Chapter Twenty-Four

Staring at the computer, my vision blurred. I didn't even know how long I'd been looking at the screen, waiting for the answers to present themselves. They were here. They had to be.

I'd been digging on the internet, including sites that weren't meant to exist, since we left our last mission. No matter which I searched or where I began, I kept ending up back on this page. There had to be a hint here at the very least. I wasn't wrong about the last safe house. The omegas had been there. I was sure of it.

My confidence didn't come from the belief my research was flawless—of course, it wasn't. Everyone made mistakes. But it wasn't only my research that led me there. It was the dreams. And with those two things working in tandem…yeah, we had gone to the right place, only we'd arrived too late.

The dream had been the same for a long time. It would never change. But now that the building was empty, it had. No longer could I see the rooms inside it. No longer could I hear other omegas chattering, although none of the words ever came across clearly.

Ever since the raid, the dreams had morphed into darkness and silence. But he was there. I felt him, and he was terrified. Who he was? I didn't know, but he mattered so much that just thinking about him in that darkness had made it difficult for me to breathe on numerous occasions.

I hadn't told anyone about the dreams. Why would I? It wasn't like they'd believe me. But I used the dreams to guide my searches, and now I was stuck on this web page—a business page at that. The weird thing was, it wasn't a local store—it was overseas.

The company sold children's toys, of all things, the fancy kind made out of wood. If they were painted at all, they were beige. And because of this boring aesthetic, they cost a bucketload of cash each. I didn't have kids of my own, but I'd bought enough gifts for my nephews to see this place was for a different tax bracket than I was in.

Somehow, this business was connected to this person who had been coming to me in their dream—or my dream. I wasn't sure how the connection started or which of us was in control. Heck, it might not have been either of us.

Or maybe I was having a breakdown and none of this was happening. No. That didn't feel right.

"Arrgh." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Knock, knock." I turned to see Hutch holding the newest baby in the family, Lachlan.

"Am I disturbing you?" he asked.

"No, it's fine. I'm just having one of those days." Weeks. Months. Same difference, right?

"He doesn't need any toys."

I looked at him, confused, and then remembered what was on my screen. "Oh yeah. What does he need?" I wasn't about to get into the reasons why I was on the site.

"What he really needs is some time with his uncle Tyrus."

Hutch had been very insistent that we all bonded with Lachlan, saying that we were a family and that was that. Not one single person argued with him. We all felt it too. I had a feeling it was about avoiding giving his son a future that looked like Hutch's past. But that was 1000 percent Armchair Counseling 101.

"Oh, yeah? Do you need me to babysit one day?" I was more than happy to do it.

"Well, for a little bit anyway. I have kitchen duty, and Mav was going to take over, but he got called to do a job. Besides, do we really want my mate cooking?"

Hutch was playing along, still doing what was asked of him but in a much more discernible way. That dragon had all my respect and more. He was a great coworker, alpha, father, and mate. He was also the best friend a guy could have, even if the guy in question had been holed up on the computer for far too long, ignoring those around him.

"Mav's cooking's not that bad." It was…fine…ish. As long as he didn't get fancy, it was better than mine.

"A particularly low bar, if you ask me." He swayed back and forth. "Up for uncle duty?"

"I'd love to hang with Lachlan."

Hutch handed me the baby.

"How long has he been asleep?" he asked.

"Only about five minutes. But if he wakes up hungry, there are a couple of bottles of chest milk in the fridge."

"Wonderful." I caught myself doing the baby sway Hutchins had been doing only a few minutes earlier and had to bite back a giggle.

He started to leave and then stopped in his tracks, looking back at me. "Seriously, he doesn't need any toys. He's got family who loves him, and he's at the stage where all he's really doing is sleeping and eating anyway."

"Got it," I assured him, and he walked out.

I looked at the little cutie asleep in my arms. He deserved to live in a world with no breeding facilities and no safe houses that weren't. "Uncle Tyrus is going to save those other omegas. Promise."

It was a vow. It wasn't just us anymore. My family was growing, and I owed it to the next generation to do all I could to stop this.

"Uncle Tyrus never breaks a promise. Never."

Thank you for reading The Alpha Hitman's Matte.