The Hunters

Chapter Forty-Three

The other members of the Jegertroppen flew in, joining us for dinner as we dined separately from the royal family. Between the drinks and conversation, the time went by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was time to leave. My mother stood beside me while the plane left, watching the other members of the Jegertroppen fly off. "Ready to meet the additions to the Hunters?" she asked warmly and I nodded.

She'd educated me on additional plans taking place: after the award ceremony, we would travel to a nearby military building to meet the new recruits for the Hunters. We'd spend the day getting to know their abilities, then fly to the base for the announcement of my new rank and position on the team. While we waited on the car's arrival, she flipped through the notebook again, admiring, "I cannot tell you enough how much I'm loving this."

I kept my militaristic stance despite how much I wanted to melt beneath her approval. "I take this seriously," I informed her sternly. "After learning the details of this operation, I know that anything less than perfection will result in casualties. If a single person dies, I will consider the mission a failure regardless of the outcomes."

"They'll appreciate that," the Admiral agreed, and we ducked into the sedan when it arrived. Tucking my bag at my feet, I bounced my leg in anxiety, feeling her take my hand with a soft smile. "You've got this. You heard the King; he's never seen footage of anyone beheading the very people who tried to behead them. You're an impressive force, and you've got this. How was therapy this morning?"

"Eh. I like this one more, but she asked about things unrelated to the incident."

"Such as?"

"The things going on in my life right now. It's...complicated, so I had a hard time sharing."

"Harder than those two masked men sharing you?" she teased, and my jaw dropped. "You got a little chatty when you were drunk last night. It's a good thing your tubes are tied, because you're apparently quite the slut."

"I got it from somewhere," I muttered, and she snorted with laughter before quickly recovering with a glance at the driver in front of us.

"Well, just try not to add a third masked man to your...whatever you've got going on," she murmured. "One of additions wears a mask. Strong and silent type too."

I groaned, grumbling, "Those two would lose their minds of there's a third. Why do you do this to me?"

My mother laughed, teasing me, "I want you to finally settle, so I gotta throw you as many temptations as possible."

I laughed despite my growing nerves, reassuring myself that whoever this third masked man is, he won't be interested in me. There's no way three men who fit my type are interested in me at the same time. Right?

Arriving at the towering brick building, my mother and I walked in sync as we entered. She was more familiar with this building than me, directing me to a long conference room where three men were situated on the far side. I smiled behind my mask when I recognized Soap and Price, nodding at them in greeting before my gaze landed on the stranger.

While the two Captains sat at the conference table, the third man stood, leaning against the wall with his intimidatingly thick arms over his broad, muscular chest. His mask vaguely reminded me of Ghost's, with a printed white skull on the black material. His hair was covered with a black beanie, his chest covered with a thick jacket, armor, and a variety of guns. Prepared for a fight at any moment.

Like Ghost and König, the exposed skin of his face was painted black. His blue eyes narrowed on me, slowly scanning my formal uniform while I stiffened behind his gaze. Shit; this man is definitely my type. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," the Admiral addressed them with a firm nod. "This is Command Sergeant Major Kalberg. She will be your direct commanding officer."

"Yes!" Soap cheered, high-fiving Price while they both chuckled. "We're surviving this now."

I smirked behind my mask, telling them, "I appreciate your confidence, Captains. And I appreciate your patience with me; I'm going to kick your asses with training until we're the world's most well-oiled machine."

"Believe it when I see it," the masked man grumbled beneath his breath, unaware that the room had an incredible echo due to the structure of the ceiling.