Page 3 of Specter Bred

Me.

I had argued relentlessly with my superiors over my living assignment, begging to be placed in the squad bay. After spending my entire military career housed in living quarters with male alphas, it didn't faze me at all. Plus, the last thing I wanted was special treatment.

Being a female alpha meant proving you belonged at every turn. Others scrutinized every mistake and questioned every success. Even in the regular military ranks, it was an uphill battle. Here, among the best soldiers in Arca?

I was already fighting an impossible war.

The separate quarters only made it worse. It marked me as different before I'd even had the chance to prove myself. And the other Specter candidates didn't need any extra ammunition to use against me.

Despite my arguments, Command refused to budge. There had been... an incident. At least, that was all they would tell me. Until I completed my first evaluation, they wanted me housed in the dorms, separate from the rest of the candidates.

I didn't know what the incident had been, and nobody seemed interested in explaining it.

What I did know was that being singled out before training had even started should have made me the hot topic around Fairfield. But something had captured my fellow candidates' attention even more than a female alpha recruit.

The first beta male Specter candidate.

A beta in Arcan Strategic Operations Group, aka ASOG?

Unheard of. Even more-so than a female operator.

I was grateful to whichever member of Command had tapped me for candidacy, but I couldn't help wondering if the same person had selected him. Maybe Command had some diversity initiative this cycle. Or maybe they just wanted blood in the water to frenzy the sharks.

If that were the case, they were going to be disappointed.

I wasn't chum.

My kill list was every bit as long as any alpha's. My mission record spoke for itself. Anyone dumb enough to mistake me for prey was welcome to try their luck.

Just as I was deciding which of the two bunks to claim, a knock sounded behind me. I spun. A man stood in the doorway, a heavy duffel slung over one shoulder.

He was tall and broad, built thick through the chest and arms, with the type of muscle that came from hauling feed bags and fixing fences rather than spending hours in a gym. His skin was deeply tanned, a fresh sunburn painting his nose and cheeks pink. Sporadic freckles dusted his face, and straw-blond hair stuck out from beneath his backwards ball cap in every direction.

Worst of all was his smile.

Wide.

Friendly.

Warm.

A deep dimple carved into his left cheek when he grinned, softening an already boyish face. He didn't look hardened like most alpha candidates.

Then it clicked. He must have been the beta candidate everyone was talking about. It was obvious because he looked entirely too friendly to belong in ASOG. He looked more like someone who waved at strangers and remembered birthdays, not someone training to become one of the deadliest operators in Arca's military.

"Whoa, hey. Sorry," he said, his thick Southern drawl stretching the words. "Didn't mean to spook you."

I crossed my arms.

"I don't spook."

His crooked grin only widened, deepening his lone left dimple.

"Right. Course you don't."

He stepped forward and stuck out a calloused hand.

"Samuel Hayes. But my friends call me Sammy."