Chapter 767
[ 497 words ]
Chapter 767:
She pulled on a fresh set of camouflage fatigues, the fabric stiff and smelling of industrial-strength laundry detergent. She twisted her hair into a tight, neat bun at the nape of her neck.
She was a soldier again.
After a final check-up and a word of thanks to Dr. Reed, she walked out of the infirmary. The cool, dry morning air felt good on her skin. She took a deep breath. The physical wounds were healed, but the battle was just beginning. Hailey. Melanie. They were still out there, in the viper’s nest.
She crossed the vast, empty parade ground, her boots crunching on the gravel. She walked straight to the long, low building that housed the Alpha squad barracks and pushed open the heavy green steel door.
The cheerful morning chatter inside stopped as if a switch had been flipped. Every head turned. Every pair of eyes fixed on her face, searching for the scars.
A shriek of pure joy cut through the silence.
“Caroline!”
Brenna launched herself from her top bunk, landing on the floor with a thud. She ran across the room and threw her arms around Caroline in a hug that threatened to crack her ribs.
“Oh my God, you’re okay!” Brenna babbled, pulling back to examine Caroline’s neck from every angle. “I was so worried. They wouldn’t let me see you. I thought…” She trailed off, a look of profound relief washing over her face.
From across the room, Beatrix Hendon sat on the edge of her perfectly made bunk, polishing a combat boot with a small, circular motion. She looked up, her cool gray eyes meeting Caroline’s.
She gave a single, almost imperceptible nod. In the rigid, unspoken language of the aristocracy, it was the equivalent of a twenty-one-gun salute.
𝘕еw 𝘸𝘦𝗲k𝘭𝘺 𝘤hаp𝗍𝖾𝘳𝘀 oո 𝘨a𝘭𝗇оve𝗅𝗌.𝖼о𝗆
Just then, a runner appeared at the doorway. “Hendon! Instructor Sharpe wants you at the armory. Equipment audit.”
Beatrix let out a soft, annoyed sigh. She set down her boot, stood, and walked toward the door. As she passed Caroline, she paused for a fraction of a second, her voice a low murmur. “Watch your back.”
Then she was gone.
Her departure changed the energy in the room. The fragile peace shattered.
Brenna pulled Caroline down to sit on her bunk. “It’s been crazy here,” she whispered, her voice urgent. “MPs everywhere, pulling people for questioning. They’ve been at it for three days.”
She looked worriedly at Caroline. “Because you were in the infirmary, you missed the land navigation and marksmanship tests. Your overall ranking… it’s dropped. A lot.”
Caroline squeezed her friend’s hand. “It’s fine. I’ll make it up.”
Her eyes, however, were not on Brenna. They were scanning the room, a cool, methodical sweep.
They found their target in the darkest, farthest corner of the barracks.
Melanie and Harper were huddled together, their heads close, whispering intently.
As if feeling her gaze, Melanie looked up. Their eyes met across the length of the room. Melanie’s expression was a cocktail of fear, hatred, and a strange, twisted triumph. She gave Caroline a slow, deliberate, mocking smile.
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