Chapter Fourteen

I could watch Sloan with the kids for hours on end. He'd taken to teaching them how to make cookies and, although the place was a fucking wreck after they finished, the looks on the kids' faces made it all worth it. They had accomplished something and were praised by everyone for their hard work.

After they'd had their freshly baked cowboy cookies and cold milk, Sloan gathered them up and, to my surprise, in less than an hour, the kitchen was spotless—almost like they'd never gone in there.

He'd come out of Deacon's area earlier that morning, grinding his jaw, and stopped to take several breaths before I could get to him. Once I embraced him in the hallway, he let me know it had been a tough session with the counselor, but he would be okay.

My touch soothed him, which made my bear's whole day.

Once Sloan greeted the kids afterward, I watched his jaw loosen and his shoulders release their tension. Any stress leftover after my touch helped him was washed away by the sight of the kids.

My phone vibrated making me tense up at the feeling in my back pocket. Everyone who usually called me was right here in the warehouse, so I could pinpoint with great probability who was sending me a message. I'd never hoped for spam more than that moment.

I stepped back from the rest of the guys and leaned against the far wall before pulling my phone out. Sure enough, when I looked at the screen, it was from the unknown contact.

It was always an unknown contact. I'd once tried to call this phantom number only to be sent directly to voicemail and, conveniently, their inbox was full.

We had some knowledge of who we worked for, but mostly we understood the why. To save omegas. To stop the breeding rings. To stop the abuse and kidnapping of innocent omegas. To put an end to all the abuse.

Still, over the last few months, with all the developments and discoveries, I worried about our so-called bosses and what their intent was. Some days, I wondered if our intent and theirs lined up at all anymore.

Sloan had again busied himself with the little ones, so I decided to go to my bedroom and have a moment to myself. I had a lot to think about. It wasn't just me in this life anymore. I had a mate. A male who made me feel love I didn't know was possible.

Maverick had only recently confessed to us that he had taken out several people deemed guilty by someone without a face or a name, much like I did.

When he found his omega, Hutch, he'd decided he didn't want that anymore. Didn't want to be a killer and didn't want to put his life at risk when his omega leaned on him.

And yet, as I looked at the instructions that came through by text, I knew that this one had to be done. This male was wanted for killing omegas. Killing and torturing.

This is where things got difficult. If Maverick wasn't going to kill these guys anymore, then that left me.

And anyone who killed and tortured omegas didn't deserve another breath of our air.

So I had to be a killer.

I had to protect my omega.

And yet, in the process, those things made me unworthy of Sloan.

But like hell I could stay away from him.

I plopped down on the love seat and scratched my scalp, thinking about the situation and what in the hell I was going to do. I shut my eyes tightly and sent my worries to any god that would listen to someone about to end another's life.

When I opened my eyes, clear on the fact that I had to complete the mission, I saw a sketch on the bed that caught my attention. I reached for it and saw an S on the bottom. I'd seen Sloan do some art projects with the kids, but this was professional looking. My omega was talented. The drawing was like something out of a museum but, when I realized what I was looking at, I stood up at the shock.

Sloan had drawn exactly the picture that was texted to me. The building this horrific alpha was in. The one I was supposed to kill.

Sloan knew about my mission?

He drew it?

Did he have a vision about it?

Why didn't he share it with me?

Did his gifts go beyond sharing dreams? I mean, clearly they did.

Fuck. Did he already know about me? That I wasn't the kind and gentle alpha he claimed me to be?

That inside me was a killer?

I let out a loud roar, shaking the walls around me. Not knowing what else to do, I stripped off my clothes and made a beeline for the shower and cranked the water on the cold setting. There was so much tension inside me. Frustration. Stress. Need for my mate. Conflict. Confusion. It threatened to break through my skin and spiral out of control in my head.

It was too much.

Once the shock of the cold water made me gasp, I was able to breathe again. I had to do this. I had to be the alpha Sloan needed, and at the same time, retain the part of me that slayed monsters. I could be both, couldn't I? A lover and a fighter? A contracted killer and a gentle mate?

I splayed my hands on the shower wall and let the cold water pour down my back.

I had some decisions to make.

But first, I had to kill this asshole before he did more damage.