Page 24 of Dark Goodbye

But I can’t allow him to get away with harming her. That’s a precedent I never want to start. My fingers curl into fists as the image of her, so small and forlorn as she cradled her wrist in her hand, flashes into my mind.

Just like that, the need to maim and tear asunder fills my body, rekindling the desire to see him writhe in agony. Besides, after tonight, I’ll only be visiting Malus before and after work. It shouldn’t interfere with things like it’s doing today.

Glancing about, I make a mental note of what’s down here and what I’ll need to grab from upstairs. Luckily, I can snag most of the bulky hardware from these rooms, leaving just the medicines and IVs. That part won’t be too difficult.

I grab several of the empty poles and drag them behind me, taking another moment to look out for any other workers. Once the coast is clear, I make my way to the secret door and down the old hall. As the debris becomes too much, I pick them up and ease my way across.

When I open the door, my heart stops. If I’ve played my cards right, he should still be asleep long enough to get the setup complete. However, as an Alpha, there’s always the chance that his body metabolized everything far too quickly. The sound of ragged snores reaches my ears, sending relief flooding my veins.

Quietly as I can, I bring in the poles and set them to the side before rummaging around the various drawers and cabinets. Sure enough, after a few minutes of frantic searching, I find the catheter tubes and anal hose. Setting those to the side, I leave the room, closing the door behind me.

I head back to the elevator, my heart in my throat. Ladria. All I have to do is think about her. It will mask any aggression in my scent, making it far less suspicious if I come across anyone.

Though the lobby itself is empty, a nurse stands guard at the desk, her face buried in a book. It would be much better to just head things off. With a quick stride, I make my way over to her, pausing long enough for her to set the book down.

“Oh, Alpha Healer. I thought you were gone for the day.”

“I was, but after meeting with the king, I realized there were some reports I needed to fill out. You know, while things are still fresh in my mind.”

“I understand, Alpha Healer.”

“Make sure no one disturbs me while I’m in my office.”

“As you command. Do you need anything from me?”

“Yes, actually. Do you still have the file on the omega that was killed today?”

Her brow furrows for a moment as she turns and rifles through the files on her desk. No doubt it was supposed to be put away, but as with everything, unless directly ordered, it would remain out in the open where just anyone could get a hold of it.

Sure enough, it was in the growing stack next to her. “Are you looking for Ladria?”

“Yes?” Dread swirls in my gut as I eye the nurse. “How many dead omegas are there?”

“Well, there’s just the one, but…”

“But? Out with it.”

“There seem to be several deaths in this stack, far more than I remember there being.”

“I want all of them. Give me the ones you have in that stack, and tomorrow, you will go through the entire system. Get the nurses who aren’t assisting the other Healers to help you. You will gather every death, no matter how it happened, going back for the last ten years.”

“But Alpha Healer. That’s-.”

“Do not presume to tell me you have better things to do. This is a high priority. If you cannot do it, then I’ll find another nurse that can.”

Her face pales as she pushes away from her desk and starts rummaging through the files. This is a setback that I’m not prepared for, but it’s far too suspicious to ignore. As the pile she’s preparing for me grows even larger, that gnawing sense of dread in my gut grows right along with it.

Eventually, she hands me the large stack and walks over to the wall to start on the others. Holding them close to my chest, I make my way to my office, ignoring the curious looks from the other nurses and lower-level doctors. At least now, I have even more of an excuse to be in my office after announcing I was staying at home.

Before I even get to the files, I walk about my office, gathering various drugs and placing them in my pocket. All that’s left is the nutrients, but that will be safer to get in the morning. Besides, Malus can stand a day or two with no food. Perhaps this fast will allow him to comprehend the error of his ways.

Sitting at the desk, I flip open Ladria’s information first, skimming over the stuff I already knew. Below, however, is the information I’m looking for. She’s been here for three and a half weeks, locked away in that cell. Her only crime seems to be aiding and abetting the harm of an omega.

My brows scrunch for a moment as I reread it. That doesn’t sound like the Ladria I knew. She wouldn’t hurt anyone. Not on purpose at least. The fact that they imprisoned her for so long… And yet, there’s no record in this file or the main system that shows she even had a trial.

Fury floods my veins. For all his talk of equality, Jaxxon sure had a funny way of showing it. No doubt if it was his omega, she would have had a trial the moment she stepped foot into Stanlion. How dare they toss my omega aside, forcing her to languish in her cell? For all the harm he caused, Malus did indeed do me a favor by faking Ladria’s death.

Shoving her file to the side, I flip through the others, my eyes going from cause of death to the Alpha Healer that pronounced it. All of them were listed as either natural causes or unknown with Malus signing off on each one. Twenty deaths in the last four months.