Chapter Five

Jeremy

"I, um, need to go. To a bar. Yeah. A bar. Get a drink. Not a lot. I won't get drunk. Never mind…yeah." My words mushed together into one long ridiculous sentence as I fumbled with the doorknob on Clay's office.

A room the size of a phone booth. His smell threatened to choke me and, while I'd made some excuse about going to a bar, I was already intoxicated by the omega and his strawberries-and-cream scent.

Gods, what I wouldn't give for one taste.

I made my excuses as I plowed through the mansion on quick feet. I didn't have a shift until late that night, so going out during the day wasn't uncommon. Most of the men boasted about a bar nearby but, from what I'd heard, it was an omega strip joint.

Not my thing. There was enough objectification in this world already.

Inside the beat-up truck, I slammed my palms against the steering wheel, letting out a bit of frustration before making the drive out of the country and into the small city to the south. No one I knew went there. They said there was nothing to do. I didn't need entertainment of any kind but a safe spot to call my team and tell them what was going on.

"Fuck. Of all times to meet my omega, it had to be in that forsaken place."

But man, was he beautiful. Of course, I'd blurted that out like a tool but thinking back, there was nothing else to say. I didn't know him, and the omega my wolf was crying out mate for was stunning. Strawberry-blond hair and freckles for days, more populated along his cheekbones. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans despite the warm day. It had been cold in that little room. A few square feet with two vents was unnecessary.

My wolf begged me to go back. Take him out of there. Get him far away from those alphas who acted like taking an omega against their will was something they looked forward to.

Fucking disgusting creatures.

I cursed and threw a complete fit all the way to the city. When I arrived at the bar, I picked up a whiskey from the bartender and then beelined to the booth in the corner. The place was dark. Packed with shifters, humans, and some other creatures I couldn't quite decipher from scent alone. I made sure I was mostly out of earshot of other people and dialed Hammer's number. He would answer, no matter what.

What I hadn't expected was for him to pick up on the first ring. "It's me," he breathed. Smart. We didn't say anything to each other until our identities were verified.

"We're out of peanut butter," I said.

"Huh," he replied. "I thought you were allergic to the stuff."

Silly. Simple. But it worked.

"Hammer, we have to rev things up."

He told Grey to gather the team. When I called, they all assembled. Tyrus, Mav, King, even Aziz. "Tell me everything you can," he went on a moment later.

"They called us in this morning, all the guards. Said there was a shipment arriving soon and that all alphas in the house, even the guards and cooks would be expected to participate in the…gods, I can't even say it. They want us to impregnate the omegas, by force." I nearly threw up in my mouth at the very idea. This was what we were fighting for. To stop these things, and I was in the thick of it.

My team. My brother. My family. All of them let out a string of curses, and I heard fists slam into hard surfaces.

"When?" Tyrus asked. I would recognize the bear's voice anywhere.

"Two, three days. Not a long time," I replied, trying to contain exactly how frantic I was about all this.

"We're packing up," Hammer said. "We are going to move in on your location, brother. We'll be there tomorrow morning. When you know the exact time or any other information, we will move in."

I blew out a long breath of relief. I wasn't alone anymore. I never really was in this mission, but the last month or so had made the loneliness creep in.

"It would be better to cut off the shipment before it gets to the house," I said, lowering my tone as a couple passed in front of my booth. "There are innocent people there."

"What do you mean? How many?" Maverick asked. If I knew the dragon as well as I thought I did, he was ready to fly in and flambé the entire place.

"Well, only one that I know of. An omega. I think he works there, but I have a feeling he doesn't know the particulars. He works in a small office on a laptop."

More grumbling.

"I'm gonna task you to get him out," my brother barked. "Jeremy, do you hear me?"

I did. My thoughts had drifted to Clay. The omega who belonged to me.

"I hear you. I will make sure he gets out. Otherwise, who knows what they will do. Once they find out their shipment has been intercepted, there's no telling the torture they will put the guards through."

"We have to go," Aziz said. "One hour to pack up. Hold on, brother. We're coming. We'll get this taken care of."