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He’s pure soldier now. Resigned, measured, and practical. I can see the leader he must have been on the battlefield, pushing his men to keep going through blood and battle. Instead of punishing me for my fuckup, he’s reminding me that I’ve still got a job to do.
Denver meets Camden’s eyes then looks back to me. “I need to know now if you think you can handle being near her. If you can’t, then you need to leave. Because when her heat starts, I need you to be one hundred percent sure you can handle yourselves.”
“I’m not leaving,” I say immediately. I know how to keep people at a distance. It won’t be easy, but I’ll figure it out. Brooklyn’s face has been stuck in my head. Her lost, desperate expression. I’m not letting that face haunt me, which means I can’t run away.
Camden shakes his head. “You really think it’s that easy? That all you need is self-control? That’s bullshit. Have either of you been near an Omega in heat?”
He watches as Denver and I both shake our heads.
“I’ve got three sisters,” he murmurs. “They’re all Omegas. You think you know how bad heats are, but you have no idea what it’s really like until you’ve seen it. Before my sisters were bonded, Alphas tried to break into our house during one of their heats. Through the fucking door with their bare hands. And that’s while my sisters were on suppressants. You’ve got no idea.”
“So go,” Denver says simply. “There’s no shame in knowing your limits. Memphis and I will deal with her.”
“No,” Camden blurts out. “I can’t leave. Not when she might need me—us. I just think?—”
“Do you have any better ideas?” Denver demands.
Camden looks thoughtful. “There are some natural suppressants. Things I might be able to forage out here. Some herbs and berries. They’re not nearly as powerful as the meds, though.”
“How long would it take you to find them?”
“Not sure,” Camden says. “The ones that are native to this area are common enough, but it might take me a day to find them all. I spotted some mint by my tent. If we rub it under our noses, it should mute her scent, at least enough for a first meeting.”
Denver nods. “Good. Then we can make initial contact. What about the herbs that can delay her heat?”
“I can find them in maybe a day.” Camden frowns, obviously unconvinced. “But what if the herbs fail? We have no idea what condition the Omega’s in. She’s probably weak and malnourished. There’s no way she could fight us off if…”
He breaks off, like he can’t bear to put it into words.
“If we lose control,” I finish.
Denver stares us down. “If you lose control, then you’ll be dealt with. By me. And I’m not going to feel a second of guilt for what I do to you.”
His voice doesn’t waver as he stares us down. He’s the biggest of us, with the most combat training. He probably couldn’t take both of us, but if one of us snaps, Denver would have no problem neutralizing the threat.
But what if Denver’s the one who can’t resist? If he goes into a rut, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop him. Even with my crossbow, I don’t like my odds against a high level soldier.
Seems like Camden’s thinking along the same lines I am. “What about you?” he demands. “What if you break, and you can’t stay away from her?”
A muscle twitches in Denver’s jaw, but he inclines his head in acknowledgment. “Fine. We’ll check in with each other. If anyone’s resolve is weakening, the others take over. Camden’s herbs slow her heat down, but we’ll do what it takes to get her back before it starts.”
“So once we get the mint, we track her,” I say.
Already, I’m itching to get up and sniff around, search for signs of her in the dark. Denver’s nose can’t be that much better than mine. She’s probably blocking her scent somehow, so I’ll have to use other markers. Broken branches, footprints, the sounds of movement through brush and over uneven earth.
But Denver shakes his head. “No. That’ll spook her. My guess is if she’s willing to get this close, she’s desperate. All we need to do is bait the trap. Leave out some food and see if she tries to take it. If she does, we take her then. If not, you can track her easier tomorrow when the sun’s up.”
Camden is already nodding. Clearly, I’m outvoted.
They better be right. Because if Brooklyn doesn’t come to us, I won’t rest until I’ve hunted her down.
FIVE
—
B R O O K L Y N
The Alphas’ camp is a freaking wonderland of supplies. I would have been happy with just the ax and food, but there’s even more. Two of them have left their packs outside the tent, presumably to give them more leg room on the inside to sleep. Your average ultralight tent doesn’t account for an Alpha’s height.
