Page 68 of The Forbidden Alpha

The ride back was a blur—the roar of blood in my ears, the sound of sniffling kids, and the singular, desperate need to arrive. My back no longer hurt, the adrenaline burning through my veins like a sedative numbing the pain. Adea sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, her fingers locked around the blond-haired boy huddled against her chest.

There was nowhere to park; the lot was full, and the chaos had tripled since we’d left. I jumped the curb, slammed to a stop, and jumped out. Opening the passenger door, Adea climbed out with the kid in her arms, the child at her feet scrambling onto the grass behind her.

I yanked her seat forward, swaying as I helped crying kids out of the cramped leather interior.

Parents who had been waiting, watching, were already sprinting across the stone pathways, screaming names. Kids ran crying into their mother’s arms; two brothers got swept up by an Enforcer.

The boy who had been huddling at Adea’s feet ran straight to his mother.

“I’ll find your Oh-sis, don’t worry,” Adea murmured, her voice high as the boy ran off. But as the crowd began to filter into the hall, we’d found everyone’s guardian but the child clutched tightly in her arms. My chest seized with a suffocating dread.

“Do you need me to carry him?” I asked. She was pale, her clothes wrinkled, and blood smeared her arms. She shook her head, her grasp tightening on him.

I grabbed her arm and led her toward the Hall. “Let’s look inside. We might have better luck finding his parents in the main hall.”

“I didn’t expect to kill anyone today,” Adea whispered, her frame shaking. “Or ever.”

I squeezed her arm reassuringly. “You did what you had to. That’s all anyone could ask of their Luna.”

I felt her lean against me before we were rushed forward with the crowd. The hall was packed, suffocating as we maneuvered through the shoulder-to-shoulder maze. Some people huddled against the walls, families weeping, and guards trying to clear the pathways.

A roar cut over the noise of the hall.

“River!”

Our heads turned in sync. Odis burst through the people. He was disheveled, his suit crumpled, shredded at the shoulder. His usual emotionless mask had completely shattered, replaced by a look of unadulterated fear. He looked like a man who feared the worst.

Who did he love enough to cry out like that? A lover?

My heart ached.

The child in Adea’s arms squirmed violently at the sound, his piercing silver-blue eyes locking onto the Beta. “Oh-sis!” River cried out, his tiny voice breaking as he reached his small arms out, fingers curling as his hands opened and closed.

His little brother?

Adea lowered him to the floor, and River bolted. The Beta dropped straight to his knees, his giant frame shaking as he gathered the boy into his chest, the rigid line of his shoulders finally dropping as he buried his face into the blond curls.

“I’ve got you,” Odis rasped, his voice unrecognizable. “You’re safe, River.”

I stared at them, the air leaving my lungs as something tugged in my chest. Felix snarled weakly behind my ribs, echoing through my chest. I looked at the boy’s face as Odis held him, and it clicked. My heart stopped.

The boy. His blue eyes, the shape of his face.

Olivia.

As if on cue, my mate marched into the entryway, pushing people aside.

“Livia,” the boy started. The moment her gaze landed on River, the panic in her eyes hardened, flipping away as if it pained her to look at him. Then her eyes landed on me. She let out a long, heavy sigh, stopping right before me.

“How did it go?” she asked, her voice quiet as she ignored him.

“We got kids out,” Adea murmured when I didn’t speak.

“What is this?” I whispered. I looked between Odis and Olivia. In my peripheral, I watched the Beta straighten to his full, towering height, moving his massive frame to shield the child.

She didn’t move.

“I’m glad you guys are safe. We found where they were coming through. Enforcers in the First Guard neutralized the breach point and we secured the school. Prisoners have been taken down to the holding cells.”