Page 6

Nadia

I bounce back and forth between Shayne and Grace, scowling the whole time as we rumble over unpaved roads into the wilderness of the southern desert. It’s so uncomfortable that I barely have time to mull over my continued fury at Cole Kincaid.

Unfortunately, my friends aren’t nearly so interested in silent rage.

“Nadia,” Shayne whispers, tucking her long red hair back behind her ear and glancing over at the Alpha seated at the end of our row. It’s not Cole, but it may as well be – they’re all built the same. Gigantic, muscled, brutal, stone-faced.

Okay, fine. Cole is taller and…better looking than the others. But my point stands – all Alphas are cast from the same crappy mold.

“Nadi!” Shayne bites out, using my oldest nickname.

I snap my head to her with a frown, realizing I missed whatever she just said.

Shay looks at me like I’m a little nuts and then glances towards the back of the transport where Cole is seated.

Grace leans in, wanting to be in on this.

“Seriously, why didn’t you tell us that it was him ? ”

I sigh, slumping down on the bench seat, looking angrily between them – my two best friends, Shayne who I’ve known since childhood and Grace who’s been our roommate since freshman year in college. “I didn’t tell you because I knew it would make you change your opinion about the story!”

“Unfair,” Grace says, raising her eyebrows at me. “You deliberately withheld facts to manipulate our response!”

“Well, yeah ,“ I say, rolling my eyes, making Shayne grin. “Because the other party is a celebrity and the nation’s most famously eligible bachelor! I wanted your attention on my pain and I knew that if I told you it was him that you’d do precisely this! Take his side!”

“I mean, that is fair,” Shayne says, looking at Grace now. “I am on his side. If she wanted my pity, she was right to hold back facts –”

“No way,” Grace says with a frown, leaning towards Shay. “That’s such a crap way to treat your friends – we have to be able to trust each other!”

I ignore Grace, focusing entirely on what Shayne said. I whip out a hand, smacking her on the arm. “You’re on his side?”

She turns a big smile on me. “I’m always on the side of the hot guy, Nadia. Come on, you know this about me.”

I huff, more angry than I was before, but Shayne just laughs, tossing her arms around me and giving me a big hug.

I quell a bit, realizing that she’s kidding.

Shay – she’s a double-edged kind of friend because while she is a source of endless love and devotion, she also knows me well enough to intuit precisely what to say to make me swell up like a big, offended puffer fish.

“Of course I’m on your side, Nadi,” Shay murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair and letting me go. “But honestly! Like, none of the reality of who he is changes your opinion on this?“ She glances back again towards Cole and I grab her arm, pulling her attention back.

“Would you stop looking at him? It’s bad enough that all the Alphas in this van can probably hear everything you’re saying –”

Shay just grins at me like she doesn’t give a damn. Which she probably doesn’t.

“And no ,“ I continue, sighing again, looking between my friends. “It doesn’t change anything. Why should it? It was…a shit thing to happen to me! Just because he’s pretty and in power doesn’t change that.”

“You’re right,” Grace says, petting a hand over my hair and nodding deeply. “It doesn’t.” Grace looks expectantly at Shayne.

“Fine, fine, it doesn’t,” Shayne says, finally giving in and leaning closer, doing her best to keep our conversation between us.

“But that just means you have more willpower than me. Thousands of girls would kill to go on a date with Cole Kincaid, let alone have him claim them as his mate. I mean, I think that’s a big deal for them –”

“Is it?” Grace asks, looking around with a frown. Some of the intricacies of wolf life are lost to us, even if we are living in a country largely governed by them. Humans and wolves tend to stick to their own kind.

“Yeah, I think so!” Shayne says, nodding and looking between us with eager, sparkling blue eyes. She gasps suddenly, excited. “Do you think he’ll introduce us to Jude Kincaid?”

I just look at her like she’s crazy.

“Which one is that?” Grace whispers.

Shayne groans, shaking her head and leaning back against the seat.

