Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Jealousy and a Forced Kiss

Starship 1596.

Although Zoe Pierce’s squad was the only team assigned to Planets C14, C15, and C16, the deployment also included seasoned veterans who had enlisted long ago.

The journey would take two days—not too long, but not too short either.

Before the mission officially started, not everyone on the Starship was keeping their distance.

The entire Starship could accommodate nearly a thousand people.

The assigned quarters were standard-issue, typical for enlisted personnel.

However, her quarters were slightly larger than those assigned to the Alphas—a special consideration.

Before the mission, Zoe Pierce had already checked the stability of her pheromones and carefully applied her suppression patch.

She knew The Military was where the concentration of Alphas was highest.

But even so, Zoe Pierce had never been confined on a Starship with several hundred Alphas before.

The few dozen Omegas on board were a scarce minority compared to the sheer number of Alphas on the Starship.

Moreover, Zoe Pierce could feel the curious gazes of those passing by.

Nathan Lockwood and the others were always by her side, but even their presence did nothing to deter the stares.

Zoe Pierce was eating with Miles Sherman and the others when she suddenly sensed someone approaching.

By the time the footsteps reached her, she had already looked up at the newcomer.

He was an Alpha with a buzz cut, around 180cm tall. While his features weren’t strikingly handsome like Nathan Lockwood and the others, he had a rugged, tough-guy style.

She blinked, looking at him.

She wasn’t mistaken; his gaze was fixed on her.

"You’re Zoe Pierce, right?" The man’s opening words immediately drew the attention of others.

There wasn’t a single person on the Starship who didn’t know about Zoe Pierce and her squad.

But while everyone knew of them, very few had ever dared to approach and strike up a conversation.

Zoe Pierce put down her chopsticks and looked at him. "I am. And you are?"

She was certain she had never seen this Alpha before.

The Alpha laughed heartily. "The name’s Milo Dawson. I’m with Mecha Squadron A-3. I wanted to get to know you."

For a moment, even Zoe Pierce was too surprised to react.

In the time it took for her to process this, Milo Dawson had already sat down beside her.

"I saw you on the Intelligent Brain before. I knew you’d enlisted, but I never got the chance to introduce myself."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zoe Pierce noticed that Nathan Lockwood and the others had also put down their chopsticks. They were staring at her and the Alpha named Milo Dawson.

"This is a rare opportunity, so I came to say hello."

"Can I get your contact info?"

Zoe Pierce let out a small "ah." She would have to be a fool not to understand what was happening now.

Aaron Xavier had already scoffed. "Of course not."

Milo Dawson didn’t get annoyed. His gaze lingered on Aaron Xavier for a moment.

Then he turned back to Zoe Pierce. "What about you?"

By now, even more people were looking over at their table.

The gazes from the men at her own table were particularly intense.

Zoe Pierce replied almost without thinking, "I’m sorry, that’s not really convenient for me."

Hearing this, Aaron Xavier gave a cold laugh, as if covering for Zoe Pierce. "If she made an exception for you, she’d be pestered to death."

Milo Dawson had also noticed the surrounding stares. In a way, what Aaron Xavier said wasn’t wrong.

He smiled. "My bad. This isn’t the right time or place. I’ll find a more suitable occasion next time, and I hope you won’t refuse me then."

Pushing himself up from the table, he smiled at Zoe Pierce again. "I’ll head back to my table."

He gave them a wave and walked away.

Apparently, his words had some effect. At the very least, Zoe Pierce could see that the other Alphas who had been stirring restlessly moments before no longer seemed poised to stand and approach her.

She let out a sigh of relief.

But the moment she looked up, she realized her relief had been premature.

The four Alphas at the table were now all looking at her.

She picked up her chopsticks, poked at the grains of rice in her bowl, and forced a smile. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Aaron Xavier’s tone was just as sardonic as when he’d spoken to Milo Dawson. "That’s right. I’d nearly forgotten just how popular our Zoe is."

Zoe Pierce had no patience for Aaron Xavier’s attitude and promptly rapped the back of his hand with her chopsticks.

She had lost her appetite now. After rapping his hand, she put her chopsticks down again.

"Don’t you get sarcastic with me."

Aaron Xavier let out an exaggerated "Ouch," then huffed, "It’s not hard to see what he’s after."

His choice of words was deliberate, too. This whole ’getting to know you’ business.

It could mean any number of things.

Was he interested in getting to know Zoe Pierce, the Omega with the soothing ability, or Zoe Pierce, the object of simple attraction?

Because of the soothing dynamic between Alphas and Omegas, The Military didn’t prohibit relationships between them.

It’s just that anything more serious required filing an official report.

Nathan Lockwood finally spoke. "Don’t talk about this here."

There were ears everywhere. Anything they said would be overheard.

Miles Sherman and Chase Shaw said nothing, but one look into their eyes told Zoe Pierce that she was in big trouble.

She wanted to defend herself, but like Nathan Lockwood had just said, this wasn’t the place to discuss it.

After that interruption, they, who had nearly finished eating anyway, decided to call it a meal.

Though no one said a word, the moment they left the mess hall, Zoe Pierce knew that Chase Shaw and the others were heading toward her room.

The four of them walked on all four sides of her, boxing her in the middle.

Their formation blocked most of the stares from passersby.

Soon, they arrived at her quarters.

The cramped room was nothing like her previous ones; it was a small space, less than 20 square meters.

With five people inside, the space immediately felt oppressively small.

The door had just been closed.

Zoe Pierce felt her chin get seized, her head tilted up as her back was slammed hard against the wall. A kiss, like a starving beast finally getting its meal, crashed down upon her.

She only had time to let out a muffled sound. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Then his tongue captured hers, and his chest pressed down on her.

Zoe Pierce’s hands pushed back against the body on top of her.

Aaron Xavier followed her momentum and stepped back.

Zoe Pierce immediately covered her mouth, staring at him. "Are you insane?"

Her panicked gaze darted not just to Aaron Xavier, but to Nathan Lockwood and the others who had just watched the whole thing.

Aaron Xavier let out a heavy breath.

The pent-up frustration he’d been feeling vanished the instant he kissed her soft lips.

Especially now, with Zoe Pierce’s eyes glistening and her cheeks flushed crimson.

Her lips, now a brighter red, were covered by her hand, and all he could see was her flustered, panicked expression.

He licked his lips and said bluntly, "I was jealous, Zoe Pierce."

’Jealous, my ass!’

Zoe Pierce could barely stop herself from cursing out loud.

Milo Dawson was completely gone from her mind now; all she could think about were the four Alphas in front of her.

To be precise, her attention was fixed on Miles Sherman and the others, who had just watched Aaron Xavier kiss her.

The Alphas’ gazes were now intensely predatory as they stared at her.

A tremor shot through Zoe Pierce’s heart for some unknown reason. "Aaron Xavier, we’re on the Starship!"

Even though she knew there couldn’t possibly be any cameras here.