Page 13 of The Brooding Alpha’s Mate (Omegas of the Shifter Mafia #9)

Colson

I threaded my fingers through Alex’s. He immediately got the hint. I was scared. Not because of getting myself hurt but for him—for them putting their lives in danger to save people.

More than anything, I was scared for my mate. I’d just found him.

“Everything is going to be okay,” Alex whispered in my ear. “I swear it.”

“If you say so. I don’t know what I’m doing. I want to help but have no clue how to.” I put on a brave face when I forced myself into this mission; as far as maintaining it, that wasn’t happening.

Maverick turned around in his seat in front of us. His eyes changed to gold, only for a second. “You’re going to be our map. You have an idea of where they are keeping the babies? The young?”

Nodding, I recalled where Chad did most of his work.

Where the supplies for the babies were. They had to be close.

We could use our shifter senses to detect them from there.

“I know the area. I wasn’t allowed into that part of the pride but I have a good idea.

And if we can find my friend Chad, he knows more. ”

“Good. That’s all the help we need. Our mates are good with information, care, and they are sensitive to the needs of the omegas who have been taken. Not that they aren’t strong, but we alphas won’t let them fight. It would shatter our egos.”

Alex laughed at Maverick’s assessment. “He’s not wrong.”

I looked at him then, like I was seeing him for the first time. We were headed into the pride, a dangerous group of lions, and my mate was laughing. Smiling. This was who he was. A warrior against oppressors. A valiant fighter.

“What is it, omega?” he asked me.

“After this is over, I’d like to see more of that smile,” I answered.

“That can be arranged.” He settled his hand on the inside of my thigh and though we were headed straight into danger, he was all I could think about.

I woke with a start a while later with Alex’s lips pressed to my temple. “I’m sorry, Colson, but we’re almost there. We’re going to need you to navigate.”

My stomach turned as I looked out the front windshield. We were back to the place I never hoped to revisit again. Nothing had changed in the pride. Nothing ever did. Change only happened with behavioral evolution, and these fuckers were never going to change.

“That’s the alpha house. That’s where I lived. Chad worked in the south. There’s a huge building back there. It almost looks like a barn.”

“That’s where you worked? Worked? Omega, that wasn’t work. That was slavery.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Hey, I’m not upset with you. I’m sorry.” Alex pulled me in for a hug. “I’m angry at them. The way they treated you. You didn’t deserve that. No one does.”

The bear, Tyrus, spoke from the front. “That’s why we’re gonna go in and end this bullshit. This pride won’t know what hit them.”

The SUVs lined up and a strange hush fell between us. We got out and no one came out. Not a single lion emerged from the houses.

“Why aren’t they here?” Tyrus asked.

“Because it’s too early in the morning,” I responded. Those fuckers partied so hard into the night that they never woke up before noon. If they did, it was to bark at me about making breakfast.

“Then a surprise attack it is.” Hammer picked up some weapons and everyone got ready. Maverick changed into his dragon and flew into the sky.

“Stay close to me, okay? Please.”

I nodded. “Of course, alpha.”

Alex blew out a breath. “Hey, in case something goes wrong, I want you to know that I love you and I am so glad you’re mine.

” He kissed my forehead quickly and then started barking out orders to the rest of them.

Some would go after the main house. Some would go to find the babies and Chad. Everyone had their marching orders.

The rest of the action happened in a blur. Alphas fought. Some of ours were hurt. A lot of lions were hurt and some killed.

There were sounds of war from all kinds of animals. Lions. Tigers. Bears. Wolves. Dragonfire exploded and burned entire houses after they were cleared out.

“We found them,” Hammer said, running to the SUVs. “There are so many. We need help.”

He got on his phone and called Gray, his mate, Sloan, and Hutch, the other alphas’ omegas, and told them to bring more vans and car seats. There were so many kids being held. We’d never seen anything of this magnitude.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“You’ve done well, Colson. Really. Without you, we wouldn’t be rescuing all these people.” Hammer turned around. “Oh, and we found Chad. Here he comes now.”

In the distance, Tyrus walked with Chad. He looked worse for the wear. I hoped they didn’t take my leaving out on him. When he got close, he sprinted toward me and we hugged for a long time.

“Thank you for coming back for us. All of us.”

“Alex.” I turned to my mate. “This is Chad. Chad, this is Alex, my alpha. My mate.”

The aftermath took longer than the battle, but I soon noticed something missing. “Where’s Dean?” I asked everyone.

“We didn’t find anyone named Dean,” Maverick said. He was back on two legs since most of the danger had passed.

“Are you sure? He’s the alpha. He’s the mane lion.

Get it?” I laughed, but everyone else took a minute.

“Sorry, that was weird. But he runs the show. Are you sure you didn’t see him?

” Tears flowed down my face thinking that Dean had gotten away.

To be honest, I wished he had been captured so I could at least punch him in the face once. That would’ve been nice.

“He’s gone,” Caleb, one of the other lions said. “Fucking coward.”

No honor amongst thieves.

Also, Caleb got knocked out by Alex for even speaking to me. That was kind of fun to watch. “Let’s focus on the kids and omegas now. Let’s get loaded up. King and Aziz, let’s do one last sweep of the place. We don’t want any little ones or omegas being left behind in this godsforsaken place.”

The lion and the hyena filed out on Hammer’s orders while the rest of us got to work.

Because despite their reputation, this pack or this group of vigilantes weren’t about killing or violence.

They were about saving omegas and children who were abused and trafficked and sold like imports and exports instead of people.

Once everyone was accounted for, we loaded up the vehicles and headed back home.

Home. I never thought I’d get to say that again.

Alex was unharmed for the most part, and we’d rescued so many people of all ages.

Today was a good day.