Chapter Text
The protection that the R.E.D base offered from the sweltering heat of the badlands was very much appreciated by more than just the band of mercenaries who lived and worked there; it offered refuge to the beta woman dressed in purple that entered from the main entrance, her once polished black heels now dusted over to appear almost gray. Her glasses slipped down the slope of her nose, kept from falling off only by a beaded chain; her black hair was kept in a tight bun with only wisps escaping to give it a messy appearance, green eyes looking over the file she held in her hands. She sighed at the information she was given, of course she had been briefed earlier before she had made the trek from her main point of operation, but she had several stops to make beforehand and was finally able to read the full report.
She loved her job, swore up and down it was the best thing to ever happen to her, and yet she felt more like a nanny when it came to the mercenaries she was forced to check in with and keep from killing each other, well, killing each other in a way that was permanent.
Which was the dilemma she found herself facing as she walked through the cool, dimly lit halls, knowing that by the given hour she would find her men in the kitchen eating, no doubt having forgotten she was coming. Though it was possible someone might remember, after all she made sure to keep close tabs on the group through the Frenchman known as Spy. Her nose twitched when she sniffed the air, the laughter and sound of something being smashed in the kitchen caused her eye to twitch, she tried her best to put on a smile, adjusting the folder in her hand while she silently counted back from ten. Only when she reached zero did she step up to the doors, letting the sensor scan her before she could slip inside, thankful to see at least everyone was alive for now and currently in stages of eating.
Eating was good, meaning they would have to stay and focus on her if they wanted to finish their lunch.
The sound of laughter and chatter hit her hard when the door opened, the crashing sound made apparent to her when she spied what appeared to be a stock pot that now sat imbedded into the wall, what may have been chilli dripping down the wall and splattering on the tiled floor. The scent of spices, old food, sweat and gunpowder was thick in the air; almost too much as she righted herself. Being a beta woman her scent was weaker, her perfume a solution to mask it completely. But these mercenaries were alpha’s, all born and raised, save for one who had his scent glands physically removed and his body mutilated for the pure joy of medical science to become neutral.
She tried not to focus on that as she clicked her tongue to get their attention, finding soon eight pairs of eyes on her, the laughter and talking dying down; with all their attention on her, she could see that they were caked in dust themselves after a day of fighting, the man wearing a fine suit of red pinstripe fabric and mask looked to her with a cigarette lit in hand, his eyes dark, his thoughts hidden by years of practice in being composed. She could never quite tell what many of them were thinking, and if she were to be honest, she wasn’t one to want to find out. Each one of them were crazy, some clinically insane and deemed unfit for society, and yet, in an odd sense of pride, she knew they were her boys. That is, until she could get her hand on an omega, which left her back to the main point.
“Ah, Miss Pauling, a right delight as always, what brings you here to our little abode?” The southern charm was heard from the man that sat at the table, his hard hat kept on and goggles over his eyes, his overalls were splotched with oil and dirt, his yellow gloves removed to reveal a hand of metal and a hand of flesh, his prosthetic moving as though he were born with it.
“All right you guys, let’s get this over with, I know you are all aware of why I’m here, the same reason why there is now a cease fire for the next week. Now, explain to me why you deactivated your last Scout’s respawn drive and why you thought it was a good idea to put a bullet between his eyes. First it was your medic ten years ago, now it’s your scout? I understand the medic, I truly do, but you had at least permission then to put him into a grave. Do you understand how pissed the administrator is with you right now? I’m keeping her from chopping your guy’s head off one after another for the next century.” The beta’s hand was brought to her nose to pinch the bridge, looking at them imploringly. “Please, what was wrong with you scout? None of the reports on him show anything out of the ordinary.”
“He was a down right imbecile.” The southern man spoke again, nods of agreement made around the room, some more enthusiastic than others; the one with the gas mask on his face, Pyro, she remembered, was nodding and speaking quickly, his voice muffled and his fire proof gloves squeaking. He played with his mashed potatoes and sculpted what might have been a crude sculpture of the mentioned man’s head before he smashed it into the table with his hands, roaring with laughter.
“Disgusting runt I ever did see, and that was when I did see him. Aye, little runt did nothing and whined when we pushed him in the right direction.” The one eyed alpha slurred, drinking from a silver flask with a shake of his head, his right eye covered by an eye patch and his beard trimmed neatly, he smelt of whiskey and his food sat on his plate untouched in favor of his liquid lunch.
