Wiping my eyes, I pull back. “I do. I love you. All of you.”
This pack who saved me, protected me, cherished me, and are willing to put everything they hold dear on the line for me. Who see past my scars and carefully patch up the cracks in my battered heart over and over again.
I thought that I was broken. But the truth is that we are all perfectly imperfect, and I realize, glancing around at them, that there isnothingthat I will not do to keep our family together.
“Okay,” I breathe. “Let’s do this.”
ChapterFifty-Three
Bastien
The plan comes together in my mind, jigsaw pieces sliding into place with perfect clarity.
We’re all slouched in various positions across the living room, Ava curled up on Nikolai’s lap as I outline my thoughts, trying to keep up with the racing in my mind as I make notes on the large sheets of paper I’ve tacked to the wall.
“Christian should go first,” I propose, pointing at him. “It’ll blow a huge hole in their narrative immediately, and they won’t be expecting it.”
Christian nods back at me. “I’m comfortable with that.”
“Don’t you think revealing our biggest weapon straight off the bat is premature?” Ace Winter challenges, his eyebrows raised.
I shake my head in response. “Christian isn’t our biggest weapon.”
When they turn to look at me, I grimace. “Christian will make them question everything they think they know. He’ll put them off-kilter and make them more susceptible to believing whatever comes next. If the omegas go first, the government could easily twist it. But they can’t argue with the OC Director. Not as easily.”
Luc nods in understanding. “He’s right.”
“I’m always right,” I say with a smirk, and dodge the pen my brother throws at my head as Ava laughs a little.
Her face looks lighter, even with the risk we’re taking. In contrast, I can see the strain on my pack’s face, and on the Winter pack too. Not for us. I don’t give a flying fuck about myself, and I know Nik, Luc and Max don’t either. But if we fuck this up, and we lose Ava or Nash as a result… a fist grips my heart, and my mouth dries.
This plan needs to be the best I’ve ever come up with. We can’t hold anything back.
Clearing my throat, I continue. “We push Christian’s message out first. A live broadcast over every channel.”
All conversation stops as they turn to me. “A live broadcast?” Devlin asks, his dark brows raised. “We don’t have the resources—,”
“You may not,” Luc says drily. “But my brother does.” He smiles proudly at me as the Winter pack erupts with questions.
Holding up my hand, I explain. “I can hack the security systems they have on the main channels. I won’t be able to hold it forever, but ten minutes should be more than long enough to get the message out. Just uploading it to the internet won’t have the same impact. It’ll get lost on the fringes and dismissed as conspiracy. But pushing it into the main news – nobody will be able to bury it.”
Gabe whistles. “Go big or go home?”
Nodding, I watch Ace whisper something into his ear that brings a flush to his face.
“What then?” Nik asks, his hand gently rubbing Ava’s arm as she watches me silently.
”I’d like to follow up with a longer broadcast. One where people can hear your stories.”
“Mine and Ava’s?” Harper asks, and I nod. Luc narrows his eyes. “What else?”
“We all have stories,” I swallow. “Not just Harper and Ava. Nikolai?”
“You want me to talk about Emery.” His jaw clenches and Ava puts her hand on his chest. Nik stares down at her, his eyes unblinking.
“It’s your decision, and I’ll support you whatever you decide. But she deserves to have her story told,” Ava says softly. It’s an intimate moment, and the Winter pack and Christian look away politely.
“Em deserved more than this world gave her, Nik.” Max’s words drop into the quiet. “She died because she couldn’t access the help she needed without losing her freedom, and I wasn’t enough to hold her together.” Luc starts to protest, and he holds up his hand.
