Page 8

~Adrian~

“Come in.”

I poked my head in the doorway and held up my badge. “Good evening, Mr. Nolan,” I said as I walked into the room. “I’m Officer Adrian Cross. How are you feeling?”

The omega, Anthony, yawned and shrugged. “Better than I was.”

I pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. “Good to hear. I was hoping you could give me a bit more info.”

“I’ll tell you what I can, but I honestly don’t know how much help I can be.”

I took out a small notebook and pen. “It’s quite understandable given the circumstances. I was told you were found on the road by EMTs. What happened?”

Anthony sighed and stared out the window of his fourth-floor room. “I imagine you’ve heard the name Ironcrest.”

“Unfortunately, yes. Is that your family pack?”

“Yeah. They’ve started pushing their way into the babyfarming market. I was supposed to be part of it. We omegas are held under guard, but I managed to slip away because the beta guarding me was an idiot. I knew I had a miscarriage before I left. So did the pack doc. He ordered me beaten as a result.”

I somehow managed to tamp down the ungodly surge of disgust and anger and focused instead on taking notes. If it were up to me, I’d destroy the entire fucking pack. “They beat omegas for miscarriages?”

He nodded. “The doc—and the pack leaders—claim we make them happen so we won’t be pregnant anymore.” He rested a hand over his lower belly. “I always wanted kids, Officer Cross. I would never do anything like that.”

“No, I totally believe you. I know this is a difficult topic, but, if you can, I need to know anything and everything you can tell me about Ironcrest leadership and inner workings.”

“If it means they pay for the abuse I and other omegas have dealt with, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

For the next half hour, we talked. He gave me details on every aspect of the Ironcrest pack he could possibly think of, including things we hadn’t known. The info was beyond invaluable. I finally closed the notebook and smiled at him.

“You have been more helpful than you can possibly imagine. Thank you, Mr. Nolan.”

“Please call me Tony, and you’re welcome. I don’t know where I’ll go once I get out of here, but I’ll try to swing by the police station if I can think of anything else.”

I thought about it for a moment before replying. I knew Mom would be fine with the idea, especially since we had more than enough room. “Actually… I have a suggestion. Don’t feel like you have to agree, but our family pack has a lot of space—in the main house and in a couple of other buildings. You’re more than welcome.”

He stared at me for a few seconds, uncertainty clear on his face. “I…” He sighed. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course.” I handed him my business card. “My work number is on there, but so is my personal cell phone. Call or text me anytime.”

“Thank you, Officer Cross.”

“Call me Adrian,” I said, smiling as I stood. “I need to get back to the station, but I’m here if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

I left the hospital and headed out to my cruiser. Thanks to the information he’d given me, I could start formulating a rough plan on how to handle the Ironcrest pack. With no humans being involved, it left us to tackle this issue alone. That’s precisely what we wanted, too. Human politics and red tape got in the way more often than not. Now that two omegas had fled Ironcrest, I had the feeling their pack would amp up the troublemaking. I just hoped it didn’t wind up like the messes the Silverthornes had to wade into—not once, but twice.

My phone chimed with a text message when I got into the car. I couldn’t help but laugh when I pulled up Carter’s text, complete with a picture of him snuggling with one of the rescue pups. A part of me wasn’t surprised to see it was my own fave, Casey.

“I see. Have I been replaced so quickly?”

He sent the eyeroll emoji. “Chase said Casey is your favorite, too.”

“Yep. We need to dog-proof our rooms, but I’d love to take her in. Does she need anything? Mom and Ian are the ones who handle the bulk of the rescue work since the rest of us have outside jobs.”

“Nope, but there is something I need.”

“Anything,” I typed.

“A pregnancy test.”

I stared at those words, an indescribable feeling filling me. Smiling, I replied, “will do. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Sounds good.”

I set my phone in its dashboard holder and started the car. I was going to be a dad.

* * *

“Need anything else before I head out, Chief?”

“Nah. Any update on the Ironcrest crap?”

I handed him my notes. “Tony Nolan was quite helpful, actually.”

Chief read the notes and nodded before handing the notebook back. “How’s he doing?”

“Better. I invited him to our place for now. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I’ll never understand how people who are supposed to be family can treat omegas like that.”

“Ditto. I’m just glad Carter never hit that point. His circumstances might not have been much better, but at least he’d taken control of that choice.”

Chief smirked at me. “When’s the due date?”

I laughed and shut down my computer. “I gotta pick up a test, but we’re looking at the usual three months.”

“Well, get on home to your mate then. I’ll see you in two days since you’re off tomorrow.”

“See you.”

I got up and pulled my keys from my pocket when my phone rang.

“Cross here.”

“Hi, it’s Tony.”

“Oh, how are you? Everything okay?”

“I’m being discharged. I want to take you up on the offer, but I don’t have a way to get there.”

“Say no more. I’m just leaving the station, so I’d be happy to swing by and pick you up. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks,” Tony said. “I’ll be waiting at the discharge area downstairs.”

I hung up and headed out. He was sitting on a bench, a small bag beside him, when I pulled up. The nurse with him helped him get in, and Tony sighed once the door was shut.

“Thank you. I’ll try not to get in the way or anything.”

“Believe me, you’ll be just fine. I talked to our mom, and she’s looking forward to meeting you. At this hour, everyone’s home, so you’ll get to meet Carter and my brothers, too.”

Tony smiled over at me. “I’m nervous, but I’m looking forward to it.”