Chapter 2

Theo had told me to wash my hands but the best I could manage was to wipe them on a jacket hanging inside a doorway I passed as I strode down the hall. I wasn't going to stop to hunt down a bathroom. I needed to see Shae. Needed to hold them in my arms even more than I needed to flay the skin from that piece of shit excuse for a human. Theo would handle the bastard Alpha. Then, once the transports arrived, I would lock myself and my sweet Beta in one of the ambulances for the drive to the hospital and the EMTs would be able to do fuck-all to stop me.

The smell of fear, panic, and stale sweat nearly overcame my Alpha senses the closer I got to the area where the victims had been held. I'd memorized the plans of the building before we'd left Drake House, but it was the tugging sensation of the bond that I was following more than anything. When I turned the final corner and saw Shae, my steps faltered. They were standing with Cat, arms curled around their friend, gently rocking her from side to side. My eyes stung as I got closer, but I wasn't about to lose my composure here, not yet. Shae had no need to don a ruthless persona, I saw Cat tap their shoulder as she saw me, and when my Beta whirled toward me, their eyes filled at the same time as their knees buckled.

I moved as quickly as I could and dropped to my own knees, sliding those last inches to catch them so that they crumpled into my arms and not onto the floor. They pressed their face into my neck and gripped the edges of my flak jacket, chest heaving as they fought back sobs. I wrapped my arms around them and strangled the growl threatening to erupt from my chest at how wrong their scent was, forcing a purr instead. It wasn't just someone else's scent that clung to the lab coat they had on, or the rotted fruit notes of fear and sadness that were woven through their typical blackberry blossom scent. Beneath all of that, there was something chemical. Similar to those blackberry soaps Shae had put in Ethan's bathroom. For an Alpha—or an Omega—nothing could ever truly replicate a person's authentic scent. There was always something false, something manufactured, tainting any fragrance that tried to mimic the real thing. Shae's natural scent was corrupted in that same way. I moved one of my hands to the nape of their neck and massaged the muscles there, trying to ignore the way their hair felt greasy. Not because it was repulsive, but because it was another physical reminder of all they'd been through in the last five days, and I was barely holding on to my control.

Wetting my blade one slice at a time on that Alpha had helped some. Each cut had been a balm for every hour of pain I'd felt from Shae those first days. I'd started on his fingers just before Theo interrupted me, fully intending to take a finger for each day, one knuckle at a time. Some small part of me cringed at what my sweet Beta and Omega would think if they knew what kind of monster lurked under my skin. I knew the rest of my pack accepted it and understood, even if only Theo and I acted on the urge for violence and vengeance when we had to. Michaels signaled to get my attention then tipped his head toward the hallway leading to the exit. The wail of sirens was loud enough that they had to be very close to the property.

"Come on, Sunshine. The ambulances are about to arrive. Miles will be at the hospital to meet us."

They nodded into my neck then pulled back to look up at me. Leaning in, I pressed a gentle kiss to their lips. I was conscious of the eyes on us, as well as our surroundings, but I needed that moment—that connection with Shae—before I had to put the Drake House mask back on. To be the leader, the emotionless monster, once again.

"Michaels, take the team and lead the girls out to the ambulances. One of you will accompany each of them to the hospital, if they are comfortable with that, and you'll remain guarding them until further notice. Bodhi, you?—"

Pain ripped through my chest, and I sank back down on one knee, breathing heavily as Shae gripped my hand. I stared into their eyes as the bond between myself and Theo collapsed. It was shredding, barely anything left and, from what I could feel, he was in agony.

"Theo."

I didn't know if it was desperation in my voice or the feedback from the bond, but Shae hauled me up and we turned and ran back in the direction I had come from, where I'd left him. I heard Bodhi yelling to the rest of the team, then heavy footsteps followed behind me and Shae.

We had cleared the whole building. The only person I left alive, apart from the kidnapped Betas and my team, was the Alpha. What if I'd underestimated him? What if someone had returned and caught Theo off guard? Fuck. I should never have left him alone. I should have just left the Alpha there for the police to clean up.

