And something shifted, not just between her and I, but Silas too.
The completed packmate bond settled into place with a weight that was impossible to ignore, threading tight and unbreakable through us three. She had been marked, and she hadbeen marked, not just by one of us, but by both brothers. There was no room left for doubt about what we were to each other.
We belonged to each other, as much as any puzzle piece belongs to the whole.
A deep, steady relief settled into my chest at the knowledge. I had returned her mark, having not even realized how much tension I had been carrying. Not until I had met her bite, matched, and sealed it.
Across from me, Knox stilled, his gaze fixed on her, then flicking to me, as if he felt the exact same shift settle into place. A possessive growl tore from his chest and I joined him.
Ours.
Arousal flared, no longer controlled. It bled between us, shared, feeding off the connection we had just locked into place. Lena's body responded as our bond demanded more, arching and twisting, needing to be filled over and over.
And there was no holding back now.
Heat and rut rose together, pulling us under as one.
Chapter 26: Knox
Lena was post-heat, still recovering, her body worn from exhaustion.
I couldn’t blame her. It had been forty-eight hours of nonstop exertion and intensity, the kind that drained everything from you, physically and mentally, leaving nothing behind but the need to rest and reset. Even now, I could see it in the way she moved, slower and softer, like her body was still catching up to everything it had just been through.
She needed time, and as much as we wanted to be there for her, offering comfort while she recovered, Command wasn’t interested in time.
They wanted Marco captured immediately. From what we’d been told, they had promised the final omega in his custody to the Russo family as a reward for their loyalty to Arca. And they wanted hernow.It wasn’t a request. It was an order.
Which meant we didn’t just need Marco.
We needed her too.
The final Bellini omega.
We had AIED men positioned at his location, posted in shifts, watching the stash house from every angle and tracking any movement in or out. Reports had been steady, almost too steady. Marco hadn’t left in days. No supply runs. No movement. Nothing.
It was over and he knew it.
He was prolonging his end now, cornered in what little remained of his control. The empire he inherited had been stripped away, piece by piece, until there was nothing left to protect him. No allies. No men. No leverage.
Just a hideout, an omega, and the inevitable closing in around him.
Silas and I didn’t bother with stealth. There was no need to slip through shadows or play this quietly. Marco already knew we were coming.
We walked straight up to the front door.
Silas knocked once, before we both shifted to either side of the frame.
The response was immediate.
Gunfire exploded through the wooden door, bullets tearing in a violent spray. Splinters burst outward, shredding the frame where we’d just been standing.
Inside, a high-pitched scream cut through the chaos.
“Marco, stop! It’s over!” the omega cried, her voice breaking, choking with panic.
Around us, officers swarmed, surrounding the house. Our men closed in from every direction, boots crunching against gravel, weapons raised, sealing every possible exit.
Silas lifted his voice over the noise.