“Ugh, Gracie-grace, you need to read way more of the gossip mags and websites. It’s his brother!

He’s so cute – I’ve had a crush on him since I was a baby – I used to have his picture pasted in the back of my middle school notebook –”

I wrinkle my nose at Shay, remembering that. And now, as then, I think she’s insane for it.

“He’s just a moderately good-looking rich guy, Shay,” I murmur. “Nothing special.”

“Oh, whatever ,“ Shayne says, closing her eyes on a blissful sigh. “He’s dreamy. I love him. Ima marry him.”

I grin at my friend, unable to help it. “You say that about everyone.”

“Yes, I intend to have six husbands and eight marriages,” she murmurs, playful and smug. “He can be the first.”

Grace and I both grin at her, even as Grace wrinkles her brow, confused. “How on earth are you going to manage six and eight? Isn’t your math off?”

“Nah,” Shayne says, flapping a hand at Grace. “I’m going to marry Jude, and then divorce him, and then marry him again. He’ll be number one and number five. I’ve got a plan, don’t you worry.”

We both laugh and settle in. And I have to admit it – my mood is definitely better than it was since we arrived at that platform. I ignore the looming Alpha presence behind me and concentrate instead on my friends, who are funny and wonderful and know how to cheer me up.

It takes about forty-five bumpy minutes to get to wherever it is that they’re setting up our camp.

I mean, it makes for an uncomfortable ride, but ultimately it makes sense – we need to be largely incognito to avoid notice from the Children of Solace.

For the next few months, we’ll be living in some very basic accommodations – tents and campfires, things that can be easily moved if the Children of Solace catches a whiff of our presence.

It’s a lifestyle I’m pretty used to – I’ve been helping mom and dad on these sorts of campaigns since I was a kid. But Grace and Shay, I know, will be in for much more of a surprise.

The transport slows, pulling us into a valley between two large crags with a surprisingly wide space between.

The van stops and one by one we all hop down, move towards a large beige tent at the far end of the clearing.

I look around at what I can see of the darkening night sky, wishing I had more daylight to take it all in.

The Alphas come too – most of them spread out around us in a circle, though Cole Kincaid takes the lead and strides forward to greet my father, who stands at the opening to the tent, a stack of booklets in his hands.

The two greet each other warmly and I turn away, hating that dad is so subservient to these wolves who hate him merely because he’s human.

I mean, that goes a little far – they wouldn’t have raised dad to the position of General if they didn’t respect him. But still, deep down I know that there’s lingering contempt, even if the King and his men have tended to treat dad with respect.

As I turn away, I spot my friend Daniel, who disembarks from the other transport and waves cheerfully to me as he reaches up a hand to help his boyfriend Amari down from the truck.

Amari looks around in wonder at all the craggy cliffs and wilderness, a little bit of horror in his expression.

I laugh because Amari is – above all things – a city boy.

I shake my head, wondering how the hell Daniel ever convinced him to volunteer for this.

“Nadia!” I turn my face back forward, smiling when I hear my dad call my name. I move forward to his open arms, giving him a big hug as he presses a kiss to my cheek. “How was the trip?”

“It was fine,” I say on a sigh, pulling back a little to give him a sad little smile. “Though you could have told me he was going to be here.“ I nod towards Cole’s retreating form as he heads into the tent.

Dad cocks an eyebrow at me, stern and demanding as he usually is. “ He is generously and uncomplainingly offering his expertise. Is that going to be a problem, Nadia?“ Dad pauses, studying me. “Because if so, you can leave at any time.”

I sigh, looking down and shaking my head, a little ashamed that I put my personal complaints over the mission. Dad is right, as usual – I need to concentrate on the big picture.

I feel dad’s hand warm on my shoulder and look back into his face. “I didn’t know until this morning,” he says softly. “Don’t let his presence throw you off, okay? You’re here for a job and so is he. It doesn’t need to be anything beyond that. Your focus should be on the people you’re helping.”

