Chapter Four
Halley
It’s an Alpha.
An actual, real life, full-blooded Alpha, and he’s pissed off.
No, beyond that, he’s deranged.
The ICU explodes in chaos.
“He’s going into Blood Lust!” screeches the nurse interrogating me. Fear contorts her superior expression, her eyes bugging out as she darts past me and flees through the exit.
Other braver nurses run over, shouting orders and securing the gurney. I move on instinct, following the stream of staff.
There’s an insistent whisper in the back of my mind. It’s a deep, growling voice that feels familiar.
“Stay back. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Help me hold him down,” one of the Beta soldiers hollers, the stench of his fear mixing with the coppery tang of blood. “Viper, stop. Please!”
There is so much blood.
It’s dripping off the gurney and onto the floor, chunks of gore clinging to the sheets.
Two nurses hurry forward and press their shoulders against the Alpha’s legs, holding them flat against the bed. The Alpha roars in protest, and with an effortless kick, sends the Betas hurtling across the room. They land with a crash into the nurses’ station, sending paperwork and computers flying.
I can’t breathe.
Can’t think.
There’s an Alpha in the room and he’s powerful.
His strength is palpable, thrumming through the room like a pulse, wrapping his displeasure around each person’s throat.
I should feel fear; instead, something rouses awake inside me. A slinking, lazy presence glides out of the shadows of my mind and stretches with a jaw-popping yawn.
“Who the hell brought an Alpha going into Blood Lust into my ICU?” shouts an Alpha doctor as he strides into the room.
A Beta soldier climbing to his feet replies, pleading with the doctor. “He needs sedation. Please, he’s a good soldier and he doesn’t need to die.”
The doctor looks down at the raging Alpha, before he nods his head once and shouts an order. “Get him sedated, stat.”
“There’s no point in sedation. He’s too far gone,” a nurse cowering behind the station screeches. “Shoot him already! Before he kills us all.”
An ear-ringing howl of anger rips from the restrained Alpha and, in a show of horrifying strength, each leather strap holding him bursts apart.
The doctor’s face remains stoic, but I can smell the spike of his fear.
A shiver crawls up my spine.
I can’t tear my eyes away from the Alpha. The hairs on my arms stand on end, my Omega pheromones screaming at me to obey. Obey what, I’m not sure. All I know is that the Alpha is in pain and sick. Something in his scent is wrong.
Instinct guides me, answering some silent order to approach the Alpha.
I observe his movements.
His skin is twitching so rapidly, it looks like it’s crawling. His glazed eyes are wide and bloodshot. A spider web of veins bulge at their side, pulsing red.
I hear the screams of terror, but I don’t turn my head. I can’t look away. My whole body is transfixed. I feel like I’m vibrating, as if I’ve stepped on a live wire.
In a blink, the tension in the room ignites and explodes into chaos. A blur of motion, impossible to follow, streaks across the space, a hurricane of violence unleashed upon the unsuspecting Alpha doctor. Fists crash down like relentless hammers.
The doctor retaliates, but it’s a futile struggle. It isn’t a fair fight. The demented Alpha is a seasoned frontline warrior, and fueled with the rage of Blood Lust, the doctor doesn’t stand a chance.
I’m going to watch someone die, I numbly acknowledge.
A gunshot cracks, and I drop to the floor. Through my hands pressed against my ringing ears, I hear the agonized roar of a wounded creature.
My heart is pounding, and there’s an insistent instinct tugging at my navel, dragging me forward. With unsteady steps, I lurch towards the scene of utter chaos.
“Lieutenant,” the Beta soldier croaks, clears his throat, and then plants his feet wide. “Viper. I don’t want to do it, man. Don’t make me do it.”
A metallic click reverberates through the room as he cocks a hefty pistol and aims it at the Alpha’s head.
A gaping hole in the back of the Alpha’s uniform exposes the shiny pink of a freshly healed wound. A bullet lays at the Alpha’s feet, the deadly steel warped from its meeting with an immoveable force.
The Alpha roars, dropping the limp body of the doctor to the ground and spins to face the Beta. Blood drips from his fists, his uniform issued shirt soaked crimson.
“Viper, I don’t want to do this and I know you don’t want to hurt these people. I know you’re in there. You’re still holding on. Come back.”
I swallow, flicking my eyes towards Jason’s room, and spot Everlyn’s terrified face.
She’s gone through so much already. This is already the worse day of her life and this incident is only making it worse.
All of these poor nurses, doctors, and patients.
They’re here for treatment and to help others. They should feel safe here.
