Page 16

HAVEN

Drawing in a deep breath as I watch my little sister drive away, Alpha slides his arm around me and leans in so no one but me can hear. “I can see you’re trying to keep strong on the outside, but I know you, Little Lamb. I know you’re hurting.”

Straightening my shoulders, I turn to him and fake a smile. “We don’t have time to hurt right now. Just like you can’t think about Livvy, I can’t think about how that could be the last time I see my sister, who I only just got back into my life.” My stomach clenches as I shake off the tension rippling through me. “We have work to do.”

I go to walk off, but Alpha grips my arm, pulling me back to him. He looks me in the eyes, nothing but love and devotion pouring back at me, and fuck, I nearly break.

Nearly.

A soft smile touches his lips, and he nods once. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

Sadie and Maverick move past us. Sadie is barely holding it together, so I reach out to hold her hand. “They’re gonna be fine. No matter what happens here, Sadie, those two, they’re going to be just fine.”

Sadie lets out a long breath. “I know, that’s why they had to leave,” she whispers, then takes off for the clubhouse.

Maverick grimaces, rubbing the back of his neck, letting out a frustrated groan. “I should have forced her to go with them.”

Snorting out a mocking laugh, I scowl at him. “You idiot. Sadie is never going to leave you behind. For some reason, unbeknown to me, the woman is head over heels for you. Wherever you are, that’s exactly where she will be. Even if it means certain death. Maybe we should get her psych tested now that I think about it?” I tease, and he reaches out, punching my arm playfully. “Ouch, you fucker!”

He chuckles, slumping his shoulders. “You’re right, though. I don’t know what the fuck I did to win her over or why the hell she stays. But the feeling’s mutual. If she walked into flames, I’d fucking follow.”

A genuine smile lights my face as I lean against Alpha, my eyes turning up slightly. “I know the feeling all too well.”

Alpha smirks down at me. “You gettin’ all mushy on me, Little Lamb?”

Rolling my eyes, I shove off him and start walking toward the clubhouse. “Fuck no. If I walked into flames, they’d flurry in the opposite direction and douse themselves out because they knew the ice in my veins would annihilate them anyway.”

Alpha smirks. “That’s my girl.”

Dropping all humor, I shake my head. “Not a girl, Alpha. I’m a fucking bird! We gonna go deal with these Cartel pricks or sit around talking about our feelings all day like some damn pussies?”

Maverick leans closer to Alpha, raising his brow. “I think you pissed her off, brother,” he whispers, thinking I can’t hear him.

I absolutely can.

Alpha tilts his head, letting out a heavy sigh. “Yep, but she needs to remember I’m the president of this place.” He grumbles back, then clears his throat. “All right, everyone inside. Time to make an action plan,” he yells as I strut away, grinning to myself.

As I stride into the clubhouse, I step up to the bar.

Navy grins at me as I move to take a seat. “Morning, Haven, you want a coffee?” she asks.

“For a morning to start like this, all before eight in the damn morning, I think I need a tequi—”

“Come with me,” Alpha grunts, taking me by surprise.

Navy’s eyes go wide before she bolts to the other side of the bar, leaving me to deal with Mr. Pissed-Off. I turn nice and slow, meeting his scowl. Popping my hip, I throw him a look, hand on my waist, and roll my eyes like I’ve got better things to do. “Oh c’mon, you aren’t pissed at me for what I said out there, are you?”

He reaches out, taking my hand, his grip firm, and he yanks me toward the Chapel stairs. “While I don’t mind you mouthing off every now and then and showing the guys that you’re tough, you’re starting to really fucking piss me off with your damn attitude.”

My feet can hardly keep up with him as he drags me through the clubhouse to the Chapel stairs, where I peer back and note that everyone is watching us. Furrowing my brows, I huff. “So, what? You want me to just fall in line?” I snap, trying to pull back from him.

The entire clubhouse goes silent as he spins, his face turning red, and then he bends down, lifting me over his shoulder with brute strength. “Shit! Alpha!” I gasp as he takes off up the stairs at a record pace.

“Fall in line? You’re the First Lady of the damn club, Haven. I’m gonna remind you of that!” he snaps, kicking open the door to the Chapel, storming in, then kicking it shut with an equal amount of force.

