Page 63 of Rescued By the Alpha SEAL
"I know a place," I tell her. "Off-grid. Sheriff Hale can arrange transport."
"Good." She squeezes my arm once—brief but firm. "We're with you, Logan. All the way."
The words should reassure me. Instead, they weigh like stones.
Because I remember the last time people followed me into battle.
Remember how it ended.
Sloane catches my eye from across the room, and something in her gaze steadies me. She sees the war in my head—the constant battle between protection and isolation.
And somehow, without words, she tells me totrust.
To let them in.
To stop trying to carry it all alone.
I exhale slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax. Watch as my team—my family—prepares for what's coming.
They're soldiers.
Warriors.
Protectors.
And maybe...
Maybe that's enough.
The planning continues late into the night. Maps spread across tables, computers humming with activity, voices rising and falling as strategies take shape. Coffee grows cold in forgotten mugs. Pizza boxes pile up in corners.
But no one leaves.
No one backs down.
This is what The Forge was built for—not just as a sanctuary, but as a fortress. A place where truth can flourish and secrets can't hide.
Where broken people become whole again.
Where a woman running from shadows can find her voice.
Where a man haunted by failure can remember how to trust.
I move through the room, checking positions, reviewing plans, making sure nothing's overlooked.
But my eyes keep finding her—Sloane, bent over documents with Eli, gesturing emphatically as she explains something to Caleb, her face animated with purpose.
She belongs here.
The thought hits unexpectedly, settling somewhere beneath my ribs.
She fits—not just with the mission or the cause, but with us. With me.
And that's what terrifies me most.
Because people who fit?
They're the ones you can't afford to lose.
