Chapter Two

"Give me the little wolf," I said to Gray as he came in for breakfast. "You eat."

Gray snickered and gently handed over Dominick who doubled in size every time I laid eyes on him. Hammer's omega remained in recovery in a variety of ways. His body had almost completely healed but his spirit—there would always be dark spots, shadows no light could penetrate. We all had them.

My soul had more scars and palls of darkness than light.

My omega's scent still lingered in my nose. The sweetness, a gentle yet powerful reminder of what I'd missed. Fate had reached out her hand, and I'd passed it up.

"You made all this?" Pop-Tart came in, along with Tyrus and Aziz. King let out a dull rumble as he fumbled for a cup of coffee and poured himself into a chair.

"Up with the sun," I responded. "I thought it was my day to cook, but the schedule isn't posted. Either way, it's done."

"Shit!" Pop-Tart said before pushing his chair back and disappearing down the hallway. He was in charge of the schedule for the team, but with everything else we had to do and coordinate, sometimes things slipped through the cracks. The truth was, I never slept. Sure, I laid my head down on my pillow every night, but sleep failed to visit me. She played with my consciousness here and there but never released me into peaceful darkness.

Making breakfast busied my mind—distracted me from the anchors always tugging at me.

We all chuckled at Pop-Tart's candor, and he came back to put the schedule on the fridge right before Hammer entered the kitchen. We hadn't named an alpha of our team, especially since all of us were alphas in our own rights, but Hammer was our leader. Plus, as Pop-Tart's older brother, he tended to hold the younger family member to a higher standard.

"Good morning, everyone." Hammer paused to kiss his omega on the temple. "Omega."

Gray blushed, accepting Hammer's affections.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked, coming over to play with Dom's sock-clad toes while the babe laid his head on my shoulder.

"Everything," King grunted, getting up to get some food. He usually threw down at least two cups of coffee before eating. We all had our quirks.

I sat at the table along with them but didn't eat. My stomach swirled with sourness. Always did. I chalked it up to the twinge of nausea from never sleeping. Not to mention, I was a hitman and, no matter how bad the bad guys were, I didn't enjoy my job. Taking the life of another was never on my list of career aspirations. My dragon could slay an entire army in one exhale.

While they ate, we looked to Pop-Tart for our duties for the day. Going on missions was only a part of what we did. We poured out our sweat for the good of others—that gave me a hint of peace. A whisper.

"My day to clean up," Hammer said after a small but powerful motivational speech. We had shit to do. We lived our lives day to day and sometimes breath to breath. No minute wasted.

Tyrus broke away from the table first. He had been eyeball-deep in researching all the new tips that came in on a daily basis. The task weighed on him. He had been running as a bear more and more lately, he and his animal needing the release of the pressure that pounded down on us.

"Oh, and everyone thank Mav for the breakfast. It was nice of him to cook even though there was no schedule up last night." Hammer turned to nail his brother with a stare.

Pop-Tart blew out a breath and grabbed a silver packet of his namesake's pastries from the pantry. "Fuck."

We all chuckled. Hammer had eyes in the back of his head and noticed everything.

"Can I have my little one back, or does Uncle Mav need more cuddles?" Gray asked, coming over to pat my arm and rub his babe's back. Hammer looked over at us but there was no jealous growl or snarl. His omega and his babe were safe with me—safe from me and my dragon.

"Oh, all right. You can have him back." I handed Dominick over to his father but not before giving the little guy a kiss on the head. He smelled like heaven. "I'll be in the warehouse."

Our warehouse was a giant, echoing place where the teammates had workspaces and desks. The low hum of chattering, typing, and activity never ceased during the day.

During these times of distress, my mind's thoughts roamed to my omega. I'd never seen him. Didn't know what the breeders had done to him or what kind of condition he was in. I only knew he was there because when we scoured the mansion for more victims, I had picked up his scent.

What I did know? He was safer wherever he was than with me. I lived a life of looking over my shoulder. Checking my rearview mirrors. Scanning places for exits. Suspicious stares. Any sign of danger.

There were those who would seek retribution for what I'd done, no matter how much I tried to rationalize my actions under the definition of avenger.

No sooner did I sit at my desk than my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out. My stomach revolted at the sight of the words and numbers on the screen. Always name unknown. Always number encrypted.

"What?" I answered, allowing my dragon to speak through me. My heart thrummed in my chest, beating hard against my sternum.

"I'm sending you GPS to a cabin. It's ground zero for some of the ring leaders. Alphas. All of them. End them all. You have seventy-two hours."

I tossed my phone on the desk, but a new layer of resolve thickened over the other ones. This was why my omega's life was better off without me. I was a killer. A restless killer.