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He isn’t getting it, and I’m sick of fighting with him.
This is no longer up for discussion.
Chapter 10
Caelan
Dax’s response is, predictably, swift and absolute.
“No, the fuck you are not.”
He sounds one heartbeat away from sending someone after me, but I simply don’t care.
“Her door is locked from the outside, Dax.”
My Alpha is running the show, instincts on high-alert. If Dax thinks I’ve been stubborn lately, he has no idea the level I’ll go to now that I’ve seen that damned lock.
“I need to check on her.”
“Who cares?” I can practically see him throwing his hands up in disgust. “You can’t do shit. You’re not a social worker.”
This argument is pointless—especially to my Alpha. The decision has already been made. Honestly, it was made the night I first saw her.
Still, I humor my packmate.
“No,” I agree with a feral smirk, pulling my tools from my side pocket. “You know what I am, though? A tactician. A warrior with centuries of experience dealing with traumatized Omegas. I’m telling you, this is more than shit parenting.”
I take a deep breath and try, once again, to level with him. His agreement won’t change my mind, but my rational side respects him enough not to be a total dick right now.
“Five minutes, Daxen. I just want to make sure she’s safe, then I’m out. If this were any other Omega, we’d already have made plans for extraction,” I point out.
“Fuuuuuck.” Dax’s palm rasps over the stubble on his jaw. I can picture him back at HQ, surrounded by his screens, cursing my name. “This isn’t any other Omega, though, Caelan. This is the daughter of our enemy. This is an Omega who already has you acting out of character. This is an Omega who has made no attempt to defy her father or ask for help in the twenty-two years she’s been alive. This—”
“That’s enough. Don’t push this, Dax.” I snap. His bullshit excuses are pissing me off.
“I’m going to say this plainly. I’m not asking you for fucking permission, I’m informing you of my next move.”
I send a wave of stubborn determination down our Bond right before throwing up a mental block so thick he’ll have to spend hours picking it apart to get through.
Not that he’ll waste his time on that.
Knowing Daxen, he’ll pace and stew until he reaches a boiling point. When that happens, he’ll draft some bullshit “Omega risk assessment survey,” force every Bastard at HQ to take it, then try to pass the results off as a legitimate peer-focused study that proves I’ve been manipulated by a female I’ve never even met.
He’ll feel bad, but he’ll do it all the same.
“Fine.” He groans, and I still, shocked he’s stopped fighting me. “Check for signs of life, and then you’re done. You get out, and you get your ass home.”
A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth.
“Copy,” I reply, right before muting my comms.
He can send a warning through the Bond if there’s an emergency.
I take a breath, trying to stabilize my emotions. It’s not that I’m not aware that this is out of character for me. I just… don’t care right now.
Which is also wildly out of character, but it’s something I’ll have to examine more at a later date. When I’m not about to break into the room of the Omega I haven’t stopped thinking about for the better part of a week.
The lock disengages. Gently, I press down on the handle and push open the doors.
