Page 29 of The Queen

“I can still smell her.” His attention darted around the clinic, no doubt noticing the scent of sickness in the room, but was too polite to bring it up.

“Yes, I’d imagine so. They’ve only been gone a few minutes.” As much as I preferred to avoid the topic, I changed the subject to remind him why he was here. “I need to talk to you. The incomplete bond. It’s… affecting me. Have you made any progress with your research? Have you found a course of action, or information on what to do about the situation?”

He was still sniffing the air, his brows furrowed in thought. “Nope, nothing yet, sorry. As soon as we find anything, I’ll let you know. Did they say where they were going?”

He didn’t seem to be paying much attention to me or my concerns, but I understood. She wasn’t far from my thoughts, either. And yet, he was more distracted than I would’ve expected.

Resigned to my predicament, I decided giving him the information he asked for would be the fastest way to get back to my own seemingly futile research. “No, but it looked like Valyx had been fighting. His shirt was bloody, but he was almost entirely recovered by the time they got here. Perhaps they went to get a change of clothes.” I leaned back against the edge of the exam table, my head still swimming.

“Yeah, probably. Don’t worry. We’ll find something soon. We must be getting close. Stay here and rest. Everything will be fine.”

He’d left before I had a chance to answer, and the door clicked shut behind him. I had to agree. I just needed a moment to clear my thoughts. There was no reason to panic. I hoped he was right about their search for answers, though. Because I was worried about what would happen if they ran out of resources and still didn’t have a solution.

Chapter Nineteen

Axion

To confirm my suspicions, I sniffed the air again. I already knew what I’d find, but I didn’t want to believe it. I hadn’t wanted Grey to worry. He looked like death warmed over and couldn’t do anything about it anyway, but Saphyra’s unbonded pheromones were heavy in the air, luring every unmated alpha to her side.

Her sweet honey fragrance was thick as I made my way through the halls, tracing the source. She had scent negating soap, which wasn’t infallible, but it should be doing more than this. It wouldn’t matter much in the residential zone with the betas, but if Valyx were going to his quarters, it could be a problem.

He must have noticed.

He must be taking her back to her room…

To safety. Right?

I tried his comms, but he didn’t respond as I bounded up the clanging metal stairs two at a time. If he took her in the lift, they’d already be safe in the royal wing. If not, I might be able to hear… aw fuck.

From an indecipherable number of floors above me, I heard shouting ring out.

My heart gave a sickening thud, and I increased my pace as every bit of my alpha nature kicked into gear. I practically flew up those steps, the gleam of the polished banister not even registering in my periphery. A series of bangs that sounded like doors slamming echoed down the deep stairwell, and I saw a flash of black fabric a few levels away.

Almost there.

By the time I reached the place where I’d seen movement, the hall was empty. The acrid odor of agitated alphas was strong, but a thread of honey was laced through it all. Stark gray walls stared back at me mockingly. There were only two places they could’ve gone. Into the military ward, or up. There was no commotion above me and not many floors left that way, either. So, I took a risk.

The click of the latch was as loud as a gunshot before I pushed through the steel door.

The sight that greeted me was admittedly not great. Down the wide, metal-clad corridor, Valyx had Saphyra tucked behind him, backed into a corner by a group of seething alphas.

Why the fuck were there so many new recruits in this random corner of the military ward? They should all be at their assigned posts. The scent of an unmated omega was an intense draw, especially to alphas that had been denied, but where had they even come from? A couple on the way back to their quarters, I could understand, but there were at least ten, and none of them lived in this quadrant.

What I hadn’t realized at first glance, was that between Valyx and the snarling hoard, stood Dani, Albion, and Elinor. Together, the three women were blocking the advancing males as Valyx and Saphyra worked their way down the hall toward the lift, not letting anyone pass them.

Saphyra had a brave face on, but as I waded through the shuffling mob, I noticed a slight tremble in her clenched fist.

My mind blanked. The only thing left was the need to protect my mate.

Fiery rage shot through my veins like a bolt of electricity. As soon as the next alpha took a step, I found my hand circling their throat. Then, their body was sailing through the air. The heavy impact of flesh against the metal wall was deafening over the sudden silence that fell around me.

The recruits turned their eyes to me.

I lost control.

Bodies went flying, bones cracked under my bare hands. A vicious growl ripped from my chest. I didn’t stop until everyone was on the ground, with the exception of the three female alphas, Valyx, and Saphyra.

The smell of blood and viscera coated my lungs. Too many people were still barring the way to my mate, and the burning haze of fury had yet to fade from my vision. I took a step, intending to tear them apart, but a tiny ball of softness slammed into me.

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