"Because telling them would have changed how they treated you. They would have started watching for signs, adjusting their behavior, trying to manage the timeline." He shook his head. "I wanted you to have as much normalcy as possible before—"
"Before my life stopped being mine."
He flinched. "That's not what I meant."
"Isn't it?" I stepped closer. "You made decisions about my body, my bonds, my future—all without asking me. You decided what I could handle and when. You treated me like something to be managed instead of someone to be trusted."
"I know."
"Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you saw me as a problem to solve. A ticking clock to slow down." My voice hardened. "Not a person who deserved the truth about her own life."
Cole was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was raw.
"My mother spent forty years hiding. Lying about what she was. Watching over her shoulder every day, terrified that someone would find out and come for her." He met my eyes. "I didn't want that for you. I thought if I could control the information, control the timing, I could give you a better path than she had."
"That wasn't your choice to make."
"I know."
"You don't get to decide for me." I closed the remaining distance between us. "Not when it's my body. My life. My future."
"I know." His voice cracked. "Lumi, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I thought I was protecting you, but I was just—I was taking away your power. The same thing the council did to every Omega before you."
The words hit harder than I expected. He was right. In trying to protect me, he'd done exactly what he feared others would do—controlled me, managed me, decided what was best without ever asking what I wanted.
"You can't do that again," I said quietly. "Whatever happens next—the heat, the change, all of it—I need to know. Even if it scares me. Even if you think I'm not ready."
"I understand."
"And you need to tell me about your mother. Really tell me. Not the vague version, not the protected version. Everything she knows that might help me survive this."
"I'll try. She's not—she doesn't trust easily. But I'll talk to her. Explain." He swallowed. "She might be willing to meet you."
"I'd like that. When the–"
The door burst open.
James came through like a storm, his eyes locked on Cole, his whole body radiating fury. I barely had time to register what was happening before he was across the room, his fist already swinging.
"You knew this whole time—"
"James, wait—"
Cole didn't dodge. He saw the punch coming and just stood there, accepting it. James's fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head to the side.
"James!" I lunged forward, grabbing his arm before he could swing again. "Stop!"
My hand closed around James's wrist at the same moment Cole straightened, his hand coming up to hold me back.
All three of us. Touching.
The bond exploded.
It wasn't like the others—this was lightning. A searing, white-hot connection that ripped through me so fast I couldn't breathe. I felt Cole slot into the web of bonds already anchored in my chest, felt the final piece click into place like a key turning in a lock.
My knees buckled.
Cole caught me before I hit the ground. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest, and suddenly his scent was everywhere. Cedar and iron and something deeper, something that called to every primal part of me.