“If I may, das mademoiselle Pauling. Ze scout you had us assigned was one both mentally and physically appaling. His lack of care for himself and zhe team, no matter what he thought, made him unsuitable to continue employing.” The Frenchman spoke after a slow drag on his cigarette, his head giving a slight shake as he leant back against the counter. “And we both know that once one ise here, you are here for life. Death was what that insolent pup deserved.”
“Ja, quick and painless, like euthanasia with just a touch more doctor ordered homicide. He felt nothing- er, once the pain receptors stopped. It was how you say…a bit of a miscalculated shot.” Gray eyes held indifference behind wire framed glasses as the white clad doctor spoke, sat beside a larger man of russian heritage, tall and broad with head clean shaven and morning shadow on his cheeks. His vest barely covered his broad chest, he was silent while he ate what was on both his and the doctor’s plate.
“It was not miscalculated, mate, I told you I wanted him to watch the world around him fade, to realize there was no respawn. Perhaps the poor runt will be reincarnated as something useful, like livestock.” The man by the coffee maker had Miss Pauling jumping at his sudden words, dark yellow tinted glasses hid his eyes as well as a hat tipped downwards keeping his face cast in shadow. On his back a rifle was strapped, a mug in his hand, written on in almost a cartoony print the words ‘#1 Sniper’ in red and blue.
“Let me understand this, so you took your scout and killed him due to shirking his responsibilities, costing you points and negligence to the balance he was assigned to bring to the team?” She held up a finger to keep them silent, her head shaking as she opened the folder and took the pen from behind her ear to begin writing down in quick neat strokes. “Nope, whatever you may want to add, forget it. This will be brought to the administrator and filed away as such. As for your scout Kyle? Never existed. You’ve been without a scout the same year you lost your medic. I’m at my limits guys, we once tried another alpha, but nine is just proving too much, and your last was a beta. I’m going to put in the call and have an omega found for you.”
“An omega bitch does not belong on the battlefield miss Pauling! We do not have time for a bitch to go through heat and whelp pups, this is war! And as proud American soldiers we need to continue to be awake and alert to keep our lesser brothers in arms fighting fit. If fighting is sure to result in victory we must-”
“Yes, okay, we get it, soldier, stand down.” Miss Pauling could feel the anger from the alpha’s in front of her, several eyes staring at the man who had spoken, teeth barred as though ready to tear him apart limb by limb. She could not even imagine how bad the fighting must be when they went through ruts, thankful her job kept her out of the bases. She looked at her watch and found she had ten more minutes before she needed to be on her way, a sigh escaping past her plum colored lips. “Look guys, I have a few leads about a guy up north. If it turns out he’s a great fit, then wonderful, I'll have him here in a few days. But under no circumstances can you permanently kill him without proper clearance! Do you know how much paperwork I need to fill out?”
“Sorry Miss Pauling…” Several mumbled, the alpha’s ducking their heads as they looked to her almost as though they were pups being chastised by their mother, her smile soft as she sighed, shaking her head.
Eight minutes left…
“I know you guys didn’t mean to cause trouble, you did what you thought was right for your pack, so please, get along for the next few days without a scout. No picking on the BLU, no more friendly fire, and for the love of all that’s holy, fix that damn wall!”
“Yes Miss Pauling.”
Her shoulders heaved as she turned and began to head out, looking to her watch to see she was six minute ahead of schedule and the sound of chatter was heard once more behind her. As much as she loved to travel, she was not looking forward to the drive to Massachusetts.
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The rain that fell was frigid, snow turning to slush on the ground and ice forming over the snow banks that were yet to melt,the stench of trash and smog wasn’t thick with the rain washing the grime into the gutters and the trash was either buried in snow or thrown away properly. Not many were out that night, not many would want to be out, not with the freezing rain warning and the warning that street violence was rising. The police all but useless to wrangle the men and women who attacked each other over trinkets and drugs.
