Omega Mine

That following night, their group continued on their trip to Charleton. Having spent the last twenty four hours monitoring everything he could about the forest surrounding him, Grayson felt more at ease as they traveled tonight. Now that he’d grown used to the forest, the rustling of bushes nearby was easily picked up and discarded, his mind telling him it was likely a small woodland creature and not a soldier under Ortega’s orders coming to slaughter them all.

Not that Grayson would let that happen if there was a threat lurking in these woods. He’d wipe out whoever put Josie’s welfare at risk. The rebellion or the humans holding him prisoner for years; it didn’t matter to him. He’d been missing out on her his entire life, missing out on so many things, and he wasn’t about to let anything drive them apart.

He’d die first.

Josie sighed, the sound pulling him from his turbulent thoughts. She was beside him, where he liked her most. Unless, of course, she was beneath him, her body naked and soft against his as he claimed her.

That might be where he preferred her, just so he could feel her tremble in his hold while he pleasured her for hours. Smell her sweet, sensual scent blending with his darker musk. Hear her small gasps with each pump of his hips, or the sharp cry of ecstasy pass her lips when he brought her to orgasm.

Ignoring the stirring of lust those particular thoughts brought to life, Grayson held her hand more firmly in his, squeezing gently. He liked doing that. Holding her hand. Touching her fingers. Such a simple yet effective way to send peace filtering through him.

He’d felt a brief flicker of their mating bond last night while they’d been locked together in the river, her thoughts pouring into him until warmth had radiated from his very soul. And then, in an instant, her thoughts and emotions had disappeared. It had left him bereft, and he was determined to experience that again and again until the mating bond between them solidified into a constant flow of their thoughts and emotions.

“Do you think we’ll reach Charleton tonight?” Josie asked Jameson, who was leading them through the woods, the same as last night. “I’m exhausted.”

Grayson’s brows rose in surprise. “You slept most of the day,” he commented, feeling a bit perplexed. Was she ill? She didn’t look sick–it was extremely rare for their kind to fall prey to an illness, and he didn’t remember Omegas being different in that regard.

“I know. I think everything from the past week is just finally catching up to my body,” Josie answered quietly, sending him a small smile meant to reassure. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as he grew more interested in stopping to allow her to rest than arriving at their destination. She bumped her hip into him. “Not to mention I haven’t had coffee in days. I’d give anything for a bit of caffeine.”

“Amen to that,” Gemma commented from behind them.

Jameson didn’t turn around, tossing an answer to Josie’s original question over his shoulder. “We should be there within the next hour if I haven’t gotten us lost. When we reach town, I’ll head in first and meet with my friend. I’ll explain what’s happened and that we need shelter for a few nights and a way to contact Bethany. We’ll go from there.”

Grayson noted the slight inflection in Jameson’s tone at the mention of his ‘friend’, and his eyes narrowed. “And who are we meeting? Another of our kind?”

“No. He’s an ally to the rebellion, and the mayor of Charleton. It’s a small farming town with only a few dozen residents, so they don’t typically receive attention from the human government. Since it’s seldom Mongrels or guards visit, there are a few Omegas in hiding, along with some Betas to act as protection if needed. Mayor Falcone is someone we can trust.”

“Why do you believe that?” Grayson asked, hoping the Omega would divulge some more information. He wanted to trust the male, and in some matters he did, but he felt like there was more lurking just beneath the surface in regards to Jameson and his affiliation with this mayor.

What if Grayson was being a fool and was leading himself and those relying on him into a trap? He couldn’t allow that to happen. Wouldn’t let those he cared for come into harm’s way because he trusted the wrong person.

There was a stirring in his mind, a memory intruding that reminded him he’d been victim to that once before, decades ago, and it had cost him everything.

