After the very intense interview I was put through after dinner, I was thankfully left alone. I returned to my new room, where I spent a moment taking a better look around. Reid had left the base to avoid me, so I was free to explore. Though there really wasn’t much to explore. Just the toilet, really. I did go check out the showers when no one was using them and found the laundry room next to it as well.

After that, I took my time unpacking my bags. I still had a strong feeling I was wasting my time, that in a day or two I’d have to pack my bags again and leave. I tried to have a little more faith than that, but… I couldn’t stop seeing Stoll smirking at me. He would ruin this for me. I was sure he would.

This was too good to be true.

I plugged in the fridge and my new laptop, and let it download all the updates it needed. It was getting so late I wasn’t going to bother Nico about it, though. Maybe tomorrow. There was no hurry. I found clean bedsheets and made the bed. The pillows, the duvet, the mattress… They felt so soft. I carefully sat on it, and sure enough… Fit for a king.

I tossed my head back, closing my eyes, letting out a deep breath. Too fucking good…

The bed was still missing one more thing. I got back up and went to dig through the bag with my equipment, and fished out my biggest, meanest knife with a serrated blade. I never used it in combat, it was too clumsy for that, but people often found it intimidating enough to leave me alone. I pulled it out of its holster, checked the blade, and put it back in. I hid it under my pillow. Just in case…

But now I had run out of things to do. I peered at the TV, but I’d never really watched anything, so I turned my back to it. I probably didn’t even know how to turn it on, to be fair.

Honestly, I just wanted to enjoy the silence. I needed a breather, so I sat down on the floor next to my bed and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to clear my head. Not so easy when the scents around me were now free to steal my attention. The window was closed, so all the smells were growing stronger. Especially Reid’s. But I was all right with it. I hoped it meant I was already getting used to all these pheromones, but the next heat was probably going to be unbearable…

I shook my head, trying to clear my head again. I heard quiet, muffled talking behind the wall. It wasn’t going to be a problem since it was so silent I barely noticed it. I assumed the room next to ours belonged to… I’d never been this bad with names… The group of three. Two Hispanic guys and the young white dude… What the fuck were their names…? I groaned and gave up. They had short names, that was all I could remember.

Great. Now I had to politely find a way to ask for their names again, or hope I didn’t need to use them until I learned them…

I laughed and shook my head. I really wished that remembering names would be my biggest problem. But Stoll’s words invaded my mind.

“You will get molested here…”

And who would be the first…? Someone from this team?

I rubbed my face, trying to get that specific thought out of my head. But another just as miserable took its place, and I brought my hand to my lower stomach. If I focused, I could feel the Lace in me. It wasn’t painful, more like… More like something was pulling on me very, very lightly. Did it mean something? Was it all right, or did that pull mean it was getting infected? But infection should be painful, right? At least that’s what I’d heard… I’d read about the Lace, but not enough to calm myself. I wasn’t even sure if I was just imagining that light pulling sensation in my guts.

I tried to calm down. Thinking about the Lace gave me anxiety. I wished Stoll had told me the truth about being allowed to get another, safer procedure after six months. I still had five and a half months left. It would go by fast. I just… I just had to pray everything went fine. Forty percent never had any issues with it…

Forty percent. It was a lot. Almost a fifty-fifty chance. Forty-sixty wasn’t that much different.

Thank fucking god, the door opened, and I was saved from my spiraling thoughts when Reid stepped in. He frowned lightly when he saw me sitting on the floor, holding my stomach. I quickly pulled my hand away and tried to act like I wasn’t a fucking weirdo for cowering on the floor.

“Hi,” I said, and to my surprise, he nodded shortly as a response.

He turned his back to me, though, and proceeded to ignore me. For some reason, that somehow… drained me. I’d had a really fucking long day. At least back at my old base, I’d had other omegas to have some kind of companionship with. I’d not realized it would be something I’d miss. These people seemed friendly – some more than others – but this almost felt like I had infiltrated an enemy base, and one wrong move would get me ripped to shreds.

That feeling of not belonging here was only growing worse…

Reid glanced at me over his shoulder. It was brief, and I thought nothing of it, but then he let out a sigh that was partly an angry groan and faced me. I instinctively got ready to defend myself however was needed, but he surprised me again.

“And why are you sitting on the floor?” he asked like it pissed him off.

“Taking a breather, sir,” I said.

He wrinkled his nose at me. “On the floor?”

“Yes, sir…”

“Why?” he asked in a demanding tone, crossing his arms.

“I guess I’m used to it,” I said with a shrug.

He said nothing. He stood there, glaring at me like my preferred sitting spot offended him. Though I guess it was my existence that offended him.

I looked away. I really didn’t have the energy for this. The longer he stared at me, the more defeated I felt. It was a new feeling. I was not used to feeling defeated. I almost wanted to give up. At that moment, I didn’t even care about all the things I’d had to suffer to get this far. If my life wasn’t going to change now… I’d endured it all, thinking once I’d get here, things would change for the better. But now I couldn’t see how things could change for me.

I was so tired…

“Long day?”

I looked back at Reid. His expression hadn’t changed, but his tone was less demanding.

I let out a snort. “Long life…”

“What do you mean?”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “I’m an omega in this fucking world.”

“Is that why you’re here?” he asked. “To fight True Order?”

“Yeah,” I said shortly, not really sure if I should be answering his questions at all.

He tilted his head a little as he studied me closely. “You’re definitely not a baby maker.”

I laughed lightly. “I take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment.”

“Well thanks,” I said, actually feeling better.

He nodded, dropping his arms to his sides. “Look. I don’t hate you. I have nothing against you. I don’t even know you. I just don’t want a partner. Not an alpha, not an omega.”

