The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 25

Van

He was glad that they'd brought Zoey into the debrief. She now knew all of the facts – at least the facts regarding the spy sent by Midnight – so she knew that the team took it seriously. They would alter and plan accordingly. She seemed to be getting a feel for how the team operated, which was good. Once she got a handle on the team dynamics, she'd trust them and their process when the time came.

Stitch offered to take her back to the Jungle after they wrapped up the debrief. Aside from himself, Stitch had become her go-to team member. Van didn't worry about Zoey when she was with Stitch, which allowed him to fully focus on other things. They were piecing together the components of the meet, so he was scribbling the details into his folder to keep some record of everything.

He hadn't missed the wide-eyed look of panic on Zoey's face when the guys mentioned his being with her at night. He also remembered how flustered she'd been when he'd found her attempting to strip the bed because she'd slept in it. She clearly remembered his boundaries – even if he wasn't enforcing them – and she wanted to compensate for her error. Granted, the fact that she'd slept well meant more to him than the fact that she'd slept in his bed.

"We'll be back later," Stitch announced to the group.

Van nodded and watched Zoey silently leave the room. She worried too much about what others thought of her, but her ex had drilled that into her. Over time, she could get past that if she wanted to. Until then, they'd verbally encourage and reinforce her.

"Something on your mind, Boss?"

Van looked up as Snuff flicked his lighter a few times. One of Snuff's eyebrows had ticked up in a telling way. Even Goggles was peeking over the top of his reopened laptop. Bug's hand paused its tinkering. They all seemed poised to spring on his answer.

"I'm glad we could reassure Zoey and put her at ease about the Midnight spy," he deadpanned. "She can focus on her training now."

"Huh..." Snuff nodded and turned his attention to the younger team members. "All right, nerds... What have you got for us?"

Van half-listened as the Bug and Goggles recapped what they'd decided to do: activate the homing bugs to alert Midnight that they were compromised; wait for Midnight to track the bugs back to them; set up a meet to reclaim their devices; set up 'fencing pods' at the location to trap the pack members; hold Zoey's ex until she broke their bond; get her out safely. For all practical purposes, this was a textbook mission. They could do it in their sleep.

Do you think Zoey will have nightmares again tonight? His wolf mused.

Possibly... She seemed triggered by the mention of her old pack, so the repercussions of that may linger. It's possible that she'll have nightmares for a few days.

So we'll have more chances to take care of her...

If she needs it, then yes, Van brushed him off. But don't get any ideas. She may not need any extra care.

After carrying her to the bed last night, he had fallen asleep almost immediately... which hadn't happened since he'd joined the army. He usually lay away for an hour thinking over the day's events. But last night, he couldn't remember anything after grabbing Zoey. Her physical proximity had put him completely at ease.

"... and so now we finalize the technology of the fencing pods," Bug was saying. "I should have the mechanics sorted in a couple days."

"I can help you," Snuff noted.

"So everything continues to move forward. That's good." Van scrubbed a hand over his face and slouched in his chair. The guys had a tendency to circle around the details multiple times until all of them had nearly memorized everything.