Chapter Twenty #3
"But I am pissed off," I interjected, not impressed that the focus had shifted to me when Sage was sitting in a magic resistant cell somewhere. I glared at Brandt, demanding, "Where is he? If I have to shift and tear the building down to get to him—"
"No," Beck's interruption carried an edge of his alpha authority; the magic that alphas could use to force other shifters to submit to their will. "Could you imagine the backlash from human society?"
"I don't give a flying fuck about what humans think. They have my ma—my best friend in a cage!"
"We are outnumbered by humans and living in their world," Brandt tried to reason, but I was already shaking my head. Nevertheless, he continued, "And it looks, on paper, as if they had every reason to arrest him."
Serge and I bellowed matching protests at that; wordless and incensed.
"I am not saying he committed a crime," Brandt spoke over the top of our anger firmly, "but someone went to a great deal of effort to make it look like he did. I imagine it would play into those same peoples' hands if we were to resort to violent means to secure his freedom."
"What are you going to do to fix it, then?" The frustrated demand came through the speakers, my alpha sounding colder and more clipped than I imagined was possible for him.
On the screen, Jamie clasped a hand on Sergio's shoulder and squeezed. "Your omega will be okay," he said, unaware of the tension that caused on our side of the call.
"What do you mean, his omega?" Brandt asked.
"I mean, I know they're not bonded yet," Jamie looked between us and Sergio, his tone marred with confusion, "but Sergio is Sage's alpha. And Dexter's." He frowned, turning his head slightly, and I gathered he was looking at me on his end of the call. "Right?"
There was a tiny moment of silence before the room erupted in a cacophony of sound.
"What is it with my brothers hiding important stuff like this from me?" Eric lamented, more to himself than the room in general. He crossed back over to his seat and dropped into it, rapidly tapping away at his keyboard. "Sage's lab results make so much more sense now."
"You mean you didn't know?" Jamie asked, sounding even more confused.
Rex shook his head. "Can we back up to where Sergio is an alpha?" He squinted at the screen. "When did that happen?"
"Did you say he's Sage's alpha and Dex's?" That incredulous question came from Beckett. He looked over at me. "Like...sharing? Or...?"
"And you're all okay with Sergio's connection to Micah?" Rex again. He made a face. "Sage is basically sleeping with his brother's bio-father-in-law."
"You already have a kid?" That one was Jamie, gaping at Sergio, who tried to explain.
"Not...I mean, biologically, but..."
Brandt had moved around behind me, looming over Eric's shoulder. "What required explanation in Sage's lab results?" He read the contents of the screen for a moment, then inhaled sharply. "Oh." His throat worked. "Shit."
The rest of the rabble faded into background noise for me. "What? What do you mean 'oh shit'? What's wrong with—"
"How much magic does an omega body rely on during the early stages of gestation?" Brandt asked lowly, and my heart stuttered.
"Gestation?!" I might not have been a scientist or a doctor, but I knew what he was asking. My throat went dry. I coughed. "Why would...why would you be asking that?"
I knew why. I just wanted to hear them confirm it.
The rest of the room had fallen deathly silent at my exclamation. I could hear Serge's panicked breathing through the speaker, but I didn't dare tear my eyes from my omega mate's brothers.
"Why would—" I started to repeat the question, and Eric sighed loudly, pinning me with a pointed stare. His tone was somber.
"He's pregnant, Dex. And we need to get him out of that cage."
"We are so having a long talk the second we get Sage back."
I couldn't exactly blame Eric for his frosty attitude this time.
He was hurt that his younger brother had kept him out of the loop for some pretty significant details.
A three-way mating, another beta-turned-alpha, the fact that the alpha in question was our resident shaman and so much older than Micah had been when his designation had changed…
It was a lot, and it was information that might have aided Eric with his research.
Following Eric's confirmation of what, exactly, Sage's blood tests had revealed, Serge had wheezed out a shocked "I'm flying home tonight" and abruptly ended the call on his end, leaving me to process the news on my own...and to face the inquisition.
Thankfully, while the others were clearly champing at the bit for answers, they seemed more interested in making sure we got Sage home first. His health —and our child's health— depended on it.
We spent the next few hours turning the meeting room into a war room.
