Lyra Acosta
10:27 CST
November 2, 2030
Acosta Residence, Des Moines, IA
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I lay naked in bed between Mac and Stoneclaw, holding my phone above my head as I skimmed over the message we’d all received from Cayro. Just as I started to grumble and mentally prepare to get up, my phone buzzed with an incoming video call. The screen flashed Cayro, and I nearly panicked. Quickly, I angled the phone so that only my head and shoulders were visible before answering.
“Morning, Cayro,” I greeted with a knowing grin, making sure Mac and Stoneclaw stayed out of the frame. He looked absolutely wrecked, like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Morning, Lyra,” he replied, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
“Is everything okay? I just saw your message. Did something happen…war-related?” I asked, feeling my anxiety spike. Seeing him this drained, combined with the abrupt message, had me on edge. Cayro wasn’t just my alpha—he was my mentor, and seeing him so worn down hit hard.
“No, nothing to worry about,” he assured me, attempting a small smile. “But, as I mentioned, I need everyone in Tennessee. The destination’s changed—I need all units in Knoxville.”
“Understood, sir,” I replied, already calculating routes in my head. “I’ll get Dragon Fleet ready. We’ll be moving by Sunday morning.”
“Actually…” he cut in, and I noticed a shadow of hesitation. “I have a mission for you and Dragon Fleet. I need you all rolling by this afternoon.”
I blinked, processing the change. Stoneclaw and Mac stayed silent beside me, listening intently.
“Uh, alright,” I said, mentally recalculating. “I’ll round everyone up and get prepped. We can be in Knoxville by Tuesday, easy.”
“That’s the thing. I need you to take a detour first,” he explained. “You’ll be heading to Kansas City to pick up several loads of supplies that need to go to Knoxville.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Kansas City? Got it. Not too far out of the way—we’ll make it work. Consider it done, Cayro.”
“Glad to hear it. Scuzball will send you the manifest and details,” he replied, his voice slightly more relaxed. “I look forward to seeing you here.” And with that, he ended the call.
I lowered my phone and sighed, glancing over at Stoneclaw. “Well, guess it’s time to rise and grind.”
He chuckled, swinging his legs out of bed. I looked over at Mac, who seemed lost in thought.
“Everything alright?” I asked.
She sighed. “Not exactly—your truck still isn’t fully repaired. There’s still a massive hole in the cab.”
She still felt guilty for blowing a hole in my truck during that chaotic moment when she sensed my death through our bond. I couldn’t blame her; she’d panicked. Honestly, I’d probably have done the same thing. I leaned over to kiss her gently before getting out of bed and gathering up my clothes for a shower. Bending down to dig through my go-bag, an idea popped into my head.
“Why don’t we just tarp the hole?” I suggested, heading into the bathroom. “You could pack the parts we need on the FRS, and then you can finish the repairs in Knoxville.”
“I was just thinking that!” she shouted back, sounding relieved.
I spent the next thirty minutes savoring the shower in my massive bathroom, which was spacious enough to fit Stoneclaw in his full dragon form. Having my own house where I could actually stretch out was still a luxury I was getting used to. Stepping out and drying off, I found the bedroom empty, with no sign of Mac or Stoneclaw.
Making my way downstairs, I spotted Stoneclaw pouring himself a coffee, looking relaxed. Still no sign of Mac, though.
“Where’s Mac?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She caught a ride with Sasha back to the yard,” he replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee.
“That traitor,” I muttered, opening the fridge to grab one of my precious Red Bulls. “We were supposed to ride in together.”
Cracking it open, I turned around to find Stoneclaw watching me with an annoyingly devious grin on his face. I leaned against the counter, arching an eyebrow at him. “What?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said, smirk widening. “Just admiring a beautiful, grumpy alpha wolf is all.”
“Flattery’s nice, but after last night, I’m still spent. No chance I’m up for more fun right now,” I quipped, smirking back at him.
“Oh, that’s not why I’m smiling,” he replied, his grin growing even bigger.
I narrowed my eyes. “Then why are you grinning like a cat who just got into the cream?”
“Because Mac didn’t leave you without a ride,” he said, his eyes glinting.
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I blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He leaned in, voice low and mischievous. “I think it’s your turn to ride me.” He flashed a toothy smile.
I almost choked on my Red Bull. His double entendre hit me just as I took a sip, and I ended up snorting Red Bull out of my nose. Coughing and sputtering, I stumbled to the sink to spit out the rest, eyes watering from the burn. By the time I collected myself, Stoneclaw was doubled over, laughing his ass off at my expense.
Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed a wet sponge from the sink and hurled it at him. It hit him squarely on the side of the head with a wet splat before bouncing to the floor. That only made him laugh harder.
“Careful,” I growled, pointing a finger at him. “If you don’t quit, I’ll find one of your precious smut books and give it to Crooked Fang,” I threatened, arching an eyebrow.
He mock gasped, pressing a hand to his heart. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh, I dare…” I shot back, smirking.
With a playful pout, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve already found something more precious than my hoard.”
I sank against his chest, the weight of his words hitting me. It was his own way of saying how much he cared. Smiling up at him, I teased, “Did you tell Mac that too?”
He returned the smile. “Actually, she told me first.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yep,” he replied, giving me a wink. “Now hurry up. We need to get moving.” He turned and headed for the back door, pulling his shirt off as he went.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I called after him, slightly bewildered.
He glanced back with a mischievous grin. “I told you, it’s your turn to ride me.”
