“You’re doing well,” Ellen praised Jessa.
Maybe her behavior was part of the problem. He bit back a smile. She wasn’t known for her cheery disposition or praise. She was…Ellen. Not that he hadn’t seen glimpses of the woman within the hardened exterior. When she was with Oscar, she was an entirely different person. Soft, curious, smiling—almost hopeful. And this pregnancy? This baby? It mattered to her, deeply.
“I’d like this to be over now.” Jessa’s words were ended on a long groan, her face going red as her entire body stiffened.
“Soon,” Finn whispered, pressing another kiss to her forehead. His Alpha shot him a tortured glance.
Hollis couldn’t imagine. He didn’t want to. Ever. Even after he found the cure and they were all normal humans again, without any remaining evidence of their prior violent canine-shifting existence, he knew he wasn’t wired for this.
Ellen nudged him. “Go.” Her gaze drifted to the door. “Find out what’s happening.” Her pupils were wide, her wolf shining through.
Confirmation that he wasn’t losing it. But not exactly the best news, considering where they were and what was happening. And that the pack was probably to the airport by now. Shit. “What—”
The high shriek of the fire alarm split the air seconds later. Brown, the head of security, would take care of it. The man had stayed behind to watch over his daughter, Tess. Her rescue from the Others was too new for the man to let her out of his sight for an extended time. Not after she’d been their captive for so long.
Any time now. Brown was on top of things.
But the alarm
kept going.
His gaze collided with Ellen’s. Her wolf was raging, eager to get out.
And Finn? The mix of rage and fear on his face set Hollis in motion.
“I’m going.” His step quickened once he’d left the room. What the fuck was happening? Whatever it was, he should have clued in before now. Wolf or not, he’d picked up on something “off”—and chose to ignore it. First things first, where was Oscar?
Olivia met him in the hallway, holding Oscar, looking ready and willing to shift.
“What’s up?” Calm. They had to stay calm, keep their heads, until they knew what the fuck was happening. Wolves didn’t do calm. Another reason he was glad he wasn’t a wolf.
“I don’t know.” She bounced Oscar on her hip. “Oscar and I were chilling out with Tess—” Her eyes widened as she spun and hurried back to the great room.
He followed, dread sinking deep in his bones. The room was empty and the alarm kept beeping. Fuck. “Brown?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Still in the control room?”
Bullshit. If he was, the fucking alarm wouldn’t still be going off. He ran down the other hall, past the gym to the control room.
No Tess. No Brown. And, as far as he could smell, no fire. He punched in the code, silencing the alarm. What had triggered it? Brown? As a warning? A warning of what? His stomach twisted sharply, sweat beading on his forehead. If the Others were here… They were alone. Vulnerable. Easy prey to a pack set on ripping them to pieces. “Fuck.” He punched the metal cabinet so hard it buckled before he headed back to the great room, hoping like hell the Others hadn’t found them. Not now. “No Brown.”
“Jessa?” Olivia glanced at the closed bedroom door.
“She’s close.” He ran a hand over his face.
“I’ll find him. Tess was freaking out over Jessa. He’s probably calming her down,” Olivia offered.
It was a logical explanation—one he immediately dismissed.
“Or maybe she got scared and ran, and Brown followed her,” she suggested, sounding as skeptical as he felt.
Finn came stomping down the hall, wild-eyed and tense. “What’s happening?”
“Tess is gone. Brown isn’t in the control room.” She continued to bounce Oscar.
Finn stiffened, bracing. “Call Mal back.” The look he gave Hollis turned his blood to ice.
“Wait,” Olivia said, knowing how important their mission was. “Give me five minutes to find them.”