Page 32 of Rescued by Four Alphas (Claimed by the Four Alphas #2)

" V ish'na torda elim. Seph'ra mendi ko'ran."

"Bala'dur eth tamin. Ka'vir seph eloth."

"Mendi ko'ran eth'vir. Seph'ra elim torda... Vish'na torda ELIM!"

It's so dark I can barely see anything. A red string wraps around my hand and tugs me forward. I don't know where the end of the string is. But it keeps pulling me, and the words keep ringing in my head. What is going on?

"It's time to wake up."

"You need to wake up."

"DAHLIA, WAKE UP!”

The endless black recedes as warmth floods back into my limbs. Something beeps near my head, and I feel tubes brushing against my skin. My throat burns like I've swallowed shards of glass. Where am I?

Am I still there… Still on Reid's table? My babies…

I open my eyes, and the blinding white light makes me shut them back. The sterile smell of antiseptic floods my nostrils, sending me spiraling instantly back to that room. That horrible, white room where Reid stood over me with his clipboard and various injections.

I try to scream, but only a dry rasp comes out. My arms flail, searching for the restraints I know must be there, and I feel tubing pull against my skin. It's happening again. They're going to take my babies. They're going to cut them out of me.

"Dahlia! Dahlia, you're safe. You're home."

A voice breaks through the panicked haze. It's familiar and it's warm. I know that voice.

"Leo?" I try to say, but it comes out as a broken whisper.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here." His face comes into view, hovering above mine. His beard has grown a bit, his eyes are shadowed with exhaustion, but it's undeniably Leo. "You're home. You're safe now."

"I heard voices calling me," I whisper, my voice still hoarse. "In the darkness... A red string kept pulling me back."

Leo's eyes widen slightly, but before he can respond, another face appears beside him. Axl's hair is tangled, and his clothes are rumpled like he's been sleeping in them for days. His hands gently capture my wrists as I try to pull at the tubes in my arms.

"Easy, beautiful," he murmurs. "You need to keep these in. They're helping you."

My breathing comes in short, sharp gasps. I can't seem to fill my lungs properly. "My babies," I manage to croak out. "Where are my babies?"

My hands frantically search my abdomen, finding it flat and tender beneath the hospital gown. My babies are gone.

"Where are they?" I plead, "Please tell me they're alive. Please tell me Reid didn't take them."

"They're here," Leo says quickly, "They're all here and they're alive, Dahlia. All four of them. They're small, but they're fighters, just like their mama."

Relief crashes through me so powerfully that a sob erupts from my raw throat. "I want to see them," I beg. "Please, I need to see them."

Leo and Axl exchange a glance, then Leo nods. "I'll bring Nova first," he says, stepping away from the bed.

Axl sits beside me, one hand still gently restraining my wrist to keep me from disturbing the IV. His other hand smooths my hair back from my forehead in a tender, repetitive motion.

"You've been unconscious for 10 long days," he explains softly. "The doctors weren't sure when you'd wake up. You lost a lot of blood, and your heart stopped for almost a minute during the surgery."

My heart stopped. I died. The realization should be shocking, but somehow it feels distant, like he's talking about someone else.

Leo returns, carefully wheeling a small bassinet to my bedside. "This is Nova," he says, his voice filled with reverence. "Our daughter."

I push myself up slightly, wincing at the sharp pain that lances through my abdomen.

Inside the bassinet lies the tiniest baby I've ever seen. She's wrapped in a pink blanket, her small face peaceful in sleep. A knit cap covers her head, and wires connect to monitors that track her vital signs. She's so small.

"Nova," I whisper, reaching out with trembling fingers to touch her cheek. Her skin is like warm satin under my fingertips. "Is she... is she okay?"

"She's doing great," Leo assures me. "She was the smallest at birth, but she's gaining weight every day. The doctors say her lungs are strong."

"Can I... can I hold her?" I ask hesitantly.

Axl shifts to help support me as Leo carefully lifts Nova from her bassinet. "You need to stay still because of your incision," he explains. "I'll place her on your chest."

The moment Leo settles her tiny body against me, a dam breaks inside my chest. Tears stream down my face as I cradle my daughter. She weighs almost nothing, this precious miracle who survived against impossible odds.

"The boys?" I manage to ask through my tears.