The thought made his pulse quicken, his nails lengthening into sharp claws that he just managed to keep from piercing Josie’s skin. His body began to vibrate with rage, eyes locking on the back of Jameson’s head as a red haze engulfed his vision. It wouldn’t take much to end the Omega’s life. A quick twist of his head would sever the spinal cord. Or he could–

Josie’s thumb brushed over his in a tender caress, and immediately he relaxed, taking a deep breath to steady the angry thrum that had begun beating in his chest. Grayson squeezed her hand in silent thanks, rolling his shoulders back to release some tension.

Jameson cleared his throat, oblivious to the dark fate he’d just been saved from. “The mayor is my father,” he said nonchalantly.

His father?

“Your dad is a mayor?” Josie asked in disbelief, mirroring the shock Grayson felt. How had he come to be part of the rebellion? “I take it he’s human? Is your mother?”

Jameson nodded, his pace increasing as if he could escape the truth of his lineage and the questions that came with it. Unfortunately for the male, Grayson’s mate was persistent with her questions.

“What was that like? Growing up must have been interesting.”

“Not really. I spent most of my time with my mom, living with the rebellion. Dad couldn’t risk me being discovered if there was a visit from another city official, especially as the higher ranking members all travel with Mongrels at their disposal.”

“Mongrels?” Grayson interrupted. They’d mention that word before, but it was unfamiliar to him.

“They’re Alphas that have gone feral without a mate. They’re bloodthirsty and evil, too lost to come back to their senses. Government officials like Ortega use them like their personal rabid assassins,” David supplied, coming up beside him. He shuddered before continuing. “I’ve heard that Ortega even keeps a small army of Betas that he’s brainwashed and tortured into acting just as bad.”

Josie pursed her lips, staring at the back of Jameson’s head. “Can we go back to what you were saying, Jameson? I’m a bit confused. If there are already others of our kind living among the humans in Charleton, why didn’t you live there too?”

Jameson ran a hand through his hair in agitation, shifting to the right before cutting through several low-hanging branches. The rest of them followed, no doubt eager to hear more.

“Guess he figured it was safer that way,” Jameson eventually answered, his voice thick with bitterness. “You can always ask him yourself when you meet him later. Maybe he’ll actually answer for once.”

Grayson’s lip curled in distaste at the thought of Josie acquainting herself with any member of this fucked government, even one allied with the rebellion. In his limited experience, governments were filled with crooked politicians and bureaucrats, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw their fellow leaders under the bus.

All except his father, the last Alpha Prime. Grayson could still only remember bits and pieces, but whenever his own father had taken him into the capitol, letting him get a feel for what his reign would look like later in life, he’d made it a point to teach Grayson that ruling with an iron fist only worked when those they ruled over were treated equally.

He’d been slowly working to give humans and their kind the same voice, and the same power overall, hoping to alleviate some growing concerns of mistreatment.

But in the end, his hopes of a better future had resulted in humans taking advantage of that kindness. But it hadn’t just been the humans waiting for a chance to take over. It had been–

Grayson winced as pain lanced his temple, a migraine instantly forming and replacing the thoughts in his head until they were nothing but faint recollections slipping through his fingers.

Josie leaned in, quietly asking if he was alright. He managed a nod for her sake, clenching his jaw as his head began to throb.

“I’m surprised no one has found us,” Gemma said suddenly, her voice full of distrust. “If Grayson is such a sought after leader for the rebellion, which he should be given that he’s our Alpha Prime, shouldn’t there be dozens of rebels scouring this entire region to ensure his safety? Not just two Omegas, and a random Beta and Alpha?”

“You’d think,” Josie muttered under her breath.

Jameson didn’t respond, instead quickening his pace.

“Interesting that you have nothing to say on that matter, Jameson,” Gemma taunted. “Cat got your tongue?”

Jameson whipped around, glaring past Grayson and pinning Gemma with a hard stare. “What should I say, Gemma? That we should have had help escaping? Okay, we should have. That we shouldn’t be lost in the woods, operating without assistance? You’re right.”

