Finally, I’m passed into Cassian’s arms and hug him tightly. He holds me close, resting his head on my shoulder. “You have no idea how scared we were. We were pinned down and felt a flash of fear from you. Then, like Marcussaid, our bonds went dark. When our bonds finally came back online, saints, Junes, you had resolved yourself to death on that table, hadn’t you?”
I don’t trust my voice. I nod into his neck, and he holds me for a long moment. “But I beat him,” I finally say.
“That you did,” Cassian says, kicking my father back to the floor. “Bastard.”
“Your family?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he admits. A faint flicker of fear cuts through our bond. “We came straight to you, love.”
“I’m sure the resistance freed them,” I say, but I’m just as agitated as my alpha. I need to see them alive with my own eyes.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” my father spits. “Traitor witch.”
I turn to him and arch a brow. “Not before you do, Father. Baphomet’s Prince may control the Council of Nine, but the people won’t stand for what you’ve done. They won’t stand for the wholesale slaughter of omegas.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Luca says, hoisting my father to his feet with a shove. Luca’s knees briefly buckle from my father’s affinity, but my mate socks him in the face. “Enough of that, you piece of shit.”
Stop!I command my father in my mind.
His expression goes blank instantly.
Interesting. Icancommand people mentally. I file that away for later. Something I’ll need to practice, something I’ll need to master.
We march my father out of the operating theater, all of my mates keeping their scribes trained on him. Around me, the sounds of battle are dying down. As we pass the treatment rooms the omegas were kept in, we find them all empty—every last omega rescued.
Aimee advances on one final Soldier of Saint Aldous, lightningcrackling in one of her hands. The Soldier turns tail and runs, but that doesn’t stop Aimee from letting her lightning loose. It strikes the masked man in the back, and he falls to the ground, twitching. “Phew,” she says, rubbing her hands together until the flickers of lightning die out. “Guess that’s done, huh?”
“We’re getting the hell out of here. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Is that your father, Junie?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Witch!” he hisses.
Aimee comes as close to him as she dares and spits right in his face.
My father bucks against his bindings and Luca’s hold, but one mental command has him stilling again.
“New skill? I’m a fan. I’ll let you and your pack deal with this villain. I’m going to go protect the other omegas on their way out.”
I hug her, squeezing her tightly. “I’m so glad you made it out alive, Aimee.”
“Then get excited,” she whispers. “Because we all did.”
My heart stutters in my chest. “Truly?”
“All of us and every last test subject. You should see what Blair did to the collars after we got them off.”
I laugh. “I can imagine. Saints, I can’t believe we did it. All right, go, protect the omegas you freed.”
“We really did it, huh?” She gives me a cheeky grin and gives my hand a quick squeeze before dashing off after the other omegas.
My father sneers, spit still dribbling down his cheek, ruining any fear he once would have instilled in me with that look. “This is just a minor setback.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up, already,” Marcus rumbles. “You lost.”
Damn fucking right he did.
