We could have done the same to Marco. It would have been so easy to kill him outright.
But it wouldn’t have been enough.
Death is too simple for someone like him. Too quick. Marcotook everything from us, without consequence, and we wanted him to understand what that feels like.
So we’ve waited and positioned ourselves carefully, building a trap he won't recognize is his end until it's already too late.
We plan to take everything from him.
And then, when he has nothing left, we will kill him.
All of it has been leading here.
So close to revenge.
My focus snapped back to the present.
“To us,” I said quietly, finally meeting Lena’s gaze, “Marcodidn't just hurt you. He hurt us too. He killed our mother.” Itook a breath. “And he’s hurt a lot of other people too. Some, like the rest of his captive omegas, still need help.”
Her brow knitted in deep thought.
“No one knows what I just told you,” I continued. “If our superiors found out, we’d be pulled from this immediately. Conflict of interest. And the unsanctioned hit on Enzo? We'd be court court-martialled, probably sent to the colonies.”
A beat.
“I’m choosing to trust you, Lena.”
Once those words settled I added, “And I’m hoping that now that you know our truth, you’ll understand why we’re doing this. Why we can’t stop and why we need answers from you. I’m hoping that in choosing to trust you, you’ll choose to trust us in return.”
I shifted my weight, preparing to leave. “You don’t have to answer me now. Just think about what I said.”
My hand still hovered between us, uncertainty holding it there. Just as I was about to pull it away, she leaned forward.
Her soft, warm cheek met my palm.
The touch felt like an answer without words. Lena leaned in, offering trust where there had been none before.
I stayed still, letting her set the pace.
My thumb shifted slightly against her cheek, careful, giving her time to pull back if she wanted. She didn’t. Her eyes closed as she exhaled, fighting the urge to pull away.
“Okay,” I said quietly, more to acknowledge the moment than to fill it.
I drew my hand back deliberately so she could see I could stop when she needed me to. Lena leaned backas well, wrapping her arms around her torso, but something had changed. The space between us no longer felt so closed off.
“I’ll give you time,” I said, rising to my feet. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
As I moved toward the door, I felt her watching me.
I knew she was considering what I had told her.
Weighing whether it was the truth.
Just that consideration was enough.
For now.
Chapter 11: Lena
