Chapter Eighteen
Shiloh
I was losing my damn mind waiting to find out if Hazel accepted our invitation or not. We meant every single word when we said that. “No” was a complete sentence. It was. She didn’t have to accept the offer, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want her to more than my next breath.
I was good at a lot of things. Being patient and waiting for her response wasn’t one of them.
My wolf was worse. I’d been in a constant state of fighting him since we scented her in the clearing, and it wasn’t getting any better.
He wanted to see her, scent her, make sure she was safe, mark her with his scent, and rub against her.
He also wanted to mark her, but at least he had the sense to know that it had to be her choice, not ours.
We couldn’t pressure her and still call it a choice. If we pushed her into it, it wasn’t a choice at all.
True was working on his laptop and had been since we got back from delivering the clothing.
At least he had that to distract him. He was typing away, grunting every once in a while and mumbling to himself.
Once he had that name, he became one with that machine.
He hadn’t even finished his instant noodles when we did.
They were still sitting beside him hours later, uneaten.
I got up and threw them away because at least then I had something to do.
Lindon was figuring out what we should do next. He had an unrecognizable look on his face when he planned, and I knew better than to interrupt him when he was like this.
What did I do instead? I freaking paced the room. That was it, the extent of my contribution to this part of the process, and I hated it. Throwing out old noodles and walking back and forth was not helping in any meaningful way.
An hour later, True grabbed our attention when he went completely still. No clacking at the keyboard. No moving of his head. No tapping of his foot. Nothing. Funny how a lack of movement could have both Lindon and I looking at him much faster than if he had called to us.
“What’d you find?” I asked.
He held up a finger, his lips moving, his eyes on the screen. His scent changed.
“True. You’re scaring me.” I’d never seen him like this. His beast was barely in control. The last thing we needed was him ripping through his skin into his fur in here.
“We have a problem.” He pressed his palms against his eyes.
“I know. We’re working on it,” I said.
True shook his head. “No. This problem is worse.”
I wanted to puke. How could it be worse? True explained and showed us exactly how.
He went into all the ways he found the information, like he did every time he shared something important. I appreciated that sharing his process mattered, but I couldn’t keep track of what he was saying. Never could. That alpha’s mind worked in a way far beyond me.
The man whose name Hazel gave us was behind the contract. That was bad, but expected. What came next wasn’t.
Hazel was not the first omega connected to him. There were others, many others. Some had disappeared, but others were listed as dead. My stomach dropped. That could’ve been Hazel.
“It looks like some are still with him.”
A growl ripped through Lindon. She had said he’d bought her.
It hadn’t meant becoming a mate in exchange for money.
That was gross, but a practice that had at one time been common.
He full-on bought omegas…multiples. From what he pulled up, they were used for everything from basically broodmares to sex party favors to maids.
My wolf couldn’t handle it. Claws emerged. My teeth elongated. All I could picture was Hazel being captured by that man. She hadn’t been paranoid or overreacting or looking for sympathy. If she had stayed even an hour longer, that was the life waiting for her, or maybe no life.
He needed to die.
“We’re killing him.” It came out partially a growl, and Lindon put his hand on the back of my neck, his claws actually sinking in this time as he commanded I gain control. The scent of iron tickled my nose, warm liquid trickling down my neck.
I couldn’t be mad at him because, without his hand there, I’d have probably destroyed this room trying to get to my mate.
“Get in control.” His alpha strength managed to push my wolf back. My hands were now my own, my teeth back to normal.
“Anything else, True?” Lindon asked when I was finally calm enough to not need his claws in me. That was gonna sting for a while. I deserved it.
“We can’t call the agency. This kind of guy won’t let it go. He will send someone else, if he hasn’t already, and others won’t see her as something to be treasured. They’d see her as a payday.”
It was fact. No one else would protect her. If anything, they’d be horrible to her on their way to give her to that piece of shit.
We found her because we were good at our jobs, but that didn’t mean someone else couldn’t find her too. It might take them longer, but they’d be successful.
Belladonna Woods wasn’t enough protection for her. No place was. We needed to find a way to end this contract for good, not pass it on to someone else.
Her life depended on it.