Something shifted in his expression. "They're safe. They were rescued months ago when I extracted my mate Harper from one of Hewes's facilities. Your siblings were being held in the same compound." His dark eyes held mine. "They're safe, Merrilee. They're free."
The sound that escaped me wasn't quite a laugh and wasn't quite a sob. My hands covered my face as my mind struggled to process it. Safe. Free. Alive and safe and free.
The weight crushing my chest suddenly lifted. Air rushed into my lungs in great, gasping gulps.
For the first time in eighteen months, I could breathe.
The Prime's voice cut through my relief. "How did you become involved with Declan Hewes?"
I wiped at my face with shaking hands. "I went to work for him straight out of college. Executive assistant. He was brilliant, charismatic—everything I thought I wanted to be." My hands twisted together. "At first, he was charming... sweet. We had an affair. Six months of thinking I was special."
The memory made me want to scream. "When it ended, he asked me to stay on with the company. Said he trusted me. I had access to everything. His files, his communications. That's how I found out." My voice dropped. "Human trafficking. Slavery. He was running an entire network, selling people like livestock."
God, I'd been sostupid. So pathetically, embarrassingly stupid. I hadn't been special. I hadn't been trusted. I'd been manipulated and controlled.
I could still remember the way he'd looked at me across his desk that first time—like I was the only person in the world who mattered. The way he'd listened when I spoke, leaning forward slightly, those ice-blue eyes focused entirely on me. I'd feltseen. Important. Chosen.
What a joke.
He'd played me like a violin, and I'd been too dazzled by his attention to see the strings. Every compliment, every private smile, every late-night conversation where he'd shared his "vision" for the future—it had all been calculated.
And I'd fallen for it. Fallenhard.
I'd ignored the little warning signs. The way he'd sometimes look through me when I wasn't useful. How his warmth vanished the moment someone more important entered the room. The casual cruelty in how he spoke about people heconsidered beneath him. I'd made excuses, told myself he was just driven, just focused, just misunderstood.
The truth was simpler and so much worse: I hadn't wanted to see it. Because seeing it would have meant admitting I wasn't special. That the fairy tale I'd been living was a lie.
How many red flags had I ignored? How many people had tried to warn me, only for me to defend him?
The shame was a living thing inside me. "I copied everything, planned to turn it over to the FBI. But Hewes knew. He took Ana and Sebastian, sent me a video of them bound and terrified." My voice cracked. "He put me on a Trogvyk ship. Told me I had to spy for him to keep them safe."
I looked at Jala, tears streaming down my face. "He knew you'd intercept the ship. Knew you'd bring me here. I wasn't abducted by chance—I was planted. He orchestrated everything so I'd have access to intelligence he could never reach otherwise."
My throat tightened until I couldn't swallow. "I'm so ashamed. Of all of it. Of being foolish enough to fall for him. Of not seeing what he was sooner. Of choosing my family over everyone else he was hurting." I turned to Jala. "I betrayed you. You gave me a job, a home, friendship—and I repaid you by putting everyone at risk."
The silence stretched. Then Jala moved, crossing to me, her arms wrapping around me. "You were protecting your family. How could I not forgive that?"
I clung to her, sobbing, before forcing myself to pull back. The Prime shifted slightly and her presence commanded the room.
"I understand your reasoning," the Prime said, her golden eyes holding mine. "What Hewes did to you and your family is unconscionable. The choice he forced upon you was no choice at all."
Hope flickered in my chest.
"However," she continued, and that single word dropped like a stone, "understanding your motivation does not absolve you of your actions. You broke Alliance law. You transmitted classified intelligence to a known enemy. You compromised station security. You endangered countless lives."
My throat went dry. "I understand. I'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
The Prime stood, her full height imposing. "The Alliance punishment for treason is death."
The world tilted. Death. The word echoed in my skull. My hands gripped the table, knuckles white. No more tomorrows. No reunion with Ana and Sebastian. Just... nothing.
But I forced air into my lungs. Made myself sit up straighter. If I was going to die, I wouldn't do it cowering.
"I understand," I said, shocked by how steady my voice sounded.
The Prime studied me for a long moment, then slowly sat back down.
"Tell me, Merrilee Sanchez," she said, her tone shifting, "would you like a way to redeem yourself?"
