Saved and Savaged

Chapter 2 - Gric

"They are coming."

The look of shock on Craize's face at Steil's words gives way to fury. His newly mated omega dons a look of hatred, yet we all know it's just a mask. The scent of her terror carries clearly through the air despite the wind attempting to whisk it away.

Mirth bubbles within my chest, escaping on a chuckle as I saunter closer to the new couple. Steil slaps an arm across my chest, halting my forward momentum and glaring over his shoulder at me.

"What, I can't congratulate them?"

"Back off, Gric. This isn't the time," says Steil, the grey alpha barring me from stepping forward. He may be our Commander, but sometimes his lack of humor makes it too tempting to push his buttons.

Plus, the ugly teal brute a few feet away has always been fun to poke and prod.

"Tits on a tentacle, of course they're coming. We just infiltrated their second-largest facility, stole their prized possessions, and murdered hundreds of them."

The tiny female growls, the feminine sound surprisingly terrifying.

"I was one of those 'prized possessions', and I think you should shut up. There's nothing funny about any of this."

Craize wraps his scarred arm around her shoulder and pulls her close to his side. Another scoff sneaks from my chest.

"There's always something—"

Commander Steil pulls his arm forward only to yank it back and dig his elbow into my gut, right below my sternum. My diaphragm seizes, but I smirk into his furious face and rub the spot.

He's a wonderful source of entertainment.

"So, we're preparing for their arrival?"

Craize's tight voice displays his unhappiness, even though he's enjoyed using his lethal prowess against the ISC for decades.

I guess having his lifemate in danger doesn't sit well with him.

Canine on a cunt, but he's become soft in the last few days. Not even a week ago, he was shredding foes without a backward glance. Now he's clinging to the slip of a female and trembling in fear.

Fine, he isn't cowering, but I sense a shift in him. One that threatens to change everything. One that alters the team dynamics and opens the future to massive alterations.

I don't like it.

Taking down the ISC has been our mission for years, but the moment we land on this boring planet, he decides to find his lifemate and become a complete softy.

It's disgusting.

The Intergalactic Science Corps, the largest organization across the galaxies, destroys entire species and runs horrifying experiments on whomever they please. All in the name of science, so they claim, and all incognito—they stand in plain sight, hiding behind a bold ruse and keeping the public in the dark.

I'm not done fighting them. In fact, I won't stop until we've annihilated every last ISC scientist, soldier, and supporter on Mai'CuS, this decrepit planet we plan to inhabit.

Steil's secondary set of eyelids ghost across his cold stare, their transparency meaning his eyes won't dry out no matter how long he glares at me. He drags his gaze away, no doubt hating to lose my challenge in order to answer Craize's question.

"No. They haven't moved their army outside of the facility, but a scouting party was discovered heading our way."

"So, they aren't coming?"