Chapter Five

Sutton

Harris laughed and leaned back in his chair. He was coming along quickly with his lessons. He studied and Tyrus taught him all kinds of things outside of classes, usually with one of his twins sitting on his lap. He said it was important they see their papa learning and becoming self-sufficient.

I had to admit, a part of me hoped one of these omegas was mine.

They weren’t, for the record.

“What are you laughing at?” I asked.

“You’re on the team now, right? With Hammer and the others? The ones that saved us?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you’d better answer your phone. It’s been blowing up for five minutes straight.”

Even his little one laughed at me.

I opened the phone just as it vibrated once more. “Sutton here.”

Aziz was on the other line. “You’re needed in the secure room five minutes ago.

I hopped up and bolted for the room where meetings were held. A recent add-on, I’d been told. Once inside, I realized this was no meeting.

There was a man in the middle of the room was bound hand and foot with zip ties and surrounded by the team. “Who is this?” I asked after shutting the door.

“Lock it,” King barked at me. “I don’t want any of the omegas exposed to this asshole.”

I did so, but my bear fought me from the inside. Turning back around, I stared at the wide-eyed omega who wasn’t fighting his binds whatsoever. He was beautiful. A jackal from the scent of him, but my friends and new team clearly thought he was a threat.

“Who is this?” I asked, stepping toward him. My bear powered my steps, needing to be closer to the omega. I closed my eyes, taking in his scent deeply.

Gods, if I didn’t know better…

“Someone who was told to fucking stay away!” King roared.

“I need some background, y’all.”

King stepped toward me. “This omega stole my omega. Kidnapped him. Held him in a fucking cave like an animal. We told him to leave. To leave and never come back. He swore.”

“So, why is he here?” I asked. “He must have a reason to risk his life by returning.” Especially since the lion looked like he was about to chew him up and swallow him, bones and all.

“King, I want you and Aziz and Mav to step out. Control your beasts. I think Sutton is right. Raven knew what he was walking into coming back here. It must’ve been something big. Go on. Take a breather.” Hammer’s alpha tone was something else.

The lion, the hyena, and the dragon stalked out, grumbling and pitching a fit the entire way.

“Raven, tell us why you risked your life to come here,” Pop-Tart asked while Tyrus took a seat in the corner. The leader of the team cocked his head to the side as though considering something. I was considering something as well.

“Yes, Raven,” Hammer growled. “Tell us why we shouldn’t take your life right this minute. You kidnapped one of our omegas. For all we know, you were going to kill Ryan that night.”

“Never. I-I told you. I was crazed and don’t know what I’m doing half the time. What that healer did to me… I wish he’d killed me right then and there.”

“Is that your wish?” I asked. My bear tugged at our tether, begging me to treat this omega with care even though, from what I was hearing, he deserved no such thing.

“No. I came because my jackal—”

Tyrus stood and cleared his throat. “Son of a bitch. Son of a fucking bitch!” He squinted at me.

“I know,” I said. “I don’t… I know.”

“What do we all know?” Hammer said loudly. “Would someone let me in on the big fucking secret?”

“You came here because your alpha is here now, correct?” Tyrus was barely keeping his cool. A vein broke out along his forehead. “When you said in the clearing… you meant…”

Raven nodded, tears in his eyes.

“What? Who could be…ah, shit. Sutton?” Tyrus sounded more disappointed than anything. Too bad.

I nodded, torn between the little I knew about the tied up-omega and my unfailing loyalty to this team. I came here under the terms of being a part of this team.

But an omega. A fated mate. A mate came before all else. Including this team and my word to them.

“How?” Hammer asked. “He’s mated to another. There’s a forced bond. That’s what you told us.”

Raven locked in on Hammer. “I know. I’m sorry, but he called to me. I still have this half-measure bond to my other alpha. The healer gave me that tonic and it broke most of it but…this bear is also my alpha. Or my real alpha. I don’t know, but it is worth my life to find out. I would take the chance on dying if it meant this pain could end. That maybe my true, fated alpha could take away this pain.”

“Tyrus, what do we do now, brother? What in the ever-loving fuck do we do now?”

The bear scrubbed at the back of his neck. “Sutton, go to him. Take a long, deep breath of him. Because we must be sure. Who fucking knows what the lion is going to say, but if we’re going to ask him, we need to be sure.”

“Fuck,” I muttered and walked over to Raven. He had olive skin and deep-brown eyes. Dark crescents hung underneath them, and he looked painfully underfed. “Move your neck to the side, okay?”

The omega complied, and his body went slack as I pressed my nose to his skin. Goddess, he scented like cinnamon and sugar and nutmeg. All the things that smelled like home to me. My bear stirred and then completely calmed, submitting to the bond, to the formation of the link between us.

I pulled back and scanned the face of the omega. My bear sensed his pain. It was deep as marrow and pulsing like his heartbeat. “He’s mine,” I said, loosening my shoulders. “The omega is mine.”