Silenced

Chapter 49

"Come in." Matthew called when I knocked on the office door. He didn't look the least bit surprised that it was only me at the door. I entered the office with no hesitation. I was determined to put these kids before my own personal fears.

            My eyes landed first on Sam. He looked to be sleeping soundly. The only sign that he was even a patient in here was the IV dripped attached to his small hand. Next to Sam was a smaller bassinet like table. It looked like it had be deliberately laced as close to Sam as possible. Unlike Sam Amelia had all different kinds of cords connecting her to several different machines.

"I gave Sam something to help him sleep and I am waiting for Alisa to return so that we can begin the necessary surgeries for Amelia." Matthew said. He had joined me over by the children.

I reached out and touched the bassinet as I looked up at Matthew. He seemed to understand I was asking about her condition.

"She is in a medically induced coma. I don't want to bring her out of it until we can repair some of the damage. She has a couple broken bones, internal bleeding, puncture wounds, and probably a concussion but I can't be certain yet." Matthew sighed. "My priorities for now are taking care of the bleed and the broken bones."

We stood in silence as a traced over her tiny toes. I couldn't imagine why anyone would do this to a baby. She was so small and innocent. She deserved so much better than this.

"I had to explain what each cord was for to Sammy before he would calm enough to allow his own IV. He said the doctors had already hurt her enough..." Matthews words made my limbs go numb. I turned my attention to Matthew. He nodded.

"It sounds familiar right?" He asked.

I gulped.

'You don't think-' I started to sign before remembering Matthew wasn't fluent in ASL. Matthew gestured for me to follow him. We went into his office. He shut the door and grabbed me a pen and paper.

'You don't think this is some how related to what happened to me do you?' I wrote out.

"Are you familiar with the name Noah Devlin?" Matthew asked. Emily and Cassy had told me about a man named Devlin who had done horrible things to kids.

I nodded.

"With everything that's been going on lately, the rise in rogue attacks and kidnappings as well as what happened with you and those kids in there, it seems like it would be ridiculous to think of it as a coincidence." Matthew said.

I shook my head.

'What happened to me started as some kind of punishment. I don't even know a Devlin.' I wrote.

"I can see from your scars why you might think that but none of your injuries were harsh enough to kill you. If what happened was meant as a punishment then I don't see why they would have been that careful and it doesn't explain why they tried to claim you." Matthew said. His words made my head spin. I sank down into the chair and tried to gather my thoughts. One thing from Matthews words stuck out to me the most. I clung to the sliver of hope his words provided.

'You said tried. Does that mean he doesn't have a claim on me?' I asked.

"I cannot be sure. Aside from the obvious attempts you do not bare a mark so even if a 'claim' is a factor it wouldn't be a mating claim. A mating claim trumps any other claims including pack or marriage." Matthew explained.

'But if the council finds out will they send me back?' I asked. It was the question I'd been dying to ask about since finding out Matthew knew what had happened.

"I see very little chance of that happening, especially with mine and Alpha Brogans testaments."  Matthew said.

I shook my head quickly.

'You told Silas?' I asked horrified.

"No..." Matthew said giving me a curious look. "Since this is not a current safety concern, as far as I'm aware, it is within our confidentiality agreement."

I let out the breath that I'd been holding.

'If the council finds out there is still a chance that I'd be sent back?' I asked.

"Alpha Brogan and I are concerned that the council may not be as immune to corruption as we've been led to believe." Matthew said.

'Why?' I asked.

"They are not necessarily on the same page as Devlin was but they are reading the same books so to speak. They are desperate for a new king and they are pushing for all unmated Alphas and Betas to find there mate or step down from the title." Matthew said carefully.

'So if the mate of an alpha or beta ran away they wouldn't hesitate to send her back.' My sentence came out more as a statement than a question. I watched as some of the color drained from Matthews cheeks. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment and when he released it he was back to showing no sign of emotion.

"Rylan, if your Alpha or Beta even so much as knew about what happened to you and did nothing they don't deserve to be in power and they need to be removed immediately."  Matthew said.

I looked away. I couldn't meet his eyes and lie. Not right now. I heard Matthew shift away from his desk. He came around to my side and knelt down next to me. I still refused to look at him.

"And, if they had something to do with what happened to you then you have to know there is a huge possibility that you aren't the only one..." Matthews words made me feel sick and light headed.

"What if you weren't in a hospital Rylan? What if they are helping run some sort of breeding center? They could have hundreds of children there and they could be forcing girls, even younger than you, to go through the same processes." He was trying to put it gently. I could hear it in his tone but his words were like knives.

I was going to puke or pass out, maybe both. I couldn't decide which but anything seemed better than having to hear this. I was already trembling and shaking my head. I can't. I can't. I can't. My brain was whispering on a loop. I couldn't risk being sent back there. I didn't even want to look back long enough to see if Matthew was right.

"Rylan please tell me..." Matthew said.

I continued shaking my head.

"I have to know. We have to be sure that this isn't happening to anyone else..." He said.

'I can't. I can't...' My brain continued to whisper.

"Rylan please help us help them." Matthew pleaded.

~I CAN'T!~ I screamed through the connection.

Matthew flinched back and gaped at me. I didn't bother hanging back to explain. My chair fell over as I bolted from his office. I let my feet carry me back up the stairs and into my room.

There was no stopping this panic attack. I was to far gone. I couldn't understand how Matthew could ask that of me. He had seen my scars. He knew more than anyone what they had done to me. I could never go back. My vision narrowed as the blackness crept in. I couldn't even remember what I was supposed to do to try and stop it. I sat down on the bed and let the darkness pull me under.