He rampages over to the Chapel table and practically throws me onto the epoxy. I think I even hear it crack a little with the intensity of his movements. Scrunching my face as I find my equilibrium, I sit up glaring at him, preparing to unleash my fury, when he rushes forward, grabbing my ankles, and yanks me to the edge of the table, standing between my parted legs. The hooded look in his eyes tells me instantly this was his devious plan all along.

The aggression clearly masks the pain he’s still feeling. The pain we’re all still feeling. But sometimes, anger and frustration are a great way to get your emotions out.

And to find climactic relief.

“You sonofabitch,” I growl and inch forward, my breathing increasing, my skin tingling as my fingers trail up his chest.

He grins mischievously. “You wanted fire, baby.”

Bringing my knee up, I press my boot against his chest and shove him back. “Fuck. You!”

Alpha chuckles, stepping away from the Chapel table with the cockiest smirk crossing his face while he begins to remove his leather cut. “I mean, that is why we’re in here,” he states, folding and placing his cut on the bookshelf behind the table.

He walks around it, stalking me like his prey.

He doesn’t rush.

He prowls.

Each step is deliberate as he walks the curve of the table like a lion circling its kill.

My pulse pounds harder with every inch he closes in. He grabs the edge of the table, looming over me like a storm cloud ready to break. “You want to mouth off in front of my men?” he growls. “Then you better be ready to pay for it in my fucking Chapel.”

“I said… fuck. You ,” I repeat, goading him with a smirk I know will set him off…

Will let him unleash all that aggression and emotion he’s holding onto.

His pupils dilate.

His chest expands.

And then he snaps.

His hand flies to my throat, not hard but enough to stop the air in my lungs just for a second.

Just long enough for my knees to weaken and my clit to throb.

“You want to play rough, Little Lamb?” he rumbles, backing me toward the edge of the Chapel table. “I’ve got no problem reminding you who the fuck you belong to.”

God yes!

He thrusts my legs apart and yanks me forward by the hips so hard the table screeches under my ass. I kick off my boots, and they hit the floor with a thud, both our chests heaving with the adrenaline surging through the room.

“Take off your shirt. Slowly ,” he orders.

I hesitate. Testing him.

He leans in, nose brushing mine, his voice a death threat wrapped in lust. “Defy me again, and I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll forget your name.”

My breath catches. My hands rise, and I drag my shirt over my head, then toss it. A slow grin crosses his lips while he unbuttons his jeans, his hooded eyes never leaving mine.

“No bra?” he mutters. “Smart girl.”

He moves forward and rips my jeans and panties down. Then, before I have a second to think, he spins me so fast my palms slam against the table. My breath abandons my lungs, my heart beating like fucking drum with excitement.

As I glance over my shoulder at him, he tuts his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

“Uh, uh, uh. You’re not in control here, Haven. Remember that.”

I snort out a laugh, shaking my ass at him. “Oh baby, I’m always in contro—”

He cuts me off, his hand landing across my ass cheek with such force I slide along the Chapel table slightly. I let out a half-whimper, half-moan as the sharp slap echoes off the Chapel walls.

“That’s for the smart mouth.”

I don’t have time to bite back before he slaps me again. Harder this time.

“That’s for acting like you run this place.”

I gasp, fire igniting under my skin, but I don’t make a sound. That earns a dark chuckle from him. “Still so fucking proud.”

He leans in, grabbing me by the hair, dragging me up just enough to speak against my ear. “You like mouthing off, Little Lamb?”

I tilt my head, only barely, his grip keeping me exactly where he wants. “I fucking love it!”

Alpha exhales. “You’re gonna choke on that attitude, Haven.”

A salacious grin takes over, excited by his words.

I’m a crazy fucker like that.

“Then make me,” I taunt.

A deep throaty growl reverbs from his chest. He leans in, his tongue trailing down my spine while he lowers his jeans. My chest is heaving in anticipation, feeling his hard cock press against me as he moves in behind. His fingers slide to the front, dipping between my legs. A hiss escapes me as they press roughly against my clit, a sudden rush of euphoria washing over me as I rock against his hand.

“Fuck,” I murmur.

“Jesus. You’re dripping, Haven. You get wet pissing me off, don’t you?”