But one still was out, near the stroke of midnight and roaming the streets after a busy day of job hunting, his old worn out running shoes were soaked and his toes numb. Being the youngest of eight meant he had the hand-me-downs, and being the youngest and still at home with his mother meant he had an unspoken obligation to help her. Of course his family, not immediate that is, tried selling him into an arranged marriage, but he had made it clear he would rather take his bat to the poor soul who would even try to take his hand. A dry laugh left him at the thought, his baseball bat dragged behind him. He had broken some glass bottle in an unknown alley away from his and his mother’s apartment, wanting to take out his frustrations; no one would hire an omega though, not any reputable company or store, too much liability or some shit they spouted to him when he tried saying he didn't need to take leave for heat. And he was not going to strip or sell himself, no way, no how.
The omega continued walking, stopping at a noise that caught his attention, it wasn’t too far, it was definitely a man and woman arguing; he wondered if it was a deal gone wrong, or if it was a lovers quarrel. He would have stayed out of it, no skin off his nose, but then, what would his mother think if he didn't at least go and see if it was a woman being assaulted?
With a sigh he began to head down the alleyway he heard the voices, the man’s voice rising, near hysterical while the woman spoke as calm as she could, the omega could hear the tremors in her voice though nearly hidden well, he wondered if she was used to it.
“You know that wasn’t the deal, I’m afraid I can't offer you a job at the construction site. It was a pleasure Mr. Williams-”
“I said I wanted the job you dumb cunt, you got me all eager to join and now you backing out due to me having a small mark on me record? It wasn’t even a fair trial, not to mention I only got three years for touching the lass-” The man was taller than the dark haired woman in a two piece suit, her hair out of it’s bun when he grabbed it, her eyes widening as a knife flashed in the light of the old yellowing street lamp. “Job pays fuckin’ better than anything I could get in this shit hole city, either give it to me or I’ll cut your tongue out.”
“I really, and I mean, really wouldn't do that if I were ya, buddy.” The omega finally stepped out into the light, his baseball bat gripped in a tight hold behind his back, he grinned, a toothy grin while he stepped closer, taking both of them by surprise. He could smell they were both beta’s, his own omega scent wafting proudly.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” The man sniffed the air, snorting with a smirk. “A bitch eh? Why don’t you run home to your nest before things get ungly. I ain't opposed to taking you in though if you want to warm my bed.”
The baseball bat tapped the ground but if the man heard he made no reaction as the omega approached, purring softly, bearing his neck to let his sweet pheromones soothe the other, a small smile coming to his lips as he faked a shiver. He whined softly, his best impression of an omega close to heat, luring the man to step closer. When he was close enough to smell the booze on his breath and practically able to reach him he brought his baseball bat out in front of him, swinging it down against the beta’s head hard enough to split the skin as he howled in surprise and agony when the solid wooden bat hit again, right against the man’s temple. The omega could have stopped, should have stopped, but the woman kept watching him and he felt judged. He fucking hated being judged more than anything else, and after a day he had he didn’t care if he shed more blood.
What was one less asshole in the world?
The bat continued to swing, striking the beta harder with each hit, his face swelling as the bat broke his nose and knocked out his teeth. The omega knew the skull was caving in by how soft the impact felt, a raw thrill washing over him. He kicked the man who laid on the ground, stomping on his legs and brought his bat down hard against his groin, listening to the gurgle of blood from a cry. He struck the throat until he knew the man was dead and the alleyway silent save for the buzzing of the light. He wiped the blood off his bat and sighed softly.
“So, toots, you going to call the police now? I’ll be long gone before they get here ya know. Don’t got no fingerprints booked either, ain’t gonna find shit.” He laughed, surprised when she stepped forward, a shiver running through him, a god honest one when she spoke.
“Mister Williams? Mr William’s you were actually next on my list- what are the odds. Jesus, those swings, that raw anger. Do you- do you do this often?”
“Woah, whoa, I don’t know who this William’s guy is, you got the wrong man, lady. I’m just doing you a kindness, unless this was some weird foreplay. Kinky as fuck but not my style.” The omega stepped back, coming face to face with an image of himself smiling, a shot from a surveillance camera; he was walking down the street eating a hot dog, he had no idea how old it was, but that was definitely him. A piece of paper was next to it in the folder, stating his full birth name, birth date, even his address and kin. He felt his mouth water as if he was close to throwing up, looking to the beta again with a slight scent of fear. “Who are you?”