Chugging the rest of my Red Bull, I grabbed my go-bag off the couch and dashed outside. By the time I made it to the backyard, Stoneclaw was sitting there in his full dragon form, his clothes folded neatly beside him. That’s when it clicked—he was going to fly me to the yard.
I scooped up his clothes, stuffing them into my go-bag, and stepped up to him, admiring the sight. His enormous form, covered in glistening black scales, radiated raw power. His long tail swayed, and his iridescent scales caught the morning sun, casting off a spectrum of colors.
“Are you going to try and throw me off this time?” I asked, grinning up at him.
His deep voice rumbled with laughter. “I would never intentionally try to harm something precious to me.”
With a smile, I slung my go-bag over my shoulder and climbed up his side, finding handholds along his scales. A gentle nudge from his snout helped me up, and I settled between two of his spines, straddling his neck. With me securely in place, he rose to his feet and spread his massive wings. One powerful flap, and we were airborne. I let out a howl of excitement as we shot up toward the sky, the ground falling away beneath us.
We leveled off just below the clouds, the city sprawled out beneath us in a breathtaking view. It was different from skyboarding—up here, I could feel the strength of Stoneclaw’s muscles shifting and rippling with each wingbeat, his body swaying rhythmically beneath me.
Before long, we descended, the Ankeny yard coming into sight below. With a smooth glide, he brought us down right in front of the fleet’s trucks. I slid off his back as he shifted back to human form, handing him his clothes from my bag. After he quickly pulled on his jeans, we headed for the MCV—our mobile command vehicle.
Inside, I found Major Catalina Pixiewolf at her workstation, staring intently at her screen like she was unraveling a puzzle. From the kitchen, I could hear Steve cooking, and the smell of pasta filled the air, making my stomach rumble.
Settling into Mac’s workstation, I turned toward Major Catalina Pixiewolf as Stoneclaw headed to his and Mac’s bunk room. Catalina glanced my way, and her eyes widened the moment she got a good look at me.
“You’re glowing!” she declared, sounding almost scandalized.
“Huh?” I replied, momentarily confused.
“Hey, honey!” she shouted over her shoulder to Steve. “Come check this out. I need to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.
Steve emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel, and froze mid-step when he spotted me. “Whoa! Someone was busy last night!”
My cheeks heated up as I realized what they were seeing. Right on cue, Stoneclaw stuck his head out of the bunk room.
“Leave my mate alone,” he huffed protectively.
Both Steve and Catalina’s jaws dropped, their gazes bouncing between me and Stoneclaw. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the two of them.
“You two have no room to talk. Need I remind you how Mac and I found out about you two?” I shot back, smirking.
They quickly looked away, closing their mouths in defeat. That’s what I thought. Catalina, recovering first, turned back to her screen with a grumble, muttering as she squinted at whatever was on her screen.
“Is everything okay? You look like you’re trying to solve a Rubik’s cube,” I asked.
“Not really,” she replied, exasperated. “I can’t make sense of these new orders. It looks like…a grocery list mixed with some kind of processing document?”
Raising an eyebrow, I stood up and leaned over her shoulder to read the screen. As I scanned the document, it dawned on me. This wasn’t a tactical assignment—it was a bill of lading attached to a set of orders. My eyes narrowed, and I felt my annoyance rising.
“What the hell?” I muttered. “This isn’t a run—it’s a grocery list. We’re the General's glorified grocery team!”
“That’s what I thought too,” Catalina agreed, still frowning. “They’ve listed every Thanksgiving side dish but no turkey or potatoes.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I growled. Just then, the rumble of diesel engines echoed from outside, catching my attention.
I marched out of the MCV, half expecting more chaos, and sure enough—there it was. Trucks from SkyTeam’s Transportation Division rolled into the yard, carrying a bizarre mix of trailers. Three flatbeds carried forty-foot shipping containers, while five trucks hauled refrigerated box vans. The drivers expertly maneuvered into place, detached the trailers, and left as quickly as they’d arrived, leaving all eight trailers behind.
“Box vans…” I muttered, feeling the rage simmering. Then, unable to hold back, I let out a furious shriek. “BOX VANS!”
Stoneclaw, Steve, and Catalina hurried outside, stopping dead when they saw the collection of trailers now cluttering our yard.
“Oh boy…” Steve said finally, breaking the silence.
I turned to face them, rage rolling off me in waves. We were flatbed haulers, not box jockeys. Growling, I stormed back into the MCV and commandeered Catalina’s workstation, calling Cayro on video.
“How can I help you, Major—” he began, but his words cut off when he saw my expression.
“A grocery run?” I roared. “Really, Cayro? We’re flatbedders, not Luna-damned box jockeys!”
My voice rattled items throughout the MCV. In the background, I could hear Star laughing, her voice drifting through Cayro’s office.
“I told you she wouldn’t take this well!” she chortled.
Cayro glanced over his shoulder at my Luna with a pained look. “Hush, you. You got the easy job.” He turned back to me, clearly bracing himself. “Lyra, we need this. It was a last-minute idea, and now we’re scrambling. Please, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I stared, caught off guard by the fact he was begging. Narrowing my eyes, I muttered, “You owe me for this. This is a complete embarrassment for me and my fleet, Cayro. General or not, this one’s personal.”
Without waiting for a response, I hung up and stormed outside, where more fleet members had gathered with Stoneclaw, Steve, and Catalina. They stood in stunned silence, staring at the absurd collection of trailers parked in our yard.