There was a trail of blood leading toward the exit where Theo and I had gained access to the building, and my panic intensified. I knew then that the Alpha had escaped but I didn't care about that. If he'd got away, Theo must have been in bad shape. We kept running, weaving around the carnage that I had caused. I didn't have room to feed that earlier worry about Shae knowing what I had done to punish those who'd taken them. I had to get to Theo.

I ran through the door to the office and stopped so abruptly that Shae skidded into my back. I couldn't move. On the floor, feet drumming with convulsions, was my mate. His eyes stared at nothing, blood and spit running down his chin and fists clenched. Shae hadn't frozen at the sight of him like I did. They moved around me and went into treatment mode. More footsteps pounded down the hall. Bodhi entered the room and swore, then there was a weak, quiet voice I didn't recognize.

"It's the drug."

I whirled around to see a small, red-haired Beta. Before my mind could catch up with my actions, I had the man against the wall. My forearm was against his throat, as his hands tried to find purchase along the smooth wall, and he tried to support his weight though his toes barely touched the floor.

"What the fuck are you talking about? What's wrong with him?" I snarled into the stranger's face. His face paled, but he pulled himself enough together to explain.

"The seizures. We saw—saw it with some of the people they made me inject. Some of them were fine and some of them …"

His voice trailed off and I caught the sorrow in his eyes.

No. That was not acceptable. I wasn't losing Theo. We weren't losing him today.

"Bodhi, go get one of the paramedics here. Now!"

The Beta ran from the room as I sank down on the floor next to Shae where they were keeping Theo's head and neck stable. There was a depressed syringe lying beneath his leg so I pocketed it to take with us to the hospital, in the hope that they could figure out what he'd been injected with. The sound of more running feet reached us and then two men in paramedic uniforms were trying to shoulder me away from Theo. A snarl ripped out of my mouth before the one closest to me raised his hands. Shae moved in between us and put their face directly in front of mine, looking intently into my eyes.

"Easy, Alpha. They're going to help him. We're going to be in the ambulance with him. We'll all go to the hospital together. The rest of the pack will meet us there, right?"

I clenched my jaw and nodded, then stood, pulling Shae with me as I backed away from Theo. The pain I felt coming down the bond from him was dull, almost like a phantom ache, but I knew it wasn't because he hardly felt any pain. His face was still a mask of torment, even though the convulsions had lessened, allowing the EMTs to strap him to a stretcher. No, the fact that I didn't feel his pain was because the bond was barely there. Even when Shae's bond had gone dark all those days ago it had still been there: dormant and distorted, but there. This…this was something else and it terrified me.

I pulled Shae into my side and wrapped my arm around their shoulder as they tucked themselves in closer to me. We followed the paramedics as they carried Theo out, and Bodhi came trailing behind us. My eyes stayed glued to where my mate was strapped down as Shae steered our path, navigating the way back to the exit. As we walked back through the blood-spattered halls, Shae spoke softly, so that only I would hear them.

"Did you do this?"

Something in my chest seized again, and I wondered if this moment would break me further. Had what I'd done, to get them back, crossed a line they couldn't forgive? I swallowed hard and spoke just as softly but with as much conviction as I could, because, no matter the consequences, I would never regret protecting them. Protecting my pack.

"Yes."

"Because of me?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

They tightened their arms around my waist and we walked the rest of the way to the ambulance in silence. Shae followed Theo's stretcher into the back, but I had to clear up a few things before I could join them. Bodhi was still lingering behind and there were now two police cruisers as well as the Drake House lawyers sent by Gia, the head of our legal department, to handle the initial questions. Bodhi shifted his weight from foot to foot, shooting an intense look at the only other ambulance that was still waiting to head to the hospital before turning his attention back to me.

"Who's in that ambulance, Bodhi?"

"Cat. I—I told Michaels I'd ride with her. They're waiting for me so that they can leave. Unless I need to stay, ma'am?"

The Beta was Theo's only real friend, outside the pack, and I trusted him more than most people because of that. Based on the tension in his jaw and the way he couldn't keep from flicking his gaze to the ambulance that held Cat, I wondered just how well he knew Shae's best friend. Looking away, I whistled to get the attention of the attorneys which drew the gaze of the uniforms, too.

