5-I Swear, It Was An Accident, Alpha

Fallon:

“I’m not going down there,” I shot back before any of them could try talking me into it.

All four of them mirrored each other, planting their hands on their waists as they lined up in front of me.

Men, especially, always went after weakness the moment they sensed it.

Cage lifted a brow, looking oddly amused by my attempt to stand my ground.

“ I’m more useful alive than dead,” I added, raising my left hand to show them the wristband. “Your officer already made that pretty clear.”

For a second, all four of them simply stared at me.

Then their eyes narrowed almost in sync.

They exchanged looks before straightening up and breaking into laughter loud enough to crush whatever confidence I had managed to build.

And suddenly, I really didn’t like whatever was going through their heads.

“Since you’re such a good listener, let me remind you of something you conveniently forgot,” Rome said as he started walking toward me.

Every step he took felt slow, almost predatory, like he already knew I’d retreat before he even reached me.

And I did.

I stepped backward quickly, gripping the tops of the seats beside me to keep myself steady.

“There’s an entire bus full of invisible officers out there. You really think you’re special enough for us to keep alive?” Rome had a smirk on his lips as he added.

“You’re replaceable, sweetheart.”

By the time he finished speaking, he suddenly lunged forward.

It was clearly meant to intimidate me, just a bluff to make me panic, but my body reacted before my brain could catch up.

I stumbled backward so fast that I crashed straight into the seat behind me.

The second I realized he hadn’t actually intended to hit me, humiliation burned through me almost as hard as the fear.

And once again, the floor seemed to shift beneath my feet.

“There is a difference,” I blurted out, immediately raising my finger like some nervous student asking permission to speak.

“Well, we’re listening,” Cage said from the front seat.

He turned around fully, hooking an arm over the seatrest while kneeling backward to face me.

He reminded me of one of those attractive blond anime boys with a wolf cut, the type who looked dangerous and cruel but turned out to be soft underneath it all.

I found myself wishing he was like that too. Secretly kind, even if he acted like he wasn’t.

“I’m the only officer you actually have alive,” I pointed out quickly. “For all you know, the rest of that bus could’ve been ripped apart by zombies.”

I tried to make myself sound valuable, useful enough to keep breathing.

But the second they exchanged another one of those looks, my stomach dropped.

I hated those silent glances.

That was always when they came up with something horrible.

“Didn’t you say they threw you out?” Miguel asked from behind Rome. “Sounds to me like they were doing just fine without you. Hell, even they didn’t think you were worth keeping alive.”

Rome glanced back at him and gave a small nod of agreement.

And somehow, in the middle of all that panic, my attention locked onto the weapons strapped across Rome’s body.

Then my brain made the dumbest decision possible.

My fight-or-flight instincts had completely taken over, and for one absolutely insane moment, I thought pulling a gun on four military alphas inside a bus was a smart idea.

Talking clearly wasn’t getting through to them anyway.

So I lunged.

The second I ripped the gun from Rome’s belt, every single one of them froze.

Then they gasped.

Not out of fear.

More like disbelief.

Or maybe amusement.

“I swear I’ll shoot if any of you come near me,” I warned, gripping the gun with both hands as I pointed it at them.

Not one of them looked remotely threatened.

Cage slowly pushed himself off the seatrest, unfolding his arms with complete calm, while Ace casually rolled his neck like this entire situation bored him.

Then there was Rome and Miguel.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at me like they genuinely couldn’t believe what I had just done.

Like I had crossed into a new level of stupidity.

“That’s cute. You just stole a military officer’s gun,” Rome commented, looking smug.

“Pulled a gun on four alphas in a locked bus. I’m honestly impressed,” Miguel chuckled.

I swallowed hard.

“Why does it have to be me? You’re the ones trained for this stuff!” I shot back quickly, trying to redirect the conversation before they focused too hard on the fact that I had just stolen a weapon.

Because judging by their faces, I had seriously fucked up.

“No,” Rome replied as he suddenly stepped closer. “You’re doing it.”

The movement made my entire body jerk.

Before I could think, panic pulled the trigger for me.

The shot wasn’t aimed at him directly.

If the gun had fired, the bullet probably would’ve grazed his arm.

But it never happened.

The chamber was empty.

And somehow, that made everything worse.

Because the second I pulled the trigger, every bit of amusement disappeared from their faces.

Miguel, Ace, and Cage slowly shook their heads like they couldn’t believe how stupid I was, while Rome glanced down at his arm before looking back at me.

Then he ripped the gun out of my hands.

The force sent me stumbling backward.

A second later, his hand grabbed the back of my collar, and he started dragging me toward the front of the bus.

“She’s fucking insane,” Miguel muttered behind us.

“No, wait!” Panic finally broke into my voice. “ You said yourself I’m a terrible fighter If there’s a zombie out there, I can’t fight it.”

Fuck, I can’t even shift.

But it was too late.

I had already destroyed whatever patience they had left.

Rome kicked the bus door open and shoved me out in one brutal motion.

I lost my footing instantly, tumbling down the stairs before slamming hard onto the road.

“That gate opens first, Freya. Then maybe this door does too. Now fucking move.”

Part of the reason he looked ready to kill me was because I had actually tried to pull the trigger on him.

And now, right in front of my face, he slammed the bus door shut.

The four alphas remained by the windows, staring down at me while I sat on the road in full panic, trying to process what the hell I was supposed to do now.