“I told you,” I pant as he continues to circle, working me up. “I’m not scared of fire. Fire’s scared of me.”

He chuckles. “Let’s see how sassy you are when my cock’s buried deep inside you,” he barks as I am getting closer.

He pulls his finger from me. I whimper with the loss, but my eyes widen as he thrusts inside me without warning. We moan together at the feeling of his thickness, my back arching against him like I’ve been electrocuted.

“Mine,” he snarls into my ear. “Say it, or I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t see straight.”

I like this game.

“Never,” I gasp, eyes rolling back. “Do your worst.”

He chuckles, knowing exactly what we’re both doing.

But instantly, he pulls out, taking the pleasure away.

I can play, too, sir!

“Coward,” I hiss.

Wrong move.

Alpha’s nostrils flare, and he reaches out, grabs me by the throat, turns me to face him, then still with his hand on my throat, he lifts me into mid-air. My eyes widen at his strength and the force he’s using as my mouth widens, trying to gasp for air when he shoves me back onto the Chapel table with force. “Keep that mouth open, Little Lamb. I want to hear every. Fucking. Scream,” he states at the same time he thrusts up inside me with guttural force. My head slams back on the table in ecstasy as I fight back a scream he’s desperately seeking.

Oh yeah, this was absolutely the right move!

Alpha thrusts forward deeper, rougher, then viciously slow. His fingers clench deep into my throat, letting only a small amount of oxygen through.

The table groans beneath us.

It wasn’t made for this.

Nothing is.

He bites down on my collarbone hard enough to bruise. His hand curls around my throat, his thumb dragging along my jaw. His breathing quickens, deep growls escaping him as my head spins with the minimal oxygen getting through. But the way he pulses inside me, the shivers racing up and down my spine, the goose bumps pebbling over my skin, and the tightening in my stomach are all leading to one thing—one hell of a climax.

“You gonna come for me, baby?” He clearly senses my impending orgasm as I try to control it.

“Not unless you earn it,” I whimper, clearly breathless.

The smile he gives me is pure violence teamed with insatiable lust.

It almost has me undone on the spot.

When he rapidly drops to his knees without warning, the sudden rush of oxygen as he releases my throat has me gasping. He spreads me wide, then buries his mouth between my legs.

And suddenly, I can’t breathe all over again.

“Oh fuck!” I scream loud enough that I’m sure everyone downstairs knows exactly what’s going on up here.

My back arches off the Chapel table as he continues his assault, his tongue devouring every inch of me, ensuring that I will never breathe again. My fingers shoot down, gripping his hair and pulling tight. He moans against me, causing a vibration to roll through me. My entire body trembles, shuddering like a damn earthquake as I pant, fighting so hard for breath that won’t come. My skin flushes with heat so hot I feel like I’m on fire, and nothing could extinguish the flame he’s burning me with.

This is why I’m not scared of fire—it feels so… damn… good!

The pressure builds inside, and my muscles tense while lights dance behind my eyes. My hips rock against his mouth. He flicks his tongue again, and it’s all I need to send me over the edge, exploding into eternal damnation.

I can’t speak as my climax hits me with such force, the only thing I can do is moan dramatically. My body flops to the table like a dead weight.

Alpha chuckles, stands, and wipes his mouth with the back of his forearm while grinning like the devil himself. “Now, say it,” he demands, his voice low and gravelly like he’s only just holding on himself.

Even though I’m still coming down from my high, I sit up on my elbows, smirking at him.

The thing about Alpha and me is when it comes to sex, we never cooperate.

It’s always a game of wills, and just because he got me off, I am not giving in.

“No,” I pant. “Still not yours.”

A salacious smirk crosses his face as he moves in between my legs, his fingers gripping my thighs firmly, surely to leave bruises.

Just the way we both like it.

His eyes meet mine, and we stare at each other, knowing the game is back on. I waggle my brows while biting down on my bottom lip. “C’mon, lover,” I tease.

He tilts his head, his fingers clenching into my thighs with brutal force as he pulls me forward, straight onto his waiting cock, driving into me like a goddamn hammer.

Our faces scrunch at the feeling of joining again, especially when his eyes lock with mine, his chest frantic as he tries to control his breathing. “Then I guess I’ll have to carve my name into your soul.”