“My name is Miss Pauling, and let me say, Mr. Williams, your life is about to change. That is, if you allow me to talk to you about a job, you may find it most beneficial for a man in your position, do you have time? There’s a local coffee shop I still see open. I’ll treat you of course, if you come with me and stay through what I have to say.” She spoke, closing the folder, waiting with bated breath for the omega to nod, turning on his ratty shoes to follow her. The snow made it harder to walk, several times both of them nearly slipped, righting themselves without the other’s help, they walked in silence, only the sound of passing cars heard in the distance.
The coffee shop was small, the light on the sign flickering from age and the windows in desperate need of a good washing. The lights inside were dangerously dim, the only patrons a few graveyard shift workers, a talk show heard being played from the radio, forced laugher heard after each painful joke from host. The barista at the counter hitched his thumb to the chalkboard beside him when they entered; it was made clear he was playing on his phone. He moved slowly when the drinks were ordered, his eyes held dark bags under them and his hands twitched. The drinks were nearly spilt as he slipped them towards the two of them, taking the crisp bill, tossing the change in the jar before the female beta could reach for it. It was a battle she did not feel like fighting as she took her large black coffee over to a table furthest from the patrons. She nodded reassuringly at the skittish looking omega, noting silently in amusement that he was holding a mug of hot chocolate topped high with whip cream and dusted with cocoa powder.
“Mr. Williams, as I mentioned my name is Miss Pauling, I work for a construction company. You need to understand, should I continue this discussion you will be bound to confidentiality through our company’s non disclosure documents. Which, should you decide to break, you will be punished thoroughly through both the company and the full extent of the law. I believe we do not want that, correct? Good.” She smiled at his quick shaking of his head, she took a slow sip of her coffee, eyes hard as she looked at the other. She saw that he was paler than the pictures showed, standing around her height, maybe an inch shorter with a lithe body with only a touch of muscle on his arms and hips that made it clear he was fertile. His hair was dirty blonde and cut short, eyes a deep blue. His nose was slightly upturned and his cheeks were freckled, around his neck she spied dog tags, she had read they were from his father but no other information was known on him. Of course she had tried to discover who the man was, but that information was lost, even to her.
She noticed the omega was fidgeting, using the mug of his cocoa to warm his hands that were nearly missing his nails and red from the cold. When he looked at her with a shaky smile she spoke again. “Mr. Williams, the company I work for tests technology that may very well revolutionize the world; we test ammunition as well as machinery that could potentially cure diseases we once thought impossible, as well as help those who have been injured in war and whose brains have been deteriorating over time.”
“That’s nice and all but I ain’t sick, nor am I missing bits of my brain. Can’t read good but I ain’t fully dumb.” He spoke after a moment, the documents of non disclosure signed. He looked at the paper she slipped across the table, his eyes widening when he was shown the monthly payment he would be receiving. His heart practically skipped a beat. Just a few months would be enough to pay for a house for his mother, and help pay off some of his brother's debts and school loans. Hell he could go to school too if he wasn’t so dumb. Still, there had to be a catch, there always was. “What’s the catch, Miss Pauling?”
“Your contract will be reviewed every five years, and you will be expected to relocate and work primarily in New Mexico. However we do travel twice a year to other… sites. You will have the privilege of working with professionals in the field, as well as the chance to enhance your own status and strengths. If you sign this tonight, Mr. Williams-”
“Enough of dat, it’s Jeremy, but you already know that. But if I sign tonight…would I go tonight? How do I know this is real and not some omega sex ring?” He furrowed his brow, whistling as she moved from the folder a check, his heart skipped a beat at his name and the zero’s it contained, noticing the official bank seal. Or at least he hoped it was official. “That’s… fuck that’s…I can’t turn this up.”
“This is a chance at a fresh start Jeremy. You sign this and you’ll be on your way with me to New Mexico at dawn. I know this is a lot to mull over, but this is time sensitive. And the clock is quickly ticking, what do you say?” She asked, taking out a pen from behind her ear, smiling once more as he took it.
“You were offering this to the other guy?” He asked as he took the document from her, signing his name in a messy scribble and numbers out of order for the date, watching her take it with a nod.
