfortable. More than that. And my omega was thrilled... It loved this attention, and I was sure it wasn't going to get enough of it. Ever. I could also tell that these guys were very happy and content living with Captain. I could feel their deep love for him. He had taken so much pain away from them... And me.
I also understood just how horrible True Order was. It wasn't just us omegas who had suffered. So many alphas' lives were ruined because of them, their lies, and their harmful, idiotic beliefs.
"I want you all to know I love you all very much. Don't ever forget that," Captain told us gently. "Are we now ready to continue?"
"Sure."
"Yes, sir."
I smiled at how reluctant everyone was to let go of Captain. I was one of them. But eventually, we managed to continue walking.
"I'm sorry I turned our hike into a group therapy session," I muttered.
"Don't worry about it," Ash said with a grin. "It happens a lot."
Sadly, I had no doubt about that.
Reid stepped closer to me, and when I looked up at him, he gave me a small smile, bowed lightly, and sniffed the air around me. That made me return his smile. His message was clear: he wanted to be friends with me.
[Ream subscribers will get to read a bonus chapter in Daz's point of view!]