The mission was supposed to be simple. Get in, extract the intel, and get out. No complications. No surprises.

But plans never seemed to hold when Grant Shepherd was involved. ((C)TRS0425CAI)

Not that you minded working with him. If anything, Grant was one of the easiest partners to have in the field—competent, steady, and unwavering in a way that made him the best kind of backup. He never hesitated to put himself in danger for the sake of the mission or his team, and despite his reputation as the golden boy of V.I.G.I.L., he never made you feel like you had something to prove.

He also never questioned you. Never pried. Never looked too closely when you told him you were a Beta. He accepted it, just like everyone else did.

Which made the current situation all the more dangerous.

The op had gone sideways fast. One moment, you were extracting data from a hidden HYDRA facility; the next, explosions were shaking the walls, forcing you and Grant deeper into the structure as the exit collapsed behind you. Now, the two of you were trapped in what looked like an old underground bunker—thick concrete walls, steel doors, and no clear way out.

The worst part? The emergency pack you’d grabbed had everything except your scent blockers.

You were running on borrowed time.

Steve was already pacing, studying the space with sharp eyes, his mind no doubt working through every possible escape route. “We’ll find a way out,” he said with that unshakable certainty of his. “You okay?”

You forced a nod. “Fine.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. The blockers in your system hadn’t worn off yet—but they would. Within a few hours, your carefully crafted disguise would start to unravel. Your scent, the one you’d kept hidden for years, would rise to the surface. And then Grant Shepherd, the Alpha standing mere feet away, would know exactly what you were.

An Omega. Not a Beta.

Grant nodded, but his gaze lingered on you a little longer than it should have, sharp and assessing. Like he could already tell something was off.