I nod deeply, willing myself to the task even as I know that it’s going to be…

difficult. I have trouble, sometimes, letting my temper and my passions distract me from my work.

But dad has always had my back, and I know he’ll have it again if I need it.

When Cole brought me back from the train station, dad was frantic with worry – he hadn’t known where I’d run to.

But as soon as I’d cried and told him I didn’t want to be there anymore, he’d made our excuses to the king and got me the hell out of there.

Dad has my back, always, and I’m so grateful for it.

Dad gives me a small smile, patting my shoulder and handing me one of the booklets in his arms. I take it, nodding seriously to him and determining to do as he says – focusing on the people who need my help.

Not stupid bully Alphas who follow me across the damn country even when I’ve made it very clear that I want to be left alone.

I scoot into the tent with Grace and Shay after they say their helloes to dad, all of us moving in to take a seat on the folding chairs that have been set up for us.

It doesn’t take long for everyone to get settled while dad crosses to the front of the room. My eyebrows go up when I see Cole walking with him, taking a soldier’s stance just behind and to my father’s left that clearly suggests that he’s a close second to my father’s command.

I narrow my eyes. Who the hell does this guy think he is? We’re the same age after all – why does he get to be in charge?

“Thank you all for volunteering your service,” dad says, his voice carrying easily through the tent.

“My name is General Adam Amir. You can all call me General.” A bunch of smiles appear around the room from the many students who have worked with my dad and called him nothing but that for years.

“We’ll be working together for the next few months to bring aid to those affected by the Children of Solace and the upcoming planned assault.

We will expect your hard work, discipline, and dedication to secrecy in this.

If you cannot commit to that, I would invite you to leave on the transport that is departing in just a few minutes. ”

Dad pauses, looking around the room, making space for anyone to object or leave. When we all stay, his face breaks into a tiny smile. “All right then. Let’s get started.”

A thrill of excitement runs through me and I straighten my shoulders, listening eagerly to my dad’s information and instruction. But even as I will myself to pay attention…

My eyes keep drifting back to stupid Cole.

God, he’s just standing there. Being all good . Listening to dad, nodding quietly along with the information. What a little teacher’s pet, all focused and attentive and polite – god, is he actually like this? Or is this some kind of goody-goody performance that he –

“Miss Amir!”

My head snaps forward, my eyes going wide as my dad barks out my name.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

“Can you please,” dad says, leaning forward with one hand flat on the table before him, glaring hard, “repeat back to me the vital information I just provided to the group?”

My cheeks flush first and then the red spreads all over my face as my shoulders hunch up around my ears.

“Well?”

“No, sir,” I say, my voice clear even as I close my eyes, wishing I could collapse in on myself and vanish away into nothing.

“Then I would suggest you pay attention,“ dad finishes, voice low and angry with me. “You’re here on probation, after all. I would suggest that you, of all people, attempt to toe the line of compliance with the requirements of the job.”

My blush deepens, if possible, because if people didn’t know about my probationary status before, they certainly do now. I nod briskly, though, accepting it – because he’s right. Dad is strict and demanding, but he’s always fair.

“Now,” dad says, straightening up and beginning again. “Regarding daily schedules, these will be posted…”

Dad continues on and Grace presses a warm hand to my lower back.

Shayne also leans close to me, bumping her shoulder to mine as she flicks through her booklet, reading fast even while she listens to dad.

I smile a little, relaxing as my blush fades, silently grateful for their support.

I pointedly do not look at Cole Kincaid again the whole time my dad talks.

“The military is actively moving on the Children of Solace,” dad continues, looking around at all of us quite seriously as he speaks.

“They’re doing recon now, but as soon as they get the lay of the land, they’re going to start making their moves.

And when they do, we can expect to be at work twenty-four hours a day. ”

All of our eyes go wide at that because…well, I think a lot of us didn’t realize it was going to be so busy.