“Yeah I got that part,” I said.

“Then why are you insisting on being my partner?”

“I told you. I hate it when people refuse to give me a chance without a good reason. Just because I’m an omega, no one wants to give me a chance,” I said, trying to keep my frustration out of my voice, but failing.

“I have a good reason, but that’s none of your business,” he said, his eyes turning sharp. “And it has nothing to do with you being an omega.”

“Well I guess I’m a fucking idiot for wanting to be your partner,” I said with a shrug.

“Stubborn as fuck, at least,” he said, squinting his eyes, but… it didn’t seem like a hostile gesture.

“That is me indeed,” I said.

He snorted. “So you don’t have a good reason? You just don’t like being told no.”

“Exactly.”

He shook his head in annoyance. Then he sighed, peering at me. “I promised to give you a chance – one chance – so don’t fuck it up.”

I pursed my lips, hesitating, but I had to test him. “No, no, no. You want me to fuck up, remember?”

He opened his mouth, but stopped to think about what he’d said. “Yes. That.”

I snorted in amusement. I expected him to go back to whatever he was about to do, but he still just stood there, watching me. I guess he wasn’t done with me just yet.

“What’s wrong with your stomach?” he asked, surprising me again.

“So you noticed that, huh…?” I muttered, but he didn’t reply to me. I figured he expected me to answer him, but I didn’t want to tell him about the Lace. It would lead to questions I didn’t want to answer. “Just a little upset. I’ve had a really long day…”

He shifted his weight, frowning. It took me a moment to realize he expected me to elaborate.

“I mean, I woke up this morning thinking I’ll spend the day at a bootcamp, but somehow I’m now here,” I said. “Didn’t really see that coming…”

“You didn’t know you were being recruited?” he asked.

He was surprisingly curious for a guy who didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

“No. I mean, yeah, but… I thought I was being ghosted,” I carefully admitted. “I hadn’t heard from the commander in weeks, but right before I was supposed to leave for the camp, I was told to meet him at the Headquarters in thirty minutes. And no one told me about the nine captains waiting for me…”

He squinted his eyes. “The commander doesn’t deal with recruits. We have a specific recruiter for that.”

“I only met with the commander,” I said, shrugging.

And each time he made me feel more and more disgusted with myself…

He nodded slowly. “Right. Anyway. You know the couch is right there?”

“Is me sitting on the floor really bothering you so much?” I asked.

“My back hurts looking at you,” he said, giving me the side-eye.

“Fine, I’ll get up…”

Reid stepped back when I got up on my feet. His eyes darted down on my body, then back up, and he crossed his arms. “At least you look strong. You better not get yourself killed.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said.

“Good,” he said, and finally turned his back to me.

I spent a moment watching him, trying to understand him. The captain did say Reid was a good man, and I didn’t really have a reason to doubt him. He just didn’t want a partner.

I sighed, glancing around the room. It was a nice room, but…

“Hey…” I said quietly, and he peered at me over his shoulder. “If you really don’t want me as your partner, I’ll respect that. I can go tell the captain–”

“Well that’s too late now,” he said with a snort.

“So you don’t mind…?”

“I’m giving you one chance.”

“Yes, sir,” I said. “I won’t fuck it up.”

“Please do.”

I snorted in amusement.

This guy… I kind of liked his style.

*****

I’d thought I’d sleep better with only one person sharing the room with me. Reid wasn’t really a loud sleeper, either. The building was pretty silent apart from the occasional sounds of toilets being flushed in the distance. The bed was just as perfect as I’d thought. But I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I thought I heard quiet footsteps heading my way. Every time I peered at the room, I thought I saw dark figures lurking in the corners. And Stoll’s words echoed in my head in a constant loop.

After several hours, I’d managed to calm myself enough to nod off, but I was soon awakened by something moving in the room. I stayed still under the covers, holding my breath. Just my imagination again…

But it wasn’t. This time, someone actually moved in the room. I didn’t stop to think. My instincts had already taken control over me. With my heart racing, I grabbed my knife and pulled it out of its holster while pushing myself up from the bed. I held the blade between me and the figure standing in the middle of the room, finally allowing myself to take a better look at the man.

Reid. Obviously. On his way to the bathroom. Obviously.

He’d stopped to stare at me when I suddenly moved. The windows let in enough light so I could see him frowning at me.

“It’s just me,” he muttered.

I lowered my knife a couple of inches, but didn’t put it away. I didn’t lay back down, either. My omega wouldn’t let me. Reid stared at me, his frown growing deeper, and turned to face me. I held the blade tighter.

“Right…” Reid muttered. “It’s not only the enemy you’re wary of.”

“Define enemy,” I said.

He nodded slowly. “Is that why you can’t sleep?”

“Didn’t mean to keep you awake,” I only said without answering.

“I’m not used to having a roommate, that’s all,” he said, taking a step closer, while I fought my need to raise the knife again. “I know my word is not worth much, but you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“It’s usually the people who say such things that I need to be especially afraid of,” I told him.

“I can imagine,” he said quietly. “Anyway. I’m just using the bathroom,” he added and continued on his way.

I waited until he had entered the bathroom before putting my knife away. I lay back down, my heart still racing, and stared at the ceiling. I tried not to listen to every single sound Reid was making. My body tensed when he came back out and returned to his bed. I tried not to look when he sat down and crawled under his covers.

I tried to convince myself he wasn’t going to assault me in my sleep… But I couldn’t relax, not even after he stopped moving. I’d been too trusting in the past. I couldn’t make that same mistake again. I’d be a complete idiot if I let my guard down. But at the same time… I wished I could trust these people. Or at least one person.

Just one person I could trust… Why was that so much to ask…?