“Yes, but he did not fit the bill I guess you could say. We have a strict rule on sexual assaults.” She spoke, her smile dropping and her eyes cold as she looked at the other. “I didn’t know the extent of his history until just after meeting him, a grave error that will not happen again. Now then, I best get you home to your mother to pack. Tell me, Jeremy, do you think you can do what you did tonight to another man?”
The omega’s smile grew large, his teeth flashing as he wiped the whip cream from his lips with the back of his hand.
“Miss Pauling you better believe I can bash anyone’s head in. Got the highest track record in my high school for home runs and cross country! I practically fly!”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
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When it came to packing his bags the omega made sure to pack his art equipment, his comic books and catchers mit. The rest of his clothes were packed by his mother who held him tight to her chest despite standing a good half foot shorter than him, her tears enough for the both of them as she held the check he had tossed to her, her maroon lipstick staining his cheeks.
“You sure you want to do this, baby? You don’t gotta, momma can get another job at the diner-” She had sniffled, her mascara having run.
“Ma, I can do this.I’ll make you proud. I love you, fuck you know I do.” He had whispered, laughing when she told him to watch his language. “I’ll call ya when we get there, don’t want to run my data sky high. I’ll also text and call when I can. You know I will.”
“I know. Be safe, oh god be safe.”
He could still feel her arms around him and smelt her comforting scent, sweet apples and cinnamon as he sat on the passenger side when dawn came, his arm hanging out the window despite the temperature and his head tipped back to close his eyes as he listened to whoever it was Miss Pauling was speaking too, the sound of the radio a mess of garble and static. His rump was getting sore from sitting for the past three hours and he was getting hungry. He tore into the bag of chips his mother had given him, offering the beta some only to be ignored. He shrugged and continued eating, licking his fingers clean of the sour cream dusting. He wondered what New Mexico was like, he hadn’t even left Massachusetts before, always content with Boston being his home base.
He wondered what his co workers would be like, were there other omegas? Damn there better not be too many alpha’s, he hated the way those knot heads got when they were in rut and stumbling around like zombies wanting to breed anything and anyone with two legs, especially omega’s due to them being thought as nothing more than a warm cunt.
Watching the signs for leaving Massachusetts he sighed, closing his eyes to try and get some sleep, hoping that when he woke up they could get some real grub and maybe stop for the night. He didn’t have his license and he doubted she would let him drive if she needed to rest.
He hadn’t been in a hotel for a long time. He wondered if the ice machine would work, they never did, but it was always fun to find out.
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The trip was stretched over several days; true to his predictions they stayed at motels where the ice machine either didn't work or the ice came out brown tinged. The omega opted not to use them, choosing instead to drink bottle water and munch on his left overs from fast food joints and diners. He didn’t learn a whole lot about Miss Pauling, she liked to read and slept with her glasses by her side, her heels on and her phone practically on her pillow as though it were a pet. He learnt his name at work would be Scout, that he would be in charge of gathering intelligence and that his co-workers would fill him in on the rest of what his job would entail. He knew not to bother asking why she couldn’t just tell him, if she wanted to keep it secret then he didn’t care none. After finding out his mother was able to cash the check he had been more than happy.
He could finally provide for his family, him, an omega!
The dusty flat lands of New Mexico might have once been exciting when he was younger, but the heat was sweltering and he was sweating even with the window down and his hat off; the air conditioner stopped working a few states over and they didn’t have time to get it fixed. The long dirt road they took to the place he would be working at took nearly half an hour from the closest town; a small one that barely had even the essentials. The post office had been white with paint missing in patches and the grocery store looked equally as sad when they drove past. With how few people and cars he saw it reminded him of a modern ghost town. The thought made him laugh as they got to a large gate that made him think of a prison, even fitted with barbed wire and a large watch tower made of wood in the far back. The building was large and painted a dull gray with rows of tinted windows and shrub bushes out front as though to give it some hint of life.
He took his bags from the trunk without complaint as he followed after Miss Pauling, her strides long and her head held high while she carried a file under her arm and flashed a badge to enter the large steel doors that opened with a squeal. The air conditioning that washed over them had the omega sighing in pleasure, the halls they walked emptied of people and decor, not even a picture frame could be seen. Simple metal walls and white tiled floors. He found an old vending machine near a row of doors each marked with a different single word on red metal plaques. The vending machine was dented, what appeared to be scorch marks and outlines of fingers on the metal had him wincing.
