Page 35 of In Their Arms

Luther holds me there, his grip steady, keeping me grounded. “If Ward doesn’t think I’ll be able to fix this, then something is seriously wrong.” He pauses, searching my face, waiting for me to react. I don’t—I can’t. I just listen, my heart pounding, my blood running colder with every second.

He exhales slowly, shaking his head. “No, it feels like Luca is okay. But for him to have disappeared, for us to not be able to feel him, for Hearthstone to shut us out completely?” His fingers tighten just a little, his jaw clenching. “I have a feeling we might be facing the worst.”

“I hate this,” I whisper. “I hate not knowing. I hate that even when we’ve done our best, we can’t protect our own damn family. I’m done letting the system screw us over, take what’s ours, what’smine.”

“I know, Gray. Let’s go get our Omega back.”

I follow my Alpha, hoping that we haven’t already lost something we won’t be able to get back.

21

Luca

The interrogation room is freezing, the metal chair stiff against my back. The table is scratched and scuffed, showing the history of the people who sat here before me, people who were probably just as trapped as I feel right now. They let me rest at the hospital longer than I expected, but it wasn’t enough. I’m still exhausted, still aching, still trying to catch up with my own decisions.

The station was nearly empty when they brought me in as I was walked past desks, escorted down the long hallways leading to the back rooms. And now, I’m sitting here, watching Peyton pace in front of me. He keeps throwing around words I don’t fully understand, legal jargon and threats laced with frustration, snapping them at me like I’m supposed to just fold under the weight of it. Every few minutes, his voice spikes, breaking through the stagnant air, making my body lock up like I’m already bracing for something worse.

Ward is quieter, standing by the wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes steady as he watches the exchange. He hasn’t said much, hasn’t moved much, but his presence lingers, a silent contrast to the way Peyton is bearing down on me, waiting for me to break. He doesn’t interrupt when Peyton slams his hands down on the table, doesn’t flinch when the sound cracks through the room.

“You think this is a joke?” Peyton snaps, leaning forward. His breath is too close, his voice sharp and biting. “A bite removal without permission? Illegal drugs in your system? You think this shit is just gonna go away?”

I press my hands into my lap, trying to keep them from shaking. I focus on my breathing, on the warmth flickering through the bond, the feeling of my mates reaching for me. I can’t hear their words, but I can feel the emotions bleeding through. Grayson’s tension, Luther’s barely-contained fury, Maceo’s steady calm, and Blake’s unrelenting need for me to be home. It grounds me, keeps me from spiraling.

Peyton’s voice cuts through my thoughts again. “So, tell me, Luca. What the fuck happened? Who did it? Who helped you?”

I swallow hard, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “I already told you. No one helped me.”

He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. “Oh, that’s rich. You expect me to believe you just waltzed into a back-alley clinic, got your bite removed, and no one had a fucking say in it?”

I shake my head, refusing to put the blame on someone else. “It was me. No one else.”

Peyton narrows his eyes, studying me like he’s searching for a crack in my resolve. Ward finally steps forward, his voice calmer, but no less serious. “Luca, this is serious. You need to tell us what happened.” Ward takes a seat across from me, leaning forward to seem more personable. “Luca, I’m sure you thought you were doing the right thing. But what you’ll be charged with is so much worse than you realize. If you point out the doctor who carried out the operation, it’ll absolve you of most of them.”

I shake my head before he even finishes. “I didn’t see his face. He was wearing a mask.”

Ward nods like he expected that answer, tapping his fingers against the table. “Okay, then where was he located?”

“I don’t remember. Everything is all fuzzy.”

Ward’s face hardens for a split second, a flicker of irritation breaking through before he smooths it over, sighing as he runs a hand through his hair. He looks at me again, something close to pity in his expression. “Luca, I really don’t think you understand what’s going on.”

I open my mouth, ready to argue, to tell him I know exactly what’s going on, that I knew the second I walked into that clinic that my life was about to become hell, but then he pulls out his phone. The small smile he gives me makes my stomach twist. “Maybe your mates will help you remember.”

Peyton straightens from where he’s been leaning against the wall, scowling. “You called the Keller pack?”

Ward nods without looking at him. “They’re listed as Luca’s emergency contact.”

Peyton scoffs, shaking his head. “What about Hudson?”

“He will be contacted, yes. But at this moment, he has no physical claim to this Omega, which means he has no stake in what’s about to happen.”

I wrinkle my nose at the way Ward refers to me so impersonally, but I don’t argue. I know it’s just to keep Peyton from pushing back, to make it sound like this is all procedural. Peyton mutters something under his breath again before slamming his way out of the room. The door swings shut behind him with a sharp click, leaving just me and Ward.

The detective sighs, turning his attention back to me. “Luther and Grayson are just outside. Hopefully, they can talk some sense into you.”

Excitement runs through me as my gaze darts to the door, Ward realizing that he isn’t going to get anything else out of me now that I know my mates are just outside. The detective pats the table and stands, moving to let in my mates. There’s three seconds before I launch myself into their arms, the ache of the last two days forgotten the moment I see them.

Luther catches me like he expected it, his arms locking around me, holding me close, his warmth sinking into my bones. I press my face into his neck, inhaling deep, trying to drown myself in his musk scent. And then he’s cupping my cheek, drawing me into a desperate, messy kiss that has every one of my nerves on fire.

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