Chapter 37 Lockdown
ZADE
The massage chair hummed low under me, the rollers digging into the knots along my spine. I kept my eyes closed, head tipped back, letting the vibration drown out the noise in my head. Mason sat across from me on the couch, his voice pitched just loud enough to carry over the machine.
"Leon's story checks out so far," he said. "He's a hybrid vampire-witch. Royal bloodline on his father's side. His family tried to bleed him dry—literally. He left bodies behind when he escaped. But Alpha... why here? Why now? The guy's got palaces, private jets, and more money than half the packs combined. He could've healed anywhere. Why crawl through our woods bleeding out and then stay?"
I didn't open my eyes.
"He's here for Indie's flame," I said.
Mason let out a short breath through his nose. "That's what I'm thinking. Her power called him. Or Varak did. Or both. Either way, he didn't stumble here by accident."
I hummed.
Mason shifted on the couch. The leather creaked.
"You gonna handle him?"
"I'll handle it."
My voice stayed even.
"Enid's... not doing great," Mason said after a moment of silence.
I cracked one eye open.
"She still can't speak," he continued. "Her throat is too swollen, and her tongue's a mess. Giselle says it'll heal eventually. But she's been crying nonstop. Throwing tantrums. The omegas are scared to go near her cell."
A sudden spike of pain lanced through my chest as though someone had driven a blade between my ribs and twisted.
I clenched my jaw, trying to push past the agony.
Mason was off the couch in an instant, crouching in front of me.
"Alpha?"
I pressed the heel of my hand to my sternum, trying to push the pain back down. It didn't listen. It clawed deeper, spreading like ice.
Mason's hand landed on my shoulder, firm. "Breathe. You're okay. Use Leon's blood. You know it works. Giselle said—"
"I know what Giselle said," I droned.
He didn't flinch. He just kept his hand there, steady.
I forced air into my lungs. But the pain only worsened.
"I need to see Indie first," I said, my voice rough. "If the venom's retreating... if her mark is fading... then I'll know his blood is safe. If it isn't—" I let the sentence hang.
Mason nodded once. "You want me to check on her?"
"No." I pushed myself upright, ignoring the fresh stab in my chest. "I'll go myself."
I rose slowly. The room tilted for a moment before it righted itself. Mason stayed close, ready to catch me if my knees gave out.
They didn't.
I walked past him towards the hallway, clutching at my chest and fighting the dizziness.
Behind me, Mason's voice followed.
"She's sleeping, Alpha. Let her rest."
I didn't answer.
I needed to see her chest rise and fall. Needed to see the black cracks on her arm shrinking. Needed to know Leon's blood wasn't poison.
Because if it was... I'd tear his hybrid heart out with my bare hands. And I'd make it hurt.
...
I eased the bedroom door shut behind me with a soft sound. The hallway was dim, lit only by the low amber lights that never quite chased away the shadows in this house.
Indie was still curled on her side, one arm tucked under the pillow, the other holding Lila close.
I couldn't stop myself.
I crossed the room in three silent strides and sank onto the edge of the mattress. The movement didn't awaken her. She was out cold, exhaustion finally winning after everything.
My gaze dropped to her exposed arm.
The sleeve of my hoodie had ridden up in her sleep, baring the pale skin from wrist to elbow.
I leaned closer, and my breath caught in my throat.
The black cracks were gone.
Smooth, flawless skin stared back at me, unmarked except for the faint silver scar from some childhood fall I'd kissed a thousand times in my mind long before I ever had the right to touch her.
Relief slammed into me so hard my vision blurred.
I exhaled shakily, the sound ragged in the quiet room. My chest felt like someone had lifted a mountain off it. The venom was dead. Leon's blood had worked.
She was safe.
My Bunny was safe.
I brushed one careful fingertip along her forearm, tracing the place where the cracks had been hours ago. Her skin was warm, alive, and unmarred.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to the spot, lingering there like I could seal the healing with my mouth alone.
Then I stood.
The pain in my chest was still there, a dull, familiar ache, but it felt distant now. Manageable.
I moved toward the door on silent feet, pausing only to pull the blanket higher over her shoulder. She sighed in her sleep and burrowed deeper into the pillow.
I slipped out and pulled the door closed behind me.
The hallway felt colder.
I rolled my shoulders, trying to breathe through the lingering burn in my lungs, when it hit me.
Howls. They were long and urgent, rising from the eastern perimeter.
Epsilons.
Revenant attack.
The pack link exploded with alerts. Their voices were frantic with overlapping warnings from the border guards.
'Multiple breaches. They're fast. They're—'
I slammed the lockdown order through the link before the thought finished forming.
'Lockdown. Now. Every door. Every window. Guards to the inner ring. Protect the young and the vulnerable first.'
The howls cut off abruptly as the pack responded, a ripple of acknowledgement flooding back to me.
I was already moving.
Down the hall. Past the omegas who flattened themselves against the walls as I passed.
I needed to make sure one particular liability didn't use the chaos to slip out of his chains.
The treatment room door was ajar. I pushed it open with two fingers, letting it swing wide without a sound.
Leon was awake.
He lay propped against the pillows, bandages stark white against his chest, his flame-red hair fanned across the linen. His golden eyes darted up to meet mine the second I walked inside.
He didn't stop.
His right hand was wrapped around the thick length of his cock, stroking slowly, the head flushed and glistening.
His left hand gripped the sheet beside him, his knuckles white. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving, and the IV line tugging with every roll of his hips.
He didn't cover himself or pretend to be embarrassed.
He just looked at me, his lips parted, and kept going.
"Couldn't help it," he rasped.