Somehow, I managed to fall asleep in that disgusting apartment, but I had to keep my window open, and the door closed with a towel under it to block all the smells from coming in. And… thinking about Kieran helped. I tried not to let him in my head, but… It soothed me, and even better, it soothed my alpha. It forgot to be angry at me when we thought of its… our… mate.

The mate we could’ve had.

Waking up in that fucking dump was even worse than falling asleep in it. The smell was still there, burning in my nose. There was no way I could get used to it enough to ignore it. I gagged as I opened my eyes, but… I forgot the smell when a thought occurred…

I could’ve woken up next to Kieran that morning… He must’ve already realized I’d left him…

That weight on my chest returned, and I closed my eyes, trying to find whatever there was left in me, strength or whatever, to push that omega out of my head. There was no point in thinking about him, and especially in dreaming about things I could never have. But I couldn’t stop…

Did he think I’d only used him right before leaving? That it hadn’t meant anything to me? Was it better for him if he did believe so…?

I sighed, tossed the covers aside, and got out of bed. I needed something to do, or I’d drive myself crazy thinking about… that omega.

Glen was still asleep when I left my room, so I got a moment alone. I tried to ignore the filth on the floors on my way to the bathroom, which was another nightmare of its own. I quickly relieved myself, then stopped to stare down at my bandaged stomach. I wanted to take them off and see how well I was healing, but I feared the wound would get madly infected if it got exposed to the air of this fucking shitty place. I could’ve tried to do something about the apartment, but… What was the point?

For I had a plan, and whatever the outcome would be, returning to this fucking dump was not going to happen.

I wasn’t surprised to find out there was no food. Nothing edible, at least. The stuff I found was covered in mold. As I went through the cupboards, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kieran’s cooking. I could almost sell it… My stomach growled at the thought.

At least there was plenty to drink, so I grabbed a bottle of beer and went to sit down in the living room to stare out the window. And think. I did have a plan, but it was far from a solid one. I knew the place where they kept the slaves, the omegas, and I knew my way around it, but was it enough?

Glen had a perfect timing when he stepped out of his bedroom only seconds later, looking like crap, but more sober now. He stopped to stare at me, his eyes red and without blinking.

“It wasn’t a dream…” he whispered, hurrying closer to ogle at me. “You came home.”

“I’m indeed alive, yes,” I said. “Do you remember what we talked about last night?”

“Bits and pieces, yes,” he said as he slowly sat on an armchair close by.

“I want to free the omega slaves. You are with me, right?” I asked him, watching him closely.

“I thought you were just kidding…” he mumbled.

“I’m not,” I said angrily, leaning closer to him. “I want to make them pay for what they let happen to us. I want them pay for letting our friends get killed. So, are you with me or not?”

Glen turned to look away from me, and at first, I thought he was going to say no. But then I understood he was watching our home, the emptiness our friends had left behind.

“I’m with you,” Glen said quietly in a dark voice. “Freeing the slaves is the biggest middle finger we can give them.”

“Exactly,” I said. “But we need a plan.”

“You don’t have one yet?”

I shook my head. “Well, I have some kind of plan.”

He nodded as well, balling his hands into fists, but then his posture dropped, and he shook his head.

“How are we going to do that with just the two of us? They have plenty of guards. The place is a fucking maze. They got at least thirty omegas, all separated from each other.”

“I mean, we don’t have to do it alone…” I muttered.

He turned to me. “You’re not suggesting…?”

“Maybe I am,” I said.

He let out a deep sigh. “You’re talking about the army.”

“Indeed.”

He watched me closely. “They really pissed you off, huh?”

“I got fucking shot, all right?” I grunted at him. “And all our friends are dead. We’re just fucking cannon fodder to them. Of course I’m pissed!”

Glen nodded. “So. What’s our plan?”

I let out a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “Do we need to check the place out first, or do we remember enough?”

“We’ve been there plenty of times,” Glen said, his demeanor turning sharper, focused. “If we do this, we have to strike early in the morning, when there’s no visitors. Only the guards.”

I agreed. “We can get in by pretending we have a delivery.”

“Yes,” he said. “They won’t suspect a thing.”

Of course they wouldn’t… Because that was exactly what we did to Jomica.

It was my job to kidnap omegas.

I felt sick. My alpha’s hate grew stronger, but I hated myself even more. The omegas I’d helped to kidnap for Jomica were now used as prostitutes and baby makers, or harvested for slick they sold as aphrodisiacs for alphas. That was why I couldn’t stay with Kieran. Not after I’d destroyed so many lives and families.

I didn’t deserve to have an omega of my own.

“Once we’re in, we kill everyone who tries to stop us,” I said quietly. “Then we call the army so they can come pick up the omegas. They’ll take care of them.”

“We could just let the army do the work,” Glen suggested. “We’ll just need to tip them off and watch the news in the morning.”

“We need to be inside to protect the omegas,” I said. “Jomica will get rid of the evidence as soon as they realize they’re under attack. They will kill the omegas.”

“So you want to… save them? Not just ruin Jomica’s income?” Glen asked slowly.

“Of course I…!” I started in anger, but then snapped my mouth shut.

Glen raised an eyebrow at me. “So… That omega I’m smelling all over you…?”

“Mind you own fucking business,” I snapped at him, but he did not.

“You found your mate,” he guessed. “An omega mate.”

I growled at him, but he still didn’t let it go.

“The Trouble I know would’ve let all those omegas burn in hell,” he said slowly.

“Mind your own goddamn business,” I growled at him. “I’m warning you.”

He raised his hands in the air, chuckling a little. “No, no, I’m just impressed. It has to be one hell of an omega since it was able to convert you so fast.”

I bared my teeth at him, but then leaned back and calmed when I thought about Kieran.

“He is…” I muttered, and stayed silent until I was able to push Kieran out of my head. I turned back to Glen. “Does this change things?” I asked harshly.

“No,” he said without hesitation. “I will not rest until our friends get their revenge. Freeing the omegas is what will hurt them the most.”

“Exactly,” I said. “We need to start getting ready. I want to strike as soon as we can. The sooner the better.”

“Yes, sir,” Glen said.

Once the omegas were free… Maybe then this weight on my chest would disappear. Maybe then my alpha would finally forgive me. And maybe then, the life Kieran saved would be worth something.