Chapter 19
Gustall
I stood in the nursery, adjusting the mobile of stars and moons above the dark wooden crib for what must have been the hundredth time. The room was perfect—or almost perfect. Something still felt off about the placement of the stuffed animals on the shelf. Maybe if I moved the gray wolf to the left...
"You've been in here for three hours," Fendwyr's voice came from the doorway. Despite dismantling most of the cartel, he still moved like a predator, silent and watchful.
"The room needs to be perfect and someone else might get it wrong," I muttered, reaching for the wolf. Our son would be here in less than two months, and nothing was ready enough. "Jake said the security system for this window needs upgrading, and the paint color—"
"Is exactly what we chose last week." He crossed the room, his hand settling on my shoulder. "You're nesting, little omega. More than usual."
And I knew he was right, even though I didn't want to admit it out loud.
I leaned back against him, taking in the room. Soft blues and grays dominated the space, with touches of silver in the fixtures and furniture. The government's protection money—earned through Fendwyr's extensive information about other criminal organizations—had allowed us to create something beautiful. It was only going to get better from here on out.
"Any word from our contacts?" I asked, knowing he'd been obsessing over his own project: finding a peaceful way to deal with Rodriguez. That was almost as hard as my obsession.
"Nothing new." His hand moved to my swollen belly, where our son kicked in greeting. "The legitimate business transition is going well, though. The shipping company will be fully operational next month."
I smiled, remembering how Jake and the others had adapted surprisingly well to legitimate work. Turns out their skills in moving illegal goods translated perfectly to legal logistics.
"And the protection detail?"
"Still in place. David's team is—"
A knock interrupted us. David himself entered, holding a thick cream envelope. "This just arrived. Hand-delivered to our front gate."
Fendwyr took the envelope, his body tensing as he read. I knew that look. "Rodriguez?"
"He wants to meet. Both of us." Fendwyr's jaw clenched. "Claims he has information about our past lives, about why the necklace chose us."
"When and where?"
"Tomorrow night. The old cathedral downtown." He crumpled the letter. "But you're not going."
Here we go again. "Yes, I am."
"You're eight months pregnant—"
"And your mate," I cut him off. "Your equal partner, remember? We agreed on that."
"This is different." He paced the nursery, passing the antique rocking chair we'd spent weeks searching for. "If anything happened to you or the baby..."
"Then we deal with it," I insisted. "Rodriguez specifically asked for both of us. Splitting up, not trusting each other fully—that's exactly what he wants."
David cleared his throat. "The cathedral's been abandoned for years. Easy to secure, multiple exit points. If we position our men correctly..."
"No," Fendwyr growled. "I won't risk it. The necklace isn't worth—"
"It's not just about the necklace," I moved to the window, looking out at the garden we'd planted together after leaving the compound. "It's about our past and this connection we have. Don't you want to know why we found each other? Why we keep finding each other across lifetimes?"
"Not at the cost of our family, and you're an important part of it." He gestured at the nursery, at all we'd built. "We're creating something real here, something legitimate. Our son will have opportunities we never had."
"And he'll have both his parents," I turned back to him, "because we'll face this together. As equals. The way the necklace's power is meant to work."
Fendwyr stared at me for a long moment. I could see the conflict in his eyes—the need to protect warring with the trust we'd built.
"Boss," David interjected, "we could have thirty men in position. Full coverage, no blind spots."
"Forty," Fendwyr countered, not looking away from me. "And you wear a vest."
"It won't fit unless you order a special one for me," I patted my belly with a small smile. "But I'll stay behind you, and I'll listen if you tell me to run. Just... let me be there. Let me help end this."
He crossed to me again, his hand joining mine over our active child. "I've spent weeks trying to figure out how to get the necklace without bloodshed. How to end this without becoming the monster I used to be."
"I know." I'd watched him pour over plans, make calls, and seek peaceful solutions. "That's why I trust you. Why I need to be there."
"If anything feels wrong—"
"Then I leave" I reached up, touching his face. "But we need to know, Fendwyr. About our past, about why we keep finding each other. Our son deserves to know his parents' full story."
He sighed, looking around the nursery—at the life we'd built, at the future we were preparing for. "Forty men," he repeated. "And you stay behind me at all times."
"Deal." I turned back to the stuffed animals, unable to help myself. "Now, about this wolf..."
His laugh was soft but genuine. "Come to bed, little omega. The nursery will still be here tomorrow."
◆◆◆
The cathedral loomed before us, its gothic spires piercing the golden evening sky. It was as imposing as I thought it was. Even from outside, I could feel the weight of history pressing down, making our son shift restlessly within me. The massive wooden doors stood open, like a monster's maw waiting to swallow us whole. I didn't like this, but we had to do it.