Something about his words almost undoes me, but I don’t have time to react as he pulls me off him and back on again.

Fast.

Unrelenting.

The pace quickly brings me close to the edge again.

“You get under my skin, Little Lamb.” His voice growls now. “You make me lose control. Make me think about fucking you during meetings. During war plans. During goddamn Church.”

I arch my brow, panting, my skin burning, goose bumps coming alive across my skin. “Maybe I should act up more often,” I tease.

He slams into me harder, almost hitting my G-spot. I moan so loud that my eyes roll into the back of my head. “Keep talking. See what else I break,” he warns through gritted teeth.

And he does break me.

Over and over until I’m clawing at the table, screaming his name, clenching around him like my body’s begging him never to let go. His hands grip my hips while my nails tear at his back. He moans, thrusting so hard into me as we rock the table with so much force it continues to creak beneath us.

“Harder!” I moan, bringing my hand up, and slap him across his face.

He glares down at me, his eyes fierce, a fire burning in him, only igniting me even more as he hoists me up, still inside me, then slams me down on the table again, sending a jolt through my body as a resounding crack rumbles through the room.

The Chapel table?

Cracked.

Just like us.

He stalls, glancing beside me. There’s a giant ripple in the table beside me. His eyes twitch as he shifts his wicked gaze back to me. “You want it harder, baby? I’ll give it to you fucking harder!”

He grabs my ass, lifting me off the cracked table, thrusting back into me, continuing to fuck me off the fucking table until we both hit the hard floor, tangled in sweat, curses, and undeniable pleasure.

He continues to work me up on the floor thrust after thrust. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him closer, my fingers digging into the flesh of his back, causing him to hiss through his teeth as our lips slam together in a frantic kiss.

Hungry, needy, desperate for each other.

Sweat beads over our skin as we slide together, needing the buildup, needing the pleasure, needing the pain.

Needing each other.

His hand slides down, hoisting my thigh higher, pushing it back toward my head so he can thrust deeper. The instant he edges in further, we both almost lose it.

“Fuck, Haven!” His lips slam back to mine, his teeth biting down on my bottom lip so intensely the metallic tang of blood seeps through.

“Mmm,” I whimper, kissing him back as we fuck frantically like damn animals, desperate to reach our high.

We need it.

We’re frantic for it.

And as he thrusts again, he murmurs against my ear, “You’re mine .” His tone is undeniably dominant.

But this time, I’m done playing the game.

This time, those words are all I need to send me flying into oblivion.

The wave of euphoria slams into me like a freight train. Pleasure consumes my entire being, his cock pulsing inside me, letting me know he’s as close while my body grips him for all he’s worth. My muscles are tensing so tight I’m not sure if I’m ever going to be able to walk again.

“That’s it,” he growls through clenched teeth. “That’s my girl. My loaded gun and beating heart.”

His words send me over the goddamn precipice. With a final thrust, it’s like my vision turns black, my breath nonexistent, and it feels like everything is spinning. Then, the explosion hits with such terminal velocity that I can’t even tell if I’m alive anymore.

Alpha loses it the second I do. His body shudders violently above mine, buried deep, when he lets out a strangled curse, collapsing against me on the hard Chapel floor.

It takes me a good moment before I find the strength to open my eyes to see if I made it. To draw in a breath and notice that at some stage, Alpha must have rolled off me, and is lying beside me on the floor, staring up at the Chapel ceiling, trying to catch his breath too.

We lie here for a second—sweaty, breathless, completely ruined in utter silence.

Until Alpha somehow finds an ounce of strength and slowly slides his hand over to grasp mine. The gesture is simple, yet somehow so fucking romantic.

Especially after what we just did.

Especially after what we’ve just been through.

A slow smile crosses my lips, and I’m the first to speak, “I’m gonna get termite bites from that damn table,” I mutter, my voice hoarse, clearly needing a drink.

He laughs, breathless. “Worth it,” he mumbles, then slowly rolls to face me, pressing his forehead to mine. “Next time you mouth off—”

“You’ll spank me?” I snap back.

He grins. “No, I’ll marry you. Then and there. On the fucking spot. I don’t want to waste any time, Haven. If the past few days have shown us anything, it’s that we can’t take anything or anyone for granted.”

