Chapter 4 - Desert

Cole

I stare out the window of the train as it chugs south, passively admiring the beauty of this area of my country. I expected it to be flat, but mountains climb high in the distance, all red and umber, their craggy cliffs extending far into the desert that stretches around us. There are hills and craigs – much more to look at than I thought there would be. It is absolutely stunning and I suddenly feel remiss that I haven’t spent much time here before.

But I can barely admire the beauty, distracted as I am by the anxiety that roils in my heart. My wolf howls, pacing in slow circles, knowing that we’re drawing near. And that even if I can’t wait to get there… the next few months are going to be hell.

“Why so glum, Kincaid?” One of my men slumps into the booth seat across from me.

I turn my head and sigh as I take in Greg Jenkins, one of the six corporals who volunteered to come on this mission as a guard under my command. I frown at him, my eyes moving quickly over his tall form, the blonde hair that flops into his face. Greg – he’s a perfectly competent Alpha soldier, but he’s never distinguished himself beyond a penchant for friendly conversation. “Why are you so excited?”

“Because it’s going to be great!” Greg says, laughing and stretching his arms out to the side before tucking them neatly behind his head, looking relaxed. “At least an entire summer of hanging out with a bunch of humanitarian nursing volunteers? Most of whom are going to be girls? Very little duties and all the Academy credit?” He beams. “It’s a dream gig.”

I shake my head at him, a little disappointed. “This is work, Greg. Not play.”

He rolls his eyes at me. “You need to learn to relax a bit, Kincaid. You look like your dad but you don’t have to act like him. You’re not King yet.”

I turn my head to look out the window, thinking Greg’s a little short-sighted there. Even if I’m not King, it’s no excuse to live a life of leisure and excess until my father hands over the crown.

“Seriously,” Greg says, dropping his hands into his lap and leaning towards me. “You’re not excited about the prospect of all these girls? At all?”

“No,” I say, turning my head to glower at him a little bit. Demonstrating at least a little bit of wisdom, Greg leans away from me, giving deference to the more powerful Alpha who is his superior officer. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off that line of thinking. We’re here to protect these people – not date them. Fraternization will be frowned upon.”

Greg’s face drops for a second as he realizes that I’m completely serious. But then his mouth quirks back into a smile. “Frowned upon…but not forbidden, right?”

I just sigh and turn away, missing Iris a great deal.

“Hey, I think we’re here!” another Corporal calls. I look beyond Greg to see Frank Jones leaning against the foremost window, peering at something ahead. “I see like…a platform, I think.”

The train begins to slow as if in confirmation and I nod, standing up. “All right, everyone gather your stuff,” I call out. “I want this carriage as empty as we found it. Nothing left behind.”

My Corporals all call out their confirmations, packing anything they used during the six-hour journey and slinging packs over their shoulders. Each takes one of the rifles poised by the door too – standard gear for military proceedings like this.

I sigh again, taking the last rifle as my men gather by the door, ready to disembark.

“Like, your eighth sigh in as many minutes, Captain,” Greg murmurs, giving me a worried frown.

I just glance at him and don’t respond, even if he’s right.

Anxiety is at war with excitement in me, my wolf picking up his pace as he continues to wear a track in my soul, unable to settle. Because we’re going to see her – I know we are. I made sure of it, checking the list of volunteer nurses even before dad called for volunteers.

But Nadia? I have a very strong feeling that she has no idea I’m going to be getting off this train.

And…it’s not going to be good.

I grit my teeth, running a hand through my hair, my eyes set on the door as the train pulls to a stop. While I can handle pretty much anyone being angry with me…I don’t know. Something about Nadia just…sets me off.

I never lose my temper with pretty much anyone else. But Nadia Amir? God, she’s got a finger on some hairpin trigger or something.  

I exhale slowly, stroking a hand over my wolf’s anxious head. Cool, cool, I murmur to him, to myself. We’re going to be cool. My wolf gives a steady growl in response, determined.

The doors open and my men file out onto the makeshift platform, which was only built just about a week ago for this very campaign.

“Damn,” Frank murmurs, looking around as he adjusts his cap, peering into the dimmed light of an already-setting sun. “There is…not much here, is there?”

“We didn’t promise you a realm of entertainment, soldier,” I snap, glaring at him and then looking towards the road where I hear the rumble of some approaching vehicles. “You’re here to do a job.”

“All right, all right,” Frank says, sending me a little frown. “I wasn’t complaining. Just… observing.” 

My five men and I all stand in a neat line, watching as two large vans appear from the south, both white and marked with Midlands Medical College. I turn my head south, watching as two more vehicles approach – military transport this time, all green and brown.

Good. Right on time.

“Let’s go down, men,” I say, nodding to the Corporals. They follow my charge readily, stepping off the platform and standing by as both sets of vans pull up. A driver steps out of the military vehicle and approaches me with a clipboard, confirming that everything is in order.

I look through his commands, confirming everything even as my heart pounds, my ear attuned to the sound of twenty volunteer nursing students climbing out of their vans.

Just as I hand the clipboard back to the driver, nodding to indicate that it’s all correct, I hear a gasp that rings through me. My wolf turns in an eager circle, yipping to the sky even as I close my eyes, dreading this.

“Oh my god,” she groans. “You have got to be kidding me. This is such bullshit.”