Fendwyr stood by my side like the reliable wolf he was. Though his face remained impassive, I could feel his tension. Sarah and Maria, two of our most trusted guards, flanked us while the rest of our security team moved into predetermined positions. They were ready for anything, as was I, despite my racing heart.
"Quite the entrance you've arranged," Fendwyr called out, his voice echoing through the vast space. I could see he was trying to project confidence, but I sensed a slight worry gnawing at his mind.
Rodriguez emerged from the shadows near the altar, his signature smug smile in place. "I thought the atmosphere appropriate. After all, we're discussing past lives, aren't we?" He gestured. "Your people can stay where they are. Mine are already in position, but I don't think we want to kill each other."
As if on cue, figures emerged on the upper balconies—at least thirty of Rodriguez's followers, all watching us with an unsettling intensity. These weren't just hired guns; their expressions held the fervor of true believers. They thought they were part of something revolutionary, something better than what Fendwyr had offered. I could understand that, given everything that had happened.
"You've built quite the cult," I observed, noting how they hung on Rodriguez's every movement. Some of them I recognized—former members of our organization who'd left seeking something better. Their eyes held judgment when they looked at Fendwyr, but curiosity when they looked at me.
They were wondering what I was doing here and if I wasn't afraid of the immediate danger.
"Not a cult," Rodriguez corrected, descending the altar steps with theatrical grace. "A movement. A chance for real change. Unlike some, I don't need to control through fear." His eyes fixed on my swollen belly. "Though I see Fendwyr's found other ways to ensure loyalty."
Fendwyr growled, low and dangerous. I squeezed his hand, reminding him of our purpose here. We weren't here to fight. We were here to end this, once and for all, and it didn't have to include bloodshed.
"The necklace," Fendwyr demanded. "Where is it?" His voice boomed in the environment, making me straighten myself up.
Rodriguez's smile widened. "Below. In the catacombs. More appropriate for discussing past lives, don't you think? Follow me."
He led us toward a heavy wooden door beside the altar. As we approached, I noticed ancient symbols carved into its surface—similar to those on the necklace, but crude, as if someone had tried to recreate them without truly understanding their meaning.
The door opened with a groan that seemed to echo forever. Stone steps descended into darkness, illuminated only by modern LED lanterns placed at intervals. The contrast between ancient and modern was jarring, much like Rodriguez himself—new ideas wrapped in old power.
"Watch your step," Rodriguez called back as we began our descent. "Wouldn't want anything happening to the little heir, would we?"
I narrowed my eyes, not believing his words. I didn't have reason to believe anything he said.
Our security team followed at a distance, their footsteps creating an eerie rhythm against the stone. Above, I could hear Rodriguez's people moving to follow as well. The air grew colder with each step, suffocating, even.
"You're awfully quiet," Rodriguez observed, glancing back at me. "No questions about why I chose this place? About what I've discovered?"
"I assume you'll tell us," I replied, one hand on my stomach. "You seem the type who enjoys dramatic reveals."
He laughed, but there was an edge to it. "Oh, I like this one, Fendwyr. Much more spirit than your previous omegas. Though I suppose that's why the necklace chose him, isn't it?"
Fendwyr opted not to say anything, just as I thought he was going to.
The passage opened into a circular chamber that took my breath away. Ancient stone walls were lined with bones—hundreds, maybe thousands of skulls and femurs arranged in intricate patterns. LED lanterns cast eerie shadows that made the bones seem to move. The effect was both beautiful and terrifying. More terrifying than beautiful, though.
In the center stood an altar, older and cruder than the one above. Atop it sat a single skull, yellowed with age, with the silver necklace draped through its eye sockets. The symbols on the necklace were moving, shifting faster than I'd ever seen them move before.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rodriguez moved to the altar, running his fingers along the skull's surface. "Took months to find him. Your last incarnation, Fendwyr. The one from that dream you had."
Fendwyr's grip on my hand tightened. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Rodriguez circled the altar. "The necklace responds to his presence. To both of your presences, actually. Look how it moves, how it recognizes its true owners." His voice took on an almost reverent quality. "Do you know how many lives you've lived? How many times you've found each other, only to be torn apart? It would give me an existential crisis if I were you."
"If you know so much," I challenged, "why do you need us here? Why not just take the necklace's power for yourself?"
Something flickered across Rodriguez's face—pain, perhaps, or anger. Above us, his followers watched from the catacomb's upper levels, their faces illuminated by the lanterns' glow. They seemed entranced by the scene unfolding below.
"Because power isn't enough," Rodriguez admitted. "The necklace requires... more. Something I thought I understood, once." He touched the skull again, almost tenderly. "Something I lost."