I stop breathing altogether, my eyes meeting his, trying so fucking hard to stop them from watering. With everything that’s going on at the club right now, a wedding is the very last thing we need to be thinking about. It doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t drop everything and marry this crazy asshole right now, naked on the Chapel floor, if I could, though.

I open my mouth to reply, but the sound of a ringing cell catches our attention. Our heads snap up to look over at his jeans lying on the floor. Alpha groans in annoyance as we’re still trying to catch our breaths. “It fucking never fucking ends,” he mumbles while I shift away from him playfully, and he slowly jumps up from the floor, stretching out his muscles.

I smile as I sit up, admiring his completely naked body, before he grabs his jeans, lifts them, and reaches for his cell in his pocket.

He looks at the caller ID, and his brow scrunches. “The fuck is he calling me for?”

I sit taller, wondering who he’s talking about while he moves back to the floor, sitting beside me, and he swipes the call, putting it on speaker. “Garver? It’s usually me calling you. Actually, I don’t think you’ve called me once since we’ve left the Army, so this isn’t giving me good vibes at all.”

“Probably because when the Warden of a Women’s Correctional Facility is calling, it’s not good vibes, Landry.”

My insides twist as Alpha clenches his eyes shut, his fingers instantly threading through his hair in frustration. “Fuck, okay, just lay it on me. What kind of meeting am I gonna be having with Montana about his mother after this phone call?”

My heart races harder as I stare at Alpha, watching him try to hold his panic at bay.

We’re being hit.

One blow after the other.

And right now, we need Valerie to be okay.

Garver sighs down the line. “Listen, we’ve got a situation brewing here that absolutely concerns Montana’s mother.”

Alpha clenches his jaw, wracking it from side to side. “To be honest, we already knew something was happening in there. Val told Montana last time he visited, and we’ve been trying to look into it on our end. But we’ve had some pretty intense shit going on here too.

“Well, the gist of it is, I’ve been keeping an eye on some troubling patterns the last few weeks, but now the momentum is shifting. These new transfers with those marks behind their ears, they made a move yesterday.”

Alpha and I glance at each other, understanding the message Garver’s putting down. “Prison riot or targeted attack?” Alpha asks.

“Mess hall turned into a damn war zone when they tried forcing their tattoo on some young inmate. Valerie Drake stepped in, of course. Woman’s got more spine than half my guards. Then shit got ugly, real fucking fast . But that was just the first wave.”

With a sigh, my shoulders slump.

Alpha groans. “The first wave? You’re killing me, Garver.”

Garver lets out a stifled laugh. “ I’m killing you? Brother, I haven’t slept in what feels like days, and I feel like the only person in this entire fucking facility who’s telling me any version of the truth right now is Valerie fucking Drake.” He lets out an extended exhale, then continues, “I found a whole communication setup hidden in the utility section by her cell block. Radios. Burner parts. Coded fucking messages that I still can’t crack. This is all high-end, professional shit, Landry. Not your typical prison contraband. Whoever’s running this operation has resources and connections way above typical gang mentality or activity.”

Alpha grimaces, rolling his shoulders. “Okay, I hear you. Talk to me, Garver. Man to man.”

He hesitates like he’s trying to figure out if he should tell Alpha the next part or not, and Alpha sighs. “Garver, we can’t help you if you don’t fill us in on everything.”

He groans in frustration. “Fuck it! I don’t know if they have my cell tapped. They probably do, but I have to tell you so you can warn Montana. The kicker, I caught one of my own guards, Reynolds, planting evidence in Valerie’s cell. Made it look like she was organizing a resistance against what I’m now pretty damn sure is Cartel activity inside my walls. The whole thing stinks of a setup… of a way to take her out. Or at least get me to shift her to another facility. One where she doesn’t have me watching her back.”

I let out a small gasp when Alpha slams his fist into the floor, his face turning red in anger. “You can’t let that happen, Garver. You can’t let Valerie out of your fucking sight. Please , brother. I will damn near beg if I have to.”

My heart races fast at the devastation crossing Alpha’s face—the realization of what it would mean to Montana if anything happened to his mother. Sliding my hand up, I caress Alpha’s back as he tries to reign in his emotions.

