The Alpha and Her Rogue

|39| Dreams

Jaxyl

Bryce and I haven't spoken in days.

Any time we're in close proximity, he makes it his business to avoid me. It's making me angry and even more worried about him. Whenever I do see him, he looks worse off than he did the day before.

His sunken figure is making him appear as if he's dragging himself out of bed and through his day. His usual humorous, cocky, and aggressive attitude had diminished. He's been like this since he arrived here.

I know Bryce, and he hasn't been himself.

I don't know if it's the news about Xavier that's made him worsen or what but I want to find out. It's eating me alive and it shouldn't be; I shouldn't be allowing it.

"You going to eat?" Adarian asks me, sliding the takeout closer to me.

I look at the box, not being able to muster the appetite, and push it away with my finger. Adarian sighs with a disappointed shake of his head.

"Depriving yourself of food and sleep will not help anyone," he says before heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I had the urge to claw him for saying that. I knew he wanted to say Xavier instead, but he is right. I haven't been able to sleep nor eat much knowing the condition my son may be in. I'm up all night worrying, crying, and beating myself up.

When I talked to Lady Marcella about Xavier's kidnapping, she was in hysterics—apologizing over and over. There's no way I could be upset with or blame her. She had no idea that the unit had been ambushed after they left the school. Tad made sure to leave no survivors.

I trudge into my office, flipping on the light and dropping into my chair. I look over the maps that we've been scribbling on for days and hours at a time.

So far we've only noticed two possible vulnerabilities of the Barbaric Pack. The pack's entrance and the prison's back exit. That's it. We've went over ways that we could send a team to sneak in and find Xavier and Darius but we don't know for sure where they are.

Our guess is that Darius is being held in a cell but Xavier? Where would they hold an infant pup?

A quick knock came at the door and in walked Adarian. "You're doing this again?"

My eyes remain focused on the map. I felt his presence behind me and his arms snake around my shoulders. I resist the temptation to relax into his arms.

"Come to bed," he urges. "You've been stressing yourself with this every night. That's not good."

"My pup being held captive isn't good. We have to come up with something, Adarian, before I storm the place myself."

"That wouldn't turn out in your favor."

"Then help! You used to live there. You have to know someone on the inside that hates Kryllen enough to help us."

"Everyone hates Kryllen. They're just too afraid to express it."

"Look at this map," I demand. "Are you sure there is no other way we can get in? You have to know something."

Adarian shakes his head. "Jax, that man will order to kill on spot."

"Then we kill on spot," I retort. "I don't know about you, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."

He sighs, thinking, worry etched all over his enticing features. "There is one other way," he states. "It's possibly the least deadliest."

"I'm listening."