"Your mate," I said softly, the pieces finally clicking into place. "That's what this is really about, isn't it?"
Rodriguez's composure cracked, just slightly. "Careful, little omega. You don't want to make assumptions about things you don't understand."
"But I do understand," I pressed, taking a step forward despite Fendwyr's protective grip. "I can smell it on you—grief, obsession, desperation. What happened to them? What did you do?"
"I protected her!" Rodriguez's shout echoed off the stone walls, making his followers shift. "I gave her everything! Safety, luxury, devotion—"
"Control," Fendwyr interrupted. "Just like I tried to do. How did that work out for you? I thought you knew better than me."
Rodriguez's hand shot to the necklace. "You think you understand? You think your perfect fated mate bond gives you insight?" He lifted the necklace from the skull. "Let me show you what real power looks like."
He slipped it over his head, his expression triumphant. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the symbols began to glow red, angry and violent. Rodriguez's smile faltered as the glow intensified.
"No," he gasped, clawing at the necklace. "It's supposed to—I did everything right—"
"Did you?" I challenged. "Or did you just hide your obsession with control better than Fendwyr? Your followers think you're different, that you'll treat omegas better. What would they say if they knew this was all about your lost mate?"
The necklace's glow turned harsh, filling the chamber with crimson light. Above us, Rodriguez's people began murmuring, their faith visibly shaking. They never expected to find out what I just told them about their new boss.
"Shut up!" Rodriguez tried to remove the necklace, but it wouldn't budge. I never thought I'd see him like that, distraught and angry. "I built something better! I showed them a better way!"
"A better way?" Fendwyr's voice was quiet but carried throughout the chamber. "Look at yourself. Look at what you've become. You're no different than I was."
The skull on the altar suddenly exploded, fragments of bone scattering across the ancient stones. Rodriguez screamed—not in pain, but in fury. He began grabbing bones from the walls, hurling them in blind rage.
"She was mine!" He roared. "My fated mate! My perfect match! But she chose death over our bond! Over my love! Over everything I offered!"
His followers gasped. Weapons lowered as they watched their leader's mask crumble. Even his most devoted supporters couldn't ignore the madness in his eyes.
"She wanted to be free," I whispered, finally understanding everything that was happening here and what carried us to this moment. "Like I almost had to. Like Elias did. Like all the omegas you claimed to want to protect."
The necklace suddenly tore itself from Rodriguez's neck, hovering in the air between us. Its glow shifted from angry red to pure silver, and I felt drawn to it. Fendwyr moved with me, our hands clasping together as we reached for it.
The moment we touched it, everything changed. The symbols stabilized, showing clear patterns that could only mean I was right. The catacombs filled with gentle light, illuminating the truth for all to see. Our son kicked strongly, as if responding to the necklace's power.
Rodriguez fell to his knees, watching what he believed to be true crumble around him. He was beginning to realize that he had lost. He couldn't change the reality before his eyes, and that was terrifying. Even I could sense some of what he was feeling, and I was grateful it would never happen to me.
His followers began moving—some toward the exits, others toward our teams, looking for a new purpose. The revolution he'd built was dissolving as they realized its foundation had been built on his own unresolved trauma.
"It's over," Fendwyr said, not unkindly. "Let it go."
Rodriguez looked up, his eyes wild but defeated. "What am I supposed to do now? How do I—" He gestured at the destruction around him, but it was pointless.
I touched the necklace, feeling its warmth. "Learn from it. Like we did. Like we're still doing. True bonds can't be forced or controlled. They have to be chosen, again and again."
As we ascended from the catacombs, the necklace now properly claimed, I heard Rodriguez's broken sobs echo behind us. Part of me pitied him—he'd lost his mate, lost his way, and now lost everything he'd built trying to make sense of that loss.
But my pity didn't last long. He was getting exactly what he deserved, plain and simple.
The cathedral proper was awash in sunset colors when we emerged, giving me a fuzzy feeling. Our security team had already begun integrating Rodriguez's former followers, many of whom looked relieved to be with us.
"Are you okay?" Fendwyr murmured, his hand moving to my stomach where our son continued to kick energetically.
"Yes," I smiled, covering his hand with mine. "We both are. And now we know—about our past lives, about the necklace's power, and pretty much everything else. It feels good to know."
"And also about trusting one another," he added, pulling me closer. His hot breath fanned over my face, making my skin feel flush with heat. "About choosing each other, every time."
Around us, the cathedral slowly emptied as both teams worked to secure the area. Sarah approached to report that Rodriguez was being taken into custody, but I barely heard her. The necklace hummed softly against my chest, its symbols now showing clear images of our shared past—and our shared future.