Garver huffs down the line like he’s hesitating again. I instantly know there’s more bad news coming. “The thing is, last night Valerie and the crew she hangs with somehow caught wind of a major delivery coming in from the Cartel inmates, and they led the charge to sabotage it.”

Groaning, Alpha shakes his head. “Fuck, Val.”

“I don’t even know how they knew, but the inmates hit back hard. Their supply chain was disrupted. And they didn’t like being upstaged, which is why I’m guessing they retaliated with such force and brutality against Valerie and her crew.”

My breathing quickens as I reach out, gripping Alpha’s free hand. Tension races through every muscle, and he hesitates to ask, “Is Val alive?” his voice is low, laced with concern.

Garver clears his throat with a gentle sigh. “Valerie’s in the infirmary now. She has a couple of broken ribs. Possible fracture to her left wrist. Alpha, she suffered multiple stab wounds across her body—”

“Jesus, fuck !” Alpha snaps.

“But, she’ll live. She took a beating, that’s for sure. Though luckily, her stab wounds were mostly superficial. She actually fended them off really fucking well, to be honest. Woman’s a beast.”

Clenching my eyes shut, I can’t help but thank fuck I went inside that prison with Val and showed her defensive techniques. Maybe, just maybe, they might have saved her life on this occasion.

“Anyone else hurt?” Alpha asks, though, at this point, it sounds like he’s ready to give up on this day altogether.

“Two other inmates might not make it. I’ve got my most trusted people guarding them, but honest to God, Landry, I don’t know who I can trust anymore. This infection runs deep, and I don’t know how to clean it out without alerting the rats inside when I figure out who the fuck they are.”

Alpha shifts from the floor and starts pacing the Chapel, trying to come up with a plan to help his friend while also keeping the club’s interests at heart. “You want me to send a couple of guys to you? They can makeshift as new guards. Try to insert themselves in with whoever’s doing you dirty and help clean up the shit in there?”

Garver hums down the line. “It’s a good plan, in theory, but I’ve got officers I’ve worked with for years suddenly requesting transfers to specific posts. Inmates arriving with paperwork that checks out, but something feels wrong. The higher-ups in the system don’t seem to want to send any additional help my way… I don’t know, man. Someone’s pulling strings, and they’ve got reach in the prison system. I have a feeling that sending in guys from the club undercover would ping their radar, especially if they did a background check. It’s too risky.”

Snorting out a half-laugh, Alpha dips his head. “Fuck, you’re right. Okay, well, if there’s nothing I can do from my end, you have to understand that when I tell Montana what’s going on, he’s gonna want to come and see his mother.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’d want the same in his position. But Landry, I need you to understand I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety right now. Not even my own. I’m walking a damn tightrope here.”

Alpha huffs, running his fingers through his hair, almost tugging in frustration. Swiftly, I hop off the floor, rushing to him, and slide my fingers up his back, my nails gently scratching his skin. He slowly glances at me, his frustration instantly easing as he warmly smiles at me. I lean in, gently placing a tender kiss on his shoulder, and he relaxes his posture, dropping his arm around me with a nod.

“Garver, we’ve been friends for a long time. We’ve lived through literal warzones together. I swear to God, brother, if you get yourself killed over fucking prison politics—”

“I hear you. I’m watching my back, but this feels bigger than simple prison politics. The way it’s organized, the timing, it’s building toward something, and Valerie’s landed right in their path. Almost like she’s a puzzle piece to their whole damn thing.”

Swallowing hard, my eyes meet Alpha’s. Both of us know that all of this, everything that happens, leads back to one thing—Javier-motherfucking-Rojas and his goddamn Cartel.

Alpha cranes his neck, his top lip curling in his anger. “Will you make sure to keep your eye on Val and tell me as soon as anything changes?”

“I’ll keep her safe as I can. But Landry, please get Montana to convince her to take protective custody when she’s out of the infirmary. She’s resisting. Thinks she needs to stay to protect the inmates in her circle. Stubborn woman reminds me of you, actually.”

I smirk, knowing that it’s exactly what Valerie would do. From the short time I was inside with her, she was all about the community of women she was with. And that group was tight. They fought for each other. They stood up for each other.

One in, all in.

Valerie isn’t leaving her people behind.

She’s a lot like a biker in that way.

The only problem is it will more than likely get her killed.