"Go on, Bodhi. We won't be far behind you."

He nodded and jogged off, jumping into the back of the waiting ambulance and closing the door before it sped off. One of the lawyers hustled the rest of the way to me, huffing at the exertion.

"I recovered my mate who had been kidnapped and tortured by the men who are now deceased inside the building. There was an Alpha who escaped and injured another of my mates during that escape. The police can speak to us at the hospital but this was a pretty clear instance of pack retribution. I will not answer any questions until my mate is stable; if they fight you on that, Gia will handle it. Understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Owens. That won't be a problem."

One of the paramedics poked his head out of Theo's ambulance and indicated they were ready to leave. Nodding to the lawyer, I hauled myself into the back of the ambulance and sat next to Shae. The doors closed and we took off.

Shae threaded their fingers through mine and leaned their head on my shoulder, but I couldn't take my eyes from Theo. He had wires and tubes hanging off him, attached to monitors and an IV. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing normally. When I saw that his face was no longer contorted with pain, I was finally able to take a deep, if somewhat shaky, breath. Once I'd released that breath, I registered the tug on the fabric of my pocket. It wasn't large enough to safely hold the syringe and I carefully extracted it before handing it to the paramedic monitoring Theo's vitals.

"This was beneath where he was laying when we found him. Make sure it gets to the doctor treating him so it can be tested."

The man's brows drew down, but he pulled out a reinforced plastic bag and placed the syringe inside before returning to his task. Next, I tapped the com in my ear twice, connecting me back to the rest of the team and Cole in the BullPen.

"No one is to speak to any cops without a Drake House lawyer present. Is that clear?"

A chorus of "yes, ma'ams" sounded off through the link.

"Cole. I need you to warn Trevor and that Theo's been injured. Shae and I are with him in the ambulance, heading to the hospital."

"Done."

"Good. No further contact until I check in."

"Understood."

I pulled the com from my ear and left it to dangle from the wire as I focused on the soothing feeling of Shae holding my hand and running their thumb across my knuckles. I pressed a kiss to their temple then resumed my vigil over Theo as the ambulance sped to the hospital to find out my mate's fate.

The flurry of movement when we arrived at the ambulance bay set my nerves on edge. I had a million questions to ask, but then as the EMTs were moving. When they knocked the stretcher Theo was on into the door, I bared my teeth and Shae had to grip my arm to keep me from lunging for them. Shae kept hold of me, soothing me with their touch, and reassuring me the two men were doing everything exactly as they should. Fuck, I knew I was losing it; being pulled in too many directions. Needing to comfort Shae—although they were mostly comforting me—and unable to let them out of my sight. Wanting to know exactly what was happening with Theo. Finding Trevor to explain what had happened to his brother.

Whenever I got overwhelmed, whenever I felt like I was drowning, I turned to Miles and Theo but that wasn't an option. Our pack was in shambles, and I wanted nothing more than to kill the man responsible for what had happened. Well, the only thing I wanted more in that moment was for Theo to be fine and for our bond to not feel so wrong.

I climbed out of the ambulance and reached back to help Shae down when I heard feet pounding on the pavement of the parking lot. I swung around in time to see Miles and Trevor running toward us. Shae let out a choked whimper as Miles called their name and ran faster to get to us. Shae hadn't fully gotten out of the back of the vehicle, so Miles simply grabbed their waist and pulled them to him. His arms snaked around their back as Shae wrapped their legs around his waist and their arms around his neck. Both were unable to hold back tears as they pressed their faces into each other's necks and clung to each other.

Trevor had slowed his pace once he'd seen for himself that Shae was alright. He walked toward me, gently touching Miles on the shoulder as he drew level with the two of them. Miles pulled back far enough for Trevor to press a kiss to Shae's temple before he walked over to me. Trevor's beautiful face was drawn, and he looked like he was bracing himself for the worst. Before I could speak, someone loudly cleared their throat behind me, and I turned to see a Beta doctor in his late thirties or early forties looking annoyed.

