Donovan hesitated. “It’s a breeding facility,” he choked out. “Alphas and omegas who break the law can be sentenced to serve time in the facility where they’ll be forced to… breed. They’re likely to have alpha or omega children, and those children will go into government care, where they can be monitored, tagged, and then eventually matched with anappropriatefamily.”
The room spun as the horror of it all overwhelmed me. My stomach lurched and I sprinted for the bathroom, making it just in time to vomit into the toilet.
Sam was there immediately, holding my hair and stroking my back. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not,” I bit out, slumping against the wall. “None of this is okay. Everyone needs to stop saying that.”
Sam quietly filled a glass with water and handed it to me. I took a small sip, not meeting his gaze. I knew he was trying to comfort me, but it felt like no one understood the gravity and urgency of the situation. These were my alphas.Mine.
“It’s going to be okay because your alphas won’t be there for long. We’re taking these fuckers down in a matter of days,” Sam responded.
“That’s not good enough,” I snapped, and Sam flinched. My omega instinct clawed at my chest, urging me to go to my alphas with an intensity that was impossible to ignore. If our positions were reversed, my alphas would never let me stay in a facility like that for even a second.
I stood and rinsed off my face, catching my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My eyes were wild, and thoughts hammered through my mind in a vicious beat so primal it felt like they weren’t my own but from a place deep inside where my basest desires lurked:Find them. Save them. Bite them.
“One day is too long,” I said, meeting Sam’s gaze in the mirror.
I couldn’t let them go to that facility.
I had to do something.
Insecurity tightened my chest.What could you possibly do? You’re weak. Pathetic. Useless.
I gripped the edges of the vanity and closed my eyes.
No. That wasn’t me. That hadneverbeen me. The realization flooded me with warmth, loosening my chest and allowing me to breathe again. For so long, I’d believed the worst about myself, but when I looked back, I realized my life had been marked by my resilience. I’d survived horror after horror. I had been brave and strong before ever meeting my alphas—they had just helped me see those parts of myself.
“I’m going to rescue them,” I said, opening my eyes.
Sam took a deep breath, his face unreadable until his lips quirked into a smile.
“There she is,” he said. “The fierce omega who doesn’t take any shit, drives like a maniac, and is the bravest person I know.”
Yes, here she was.
My omega and I were fully united. We would not let our alphas suffer for a single moment longer.
I swept my messy hair away from my face and strode back out to the living room.
Amirah turned to face me, her expression soft and sympathetic. “I know this is a lot to handle, Josie. The moment we take Glen and the government down, we will get your alphas out.”
“No,” I said, my voice loud to my ears. “We are going to get them out now.”
Amirah raised her brows, clearly not expecting this from meek, broken little Josie who cried all day long.
“We can’t jeopardize our mission just so you can be reunited with your alphas,” she said, her voice losing some of its softness. “If you were caught, it would ruin everything. We have to stick to the plan.”
“If the plan is to let them stay in prison where they’re going to be beaten until they’re transferred to some rape facility, that is not going to happen. My pack deserves more. They’ve been working with the Alliance for years. You wouldn’t have this intel to take down the government if it weren’t for me.” I was shaking, but Sam and Gerald stood beside me, lending me their support and strength.
“Besides,” I continued, “You need another team so we can break into the omega facilities at the same time. My alphas are security experts with military experience. If we get them out now, they can lead one of the rescue missions.”
With that, I knew I had her. Amirah turned towards Gabriel, who raised an eyebrow. They seemed to have a silent conversation before she turned back to me. Her mouth twisted and I was sure she was going to frown. Instead, she gave me a small smirk.
“Nice to see this side of you,” she said. “Fine, if you can figure out a way tosafely and discreetlybreak them out, we can provide a safe house near the western omega facility and you’ll be part of the team to infiltrate the facility three days from now. But I can’t emphasize enough–this has to be flawless. There’s too much at risk as it is. But as one omega to another, I–” she paused, her facade of cool confidence cracking for just a moment as she looked to her alphas with devotion, “—I feel I owe you for not doing more before you were captured. The knowledge that you were taken on my watch will haunt me for quite some time, and for that, I’m sorry, Josie.” She turned on her heels and left the room, her alphas following behind her.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins crashed, leaving me trembling. I blushed as I looked around the room, now realizing what a scene I’d made. But there were no stares of judgment. Donovan beamed at me and his alphas were smiling as well. Lilah gave a littlewhoopand leapt to her feet.
“Operation FTA is in action!” she shouted, throwing her arms around me. “This time, it stands for Free the Alphas, by the way.”
