“That’s all I need, Ry.” I squeezed his hands. “Hey, look at me.” Once he did, I leaned closer. The dark circles under his eyes suddenly looked so much more prominent, like the energy that had been keeping him going was draining away before my eyes. “There are some excellent trackers in our pack. We’ll find the warehouse and get the others out of there. I promise.”
Rylan’s chin started to tremble. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes. We’ll alert the authorities and get them out of there.”
He swallowed and nodded, pulling one of his hands from mine to wipe at his eyes. “Okay. Thank you. I guess, uh, I should find someplace to stay for the night.”
A low rumble bubbled up out of my chest before I could stop it.
Rylan’s head snapped up, wide eyes meeting mine again.
“Sweetheart,” I said, as gently as I could. How could he think he wasn’t welcome to anything—everything—I owned? That he ever needed to worry about finding a place to stay, to belong? All that I was and all that I had was his if he wanted it. I reminded myself that the people who were supposed to protect him and love him had sold him off and had to fight off a much deeper growl. “If you want, and the choice is yours, there is always a place for you here. Whether or not you choose to accept our mate bond. If you want it, you’ve got a home here. You’ve got a pack here.”
More tears slipped down his face. The corners of his perfect blue eyes scrunched up as he squeezed them shut. After a shuddering breath in, he nodded. “Um, I don’t…I mean, I think I can trust you, but I?—”
My heart squeezed. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Or tomorrow. Or a year from now. Just let me help you, and when you’re ready, then you can decide what you want, okay?”
“Okay.”
I lifted one of his hands and kissed the back of it. “Now, you look like you’re about to fall over. How about some sleep, and I’ll get the pack together so we can go get the others.”
“I want to go with you.”
“Rylan…”
“No. I want to go. And they won’t trust you.” He licked his lips, fear and determination warring across his features. “Some of them have been there longer than me. The people he sells to…they get bored. Sell us back. Some of them have been there a long time.”
The rage I’d tried so hard to bank came roaring back. No one should be treated that way. “I swear you will never have to worry about that again. We’re going to stop him. No matter what it takes.”
Chapter
Five
SHEP
“Ican call it in, and we can take Rylan down to the station to get his formal statement…but I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to go in until the morning.” George looked apologetic even as he said it. What he didn’t say was that he wasn’t sure if his superiors would go into an Alpha businessman’s property on the word of an Omega.
It took every ounce of my will not to put my fist through the wall, and really, it was only because Rylan was asleep on the other side of it that I managed to restrain myself. After our conversation in the break area, I’d gotten him settled on the couch in my office. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. I hated how worn down he was, and I couldn’t stand the thought that there were other Omegas out there right now living with that kind of fear and desolation.
I wanted them free of that bastard. I wanted to bring them home. And this pack would be a home for any of them that wanted it.
The others were looking at me—Thorn, Hux, Aiden. We’d closed up the bar as soon as the last fight ended, causing ournormal crowd to grumble a little, but they’d be over it before next weekend. Dave, Julio, and some of the others were still cleaning up, but these three I wanted with me. And if I was fixing to start a war with a man who had no qualms about selling people to the highest bidder, I should probably make a few phone calls to beef up our ranks.
Taking a deep breath, I looked each of my men in the eye. The same fury and determination I was feeling stared back at me. “Thank you, George. You should go home now.”
George was a good friend and while he wasn’t technically pack, he was the closest any human could be without a mate bond. He nodded and gripped my shoulder. “Be careful.”
“We will.”
***
RYLAN
When the warehouse came into view through the trees, a wave of nausea rolled through me. I wanted to save my friends and had every intention of doing so, but I would have given a lot in that moment to never have to set foot in that building again.
Shep’s big, warm hand slid up my back until he cradled the back of my neck in a reassuring grip. “You don’t have to go in there, Rylan.”
Somehow, a small smile pulled at my lips. “Thank you for saying that, but I really do. I don’t want them to be afraid when they see you all.”
