Page 12 of The Brooding Alpha's Mate
“I don’t know. That’s not the point of the story.” I closed my eyes, trying to hold my bear back but already scenting him. “My mate was at the gas station. And long story short, I need to protect him from a crazy-ass lion.”
“Whoa,” Pop-Tart said. “You’re gonna have to slow down and give us the long version of this.”
“Fine, but I really don’t have a lot of time. I need to get back to him.” I told them every last detail.
“What can I do? If I bring him home, he’ll be tracked there. If I bring him out there, all the humans and other omegas, not to mention the countless children might overwhelm him. There are too many unknowns.” I wanted to protect my mate, but I refused to endanger another to do so.
“Cousin, I’ll follow you back to the healer with my car. And you can take it with your omega. We have a safe house you can hide out in while the team investigates, and figures out a plan.”
“But how will you get home?” If I had to drive him back here, I could potentially be luring Dean to the warehouse full of children and omegas, and I refused to allow that to happen.
“I’ll follow behind him.” Hammer stood up.
“You—”
“It’s probably best for both of us.” He was hearing none of it.
My bear growled.
“Chill.” Aziz rolled his eyes. “I forgot how possessive unmarked mates could be.”
He had no idea.
Chapter Seven
Colson
The healer was kind. He was a wolf, like me, which surprised me. Since Alex was a bear, I assumed he lived in a den with other bears. I didn’t know a whole lot about bears, but I knew they lived separate lives but usually on land together for protection and community, when they wanted it.
“Other than needing a few more days to heal and maybe a shift to make sure everything is back in order, is there anything else you want to speak to me about? Ask me about?”
I didn’t immediately answer.
I had questions, sure, but most of them were for my mate. He had stepped out of the room once the healer arrived.
Immediately my wolf whined inside me. I didn’t want to be away from Alex for a second. The bond we shared was thin, a weak heartbeat. In the beginning, I thought mates never wanted to be parted from each other, especially in the beginning, but here I was, alone.
“What I mean is, before this, were you abused in other ways?”
Oh. I see what he meant. “No. They were happy to treat me as an unpaid house manager, cook, launder, anything else they wanted. But they never touched me sexually. I think…” I guessed since Alex left me with this man, he could be trusted. “I think they were keeping me pure.”
The thing was, I wasn’t pure. I’d been with another alpha when I was younger. Barely over eighteen. I’d just graduated from high school and was partying hard.
It happened. No amount of regret would take it back, but I wished I’d waited for my mate. I was so smashed, I barely remembered the encounter.
“I understand. I’m glad you were able to come here. Alex is a good man. He will take care of you. Please don’t hesitate to find me or have Alex find me if you need anything. Even an ear to talk to, okay? We also have a counselor here who comes a few times a week. You can talk to him as well.”
“Thank you.”
I watched the healer walk out the door and then it was my turn. Alex was everything I’d ever dreamed of when I was a young omega.
And for that reason, I had to leave before Dean and his cronies could hunt me down and hurt my mate.
I grabbed a shirt laid across a chair and some pants and threw them on, not worrying about shoes. Once I got my bearings, I would shift into my wolf and make a run in whatever direction.
Into the hallway, I crept, trying to be quiet. I’d heard other voices coming from outside the room, and there were scents of bears, wolves, and many more animals all around. From what I could decipher, my mate lived in a zoo. My wolf alerted me to a door at the end of the hall. Through the window, I could see grass and in the distance an expanse of pine trees. That was my ticket out of here.
With my hand on the doorknob, I paused. My wolf cried inside me, warning me not to leave my mate.