Alpha chuckles, letting out a sigh. “Yeah, figures. All right, hit me with protocol. Do you need to call Montana officially, or do you want me to tell him for you?”

Garver groans down the line. “This place is a fucking hell hole. Honestly, they need to just drop a bomb on it and fix the issue that way, but until they give me such pleasure, I have to try to stick to protocol. Even though technically, I broke it by calling you and telling you the disaster zone that is my life right now.”

Snorting, Alpha shakes his head. “Hey, what are friends for?” he mocks.

Garver lets out an exaggerated grumble down the line in his obvious frustration. “All right, gimmie a couple of hours to finish dealing with the mess here and get a full report from the infirmary on Valerie so I can go into the call with every fucking detail I can. It will give you a little time to prepare how to handle Montana’s reaction.”

“Yeah, thanks. That’ll be fun. And Garver, appreciate the heads-up, brother.”

He exhales like the stress is getting to him. “Not a call I wanted to make, but I knew you should know first, and Landry? Like old times, brother, watch your damn six. Whatever’s happening in my prison isn’t staying contained here. I feel it in my bones. This shit is bigger than the prison system. I don’t know what the fuck is happening in Los Angeles right now, but the earth is moving, and I don’t want us to be swallowed up by it, if you catch my drift?”

Alpha subtly nods his head in understanding, a slow smile crossing his lips, completely confusing me. “10-4, brother. Talk soon.”

“Good luck, Landry.”

“You, too, Garver,” Alpha states, then ends the call.

Raising my brow at him, I wave my hands in the air. “Why the hell are you smiling?”

He steps past me, moving for his clothes, and starts pulling them on. “Get dressed. The Warden just gave me a coded message.”

Jerking my head back, I gasp, then grab my clothes and frantically pull them on. “What did he say?”

Alpha turns to me, sliding his shirt over his head. “He said the earth is moving, and he didn’t want us to get swallowed up by it.” He starts laughing to himself as he moves to the bookshelf to grab his club cut.

Furrowing my brows, I slide my shirt over my head, then grab a boot and hop on one foot, trying to put it on as I follow him around the table. “Am I supposed to understand what that means?”

Alpha slides his cut on, his chest puffing out as he faces me, defiance flowing through him like the president he is. I stop for a moment to bask in how fucking delicious he looks when he owns his strength.

He grins down at me, shaking his head. “Not unless you were on tour with us. He was referring to this one mission we had. We were hunting insurgents in this god-awful sand-filled death trap. They called it the Last Outpost. No backup. No comms. No light. Just us and the shadows. We used to joke about it, all of us. Like it was an urban legend through the forces that if you were sent to the Last Outpost, you’d better call your family before you get there because soldiers go in…” He pauses. “But legend says that the Last Outpost is a version of purgatory. And once you come out of there, you’re judged. Either you leave, but your next stop is hell, or you don’t leave at all.”

Widening my eyes, I jerk my head back. “Jesus, that’s intense.”

Alpha exhales, slowly nodding. “Legends are cruel in the Army, but no one laughed once we got inside. It felt like the end of the fucking world in there, or maybe the pits of hell.” He stops, his eyes fading off into the distance like I’ve lost him to his memories for a moment.

I reach out, gently caressing his arm, his focus instantly coming back, and he clears his throat, continuing, “Anyway, Garver and I were doing a routine sweep through the Last Outpost. It was nothing special, just a dilapidated insurgent building. Honestly, we thought the hype over this place was so overdone. Maybe that’s why we relaxed, and as we cleared each room, we thought, nah, they’ve abandoned this one. It’s all good. Then, in the final room, on our way out, the floor gave way.” I gasp, my eyes widening in shock.

Alpha tilts his head in recognition but continues, “Garver and I both fell through, the sand flowing down around us. We couldn’t breathe. It was dark as shit. Scorpions were circling around us like the fucking devil’s hellhounds trying to sting us. The rest of our platoon was screaming out for us to see if we were okay. Eventually, with bruised egos, we both got up, turned on our flashlights, dealt with as many scorpions as we could, and then discovered something that would change the course of our tour.”

Inhaling deeply, I shake my head. “Discovered what?”

