Chapter Fourteen

Something brushed my face, waking me up. The day before had taken its toll on me so, before I passed out, I asked Tyrus to keep an eye on Hutch. My teammate had raised one eyebrow in question but said nothing. He would watch over my mate for me.

Opening my eyes, I realized what had been tickling my face and now my neck. There was a wolf in my arms. A tiny one with silver fur and a white belly. White socks as well. His nose lay between my neck and my shoulder.

My arm had him tight against my body in a protective position.

Sweet mate of mine had tucked himself in next to me, and apparently, we'd slept this way all night. His clothes lay in a neat pile at the end of the bed. I'd missed him stripping down. Probably for the best. My dragon could only handle so much temptation.

As gently as possible, I rose, picked up the little wolf, and put him in my bed—our bed. I took a few moments to stroke his soft fur and listen to his steady heartbeat before covering him with a warm blanket. The steady thrum of his heart reassured me that he was safe in that moment. Moment by moment was how we lived now.

I showered and returned to the bedroom to dress where I could enjoy the sight of my mate. Hutch was a beautiful wolf.

Leaving him behind, I headed to the kitchen to find Tyrus and Pop-Tart making breakfast. "Morning." Four huge Crock-Pots lined the counters. The delicious scent of oatmeal along with bananas, brown sugar, and butter made my mouth water. But what about protein? Oatmeal had some but not enough for a healing wolf.

"There's sausage in the oven," Tyrus said, reading my mind. The omegas needed to build their strength.

"You need help?" I asked, taking a sip of black coffee.

"We've got it. Thanks." Pop-Tart's wolf was close to the surface. He seemed agitated, as all of our animals were lately. They were wanting to figure all this out as much as we did.

King walked in last after the others. Hutch and Gray hadn't made an appearance yet. Omegas should sleep in. Their bodies needed more rest than ours did.

"I'm tired of waiting, Hammer. We've played enough defense. It's time for us to do something." Tyrus spoke for us all.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I made a decision last night. We need to surprise visit the safe houses today before they get wind of what we're doing here and try to scatter."

"Can we even fucking call them safe houses anymore?" King pulled a piece of sausage straight from the oven and popped it into his mouth. Animal.

"No. We can't," Hammer answered. "So when do we want to begin this team effort?"

"We need someone to stay and protect the omegas here," I put in.

Hammer made eye contact with me and gave me a curt nod.

"I'll stay," Tyrus said. "My bear is thirsty for blood anyway."

"That doesn't answer when," Hammer remarked.

King growled. "I say we move now. Early in the morning. They won't see us coming until our fangs are at their throats."

"Then, let's go."

We were all taking a long drag from our coffee cups when Hutch and Gray came in, their heads close together. Gray whispered something in Hutch's ear that made him flush from his neck all the way up to his cheekbones.

Jealousy shot through me. I wanted to be the one to make my omega blush like that. Gray turned, Dominick in his arms. "So, where are we going?" he asked. "Both of us are in." He looked at Hutch who nodded and eyed me.

"No way in hell," King gruffed, and the other alphas in the room agreed with grunts and nods.

"Excuse me," Gray said. "We weren't asking for permission."

Though I shouldn't have been, I was proud of Gray for standing his ground. He'd come so far since being rescued.

"It's too dangerous," I answered.

"You're going to get nowhere with those omegas without us," Hutch responded with a firm tone that made my cock stir.

"What do you mean?" Hammer asked.

"They will probably feel betrayed by you. All of you. They were told they would be sent somewhere safe, and instead, they were transported straight into the depths of hell. They won't be quick to trust any of you again They will listen to us."

"You went with Mav," Pop-Tart added.

"That's…different." Hutch's cheeks went from pink to magenta.

"He has a point." I put my cup into the sink.

Hammer's brow bunched over his eyebrows, and the lines on his forehead became more pronounced. "We didn't do it on purpose."

"They don't know that, mate." Gray rocked a bit, soothing his young. The decision hung in the air. Hammer stalked over to his omega and whispered some things in his ear, his tone soft. His hand caressed his mate's arm. Gray took a step back, met Hammer's eyes, and nodded. I heard the gist of it. Gray was staying home with their baby.

"Hutch…" Hammer started and everything in me wished he would command Hutch to stay home. Not only would this mission put him in danger but, seeing us destroy the alphas would add a layer to his already thick trauma. "Let Maverick show you how to use a gun. I think you're right. They aren't going to trust us without you."

Damn it all. I let out a string of curses but went to my room to retrieve the right weapon. Light. Easy to shoot and load. Packed a punch.

When I got back, Hutch was waiting while the others had disappeared, presumably to make their preparations.

"You don't want me with you," my omega whispered.

"It's not that, Hutch. You know it's not that."

He nodded. "I only ever feel fully safe when we are together." His words sliced right through my heart.

We stared at each other and, more than anything, I wanted to take his mouth with mine, pouring all my love for him into the moment. "I'll keep you from harm. I swear it."

His eyes brimmed with tears. "Thank you. You're going to teach me how to use this?" he asked, swiping at his eyes, getting back to business.

"I am. Once we get back, I'll train you on all the weapons but, for now, this will have to do." I pointed out the safety, the trigger, how to put the clip in. The basics. I gave him the simplest gun I had. "When you're ready, point and shoot. Steady grip. Aim for the torso. Biggest area to hit."

He took the gun from me, handling it a bit. "Okay. I can do this."

I gripped his waist, not even caring if the others could see me. "You can do anything you put your mind to. Why don't you have some breakfast before we go. You need anything else?"

"Courage." He laughed, tucking the gun into his waistband. He was incredibly hot in that moment.

"You already have more bravery than this whole team combined."