Help! the four Alpha's are obsessed with me.-Chapter 201 Price of Vengeance

From then on, the Lancaster house was closed to anyone. The key stayed with Xylander.

Once they’d wrapped up everything tying them to that toxic family, they decided to head back to their base—the hotel where they’d been staying. But in the middle of the drive, with Draven at the wheel and Xylander in the back beside Daniel, a news notification flashed across Draven’s phone.

He jerked. Then went completely still.

"Stop the car, Draven. Now!"

It came out like a command, sharp and desperate—a scream that stunned both men.

Xylander had worked so hard to calm Daniel after his breakdown, had finally managed to quiet him. But now Daniel wore a look Xylander had never seen before. And this was after everything, after keeping him together for so long.

He’d never witnessed Daniel unravel like this. It was almost enough to make him strangle Draven himself.

Whatever was happening to Daniel’s mind, it was getting worse. So much worse.

Daniel pressed both hands to his head like a man who’d lost everything.

"No. Please. Not my babies. Not them. What have I done? Why didn’t I listen—"

His words dissolved into weeping. Tears spilled faster and faster down his cheeks, and Dylan—Xylander—rushed to take the phone from him, to see what had triggered this.

"Daniel, I thought you were okay. What is it?" Xylander’s voice cracked. He was terrified for his husband. He couldn’t watch Daniel slip further into this darkness; it was eating him alive from the inside.

Then Xylander’s eyes landed on the screen.

A news broadcast. Their hotel—the one Alexander was in, their temporary home—completely engulfed in flames.

The entire city was in chaos. People were trapped in the enormous building. Fire crews had arrived, but they were barely making a dent against the inferno. Casualties mounted. Corpses were being pulled from the wreckage one after another.

"How—no. No." Xylander shook his head, forcing conviction into his voice. "Draven, start the car. Nothing’s going to happen. I’m telling you, nothing will happen. Think."

He needed Daniel to stop hollering. Needed him to breathe.

But Daniel’s eyes were rimmed red now, wild and shattered, and it terrified Xylander. Draven watched from the rearview mirror, grip tightening on the wheel. When Daniel caught his reflection and gave him that hollow, pathetic look, Draven’s face turned cold.

This was it.

They were leaving this city. For good.

Look at what had happened. Look at what was still happening. They had a family now. Nothing was the same as before. Family came first—above revenge, above everything. And who knew if Alexander could survive this alone?

"Is this your family’s work?" Draven’s voice was low as he pressed the accelerator.

Daniel, still crying, couldn’t say for sure. But if not them, then who else would go this far? Tracking where they were staying. Attacking it. The sheer insanity of it made him realize the truth: he hadn’t just put his family in danger. He’d made them targets. Permanent ones, if they stayed in New York even a day longer.

And God only knew what other threats were waiting on these streets.

That terrified him most of all.

"My father’s in jail," Daniel choked out. "My mother too. Unless it’s my grandmother. God, I’m horrible. This is all my fault. I should have listened. Now my babies, Alex—if anything happens to them, I won’t make it. I can’t—"

He pressed his face against Xylander’s chest, and Xylander held him there, pressing Daniel’s head close, letting him cry out his sorrows.

Then, a minute later, Daniel went slack.

Xylander tried to shake him gently. Nothing. He poked his arm. No response. Daniel’s body had gone rigid, almost stone-like, as if he’d simply... stopped.

"He’s not moving, Draven. His pulse—it’s getting weak. What do we do?" Xylander’s voice broke on the last word. He tugged at his hair in sheer, agonized panic.

This city was nothing but pain. He was done letting it devour his family from the inside. None of this was worth it. Yes, he still wanted them destroyed—but couldn’t he do that from miles away? Away from the rot those leeches called a family?

If only they’d run far, far away when they still could.

Now Daniel was heavily triggered, his mind plunged back into the torture he’d endured in that house. And Xylander didn’t know if he’d come out of this unscathed—or at all.

"What the fuck are we doing? We can’t lose him, Draven."

Draven was already calculating, his gaze flickering between the road and the mirror. He stepped on the brake.

"Call Ruth. Now." His voice was clipped, urgent. "You two go with her. I’ll check on Alexander and the twins. The moment I find them, I’ll come straight to you both."

But Xylander shook his head. "You realize separating is what almost destroyed us last time? A similar tragedy, we thought we lost Daniel—we can’t do this the same way."

"His life is fragile," Draven pressed. "His mind even more so. Carry him to the hospital. Ruth is capable of keeping him hidden until we’re back. That’s a solid plan."

Xylander exhaled sharply, torn. He hated this. Hated that he wouldn’t be there to find Alexander and the twins.

"We’re saving three people," Draven said, quieter now. "Alexander, the twins, and Daniel. So you do this, and I’ll carry on with the rest. Don’t panic. I have a feeling Alexander is okay—the babies too. Now go. The longer you wait, the worse Daniel’s condition gets."

Draven stepped out, already dialing. He paced as he spoke into the phone, turning every few seconds to check the car, where Xylander held Daniel motionless against his chest.

Xylander rubbed Daniel’s cold hands between his own.

"We’re always at the hospital now," he whispered. "It’s not right. We shouldn’t live like scared puppies, not when we have enemies. I don’t care about the revenge anymore, Daniel. If this is what it costs—I don’t want it. I don’t want vengeance if it means losing you."

He kissed Daniel’s cheek. The usual pink flush was gone, replaced by something pale and waxy. Xylander’s heartbeat stuttered.

Draven returned, sliding into the driver’s seat. "Ruth is on her way. You go with her. I’ll find the kids." He met Xylander’s eyes in the mirror. "Stay beside him. Always. Ruth might not be there every second. Please stay safe."

He wasn’t just asking. He was begging.

Draven had already lost his mother, his father—dead to him now in every way that counted. This was his new home. He couldn’t lose it too. That would send him over the edge.

"If you locate Alexander, call me immediately," Xylander said. "Please. I hope—I hope it’s not bad news."

He was already praying.

Draven reached back and patted his head. "Just go. Get Daniel treated. He hasn’t fully recovered. I know it."

A car pulled up beside them. A familiar face emerged.

"Get in. We don’t have time."

Xylander lifted Daniel bridal style and rushed across the pavement, sliding into the backseat. He looked back at Draven through the window—sad, helpless—and Draven returned the look.

They’d broken their promise. They’d sworn to stay together no matter what.

And this was the final straw.

All Xylander needed now was for Daniel to wake up, to open his eyes again. Then they were saying goodbye to New York City.

Forever.