Page 30 of Rescued by Four Alphas (Claimed by the Four Alphas #2)

" Y ou look like shit," Leo states, his fingers wrapped around a mug of cold coffee.

I glance at the mirror hanging in the hallway and see my reflection for the first time in days. There are dark shadows beneath my eyes. My stubble has grown so much that it covers my jaw, and my hair stands in wild disarray. He's right… I look like shit.

"We all do," I mutter, my voice raw from lack of sleep.

It's been ten days since we rescued Dahlia. Ten days have passed since she gave birth to our children. Ten days since she slipped into a coma, and the longest ten days of my life. We tried the ritual that Leo suggested last night, but Dahlia has still not woken up.

I drop into the chair across from Leo at the kitchen table. The house feels wrong. Everything feels wrong. My skin crawls like someone rubbed sand beneath the surface, and my head pounds with a persistent throb behind my eyes.

"Any change?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

Leo shakes his head. "She's stable but still unresponsive."

"Do you think we did it wrong?... The ritual, I mean?"

"No, I did it correctly... I said the right words. I don't know what happened."

"Don't blame yourself, man. We tried our best. We won't stop until we find a solution."

"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 here they 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.

"Keep it running as usual," I decide. "But make sure the recording doesn't leave this facility."

"Yes, sir."

Cell 3 resembles a hospital room more than a prison cell. It has white walls, bright fluorescent lighting, and a narrow bed bolted to the floor. The only indications of its true purpose are the lack of windows and the reinforced door with its electronic lock.

Reid sits on the edge of the bed, wearing a plain gray jumpsuit. He looks smaller somehow, diminished without his lab coat and air of authority.

"Dr. Leonard Reid," I say as the door locks behind me. "We meet formally at last."

"Ah." His lips curve in what might pass for a smile. "The wild one. I was wondering when you'd show up. You know, I've studied your genetic profile extensively, Mr. Stonefang. Your Alpha markers are quite fascinating. You're primitive even by shifter standards."

I say nothing and settle into the single chair across from him. I will let him talk and let him think his words still hold power.

"Your mate's condition hasn't improved, I presume?" Reid continues when I remain silent. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, would you?"

The mention of Dahlia sends a fresh wave of pain through my chest. My wolf surges forward, and I allow just enough of the shift to let my eyes change color. Reid's heart rate increases. I can hear a rapid flutter beneath his composed exterior.

"You experimented on my mate," I state. "You accelerated her pregnancy and nearly killed her and our children."

Reid sighs, as if I've disappointed him with such a basic observation.

"I advanced scientific understanding of Omega reproduction. The data collected from Dr. Baldwin's case will benefit countless shifters in the future."

"The data," I repeat his words. I move faster than he can, grab him by the throat, and lift him off the bed with one hand. "Tell me how to reverse what you did to her."

Reid claws at my grip, his face reddening. I loosen my hold just enough to allow him to speak.

"There's... nothing to reverse," he gasps. "The drugs have already metabolized in her system. They served their purpose."

I tighten my grip again. "Then why won't she wake up?"

"It's… the... trauma..." He struggles for air. "Her mind is... protecting itself..."

I release him suddenly, and he collapses back onto the bed, coughing and gasping.

"How do we wake her up?" I demand.

Reid rubs his throat, glaring at me with undisguised contempt. "If I knew that, don't you think I would have told Mr. Blackthorn during his rather... thorough questioning?"

"I don't think you'd tell us anything that might help her," I reply. "Your entire career is built on exploiting Omegas for your research. Why would you help save one?"

Reid straightens, adjusting the collar of his jumpsuit with a dignity that seems absurd under the circumstances.

"My work transcends individual cases. The knowledge gained from studying Dr. Baldwin's unique multiple bonding will advance shifter medicine for decades. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for progress."

My control slips. The wolf takes over for a split second, and my claws extend, slashing across Reid's face before I can stop myself. Four parallel lines appear on his cheek, beading with blood.

"That was unwise," Reid says. He touches the scratches and examines the blood on his fingers. "Assaulting a federal prisoner will only complicate your legal situation."

I laugh out loud in the sterile room. "Legal situation? Do you think I care about laws or consequences? My mate lies unconscious while our newborn children cry for her. There's nothing you or anyone else can do to me that compares to that pain."

Reid's expression shifts subtly. Perhaps he finally realizes his usual tactics won't work with me.

"I understand…" he begins.

"No, you don't." I cut him off. "You can't understand the bond between mates because you've never experienced it. You study it in labs. You observe it through monitors and blood tests. But you don't know what it feels like to have half your soul torn away."

I step closer, lowering my voice. "Let me tell you what it feels like, Doctor.

It feels like someone carved out my insides with a dull knife.

I haven't slept well in days because every time I close my eyes, I feel her absence like a physical wound.

My wolf howls constantly, demanding I find her, fix her, bring her back.

And there's nothing I can do except sit by her bed and watch the machines breathe for her. "

"The bond withdrawal symptoms are expected," he says, slipping back into his scientific persona. "Your brain chemistry is adapting to the severed connection. It should stabilize eventually, though the discomfort may persist indefinitely if she doesn't recover."

"If?" I growl. "There's no 'if' about it. She will recover. And you're going to help make that happen."

"I've already told you… and Mr. Blackthorn…that I don't have a solution," Reid insists. "The coma is her body's natural response to extreme trauma. No drug or treatment can force her consciousness to return before the brain is ready."