Page 48 of Savage Trap

What does that even mean? Is he hurt? Sick? Exhausted? All Alpha Leon could tell me was that during the emergency session to deal with the news out of Europe, my dad went to the bathroom and didn’t come back. Alpha Leon went personally to check on him, and found him slumped on the floor, unconscious.

My body shudders at the image, and Kelly burrows tighter to my side. I’m sitting on Cam and Rory, their arms wrapped tight around me, while Kelly perches on Link. Their hands are on me, too, but I barely feel them as I bite my nails down to ragged stumps. There’s a small pocket of warmth coming from Nate, who’s sitting on the floor at my feet, his back pressed to my legs. There’s not a lot of room down there, but he doesn’t seem to mind, his cheek resting gently against my knee.

And in a great big whirlpool of nightmares, that feels… right.

But even having my pack close can’t stop my racing thoughts. And by the time we pull up in the hospital parking lot, I’m a nervous wreck. I leap out of the car as soon as it stops. I’m halfway to the emergency doors when Nate puts a gentle hand on my arm. “This way, Elvi. It’s the private entrance. I have access.”

I blink at him, but I suppose it makes sense. What did that woman at The Feral Den call him? The Prince of the City? Nate probably has access to every building in Chicago, although he’s too humble to brag about it.

“The ward he’s on is high security,” Nate tells me. “No one will get in without authorization, I promise.”

I nod, although the implication sinks through my body like a block of ice. If my father is incapacitated, someone might try to get in here and finish him off.

“It’s okay, Angel,” Kelly whispers, pulling me tighter to my side. I must have whimpered, because he’s stroking my hair like I’m a wounded wolf. “Lucas is so strong. He’ll be fine. Back on his feet in no time.”

I swallow another whimper, but we’re all breathing heavily by the time we reach the ward. I press my bleeding nails into my palms as I look around for my dad. But Nate’s led us into some kind of waiting room, with elegant couches and a view of the park.

“Elvana, come in and sit down,” Alpha Leon says as he comes out of a side door. He steps forward like he wants to take my hands, but Link blocks his path, keeping him back.

“Please just tell me what happened.” The tension is so thick, I feel like I’m going to pass out. “Is he okay?”

“He collapsed in the bathroom. He couldn’t have been unconscious for more than ten minutes, and once my security team arrived, he was immediately transferred here. His vital signs are strong, but he’s unresponsive.”

I bite my nail so hard, I taste blood in my mouth. “What does that mean?”

“He’s in a coma.” The alpha looks like he’s aged ten years since I saw him in the boardroom, his scent sour with distress. “I’m so sorry, Elvana, but early tests suggest this wasn’t an accident. The medical team thinks Lucas might have been poisoned.”

The cry that comes out of me is almost a howl. My wolf is right up inside me, so close I can feel her claws under my skin. “What? Who would do that?”

But it’s a stupid question. My dad has enemies, and he’s become an even bigger target since he abolished the role of High Alpha and started working towards an east coast council.

“We’re looking into it,” Alpha Leon says, but as he starts to describe the investigation he’s launched, my head spins and I lean forward, trying to drag air into my lungs. I vaguely sense Kelly rubbing my back while Cam demands medical details and Link is snarling about a security fuck-up. Nate is on his phone barking at someone, and Rory is pacing, his wolf so close to the surface the air is snapping with static.

“I understand your distress!” Alpha Leon’s dominance crashes down on us, making my guys growl. But I know he’s trying to help, so I wave their anger away.

“Please,” he says in a softer tone. “Just give me a moment to reassure you. Lucas is in a stable condition and the doctors tell me the coma is a good thing, because it’s stopping the spread of the poison. It’s giving us time to get the antidote, while ensuring none of his organs is damaged. Of course you will have access to his medical records and the security feeds – whatever you need – but right now, I think the best course of action is for you to come and see him for yourself.”

My pack looks at me, but I’m already moving towards the door. I have no idea where his room is, but there are enough hands guiding me that I can follow blindly. We don’t go far before the bright hallway gives way to glass doors and a pretty receptionist, who buzzes us through to another room. The smell of antiseptic hits me and I can barely swallow the bile in my throat.

Nightmarish images batter me as I’m shown into a room that’s all white walls and a squeaky floor. There’s the gentle hiss of machines and the low murmur of voices, but I barely take in the doctors standing around the bed as I look at my dad. He looks… untouched. He needs a shave, but other than the white sheet tucked up to his chin, he looks no different than when I last saw him. But there’s no ignoring the tension in the air, or the careful looks the doctors give me when I turn their way.

There are a million questions crashing around in my head, but I force myself to focus on the one that terrifies me the most. “What poison did they use?”

The tension deepens as they glance at Alpha Leon. He nods and one of the doctors steps forward, eyeing my mates uneasily. “We’re not certain. We know it’s not a nerve agent, which makes us believe this is a recoverable illness. At this stage, our best guess is a variant of Compound X. This is used…”

“On feral wolves,” Cam says shortly, his anger palpable in the air.

“Yes. But its purpose is to induce a coma in a matter of seconds. It’s a type of tranquilizer, for want of a better description.”

“But Compound X has a reversal agent.” Cam looks at me. “It counters the sedative and brings the patient out of the coma state.”

“Yes, but this is a variant. It’s not something we’ve encountered in this country before.”

“You mean it’s out of Europe,” Cam says, but the doctor doesn’t reply, and Alpha Leon steps forward. “This team is the best in the city. Lucas is in good hands.”

I manage a weak nod and someone leads me over to a chair by the bed. I sink into it, and my dad’s hand is wrapped in mine. I don’t know how long I sit there listening to the beep of the machines and the shuffle of footsteps. I feel hands on my shoulders – all belonging to my pack – but I’m not aware enough to tell who they belong to. The only thing I can focus on is my dad’s face and the taste of antiseptic on the back of my tongue.

The next conscious thought is of Rory lifting me in his arms. I rouse myself enough to struggle, but he only carries me as far as the other side of a blue curtain. The lights are dimmed low, but there’s a hospital bed, minus all the equipment, and Kelly curled up waiting for me.

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