Chapter Nine

Sutton

I whirled my chair around to check on Raven to see he was asleep on the recliner near me. Again.

He slept a lot. More than a normal person.

“He’s still right there. You would’ve known if he moved.” Tyrus chuckled.

“It’s been almost a week, Tyrus,” I said. “He sleeps nearly round the clock, except when he wakes to eat like he’s starving.”

“He could be simply worn out. He’s been through a lot. I know King and Aziz have their reasons for not like him…”

I snorted. “That’s putting it lightly.”

“Well, he did kidnap King’s omega, and the hyena and the lion have some kind of predator bond. I think it’s from all the missions we sent them out on in the beginning.”

“We all do things for different reasons. I’m military. We’ve all done some shit we’re not proud of because we were given orders or no other choice. I understand their anger, but this is something else. Maybe it’s the stress.”

“We all handle it differently. You and I, we get angry and then busy, solving the problem, working shit out. But not everyone is like us,” Tyrus said. He wasn’t wrong. While we talked, we both worked on some files he hadn’t quite cracked open yet. The other bear was convinced there was some even greater damning information in those files but, so far, we hadn’t found much. More names. More addresses. More fake businesses to funnel money into.

The whole thing was a tangled mess of crime and abuse so thick, I felt like we were barely scraping the surface.

“So, what do I do? What would you do if this was Sloan?”

Tyrus gave me a little growl for that, but he knew I meant no harm or malice toward his mate. “Take care of him the best you can. Let him sleep. Feed him. Make sure he’s warm and safe, which you can’t help doing because you have to be on him like white on rice. Just be patient and take care of him. Fate went through all this trouble to bring you to him. She’s not going to let something like someone else’s evil destroy her plans.”

I snorted. “Damn, big bear, when did you get all mature and shit?”

He laughed, and Sloan came in the door, holding J.T. “Lunch, Papa,” Sloan said. “And did I hear that my alpha is mature?” Sloan snorted. He looked over at Raven. “He sleeps a lot, Sutton. Lunch is ready for you both as well. I know there’s some unresolved things going on, but everyone under this roof eats.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Sloan. I appreciate it.”

Tyrus and Sloan left, and I went over to the recliner and kneeled beside it. “Hey, omega.” I kissed his temple.

“Hey,” he answered, a soft smile on his face. I never knew if his smiles were forced or not.

“Are you hungry? Sloan said lunch is ready.”

“Oh.” He paled. “I don’t want to go in there. They think I’m evil.” I opened my mouth to interject, but he put his hand over mine. “It’s okay. I did something horrible to Ryan. I deserve it. Would you mind getting us something, and we can eat in here?”

“Whatever you want. Come with me. Be my shadow.”

I’d made a promise to the others to keep Raven near. We went to the common area, and he stood in the corner, near the door. Head down. Hands wringing. Silence fell over the room.

I was caught in the middle.

He was my omega, and my bear didn’t sense anything evil about him, but the team and their omegas saw only his past.

“Come on.” I filled a huge plate with food for us to share. We went back to Tyrus’ office and ate together.

Tyrus came in and took the plate back to the kitchen for me. I went back to work. Raven cuddled up with my hoodie and drifted back into sleep.

“Already?” Tyrus said, ticking his chin toward my mate.

“Already.”

“How’s your worry, one to ten.”

I scoffed. “Twenty-three.”

“I feel that. These omegas can drive us to madness with worry.”

“Truth.”

We worked side by side for a few more hours. “Do you like him?” Tyrus breached the silence.

“I do,” I said, whirling around in the chair.

“And you trust him?”

“I do, Ty. He’s been through some heavy shit.”

“Is it the bond or you? Can you tell?”

I nodded. “The bond is still weak. He’s not marked, and neither am I. He’s still bonded to the other alpha somehow. But he’s mine, and I care about him.”

“Good. You’ll find a way, then.”

“I hope so.”