Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Three shifters escort me to the local hospital, where the humans will be arriving. Caleb doesn’t trust this area—and he trusts it even less with me in it.
Everett’s men have retreated, finally returning to Everett’s pack lands. The American military closed in on them in the early hours of the morning, driving them off American soil. From what I’ve heard, Everett lost a lot of men. Now he’s fighting to defend his borders.
His rash actions cost him several lives, human and shifter alike, and he’s lucky Caleb’s men managed to get inside the Florida facility before everything was locked down.
Caleb’s men are only three hours away.
This area has become pandemonium. Men storm the streets, shouting orders and hurrying to complete tasks. They’re preparing for an attack.
A naked man hurries past me. Is Caleb running around naked, too? Probably.
He left early this morning, pulled away by Adam and two other giant warriors. The three men he ordered to escort me to the hospital are just as large. I suspect they’re high-ranking, powerful men. Caleb doesn’t take chances.
Sash is already waiting for me in the front lobby.
“Comms are still down,” I tell her. “We won’t know what to expect with the marked humans until they arrive.”
Sash sighs. “Of course they are.”
She loops her arm through mine and practically drags me down long hallway after long hallway. I eye the signs above our heads, unsurprised when we enter a pediatric wing. The maternity wing is directly beside it.
“Both have been cleared out,” Sash explains. “All expecting mothers and newborns have been moved to a hospital deeper into the pack lands.”
We enter a waiting room. It’s spacious, and large windows along the left wall let in bright sunlight. After being kept underground, I’m hoping the humans appreciate the windows.
“All the humans will have their chips removed immediately upon arrival,” Sash explains. “Those who were placed in the breeding program will then be moved into a private room. The other group, the marked volunteers, will be brought here.”
“And the infants?” I ask.
“Taken to the pediatric ward. They’ll need more extensive tests.”
“Like what?”
Sash shrugs. “Not sure, exactly. Infants undergo a lot of testing. Biliruben, maybe. I can ask one of the pediatricians, if you’d like.”
“No need.” I trust the doctors know what to do. “We should make sure to have food and fresh clothing brought in. Comfort items.”
This is a temporary location, but we want it to feel comfortable. The humans will expect the worst, and the way we treat them upon arrival will affect how they view us. They aren’t prisoners, and we’re here to help.
Sash and I spend the next few hours preparing. Hot food is brought in. Clean clothing is set on a nearby table, organized by size.
I explain to the medical teams what life was like for me in my facility, trying to give as much context as possible. I can’t guarantee these humans had a similar experience, but it’s better than nothing.
Things outside grow hectic. Voices become loud. Caleb pops inside occasionally. He’s always in his wolf form, and he stays just long enough to make eye contact with me before disappearing again.
I live for these moments. My anxiety slowly mounts from the moment he leaves, growing and growing until he checks in. The relief I feel when I see him is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Then the cycle begins again.
Time passes in a blur.
I’m startled when the doors of the pediatric wing are flung open and two wolves come barreling inside. Their fur is covered in blood, and behind them is a limping shifter carrying a young girl. A human. My breath catches in my throat.
I’ve seen injuries like that before. I know how bad it is.
God. She’s little, no older than three. Her curly, red hair sticks out at all angles, and a tattered HPAW uniform hangs off her tiny frame. She’s screaming. Her right leg is wrapped in blood-soaked gauze, and the man carrying her practically runs through the lobby.
He’s heading toward the back. A doctor, a tall woman in black scrubs and squeaky sneakers, rushes out to meet him.
“What—”
Her words are cut short as the little girl turns, a feral cry tearing from her throat before she bites the man’s forearm. He curses but otherwise doesn’t react. I suspect this isn’t the first time she’s bitten him.
He passes her off to the doctor and two nurses.
“She’s from the first group,” the man rushes to say. “She was shot in the calf during our escape.” He glances toward the lobby door. “The rest are being brought in, her older brother included. They aren’t pleasant.”
He turns, shifting his attention to Sash. My heart pounds when he jerks his chin toward me. “Get her out of here. Alpha’s orders. The first group is aggressive.”
What? I open my mouth, ready to argue.
“No—"
The lobby doors burst open.
More humans are brought in. They fight, biting and clawing and punching at the soldiers who herd them into the building. There are eight in total, their ages varying from older teens to middle-aged adults. They all bear mate markings on their hands. Some remain light, but many are a dark red.
One of the group’s more daring members runs forward. It’s a young man with pitch-black hair and vibrant, green eyes. He’s missing a finger. His middle one on his right hand. I’m not sure why I notice it, but once I do, I can’t look away.
Did HPAW do that? How? Why?
He shoves the medical team aside and rips the little girl out of their arms. I’m sure it would be easy for the doctor holding her to stop him, but she lets him take the girl. He clutches her in his arms, his movements flighty as he hurries back to the group of humans.
The little girl visibly relaxes. This must be her older brother.
