Chapter Sixty-Five: His

I grabbed the shoulder of the soldier before me, stalling his movements. The woods around the Old Sanatorium gave off a ghostly quiet that set my nerves on edge. I signaled to the rest of the group following me to hold still. In the distance, I could barely see the shadowy outline of Hugo's team setting charges around the building. The scouts reported that only three rooms in the middle building had heat markers similar to Nyx's type. There was no sign of Finn in the secondary scout's report, which only added to my need to rush this operation.

There were numerous situations to go over and plan through, as there was a small unit of guards. The unknown factors had delayed the raid by hours which was breaking my patience. Planning everything in detail went against my basic instincts to rush in and save Nyx and my brother. The land surrounding the three buildings that made up the sanatorium was flat grass leading into a small forest. However, the place was abandoned over 50 years ago, and the grass was now waist-high, with bushes growing randomly. There was plenty of cover to hide the four teams I had in place.

The main building in the middle of the others was the only one with power or signs of life. The rest of the buildings were fair game to stir up a distraction. I needed to make enough ruckus to pull the guards and other people away from Nyx and, hopefully, Finn.

A soft whistle signaled the charges were set and awaited my go-ahead. A deep pause settled into my lungs as I took a moment to switch off my emotions. We were so close to Nyx that I felt her presence in every breath I took. I needed to have her safe in my arms, and in order to do that, my focus must be detached from my worry. My body relaxed into a lethal readiness.

I whistled the go sound back. A second later, expletive booms rocked the foundation of the building, and all four attack teams began searching. My men popped out of their positions with the fluid nimbleness of someone who has trained so long that their agility is ingrained deep in their muscle memory. Hushed tones of each soldier came over my comms as we broke radio silence. I hustled to the wall of the main building. My squad of men spread out on either side of this exterior door. A soldier stepped forward to check for locks or to lay explosives. The door swung open as a massive shifter stepped out, surveying the scene. 

"What the —"Neal popped up from behind the other side of the building and tackled the Goliath. I sidestepped them, knowing that Neal could handle him. I couldn't spare time in hand-to-hand combat when I trusted my team to do it for me. My goal was Nyx, then Finn. I snuck through the open door, hustling down the hallway.

 "Alpha, Left." The soldier behind me grunted as a staircase came into view. I changed directions, taking the steps two at a time until I reached the third floor. I shoved the heavy door with my shoulder and stepped into a brightly lit hallway. The floor was filled on both sides with steel doors that reminded me of the solitary row in a prison. The walls were stark white, giving an illusion of cleanliness, even with the decaying walls. The fluorescent lights flickered and added to the hopeless ambiance of this windowless cage. Bile crawled its way up my throat at the thought of Nyx being here. She had revealed her fears of being locked away in a place exactly like this numerous times. My drive to get her out of here increased.

"What room?" I turned toward the soldiers who fanned out behind me, some flinching from how powerful my command was.

"At the end of the—" The soldier who spoke earlier stopped and stared down the passage. I turned, taking in Nyx as she stumbled into the hallway, closed the door slowly, and leaned her forehead against it. I froze, every cell in my body relieved I could see her but terrified she wasn't real. "Alpha?" 

I stepped forward when Nyx pushed off the door, her eyes trained on something on the floor. Her dress was torn, and blood stained the fabric in so many places I couldn't tell if she was injured. With my heightened vision, I could see the various color stages of her bruises, making me see red. I needed her in my arms now. I took another step. A weird sound rumbled up my throat as I breathed out her name, "Nyx." 

Her eyes snapped up, and fear consumed her features until her eyes met mine directly. Relief flooded her face: "Ollie!" 

My body moved independently of my conscious thoughts, closing the distance between us in seconds, and I scooped her up in my arms. Nyx buried her face into my shoulder, her weak arms locking around my neck. Sobs racked her body, and I collapsed onto the floor. I pulled her body tightly against mine, stroking the back of her head, nuzzling my face into her hair, and whispering, "I've got you, goddess. I'm here. You're safe." 

She pulled back, her face swollen and bruised, "Ollie, Chad took Finn! Follow the blood." 

I cupped her cheek and kissed her gently all over her face and lips, "I know. We will find him." 

She sobbed. Her breathing came out erratic and shallow; my stomach twisted in concern. Between tear-soaked gasps, Nyx's weak voice holds my full attention. "My mother is not allowed to leave that room." 

I glanced at the door she emerged from, then up to one of my soldiers. He nodded and stood guard in front of it. My coms went wild as Neal reported that Hugo found Finn and Chad. A flurry of commands snapped out of my Beta's mouth; his voice cut short mid-sentence. The men around me began to disburse at the sudden disruption. I held Nyx in my arms, slowly rocking us back and forth.

 "We found Finn. He is okay." I reassured her with the lie as I listened to the comms. Finn was in bad shape and barely hanging onto life. It would take a miracle for him to recover. Hugo reported he was extracting Finn while another soldier detained Chad. I wanted Chad alive. Neal was engaged in an intense battle with an unknown assailant. I trusted Neal and Hugo to follow my plan and fulfill my desires, but I needed to follow the entire mission to ensure nothing went wrong. I heard the helicopter overhead and knew the extraction phase was beginning.

I could vaguely hear the echoes of terrified screaming, begging, and sobbing coming from the room just away from us. Nyx's body flinched and shook at the sounds, only relaxing when I cupped my hand over one ear and pressed the other to my chest. I purposely avoided wearing full tactical gear for this reason. My fingers felt the huge goose-egg on the side of Nyx's head, and I couldn't help but glare at the door. Nyx determined her mother's fate, and I wouldn't interfere. But my urge to murder the woman who caused my beloved so much pain was almost enough to make me break my unspoken promise.

Even without me giving the order, the soldier would stand guard stoically until Gloria perished, and then he would remove the body. Nyx is my only priority right now. She was finally safe in my arms, and I intended to keep her here for a while. I whisper into her hair while stroking it with my thumb, "I'm here. You are safe."

Nyx's body finally calmed at my words and leaned heavily on me, her eyes shuttering with effort to stay awake. I jolted back, "Hey, stay with me!" 

"I'm so tired, Ollie," Nyx whispered, her body limp in my arms. As her arms slid away from around my neck, she gave me a desperate look. "I love you."

My stomach dropped as Nyx's eyes closed and her breath caught in her chest. My eyes zeroed in on her chest, waiting for it to rise and fall with just a shallow breath, but after counting to fifteen, I leaped up and took off running toward the helicopter. I yelled into the comms so Neal and Hugo could get everything prepared. When I boarded the aircraft, the medical professional who worked for my team was already doing CPR. I sat in the seat next to her, helplessly praying for a tiny breath.