"They're right here," Axl says, gesturing to the far side of the room where three more bassinets are lined up. "Would you like to meet them too?"

I nod, unable to form words. One by one, Axl and Leo bring my sons to me.

Knox is the largest, with a strong grip already evident in the way he clutches my finger.

Zane only opens his eyes briefly to gaze at me before drifting them closed again.

And finally, Jaxon, the smallest of the boys, squirms against my touch.

"They're perfect," I whisper, overwhelmed by the sight of all four babies arranged around me. "How did they survive? They were so early."

"Marianna says Reid's accelerant helped their lung development," Leo explains, though his voice tightens when mentioning Reid's name. "And they're receiving the best care possible. The east wing is now a fully equipped NICU."

I try to shift my position to see the babies better, but searing pain shoots through my abdomen, stealing my breath.

"Careful," Axl cautions, his hand supporting my shoulder. "You had emergency surgery, remember? You were bleeding internally."

"I want to sit up," I say, frustrated by my weakness. "I need to see them properly."

Leo adjusts the bed controls, raising me to a semi-reclined position.

For the first time, I take stock of my physical condition—an IV line snakes from both arms, delivering fluids and medication into my body.

The heart monitor beeps continuously beside my bed, and a catheter tube runs beneath the sheets.

My body feels hollow and diminished somehow.

"How bad was it?" I ask quietly.

Axl and Leo exchange another glance, and I know that neither of them wants to deliver bad news.

"The surgery was touch and go," Leo admits finally. "You'd lost a lot of blood, and your heart stopped during the procedure. Marianna managed to repair the tear in your uterus, but..."

"You were in a coma," Axl finishes when Leo trails off. "The doctors weren't sure if... when you'd wake up."

I absorb this information slowly, the reality of how close I came to death sinking in. "And the other Omegas?" I ask. "The ones Reid was holding? Did you find them?"

Pain flashes across Leo's face. "Two were already gone when we arrived. We found three others alive in the lower levels of the facility. They're receiving treatment now."

The knowledge that some of them survived brings a measure of relief, but grief for those lost cuts deep. I think of Reid's describing how they "expired during induction trials." How many women died for his research? How many babies were sacrificed for his vision of military superiority?

Suddenly, the room compresses around me. The beeping of the monitors accelerates as my breathing becomes shallow and rapid. In my mind, I'm back in that examination room, strapped to the table as Reid increases the Pitocin, ignoring Marianna's warnings that it could kill me.

I can feel the needle piercing my abdomen as he extracts amniotic fluid. I can hear him discussing my "specimens" while I beg for my children's lives.

"Dahlia, breathe with me," Axl's voice cuts through the flashback. He takes my hand and places it against his chest. "Feel my breathing. Match it. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

I focus on the rise and fall of his chest, drawing air slowly into my lungs. Axl murmurs encouragement, his eyes never leave mine as he guides me through the panic attack.

"I've been practicing these breathing exercises," he admits with a small smile. "The nurses taught me while you were unconscious. They said it might help when you woke up."

The simple admission brings fresh tears to my eyes.

"I was so scared," I whisper, the words inadequate for the terror I experienced. "I thought I'd never see any of you again. I thought our babies would die in that place."

"We were coming for you," Leo says fiercely. "We never stopped looking."

"Thank you…" The word barely escapes before my eyes slide shut, too heavy to keep open any longer.

A few minutes later, the door swings open, and Evan appears with Onyx close behind him.

Evan freezes in the doorway, his eyes widening as they lock with mine. For a split second, he doesn't move, as if he can't believe what he's seeing. Then his face crumples, and the control he maintains shatters all at once.

"Dahlia," he breathes, crossing the room in three long strides. He reaches for my hand, his trembling as his fingers intertwine with mine. "You're awake. You're really awake."

Onyx approaches more cautiously, his massive frame somehow diminished by the naked emotion on his face. He stands at the foot of the bed, his eyes sweeping over me as if cataloging every detail and reassuring himself that I'm truly here.

"Hey," I say softly, extending my free hand toward him. "It's okay."

He takes my hand so gently it's as if he fears I might shatter at his touch. "We thought we lost you," he says... "When your..."

The pain in his eyes makes my chest ache. I squeeze his hand. "I'm stronger than that," I tell him. "It takes more than some mad scientist to keep me down."