I slept better that night. Reid did wake me up once when he got up to use the bathroom, but this time, it didn’t freak me out. He did get my omega nervous, but I managed to calm it down by… Well… I thought of Captain Hale and his words. Even the thought of him soothed my omega.

I really, really wished I could trust the captain… I already did, at least a little. Well, maybe a little more than just a little. And I kept thinking… Hoping… That Stoll had only tried to scare me when he’d said I’d be used as a toy. That this place was far from the hell he’d painted for me.

But it was far from what he’d said it would be. Statistically, the majority of alphas saw us omegas as equals and treated us as such. Which meant the majority of the alphas in this place were actually decent fucking people.

Which meant I’d let that sick bastard Stoll lie to me and get under my skin…

I would never be safe from people like him. There still were plenty of them in this army, but maybe it was all right to trust Captain Hale, maybe even his men. I mean, statistically speaking, Captain Hale was definitely one of the decent people, and probably all his men, too. I just couldn’t see him as an abuser. There was no way. He was nothing like all those people who had ever hurt me. He was way too kind and considerate to be a bad guy.

And he’d promised I’d get to see my old captain on Sunday. It really fucking cheered me up. It was insane how much I already missed Captain Fernard and his kindness… I really wanted to talk to him.

So I woke up feeling quite positive. After a goodnight’s sleep, I felt much better. I stayed in bed, enjoying the soft covers and the heavenly mattress while slowly turning my attention to the room. And apparently, to Reid Bishop.

He sat behind his laptop, reading something. News, maybe. I couldn’t really see. I wondered if I should wish him good morning or if I should just leave him alone. I sniffed the air a little, taking in his strong scent. It was a really nice scent… I couldn’t tell apart the little hints, but he smelled like danger. Like something I’d encounter on a battlefield.

And he looked good, his blond hair a mess and a stubble framing his face…

“Morning,” he suddenly said without taking his eyes off his laptop.

“Morning,” I replied and sat up.

I wanted to say something. Anything really. My omega was still studying his scent. It was curious about him. A little timid, because Reid was a big fucking guy, and afraid we’d anger him again, but still, it was curious. And so was I.

But… Maybe I shouldn’t bother him.

As soon as that thought left my head, Reid glanced at me. His face showed no emotion as his green eyes studied me. I could’ve used that opportunity to say something, but having his eyes on me stopped me. And not because he was intimidating…

“I heard you used to be under Captain Fernard’s command,” he said.

“That is correct,” I said.

“And he’s coming to see you today?” he continued.

“Uh-huh.”

He nodded. “He was my captain, too. So fucking long ago…”

“Really?” I asked, getting out of bed to sit on the couch. “How long have you been on this team?”

“Uh… Damn… Eight or nine years?” he said, looking a bit shocked it had been so long already.

“And how long you’ve been in this army?” I asked since he seemed willing to talk to me.

“It would make… Eleven or twelve years.”

So he was way in his thirties…

“Do you… like Captain Fernard?” I asked.

“He’s a good man,” Reid said, his voice growing softer. “He nearly ruined his career for me…”

“Really? What happened?” I asked, shifting a little closer on the couch.

He glanced at me, squinting his eyes a little like he tried to decide if he wanted to talk to me, but then he let out a small sigh and snorted.

“I was a… bit of a handful,” he said.

“You? A handful? I had no idea,” I said before I could stop myself.

Thankfully, I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Boy, you really have no idea…”

I chuckled. “Okay. What does a handful mean, then?”

He let out a breath, then looked away. I thought he wasn’t going to tell me, but I still waited. Then, he glanced at me.

“When I was young… My alpha was always aggressive. It still is, but now it trusts me to make the right calls. When it didn’t… It lashed out at everyone and everything at the tiniest things… I had no way of controlling it. I was dangerous to everyone, but Fernard still fought so I could stay,” he spoke, his voice quiet. “He got into a lot of trouble with his superiors because of me.”

It was not at all a surprise he was an aggressive alpha. Far from it. It was glaringly obvious. But I chose not to point it out or make jokes about it. It was clear this topic was a bit sensitive to him.

“How did you learn how to deal with your alpha?” I asked instead.

“With Captain Hale’s help,” he said. “He uh… Well… I actually got kicked out of the army because I put two people in a hospital right before the recruiting week started. But Hale fought for me. He managed to convince them to give me one more chance. And I’m so goddamn grateful for him.”

“Wait…” I muttered. “I’ve heard this story. You’re… Gambit?”

He let out a small chuckle. “Yeah…”

I breathed in but paused before letting it out. Everyone knew Gambit. One of the greatest – and angriest – soldiers in this entire army. “My partner is a celebrity.”

“I’m just doing my job,” he muttered. “Anyway. Captain quickly figured out my problem, and helped me.”

“Captain did say he’s worked with all of you,” I said. “Now I see what he meant by that.”

“Yeah… Welcome to the circus of semi-functional idiots who barely know how to deal with life,” he said.