Beckett began making phone calls to his various contacts in local law enforcement, Brandt reached out to lawyers with either shifter ties or who were shifters themselves, and Rex left to go and see if the IT savant living at Frat House could dig up any connections between this mess and Moonmusic.
I wasn’t quite certain what use that would be, but if Rex thought it would help, I wasn’t going to stand in his way.
Anything that could possibly help Sage was encouraged.
Eventually, it got dark, but I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to keep working, keep discussing plans, keep working to free my mate. He was probably so upset, likely afraid and uncertain, too.
Beck’s hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Go home, Dex.”
I rubbed at my tired eyes and shook my head. “No. I can’t. I need to—”
“You need to go home and get some rest,” his words were firm, but spoken with compassion that I didn’t think I deserved. “You won’t be any good to Sage if you burn out.”
I haven’t been any good to Sage for hundreds of years, I thought miserably, feeling moisture gathering in my eyes. I blinked it away angrily. Tears were futile. They wouldn’t help anyone at that moment.
“We’re going to get him out of there,” Beck continued, sounding gentler now, “I promise.”
The thought of going back to our empty house, void of both my mates, made my heart hurt. Eyes burning, my voice came out thick and raspy as I replied, “I can’t.”
Guilt had stolen over me in the hours since we’d learned of Sage’s imprisonment. I felt at fault for it all. If I hadn’t let him leave while he was upset and distracted. If I had only insisted that we investigate the supplier together. If I had gone instead of him…
A broken sob broke free from my throat and I turned my face away, not wanting to see the pity painted on the Alpha’s face, nor anyone else’s for that matter.
“Then you’re staying in one of the guest rooms upstairs,” Beck squeezed my shoulder again. “But you are going to rest for now. We will all revisit this with fresh eyes and minds tomorrow.”
Nodding jerkily, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
I was desperate for comfort, but I didn’t believe I deserved it.
Still, the plaintive words, “I want my alpha,” spilled from my lips before I could stop them.
I had to bring my fist to my mouth to bite down on my knuckles, stifling the mournful cries threatening to follow the declaration.
Strong arms pulled me against an equally strong chest, Beck’s large hand bracing the back of my head and neck. His alpha scent was tinged with the scent of his wolf, but it was still familiar enough to break the last of my resolve.
I bawled into his shoulder, heaving, ugly, honking sobs wracking my body as I let the built-up stress and emotion escape.
I would likely feel embarrassed about this later, about losing my composure so completely in front of them all, but particularly Eric and Brandt.
They already disliked me, so I didn’t think falling apart and showing how weak and useless I was would endear me to them any further.
After all, how good could I possibly be for their brother if I fell apart so easily under pressure?
“Sergio will be here tomorrow,” Beckett soothed, still speaking to me like I was fragile. Given that the words, which were meant to reassure me, only made me cry harder, I supposed I was fragile.
So, that made me weak, useless, and fragile.
Why would my alpha want me after this, either? I hadn’t even been able to keep Sage safe while Sergio was gone. I was a terrible mate.
“Dex, you need to breathe for us,” Eric’s voice broke through the storm clouds in my head, and he sounded…vaguely concerned. That was odd for him. At least when it was directed my way. “You’re hyperventilating right now.”
Was I? I hadn’t realized, but I guess that accounted for the tightness in my chest and the burn in my throat.
I should probably be scared that breathing felt impossible in that moment, but the overwhelming grief of realizing what a spectacularly shitty mate I was coupled with the fear and worry over Sage’s situation overrode any worry about myself.
An insidious, dark idea crept into my thoughts then.
Perhaps Sage and Sergio would be better off if I did stop breathing.
“Dexter,” Eric’s voice morphed from concerned to something that was altogether too calm. “In and out for me. Like this. In…two…three…four, out…two…three…four.”
I tried to follow the instructions. I did. But it hurt, and my efforts were short and sharp and shaky.
I found myself being moved, manhandled into a seat. The comforting, electric alpha scent stayed close, though, even if the warmth of Beckett’s hold was gone.
“You’re having a panic attack, Dex,” Eric was still speaking in that measured tone which set my teeth on edge. “It will pass. You’re safe here. Can you open your eyes?”
Was it possible to feel embarrassed while in the middle of a breakdown? Because I did. So, I shook my head.