The reinforcements arrived by late afternoon.
Two armored transports and a smaller aerial escort that landed with practiced indifference on the uneven ridge. They moved quickly—efficient, silent, and dressed in the matte black uniforms of facility enforcers. Not military. Not government. These were company men. Trained. Controlled. Dangerous.
I didn't trust them.
But I helped load the crate anyway.
Kol didn't speak during the hand-off. Neither did Kade. Everyone could feel it—the pressure of eyes that saw too much and said too little. These weren't medics. These weren't recovery techs. They were watchers. Wranglers.
The kind who didn't flinch at blood.
Or monsters.
I should've kept walking.
Should've shut my mouth, focused on getting home.
But my legs carried me too close to one of the field officers, a woman in a silver-coded jacket who looked barely old enough to be out of training. She was talking to one of the transport drivers, her voice casual. Careless.
And I heard it.
"…whole place nearly shut down," she said. "Security red-tagged the east wing. Medical bay's locked. Word is one of the specimens collapsed mid-session and hasn't woken up since."
My chest tightened.
I stepped closer. "What specimen?"
The woman blinked at me. "Excuse me?"
"The one that collapsed."
She tilted her head, frowning. "Omega wolf hybrid. White hair. Pretty one. Boss loaned him out to one of his VIP guests for that fundraiser thing. I guess they pushed him too far."
My breath left me.
Pushed him too far.
That wasn't an accident.
That was deliberate.
My voice came out flat. "He lost consciousness?"
The woman nodded, looking vaguely amused by my interest. "Haven't woken him up since. Two days and counting. Medics say his vitals are stable, but he's not responsive. Probably just overloaded."
I said nothing.
Didn't need to.
Because Nyx was already howling.
They broke him.
I turned away before I could do something I'd regret.
Kol caught up with me near the far edge of the drop zone, his expression tight. "What did you hear?"
"They used him at a party," I said. "One of the boss's friends. Some private gathering. I don't know what happened—I wasn't told—but…"
Kol didn't need the rest.
None of us did.
Because we'd seen what those parties were for. We'd seen how Nine was treated—what he was bred for. And we'd seen what happened when a "product" was pushed too far, too fast, too often.
He hadn't stood a chance.
Not with the way they treated him.
Like a doll.
A performance piece.
A possession.
I kept my face still.
But inside, I was unraveling.
He didn't even know how to say no, Nyx whispered. He would've smiled through it. Obeyed. Let them do whatever they wanted just to be called "good."
And now he was silent.
Still.
I gripped the strap of my pack hard enough to make my knuckles ache. "We're going back," I said quietly. "As soon as the crate is secured."
Kol didn't argue.
Didn't offer sympathy, either.
He just nodded once.
And started making arrangements.
I didn't know what I'd find when I got there.
But I knew this:
If they'd broken him—
There would be no place left on this earth for them to hide.