Page 84 of Rescued By Four Alphas
"Yeah... I guess."
The bond between us and Dahlia now feels like a frayed rope. We can sense she's alive, but nothing more—no emotions, no thoughts, just a hollow emptiness where her presence should be.
"And the babies?" I ask.
"They're doing well." A small smile crosses Leo's exhausted face. "Nova gained another ounce last night. The boys are all maintaining their oxygen levels without assistance."
Our children… our miracles. Four perfect, tiny shifters who shouldn't have survived what Reid put them through. Yet herethey are, fighting and growing stronger each day while their mother lies unresponsive.
Nova is our fierce little girl. Knox is the largest and most vocal of the boys. Zane is quiet and watchful, and Jaxon is the smallest but most determined.
"Axl's with them now," Leo adds. "Evan finally passed out in the chair beside Dahlia's bed about two hours ago."
I nod. We've established an unspoken rotation where one of us is always with Dahlia, one with babies, while the others attempt to rest or handle the endless details that come with our situation.
"I need to go," I announce, forcing myself to stand despite the bone-deep exhaustion.
"Go where?" Leo's eyes narrow.
"Reid."
Just saying the name sends a jolt of rage through my system. My wolf stirs beneath my skin, hungry for vengeance.
"Onyx," Leo says. "We agreed to let Evan handle the interrogation."
"As we both know, Evan cannot do that for now." My fingers curl into fists on the tabletop. "Reid still breathes while Dahlia lies in a coma. That equation doesn't balance for me."
Leo places his mug down with deliberate care. "Are you saying you plan to kill him?"
"I plan to make him talk." I meet his gaze directly. "After that... we'll see."
"We need him alive," Leo reminds me, as if I've forgotten. "He's the only one who might know how to reverse what they did to Dahlia."
"If he knew how to fix her, he'd have used that as leverage." I push away from the table. "I'm going to try a different approach."
Leo stands, blocking my path. "And what approach is that?"
"The one I should have used from the beginning." I move around him. "Don't wait up."
The drive to the secure facility takes thirty-seven minutes. Each mile increases the physical distance between Dahlia and me, and I feel it like a physical pain in my chest. My wolf howls in protest, desperate to return to our mate. I grit my teeth and press the accelerator harder.
By the time I arrive, sweat beads on my forehead from the effort of fighting my instincts. The guards at the entrance recognize me immediately and step aside without question. Good. I don't have patience for bureaucracy today.
The facility appears nondescript from the outside. It's a converted warehouse in an industrial district. Inside, however, the security rival’s military installations. There are three checkpoints, biometric scans, and armed personnel at every turn.
"Mr. Stonefang," the lead security officer, greets me. "We weren't expecting you today."
"I'm here to see the prisoner," I state flatly.
"Of course." He hesitates. "Mr. Blackthorn left specific instructions about the interrogation protocols…"
"I'm aware of Evan's instructions." My voice drops to a degree that makes the man step back. "Now take me to Reid."
The security officer nods once and leads me through the final checkpoint to the detention area.
"He's in Cell Three," the officer tells me. "The monitoring system is active. Do you want it disabled?"
I consider the question. Part of me wants no witnesses to what I plan to do, but I also need to maintain the appearance of legitimacy, for now.