How hungry could these people be?
His nose twitched at the scents that assaulted him, it made him think of blood, musk and cleaning fluid.
“Follow me, you'll meet your team, it’s about lunch time so they should all be in the kitchen. Or the mess hall Engineer calls it.” Miss Pauling smiled, heading into the kitchen like she had done before, this time leading the omega in tow, the smile did not reach her eyes and her footsteps clicked against the tiled floor. Her perfume was sweet, and opening the door the omega could instantly smell something spicy was cooking, it smelt delicious if he had to admit, and he could hear talking. There was laughter and yelling as though someone was getting ready to jump into a fight. He looked to Miss Pauling with suspicion, suddenly wondering what he had gotten himself in when he was urged forward, the chatter stopping and eyes suddenly on him.
“Good afternoon everyone, I hope you are enjoying your last few days of cease fire, I brought you your new scout. The one I had in mind did not pan out, but I have brought a better one, and I think one that may just surprise you.” She furrowed her brows as the one in the army helmet sniffed the air and growled, suddenly the others following his lead in sniffing, curious as to what set off the volatile man.
“You brought back an omega?! What did I say-”
“Oh shut your mouth you bloody yank, omega’s can fight if given the proper training.” A man with a dirty brown vest spoke, a growl to his words as he looked at the omega, eyes hidden by his sunglasses.
“You want to go, maggot, I’ll take your head through the window and stuff your corpse into my trophy locker-”
“Hey knuckleheads, will you shut your damn mouths and let Miss Pauling talk before I bash your heads in?!” The omega finally snapped, taking the baseball bat from the bag on his back, flaring his nostrils as the man in the helmet looked to him in disbelief.
“Everyone, this is your new scout, he killed a man to protect me.”
“A man did what?!” The soldier yelled, fists slamming upon the table, his eyes flashing crimson under his helmet.
“And I’ll kill one of ya if you don’t shut the fuck up…wait ya’ll are all alpha’s?!”
“Vell, not all of us.” The German neutral laughed, a wide smile on his lips that revealed teeth far too white.
“Welcome aboard, lad, and welcome to the fortress. God have mercy on ye.” The dark skinned alpha with an eye patch laughed, leaning heavily against the one known as Soldier, his brown unmarked bottle to his lips as he took a swift gulp.
“You never said anything about them being all alpha’s!” Scout hissed, looking at the eight of them, he tried to square his shoulders and puff his chest, realizing that he was the shortest after looking them all over. The one with the gas mask caused him to deflate, fear tinging his scent that he tried desperately to hide, frowning as he looked around the kitchen, noting the scent of old food and the dishes piled up.
Oh hell no, his mother would not allow this to stand if she was present.
“I never actually mentioned their secondary genders.” Miss Pauling spoke, sighing as her watch went off, head shaking. “I’m sorry Scout, I really wish I could help you get used to everything and everyone. I know it’s a lot, but you have my phone number for emergencies. Ah- I have to get going, the administrator needs me on a flight soon. I know you’ll be in good hands. Remember that fight you showed me in Boston, don’t be afraid to push them back when they push you. You got fire, Scout, use it.”
“Damn right I will. Don’t worry ‘bout me Miss Pauling, I can handle these knot heads!” Scout spoke loudly, smug as he looked to her with a cocky grin and a two finger salute, wishing though that she would stay when she turned on her heels to head out, her phone to her ear once more as she spoke in a language he recognized as french. Steelinghis nerves he turned to watch the alpha’s right back, bat tight in hand.
“Okay knuckleheads, who’s in charge here? Cause let me tell you, this kitchen is nasty and if I clean it you are going to keep it clean. Get it through your heads, I may be an omega but I ain't going to worship your cocks and wipe your ass and messes. You got that? I’ll do some lousy chores but if you make more work for me I'm taking my bat to you.” He spoke, keeping where he stood, pleased when he saw several nods, ignoring the sneers. He growled when the alpha with the shades over his eyes chuckled deeply, sharp teeth, almost un-naturally sharp flashed.
“A feisty little kitten ain’t ya.”
“Say that again, knot head.” Scout snarled, stepping back when the alpha merely shook his head, his voice still low as he spoke with a growl.
“Oh you are gonna be a fun one, kitten. I like a challenge.”