Fighter (The Lone Pack Book 4) by Claire Cullen

Author:Claire Cullen [Cullen, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-18T16:00:00+00:00

The disorientation of Conor’s early wakening was replaced by embarrassment when he realized what had happened. He expected irritation at the very least, from Damon especially. Instead, he was met with only patience and understanding from the alpha which was matched by Milo when he woke up shortly after.

But it was Damon’s soft entreaty to talk that broke down the walls he’d held up for so long.

“They wouldn’t even let me leave in peace,” he spat out. “They had me thrown into the brig for a month on some trumped-up charge.”

“Who?” One simple question, and yet there was a weight of meaning behind it.

“My team. They… they made my life hell in every possible way they could this past year.”

“Why?”

Damon was the one asking the questions. And Milo, with each word Conor spoke, shuffled closer.

“Our alpha commander. He… didn’t like me. Who I was, how I acted, how I spoke to him. We had two omegas on our team, and I objected to how he treated them. To the whole dynamic of the team.”

“And they punished you for it,” Damon concluded.

“Over and over and over again.”

Those few words left him feeling wrung out and exhausted. There’d been months of torment while he waited out the end of his tour. He’d held out until his last day, relieved to finally walk away with an honorable discharge, only to be forced into a cell at the last moment.

He felt a warm weight against his side as Milo pressed nearer. “You’re here with us, you’re safe now.”

Milo was echoing the same sentiments that he and Damon had been expressing to the omega since their arrival at the orchard. It was heartening to hear it.

“I’m starting to realize that.”

He wrapped an arm around Milo, tugging the omega closer. It was a surprise when Damon settled on his other side and put an arm around him in turn. With a soft sigh, he leaned against the alpha. It should have felt awkward, but it didn’t. Sandwiched between the two men, he could finally begin to relax.

“Have you talked to Hawk? Does he know what’s been going on?”

That was Damon again, asking the important questions.

Conor shook his head. “He knows I wanted out, but not why. And not how bad things got. I’ll talk to him when I can do it face to face.”

“I don’t understand,” Milo piped up suddenly. “The omegas on your team, they were military too, right?”

“Right.”

“And the alpha was your leader?”

“Yeah.” Conor wasn’t sure where Milo was going with this.

“So they were under his control, weren’t they? Why would you put yourself at risk like that?”

It spoke to Milo’s own experiences that he found the idea so alien.

“It wasn’t right, Milo. How he treated them, how he got others to treat them. There are supposed to be protections, but they don’t go far enough. People turn a blind eye if a team is getting results. And believe me, we got results.”

“You tried to protect them, even though it just made your life harder?”

From the wide-eyed look on Milo’s face, this was not in keeping with his expectations.

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