I chuckled shortly. “I’ll fit right in then, huh…?”

“Probably,” he said. “So, did you like Fernard?”

“I did. He was kind to me. He didn’t see me as an omega,” I said. “It was… nice.”

“He’s a good man. So is Hale,” Reid said. “They’re good friends, you know?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. You probably know Hale better as Hades, though.”

“Oh yeah. Right…” I said, shocked that I hadn’t made the connection yet. Fuck, I was in a team full of celebrities, then. “Everyone knows Hades… But… I kind of thought he’d be more like…”

“More like what?”

“Well, anything else but a soccer dad,” I said, and he snorted in amusement.

“I should warn you. Don’t let him fool you,” he said.

“What?” I asked, frowning.

Reid smiled, but I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

“He does seem like your average soccer dad, right? Did he tell you a cute little story about how he ran a few behavioral courses here for the army and joined the ranks because he wanted to be a hero, one of the cool kids?”

“No…?” I said slowly.

“Well, if he does, it’s bullshit, just so you know,” he said quietly, and leaned closer to me, lowering his voice. “He joined because he wants to kill. He loves it. He lives for it. And he’s so fucking brutal at it.”

“So… you’re saying… I shouldn’t trust what he says?” I asked, my optimism fading fast.

“Huh? Of course you can trust him,” he said, straightening his posture. “He’s a soccer dad to us. We’re his boys. Gives us everything we want and does everything he can for us. But out there? To everyone else? He’s a fucking psycho killer.”

“That’s… more of what I had in mind, yeah,” I said, relaxing. “But… Really? He’s like…”

“This is why I wanted to give you a fair warning,” he said. “You know, before you witness him on the battlefield. So you don’t get spooked or anything when you see that side of him.”

“Okay. Thanks for the warning, I guess,” I said, frowning, but smiling at him.

“Oh, you will thank me later,” he said, smiling back at me. “He’s uh… He’s very artistic. And you may want to look away when he’s digging info out of enemies. You’ll lose your appetite.”

“Why are you smiling when you talk about it?” I asked, chuckling.

He shrugged again. “I guess we’re all a bit psycho.”

I shook my head, then hesitated. “Okay, but now I’m dying to know what he does.”

“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” he said.

“Just one example so I know what to expect. What’s his favorite method?”

“He goes for the eyes,” he said. “That’s all I’m telling you.”

I shivered. “Yeah, I didn’t want to know…”

“Told you,” he said, grinning. “And it’s really not a test of manliness or anything. Just don’t look when he tortures people. There’s a reason every reputable terrorist out there knows the name Tom Hale.”

I nodded. “I won’t look.”

“Good boy.”

I stared out the window for a moment, thinking about the captain. The way he’d calmed me… His kind words and gentle behavior…

“I still can’t really picture him as a psycho killer, carving people’s eyes out,” I finally admitted. “He seems so… Good.”

“Yeah, he’s actually a really fucking awesome man, especially to us, but he’s like two completely different people sharing the same body. Well I guess three different people.”

“Do I even want to ask…?” I muttered.

“Well, there’s Tom the soccer dad, Hades the psycho killer, and that fucking scary demon he turns into when one of us gets hurt,” he said, his smile gentle.

I had to smile as well. “You seem to really respect him.”

“I fucking love that man. We all do,” he said. “And you will, too.”

“Looking forward to that,” I said.

“Anyway. You hungry? I’m starving,” Reid said, getting up from his seat.

I stopped to stare after him. Did he just…?

“Oh, yeah. I just need to use the bathroom real quick,” I said and got up as well, grabbing my hoodie.

And he waited for me while I used the toilet. It was… quite nice. When I stepped out of the bathroom, he was leaning against the wall next to the door. He really didn’t have to wait for me…

I gathered a little bit of courage. “So… Does this mean you’re warming up to me?”

He let out a breath, looking away for a bit. “I had a little chat with Captain the night you arrived. I told him I’m not ready, but he… He told me to trust him on this. If he says I’m ready, then I guess…”

He trailed off, his voice vanishing. He looked hesitant and surprisingly insecure.

“You’re trusting him to decide that for you?” I asked with a frown.

He let out a small snort, the corner of his lip curling up. “Sometimes he knows us better than we do.”

“But do you think you’re ready?” I asked.

“What are you? My shrink?” he asked with an amused snort and opened the door. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Just want to get to know you better,” I said with raised hands and followed him outside.

And man… the pheromones… They were really strong again, and my omega got immediately distracted. I didn’t even realize I had stopped right there by the doorway, but Reid did.

“You all right?”

“I, uh…” I muttered, shaking my head.

Fuck… Why was this such a problem…?

“Hey?” Reid breathed out, stepping back to me when I still couldn’t move, and my omega got nervous.

It got really, really nervous…Reid wasn’t the tallest on the team, quite the opposite, but he still was a big fucking guy… Like those who had ever hurt me… I could almost see them reaching for me to keep me down…

“Reid, go tell everyone to open the windows.”

Captain…?