The hoarse cry travels out of my throat and bursts out before I can stop it.
“Max!”
I watch as he closes his eyes and turns away from me. He strides to the door and walks through it.
He’s gone.
A keen rips from my throat.
“No!” I shriek at the alphas around my bed. “No! I don’t want to go!”
I pull desperately at the restraints, but they hold firm. I pull harder and my wrist burns with pain.
“No, no, no, I won’t go back there, please don’t take me there—”
The two alpha doctors look grim, their gazes darting between me and Stone. The younger one turns to Stone.
“I would recommend taking her through a side entrance, to avoid too much… disruption.”
Stone looks at me with disgust. “Can’t you put her under?”
“The children would be at risk. She needs to remain free of sedatives until after the birth.”
Stone tuts, his eyes moving over me. “I have something that may help.”
He walks to the cupboard in the corner and returns with something in his hands.
At the sight of the familiar leather he’s holding, my pleading disintegrates into screaming. Mindless, mindless screaming.
I scream for Max. I scream for him over and over again.
But he doesn’t come.
He left me.
And as the leather closes over my face, restricting my breathing, I feel the very last, tiny piece of me shatter.
ChapterFifteen
Max
My hands shake as I walk slowly up the corridor.
Keep it together.
Ava’s screams echo down the hall, bouncing off the walls and making the handful of guards shift uncomfortably.
My breathing turns ragged, and I battle the urge to turn around. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply. I can scent her fucking terror, her vanilla scent so acrid that it burns my nose. Nicole stares at me as I lean in to grab my phone and duffel bag from behind the reception desk.
“I’m heading out,” I grunt above the screaming. The fucking effort it’s taking to keep my face normal is almost more than I can take. I can feel aggression rising, tensing my shoulders.
We have one shot. One fucking shot.
Please, God.
Nicole nods at me, her eyes moving in the direction of Ava’s room, and I walk to the elevator. Pushing the button, I keep my eyes turned forward as her screams turn to sobs. I can make out my name in between, her sounds sending stabbing pains through my chest. She’s flaying me open.
Blood runs down my wrist from the strength of my nails digging into my hands.