I step toward them.
This first group is full of volunteers. They chose to work with HPAW, and I assume they were unaware of the breeding program. They’ve been kept in the dark just as I was, and they’ve been lied to.
I’m going to tell them the truth.
Sash grabs my arm, pulling me away. “Come on,” she says. “You heard Caleb’s orders.”
I don’t move.
I heard them, but I’m planning to ignore them. There are several shifters in this room, Sash included. These humans aren’t going to get close enough to harm me. Even if they tried, they wouldn’t succeed. I’m safe.
I resist Sash’s gentle tugging.
The humans cluster together, their voices loud as they speak over one another. Some are yelling at the shifters who brought them in. Others are yelling at one another. It’s pandemonium, and when a doctor steps forward with her hands raised, she’s quickly pushed away.
A man darts away from the group just long enough to shove her back, his lips downturned into an angry snarl. He’s acting like a terrified, cornered animal. Not ideal.
“Fuck you!” he shouts. “Stay the fuck away.”
I clear my throat. “Please, I have—”
Sash places herself in front of me, blocking my view of the humans.
Then the door they came through bursts open again. A naked shifter rushes inside, his muscles rippling as he storms toward the humans. He drags a meaty hand over his buzzed head as he looks around, his nostrils flaring.
We made it abundantly clear that male wolves were to make themselves scarce from this area. Female shifters are stronger than humans, even human men, and they’re perceived as less of a threat.
This man clearly doesn’t care.
He locks in on a blonde-haired human woman at the back of the group, and his entire damned body seems to vibrate with energy. I don’t need to compare their markings to understand what’s happening.
“Antonio!” Sash shouts. “Do not—fuck!"
Antonio moves with unnatural speed. He grabs the blonde woman, his hand curling around her shoulder. She’s unable to hide her horror as she stumbles back, ripping herself free of his grasp.
“No,” he grunts. “Mine.”
Wrong.
His claim is sharp. Piercing. What the fuck does he think he’s doing? This is so clearly not the time or place to claim his mate. It’s the absolute last thing we need right now.
Two shifters fly into the room behind the man, their animal forms blurry with speed. They shift mid-step, transforming into their skin forms just as they tackle Antonio to the ground. He lands with a sickening crunch, his left arm twisting oddly beneath him.
If his broken arm is painful, he doesn’t show it. He thrashes underneath the two men, fighting like his life depends on it. The woman, his mate, backs away, putting as much space between them as possible.
“Release me,” Antonio orders.
He’s a large man, his long limbs covered in thick muscles that flex with every movement. His marking is stark white.
Sash is already on the move, and she looks pissed. Her lip curls as Antonio is forced to his feet, his arms held behind his back. He stills when he notices Sash, his fighting ceasing with impressive speed. Is he intimidated by her? I suppose being the alpha’s beloved sister has its benefits.
He licks his lips, meeting Sash’s gaze. “She’s mine,” he explains. “My mate.”
Sash and Antonio have captured the entire room’s attention. Sash takes advantage of that as she turns toward the clustered humans. They’ve gone quiet.
“No mates will be claimed today,” she says. Her voice is loud, ensuring every human hears. “Any unmated shifter who sets foot in this wing will be stripped of their status and banned from all future matching mixers.”
Antonio recoils. I suspect being banned from matching mixers is a big deal.
“You’re in no position to make that decision,” he shouts, freeing his right arm. It’s immediately snatched up again.
Sash raises her chin. “You’re right.” Her gaze cuts to me. “I don’t have the power to decide that, but your female alpha does.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Every pair of eyes in the room shifts to me. Even the humans know who to look at.
I straighten my spine. “Any unmated shifter who sets foot in this building will be stripped of their status and banned from all future matching mixers.”
The room stills.
The punishment sounds about right, and I suspect it will work to keep the unmated shifters away. We need to move slowly and show patience. That’s a hill I’m willing to die on.
I turn toward the shifters holding Antonio. “Get him out of here.”
They hesitate for the briefest moment.
“I sure hope you aren’t contemplating denying your female alpha.” Caleb’s voice cuts through the room.
He doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t need to. He steps through the doors, his movements hurried as he yanks a pair of pants up his thighs.
The shifters lower their gazes and remove Antonio. He doesn’t go without a fight. He struggles to free himself, his eyes never once leaving his mate as he’s forced out of the area.
The humans resume their shouting as Caleb approaches me. He ignores them.
“We need to talk,” he says to me as he nears. He waves Sash over. “It’s urgent.”
He’s covered in a thin layer of sweat, and there’s a speck of blood on his torso. It steals my breath, and my hand trembles as I wipe it away. There’s been fighting.
“What’s happening?” Sash asks.
Caleb leads us away from the humans. They’re still shouting, demanding answers. I’m willing to bet they’ve been given answers dozens of times already. They just refuse to believe it. I was the same once.