A slow grin forms on his face. “The tunnel system, the Last Outpost, was a front created by the insurgents. A myth about a location to try to scare us away, but it was merely to hide the opening for an extremely sophisticated maze of tunnels beneath the surface that stretched on for fucking miles.”

Letting out a small laugh, I grin. “Holy shit.”

Alpha tilts his head in acknowledgment. “Yeah, Garver and I fell through the floor and uncovered a massive drug and weapons operation. We took down an entire terrorist network because of it.”

I stare at him in awe. “You’ve never told me that before . Why?”

His smile falters, an instant sadness washing over his features. “I dunno, haven’t told you a lot about my Army days.”

Stepping up to him, I reach out for his hand, taking it in mine. “Why is that?” He exhales, his face scrunching, like I’m pushing into places he doesn’t want me to go. So, I keep on pushing. “No, Alpha, don’t shut down on me. Tell me why.”

His eyes meet mine, a glassy haze washing over them. “It doesn’t matter how much good I did during my career, it matters what I did at the end of it. And at the end, I let my team down. I let my team die. Doesn’t matter how much good I did before, Haven. Nothing before that matters!”

Inhaling sharply, I reach up, gripping each side of his face, and force him to look at me. “That. Is. Horseshit !”

He furrows his brows, rolls his eyes, and tries to pull away, but I keep him solidly in place. “No. No, you don’t get to walk away from this, Stone.” His breathing hitches upon hearing me call him by his first name, and his eyes focus back on me. “One incident does not define a career of undeniable greatness. You took down a terrorist network. Did you hear those words and truly take them in?”

He shrugs like it’s nothing. “I guess—”

“Nuh-uh. You lost men. There’s no doubt, and it fucking sucks . But baby, that terrorist cell you dismantled, they were distributing guns and drugs to who knows how many insurgents. Do you even know who the terrorists were targeting? How many civilians they killed before you dismantled them?”

His shoulders relax like he’s starting to understand. “Yeah, I do.”

“And?” I snap.

He huffs like he’s annoyed that I’m proving my point. “Thousands… tens of thousands. And we saw chatter that they were planning multiple attacks in multiple Western countries.”

Dropping my hands from his face, I step back, moving my hands to my hips, and stare at him incredulously. “You and Garver stopped that from ever happening, saving countless lives, and you still think that you’re not a fucking hero?”

Alpha huffs, folding his arms across his chest. “They dishonorably discharged me for what happened. You think the government would do that to a hero, Haven?”

I burst out laughing, looking at him like he’s a full-blown idiot. “The Government also put Nelson Mandela in jail too. Is that proof enough of my point for you? Or would you like me to remind you how the system fails people who do brave things? Because the system doesn’t want ordinary people out there looking more extraordinary than the people in charge. You didn’t fail your team, Alpha. It was a bad day for an extraordinary soldier. And they sure as shit took advantage of that.”

His nostrils flare like he’s actually taking all this in, his chest rising and falling, his breathing rushing. “Fuck,” he mumbles under his breath.

Sighing, I step up to him again. “You’ve been drowning for so long with regret. But sometimes, opening up, especially to the people who really, really fucking love you, can help. And I know you. I know all this guilt you’re carrying right now isn’t just because of your team. This, right now, you’re struggling because you feel like you failed Livvy. But she wouldn’t want you to let guilt eat you alive for your men or for her. She would want you to be the strong, arrogant asshole she married. To be the father she knew you could be when she let you knock her up.” He lets out a small chuckle. “Alpha, I love you, but for the sake of that little girl out there, you have got to let this guilt go and man the fuck up.”

He pulls me to him rapidly, nodding his head in agreement. “Thank you,” he murmurs, shocking me. He lets out a relieved huff. “How the hell did I ever get through a day before you came into it like a fucking tornado?”

Snorting out a laugh, I tilt my head. “Pretty sure it was through copious amounts of tequila.”

He groans with the memory. “Mmm, yeah. Well, no tequila today. We need to talk to Loki, see if we can locate any floor plans for the prison to figure out where the best possible place would be for these assholes to build an underground tunnel system.”

Furrowing my brows, I sigh. “Do you know if he’s found any leads on Nighthawk yet?”

Alpha shrugs. “No clue, why?”

“I have an idea. It just depends on if we can find her and where her alliances sway.”