The compound looked the same as it always did. Men posted where they were supposed to be. Bikes lined up in rows. The low hum of everyday life.
It didn’t escape me that, that could have gone differently.
I killed the engine and swung off first. When I turned, Kellan was already moving, climbing down like he’d done it a hundred times. I steadied him by habit more than necessity. His boots hit the ground and he stayed right there at my side.
Everyone knew where he stood now.
Beside me.
Wraith was already there when we got back. He stood at the steps his arms folded, having clearly beaten us home. His eyes flicked to Kellan first, then to me.
Slate was with him, leaning against a bike, his expression unreadable.
Kellan stayed close, his shoulder brushing mine. I slid an arm around him without thinking, hand settling at his side, steady and deliberate. He leaned in, just slightly, like he felt it too.
Ember broke the silence first. “Food’s on.”
That got everyone moving.
Inside, the clubhouse was alive. Ember had cooked, really cooked. The table was crowded with plates and noise and the low comfort of people who knew the worst had already passed. Grim sat with a beer in his hand, his chair tipped back. Fuse leaned against the counter, watching me the way he did when he was measuring consequences.
Saint would soon be back… But his absence sat heavy all the same.
I caught Fuse’s eye. “Where are we?”
“We got him.”
Kellan’s glanced in my direction.
I kept my voice calm. “Where?”
“Storage building,” Fuse said.
“Tied up. Quiet. He ain’t hurt. Yet.”
Grim’s jaw flexed around the neck of his bottle.
“Good,” I said. “Handle it.”
I turned back to Kellan then, right there in the open, and cupped the side of his neck. The room went quiet as I kissed him, once, slow and steady. It was a claim, in case everyone hadn’t gotten the message.
“I’ll be back,” I said.
“I’ll be here,” he said quietly.
I nodded and stepped away.
Whatever happened next was for Saint.
I didn’t raise my voice when I stepped into the storage building. He was already on his knees when I got there with his hands zip-tied behind his back. There was blood on his lip.
I stopped in front of him and waited until he looked up. “You know why you’re here?”
He nodded fast. Too fast.
“You put hands on an omega,” I continued. “Then you put hands on my brother when he stepped in.”
His mouth opened, but I didn’t let him speak. “This isn’t about revenge. It’s about making sure you never do it again.”
