Page 81 of Petals and Strings
Cross was fuming when we walked back into the atrium, most of our pack in tow. I couldn’t come to terms with the man standing before us, losing control, and the man I thought I saw good in.
Had he changed? Or did this run deeper than I expected?
He didn’t speak as we walked in, Ledger and Kane leading us while Rydell walked behind like an avenging angel, promising pain to anyone who interfered.
I needed to seek out Caspian, but I needed Ansel and Kane settled first. I wasn’t sure if it would be safe for them to see him if he was even worse off than the rest of us.
A low, warning growl had me glancing back to see that Cross was following us and Rydell wasn’t happy about it.
This time he was alone, at least.
We stopped in the common area. I wasn’t sure if the rooms were fixed yet, and none of us wanted to be alone.
Rydell stood slightly in front of us, letting Cross say his piece before we most likely ignored it.
“Speak.” Ledger was the one to give the order. It was a harsh demand, one that promised pain if he stepped out of line.
Cross let out a breath, gripping his hair before pacing back and forth.
“This is not how things are run here. You’re going to cause chaos. Whereas, I think you can handle it, not everyone here has the support or the mental faculties to do this.”
“Then move us to one of the other buildings,” Ledger countered. “Why do you seem to want to keep us here forever? If we’re capable… let us fucking leave, Cross.”
He let out a sigh. “I can’t, son. I want you healing and happy but this isn’t how we achieve it. Now, I have guards thinking we’re about to have a riot and a board that is losing trust in me.”
“That’s not our problem,” I challenged. “We aren’t here to fix all the problems you ignored until they reached this level.”
“You’re right,” he said. “But I’m breaking so many protocols with you that it’s going to raise questions.”
“Let me be honest here,” I said. “We didn’t come in here to find a pack, but we are, in fact, already a pack. There’s no turning back without causing damage. You can tell them what you want, but we won’t be going back to the way things were.”
He let out a breath. “I can’t keep you out of routine appointments. You have to see Dr. Malik and do counseling.”
“And we will. Though, I won’t be adjusting my medication unless we have an actual conversation,” I told him firmly. “We deserve basic respect.”
“I agree,” he said. “I think I have someone in mind to come in for therapy, and I’ll be assigning him tojustyour group and shuffling Theo’s overflow to other therapists.”
I didn’t react. It didn’t matter what he did at this point.
“Where’s Caspian?”
He flinched, then tried to hide it.
“Stay here,” I told Ansel gently. “With Kane. I’m going after Caspian.”
“No, we stick together,” Ansel said, his eyes flashing with determination. “We can’t let them separate us again.”
I studied him for a second, making sure he meant what he said before nodding.
“Okay. Now, again. Where. Is. Caspian?”
Cross sighed. “Infirmary. He didn’t take it as well as the rest of you.”
“As well?” I scoffed, glancing around at all of us pointedly.
“Yes,” he said before turning. “I’ll take you to him. Maybe you can get through to him.”
My heart was pounding as we entered the infirmary. Dr. Malik’s assistant was sitting at a desk, startling as we walked through.
