The Comments Told Me To Run, He Wouldn’t Let Me Chapter 08

That afternoon, the diner’s big screen was running Empire news.

An award ceremony at the first mech base.

Alden appeared in a crisp black uniform, medals covering his chest.

He stood on the raised platform and pinned the gold captain’s badge to Tessa’s chest himself.

Tessa looked stunning in uniform.

They turned to the camera together, smiling, shoulder to shoulder. They looked like they’d

been made for each other.

The announcer was practically buzzing with excitement.

“Commander Alden has officially announced he’s stepping down!”

“Rising star Tessa will take over as captain of the first mech team!”

“This is a historic moment for mech combat in the Empire!”

I stood in the kitchen doorway with a basin of dirty water in my arms, staring at the screen.

One by one, my tears dripped into the dirty dishwater.

The comments flooded in.

[Is this the ending?? The ML and FL finally got their happily ever after!]

[Power couple goals. Career AND love, they have it ALL. I’m obsessed.]

[Too bad Willa can’t see this. She’s probably dead in a ditch somewhere by now.]

I turned back to the sink and buried my face in my hands.

So he really did love her.

Enough to hand over the team that meant everything to him.

That evening, after my shift, I dragged myself through the dark alley toward the loft.

I’d just received my meager half a month’s s pay.

The babies had been kicking a lot. I was scared they weren’t getting enough nutrition. I wanted

to stop at the corner clinic for supplements.

I didn’t make it halfway

Three hyena shifters stepped out of the shadows and cut me off.

They stank of alcohol. Their eyes caught the light, glowing a sickly green.

“Hey there, little rabbit. Qut all alone this late?”

The one in front stepped closer, reaching for my hood.

I stumbled back and threw my arms over my belly.

“Don’t touch me!”

My hood slipped back. Two long rabbit ears fell loose against my cheeks.

They stared for a beat, then burst out laughing.

“A purebred lop? Aren’t you a pretty little thing

“Belly and all. That just makes it more fun.”

They rushed me.

I fought. I clawed one of them hard enough to draw blood.

But they were so much stronger.

They slammed me down onto a pile of trash. Pain shot up my spine.

Inside me, the babies went wild, kicking in every direction.

“Get off me! Don’t touch my babies!”

The scream ripped out of me.

One of them grinned and grabbed at my clothes.

Then the sky split open.

A sonic boom rattled my teeth and tore through the air above us.

Wind blasted through the alley like a shockwave.

A massive silver mech dropped from the sky and slammed into the ground.

Bricks shattered. Dust erupted in every direction.

The blast wave threw all three hyenas against the brick wall.

The hatch blew open.

Black military boots hit the ground.

Alden. Black coat, bloodshot eyes.

His face was deathly pale, and the fury pouring off him sucked the oxygen right out of the alley.

Massive tentacles unfurled from his back, glowing a deep, venomous blue, fanning out behind him like something that had crawled up from the ocean floor to kill.

They shot forward and coiled around the hyenas before any of them could stand.

He squeezed. Just a fraction.

Bones snapped.

All three went limp before they could scream. Not a sound.

He walked over the rubble toward me. Step by step.

Every step shook something loose inside my chest.