Jameson laughed dryly, but the sound was devoid of humor. “This is beyond my level of expertise. My job isn’t to rescue. It’s to recon. However, the timeline of Grayson’s extraction was bumped up when Josie went into heat, which meant I had to go against protocol and intervene. My actions weren’t authorized by the rebellion because I lost contact before their orders could go through. But what should I have done? I couldn’t leave them down there after they’d mated.”

“But you could leave Grayson down there for years, right?” Josie cut in, her usually soft voice growing in fury. “I wanted to talk to you about this when we were alone, but Gemma made a good point. Grayson is our leader. Our future. And I want to know why you all knew he was down there for years, risking his life daily, and did nothing to save him.”

Jameson stiffened, his mouth falling into a thin line. “It wasn’t like that.”

“It wasn’t?” Josie asked condescendingly, pulling her hand from Grayson’s to tap her chest with her finger. “When I was given my assignment with the rebellion, it was to infiltrate the city’s arena to discover if Grayson was even there. But why did I need to do that, Jameson? You were already a guard there; you had been for years!” she snapped. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind you knew who he was. So why keep him imprisoned?”

Jameson’s brow furrowed, some of the tension draining from him as confusion clouded his eyes. “Your mission wasn’t to find Grayson. It was to see if you were his mate.”

The forest seemed to quiet around them as Josie processed his words, her hand dropping to her side before she clenched it into a tight fist. “What?”

Jameson nodded. “The other operatives were there to monitor Grayson. We’ve known where he’s been for years, but there was an underlying fear that he’d become a Mongrel after years of imprisonment.” He sent Grayson an apologetic look. “You’ve killed with such brutality that it’s been difficult to assess your mental health properly. When Bethany discovered you might have a mate, she wanted to see if scenting her would help you at all.”

“And if he got better around Josie, then you were going to free him? But if he couldn’t get better, what would you have done? Leave Josie with him to rot in a cell?” Gemma asked hotly. “That’s seriously fucked.”

“No, of course not,” Jameson snapped. “As far as I was made aware, Josie shouldn’t have ever been in his cell.” He cast a curious look to her. “I’m still unsure of how you wound up there. Someone must have planted the thought in Ortega’s head for him to so readily decide to toss an innocent woman into Grayson’s cell.”

“Maybe,” Josie agreed reluctantly. “But how did Bethany know I was Grayson’s mate?”

“Before we were overthrown, our scientists had discovered a way to test the blood of Omegas and Alphas for compatibility,” Jameson answered. “There’s a specific mutation in the cells that presents itself when the blood mixes. Kind of like how when you bite one another, exchanging fluids, a mating bond is formed. Only this can be observed on a cellular level.”

“I’ve never given the rebellion my blood,” Josie exclaimed, only to bite her lower lip a moment later. “I don’t think so, anyway.”

“You must have,” Jameson stated. “Maybe when you volunteered for this assignment, or when you came back for training, though my guess would be the former since you wouldn’t have been selected for this mission if they didn’t already think you were his mate. Grayson’s blood has been on file since he was born, cryogenically frozen for safekeeping.”

“This is so bizarre–” Josie’s words were cut off as Grayson heard heavy footfalls coming from there right, accompanied by panicked breathing and sobs.

He yanked his mate behind him just as a woman burst through the trees, collapsing in a heap on the ground in front of them.

She looked up, her face bruised and her clothing in tatters, blood streaming from various wounds. “Please, you have to help them!”

“Who?” Grayson snarled, shooting Gemma a hostile look when she approached the downed woman. “Leave her,” he snapped, expecting obedience. The other Alpha backed down immediately, giving the woman a wide berth.

“They set the town on fire,” the woman cried, her fingers digging into the grass as she choked back a sob. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with dried flecks of blood and dirt on her cheeks. “There were so many of them. They–they just started shooting at everyone.”

“What town?” Jameson asked, ignoring Grayson’s threatening growl and dropping down beside the woman. He clasped her shoulders, shaking her until she looked up at him, her eyes wild and full of fear. “What town?” he demanded.

“Charleton.”