Page 71 of Fight or Fly

I thanked the universe for heavy-duty painkillers, because my instincts said the alphas’ presence would only escalate things further. They seemed to have a very rigid idea about who Alex was and what she needed—one that I suspected was no longer accurate.

I lifted a finger to my lips, urging quiet. “I need you at the gym,odama. It’s Alex—she’s there alone, melting down.”

Leo’s expression immediately morphed from startled fear to empathy and terrible sadness. “Let me find some pants,” she whispered. “Write the others a note, will you? I don’t want them to wake up and find both of us gone with no explanation.”

I nodded, hurrying to the kitchen for paper, a pen, and a bit of scotch tape as she carefully extricated herself from the nest.

Alex alone and having a meltdown at the gym, I scribbled.Leo and I have gone to calm her down. Will bring her back here afterward. Please don’t follow—leave it to us. Kam.

I took the note back to the nest and taped it to the beanbag positioned between the two men, so it would be right in front of their faces if they woke up. Leo was waiting for me in the hallway, wearing leggings and sneakers beneath an oversized shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail.

We jogged toward the medical building, and that alone told me how worried Leo was, since shedespisedrunning for any reason. The guard lifted a hand to stop us this time, staring at us with a frown.

“Problem?” he asked.

“I hope not,” I said. “We’ve got a friend inside who just received some bad news. She’s upset.”

He gave us a skeptical look up and down, but let us in. We hurried through the building to the gym, where the situation hadn’t improved in the interim. Blood smeared the leather of the punching bag now, proof of the damage to Alex’s unwrapped knuckles.

“Oh, Alex,” Leo murmured, pushing past me to move farther inside. She looked around at the uncomfortable expressions on the other people’s faces, and let out a sigh. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “But could you all give us some privacy for a bit?”

“Not so sure you two should be in here alone with her, ma’am,” said the bandaged beta. “She could be dangerous.”

“Not to us,” Leo replied, with the same air of utter certainty that had turned contentious diplomatic negotiations in her favor and convinced world leaders to change longstanding views to suit her.

The others exchanged uncertain glances, but then the bandaged man shrugged his good shoulder. “If you say so. Yell if you need help.”

“Thank you,” Leo told him.

I stood out of the way as the others trooped out of the room, leaving us alone with the sound of rapid, heavy blows and ragged breathing. We flanked Alex’s sweat-soaked form, giving her a wide berth as we entered her field of vision.

“Go away,” she grated past a clenched jaw. Blood spattered in fine droplets from her split knuckles with every devastating impact.

“No,” Leo said softly.

Her teeth bared in an audible growl. “Fuck off with your tears and your diplomacy and your goddamned feelings bleeding all over the place.Leave me alone!” The last three words were punctuated with three rapid-fire blows. A small split opened in the leather, white wool stuffing peeking through it.

“Shan’t,” I said, my heart breaking for her. I met Leo’s eyes, silently telegraphing the foolhardy thing I was about to do. She nodded agreement.

As one, we stepped forward. I grabbed Alex’s bleeding fist in mid-blow, grunting under the impact against my palm and thanking my lucky stars she was already exhausted. At the same moment, Leo slipped between the alpha and the abused punching bag. Alex jerked her hand free with a gasp and stumbled backward, landing flat on her ass. We knelt in front of her, forming three corners of a sweaty and breathless triangle.

She looked terrible. Her face was bloodless and gray, dripping with clammy sweat. Her hair was matted and tangled, hanging loose since she couldn’t do anything practical with it one-handed. Her left hand lay against her chest, fingers curled like the legs of a dead spider, caged inside the frame of wires and pins. The smell of night jasmine and sandalwood languished beneath the stench of sweat and festering grief.

“What did Irina do to you?” Leo asked, her voice hard with anger.

Alex stared at her like she was some sort of exotic alien life form. “Nothing,” she snarled. “She didnothing.”

“The hell she didn’t,” Leo shot back.

“Something obviously happened,” I said in a softer tone. “Please tell us.”

Flat green eyes speared me. “She did nothing. She...wants... nothing.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

“Oh,” Leo breathed. “You wanted her back, and she... what? Rejected you?”

Alex made an angry, dismissive gesture with her free hand—her fingers bruised and tinged ruby with blood. “Why would she not? It’s been years. The bond is broken. She’s found another person and no longer wants me.”

“I’m so sorry, Alex,” Leo said. “I can’t imagine how that must—”

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