Stacy groaned. "Not you too."
"Not me what?"
They had come to the swell of the last hill before the cabin, and Stacy stopped to take in the view of the valley, his cabin tucked into the rock face on the other side of the dense green bottomland. Vonn offered her his canteen, and she took a long drink before wiping the mouth on her shirt and handing it back.
"Do you have any idea how many times I've been asked that question?" she sighed. "'But Stacy, you don't have to do this.' 'They already have plenty of male recruits.' And then there's my favorite— 'Do you know how hard it's going to be to find someone to marry you once you get out?'"
"So…why would you subject yourself to all that?"
"You really are dumber than a damn pig." Stacy's eyes flashed with gold lightning. "Would you ever say that to a male beta soldier?"
Truthfully, Vonn had never said much to any of them beyond hollering at them to stand down—and warning them of the consequences if they didn't. Warnings they never seemed to heed, which tended to limit opportunities to chat.
"But you're not a male soldier," he pointed out. "You're a woman."
Her irritation dialed up to anger. "And that means what, exactly? That I'm not allowed to want the things the men want? That even though four generations of my family served, I shouldn't follow in their footsteps just because I have a vagina? And if so, what am I supposed to do with this urge that's always been part of me, to fight for what's right?"
"Women are weaker than men," Vonn said, refusing to take the bait. "It's just a fact. You're putting yourself in more danger than your male counterparts do."
Disgust soured Stacy's scent. "I call bullshit. You've said yourself I've lasted weeks longer than any other soldier in the Boundarylands. And I did it while living face to face with you bastards, not hiding like some coward."
At least Vonn was spared the venom she saved for the word 'coward.' He didn't see much point in mentioning that the only reason Gray and the other alphas had allowed her to live was because he had thrown himself between them, practically claiming her on the spot. Otherwise, she'd have been dead days ago.
Suddenly Vonn didn't feel much like joking anymore.
"You're right. I shouldn't have questioned your decision to be a fighter." Not a soldier, but there was no point belaboring the distinction now. "The thing is, you agreed to have a dangerous chemical pumped into your veins that could permanently damage your nature. And I do have a problem with that."
"Who said anything about the serum being permanent?" Stacy scoffed. "A dose lasts a week at most. Why do you think I was so desperate to get my hands on it yesterday?"
For a moment, Vonn's mouth hung open as he absorbed her words. Could it really—was it possible—
There was no trace of dishonesty in her voice, and he desperately wanted to believe it was true. But Vonn had experienced soul-deep disappointment once before, and he didn't think he could survive it again. "They lied to you about the cyanide pill," he said stonily.
Buy Stacy just tossed her head. "I was stupid to believe that. But with the serum, I insisted on seeing the data myself. I made them show me every test result. I met the women who'd gone through the trials. There's no way they could have faked all of that. Besides, why give me all those extra vials if they were trying to test a serum whose effects were permanent?"
What she was saying made sense—so much so that Vonn couldn't think of a single argument against it.
But Stacy must have seen his doubt. In a softer voice, she added, "You have to remember…before I came here, I believed that my omega nature was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I would never have agreed to it unless I knew I was safe."
Before I came here. Those words were the ones that echoed in Vonn's mind…because they implied that now, she felt differently. That her true nature wasn't the worst thing. That she was beginning to accept it.
It might not exactly be everything he needed from his omega, but it was a start. Especially because she was only going to be stuck in this beta limbo for another week at the most.
Vonn knew the wait would feel interminable. But he'd already been waiting months for an omega to come along and cool the burning in his blood. He could stand it a little longer, especially with the knowledge that in the end, she would finally be his.
"Why are you smiling?" Stacy asked, sounding very suspicious.
"Turns out I'm smarter than a pig after all," he said triumphantly. "I got you talking again."
"You son of a—"
If Vonn didn't know better, he might have fallen for the lethal expression on her as he rushed him. Knowing she had no intention of trying to kill him, however, he didn't put up much of a fight as she somehow got her leg hooked around his knee. It wasn't until she started putting pressure on the joint with her heel that he grabbed her, twisting them both down onto the ground. Vonn made sure he took most of the impact, of course.
By landing her on top of him.
Stacy had proven time and again that she was amazingly capable of defending herself, but she fell in her own blind spot every time she assumed the role of aggressor. Vonn didn't have to be told that her success in the army depended completely on keeping her cool and using others' aggression against them. The minute she let her discipline slip, she would have