And then there is him.
The Alpha stalks towards the Beta.
Killing him will spare these people pain and suffering.
Something inside me clenches viciously at the thought.
This Alpha is sick. It’s not his fault.
Blood Lust only afflicts an Alpha when they see so much violence, it settles in their blood like an infection.
This hulking Alpha, with his close-cropped black hair and his enormous muscles, must have been fighting for a long time to get to this state. He’s hurting because he’s been out there, fighting for us, seeing and doing horrifying things to keep our people safe.
Is it right that at the moment he needs us, the best we can do is put a bullet in his head?
Before I realize what’s happening, my feet are moving.
One step, two steps, three, four, five, and then I’m standing between the Alpha and the soldier.
The Alpha snarls, his teeth glistening with saliva. A growl builds in his chest, a deep, primal sound. He steps forward, but I hold my ground despite my wildly beating heart.
I force myself to make eye contact and swallow my whimper of horror. He looks more beast than man with his crazed expression, the pulsing red veins, the bloodshot eyes, and his flared nostrils.
“Halley!” I hear Everlyn calling my name. I don’t look away. I know if I break eye contact, this won’t end well for anyone.
And then I see it.
Glimmering behind the glazed rage in his eyes is the deepest shade of green. Flecks of gold shimmer with keen intelligence and pain.
He’s still in there. He’s fighting against the disease.
I’m trembling so badly that my teeth chatter, but I know I can’t give up on him. My instinct sings, encouraging me, telling me I’m on the right path.
Slowly, I extend my hand between us and hope he doesn’t kill me.
The Alpha doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t blink. But he doesn’t attack either. His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, scenting me like a cautious dog.
“Hey there, big guy,” I whisper, my voice shaking.
His head tilts and the muscles in his throat work as he swallows, his fractured mind piecing together who I am.
There’s a shuffle from behind me and the Beta whispers frantically, “Omega, what are you doing? Get out of here.”
A hand slips over my shoulder, tugging me backwards and away from the danger, but the moment I’m touched, the Alpha explodes in rage.
A howl of possessive fury reverberates off the cold white hospital walls, shaking the ceiling and causing the lights to flicker. Globs of spittle fly as he clasps my extended hand and rips me out of the Beta’s grip.
I slam into his broad chest. The blood-soaked uniform is wet beneath my cheek, but I’m too shocked to notice. I remain motionless, barely exhaling, while massive hands grip me tightly.
From afar, I knew he was enormous, but pressed against his heaving chest, I’ve never felt smaller in my life.
“Fuck! Viper, let her go!” the Beta shouts in panic, a pleading quality shivering through his tone.
I strain my neck to see what’s happening, but a large palm threads through my hair at the back of my head and presses me firmly into rock-solid muscles. I picture the handsome Beta pointing the gun at the Alpha’s head.
“No, I’m fine. He’s not hurting me. Let me calm him, okay?” I shout back.
“Are you insane? He’s going to kill you!”
“If he does, then it’s my choice. You brought him here to save him, you don’t want him to die.” I can see it in his eyes, the way he said the Alpha’s name: Viper. They’re close.
I use my peripheral vision to spot an open door leading into what looks like a private examination room. If I can lure him away, the others can escape to safety.
“Let me try!”
It takes a moment of squirming in his embrace before Viper lets me take a step back, and he follows with a lumbering one of his own. With slow and deliberate movements, I hold his hand and lead him backwards across the deathly silent ICU until my feet cross the threshold of the room.
My heart is beating so fast that I think it will leap from my chest.
And yet, I feel something I can’t describe. It’s not fear. This is something new. Something primal and alert, but alluring as well.
I lick my lips. “Come on, big guy. Come in here with me.” I cautiously pull my hand to beckon him closer, and his nostrils flare, chasing my scent.
In the background, I see the staff closing the doors to the patient rooms and disappear into the safety of the hallway.
The Beta stands rigid, rooted to his spot, his gun still raised with a clenched jaw.
I shuffle deeper into the room. The Alpha follows with a snarl, his eyes still burning with rage, yet I smell the mellowing of his acrid, aggressive scent.
He doesn’t want to murder me. That’s a good start.
“It’s okay,” I whisper as the Alpha takes another step forward. “Come here. Let me take care of you.”
Sliding my foot across the linoleum floor, I gently push the door closed. It shuts with an audible click.
The Alpha’s hands clench into fists but he doesn’t react to being trapped. He’s fixated on me. His eyes rove over my form like a man starved, drinking in my curves and the swell of my breasts.