"He won't." I turned to face my pack. "We have Neal's data. We have the ferals' improvement. We have five bonded wolves with rings around their pupils that prove what happened." I looked at each of them in turn. "We have the truth. That's more than Twilson has."
"The truth didn't save the Omegas before," Cole said quietly.
"Because they were alone. Scattered. Easy to pick off one by one." I felt the bonds pulse in my chest—strong, unbreakable. "I'm not alone. And I'm not going to be quiet about what I am."
"What exactly are you planning?" Rae asked.
"I don't know yet. But I know it starts with the ferals." I moved to the window, looking out at the Healing Center grounds. "They're proof. Living, breathing proof that Omegas aren't a threat—we're a solution. The council spent thirty years trying to fix the feral crisis they created by eliminating us. Now they have a chance to actually solve it."
"And if they refuse?"
"Then we make it impossible for them to refuse." I turned back to face the room. "Neal, I want you to compile everything.Every piece of data, every measurable improvement, every documented change. I want it irrefutable."
"Already on it."
"Cal, I need you to talk to the other ferals. Gray, Ben, the ones who showed the most improvement. Find out what they experienced during the heat. What they felt."
Cal nodded. "Done."
"James, Stone—I need you to stay close. Twilson's going to make a move eventually. I want to be ready when he does."
"We're not leaving your side," James said.
Stone just growled in agreement.
"And Cole." I met his eyes. "I need you to contact your mother."
He went still. "Why?"
"Because she's been hiding for thirty years. Living in fear of exactly what's about to happen." I crossed to him, took his hands in mine. "She needs to know there's another Omega now. That she's not alone anymore. And maybe... maybe she knows something that could help us."
Cole was quiet for a long moment. I felt his emotions through the bond—fear, hope, uncertainty. Finally, he nodded.
"I'll reach out. But I can't promise she'll respond."
"Just try. That's all I'm asking."
Rae stood. "I'll buy you as much time as I can with the council. But Lumi—they will come. Twilson won't let this go unanswered."
"I know." I looked around the room at my pack, my allies, the people who had stood with me through the most transformative experience of my life. "Let them come. We'll be ready."
We filed out of Rae's office, moving as a unit through the Healing Center. Staff still stared. Whispers followed us down every hallway. But I didn't shrink from the attention anymore.
Let them look.
Let them see what an Omega looked like. What a bonded pack looked like. What the council had tried so hard to erase from existence.
We were here. We were real. And we weren't going anywhere.
The east wing doors opened, and the scent hit me immediately. Ferals.
Gray was waiting in the common area.
He stood the moment I entered, his eyes finding mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. And then he did something he'd never done before.
He smiled.
"You came back," he said. His voice was rough from disuse, but the words were clear. "I knew you would."