"While I can appreciate how emotional this might be for you, we need to get the patient examined and discuss Mr. Owens' condition."

The doctor visibly blanched when he met my gaze but held his ground despite my nearly feral state. My voice came out hard.

"You're not going to be able to separate an Alpha from their mate, Doctor, and I do not suggest attempting it. Take us to wherever Theo is, and you can examine Shae there."

He looked like he wanted to argue with me then shook his head, obviously deciding against it, and motioned for us to follow him. Miles followed the doctor, still gripping Shae tightly against him and purring as he walked. Our Sunshine looked like they were moments from passing out and I wanted the doctor to hurry up so they could rest. Trevor snagged my hand as we went behind Miles, gripping my fingers tightly in his.

"Cole is bringing Ethan. He wanted to come with us, but, Jade, I didn't know what Theo would be like, nor Shae; or how Miles would react. I wasn't trying to force him out. I just didn't know if?—"

I silenced Trevor's panicked rambling by tugging him down and kissing him softly, sending love and appreciation down the bond.

"I understand. It's okay, love. Theo's been injected with a drug, one of the ones they kept at the warehouse. I don't know anything beyond that. The EMTs had him stabilized in the ambulance but he was unconscious."

Trevor's throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly and his hold on my hand tightened to the point of pain. I'd decided not to tell him about the weakened bond. I wasn't sure if I was making the right call, but I didn't want to worry him any more than he already was.

"Why don't you text Cole and have him bring Ethan to the hospital? One of the other techies can field things for a while."

He nodded and, without letting go of my hand, retrieved his phone to send the message. The doctor led us past the emergency room to one of the elevator bays and took us up to the sixth floor, explaining that rather than treating him in the emergency department, they'd admitted Theo because, although still unconscious, he was otherwise stable. We trailed through the ward to a room set up for two patients. One bed had the privacy curtain drawn around it, and I could hear machines beeping. The doctor indicated for Miles to set Shae on the bed closest to the door, but Miles just looked at him and sat down on it with Shae still wrapped around him. Sighing, the doctor walked to the screened-off bed and pulled back the curtain. Theo was hooked back up to monitors and an IV again. But he'd been stripped of his bloody gear and changed into a hospital gown. The only trace of the blood that had covered him was in and around his fingernails. Beside me, Trevor drew in a sharp breath. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, then nudged him toward the chair by Theo's bed. Turning around, I walked back toward Miles and Shae. A nurse was standing on the other side of the bed, setting down a gown and one-size-fits-all slip-proof socks. She gave me a warm smile as I approached them, then turned her attention back to what the doctor was saying to Shae.

"The paramedics indicated that they did not believe you had any injuries beyond scrapes, bruises, and likely dehydration. However, I am required to ask if you would like our nurse to carry out a forensic examination and complete a SAEK for the police."

Miles' growl rumbled through him and he gripped Shae tighter. I froze. Again. I hadn't asked. Fuck. Why hadn't I asked?

"There's no need, Dr. Thomas. Nothing of that nature occurred. Before I put on the gown and get any kind of treatment, though, I would very much like to shower, if that's acceptable: it's been nearly a week."

The doctor looked like he was about to argue but he didn't get the chance. Miles just stood—Shae still in his arms—snagged the hospital gown and walked into the attached bathroom, shutting the door behind them. The doctor threw up his hands and exited the room, muttering something about Alphas. Thankfully, the nurse he left behind was much more personable. While she was doing observations and writing up his chart, she explained that Theo's blood work had been rushed, but there was no telling how long it would take for them to find out what was in his system. Until they knew any more, they were only giving him rehydration fluids through the IV, which was what Shae would get, too. Before leaving, she told us to press the call button as soon as Shae was ready for her, or if Theo showed signs of waking.

With the nurse gone, we were left with the sounds of the shower running and the steady but quick beeping of Theo's heart monitor. There was nothing to do but wait. I pulled a chair over next to Trevor's and leaned my head against his shoulder, keeping watch over Theo and praying for him to wake soon.