Chapter 50 Rose
Rose
The whole table is in an uproar.
Even though Clara doesn’t work at the Café anymore, it’s still our favorite meeting spot. Cozy. Familiar. Safe.
A fire roars in the hearth, and Christmas garlands are strung across every available surface. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and nutmeg-laced pastries floats through the air, while instrumental carols play overhead.
The topic of discussion is a television show and whether or not there’ll be a proposal at the start of next season. I’ve never even seen the show, but I’m completely riveted. The table is passionately split down the middle.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I answer without checking the caller ID, figuring it’s one of the pack.
A deep alpha voice I haven’t heard in years cuts through me like ice.
“Rosalinda.”
I freeze.
“Benito,” I breathe.
Every omega at the table stops talking. Their eyes snap to mine.
I stand slowly, miming that I’m stepping outside to take the call. They nod, their faces creased with concern. Sunny picks up her phone, likely texting the Sterling Pack.
Outside, I take a breath of cold air that doesn’t do a damn thing to calm me.
“Why are you calling me, Benito?” I ask. Because I know, deep down, I know he wouldn’t reach out unless it was something big. Something real.
He’s too afraid of our parents to call just to say hello.
“Because you’re free, Rosalinda,” he says. “Free in every way. Your pack’s countersuit and all their legal maneuvering… it worked. The conservatorship was denied.”
I don’t breathe.
“Not only that,” he continues, “but a restraining order was approved. Against our parents. They can’t come near you. Can’t enter the same town. Can’t contact you in any way.”
My vision goes a little hazy.
“The Blackbear Pack is livid, but they’ve made it clear—they blame our parents, not you. They’re not coming after you. Rosalinda? Are you still there?”
I hear him, but my body doesn’t feel real. My heart is beating so fast it hurts.
“I—” I try, but the words dissolve.
Something inside me has lifted. A weight so old and buried I forgot what life was like without it. Maybe I've never known life without it.
“It wasn’t just your pack either,” he adds, his voice softer now. “You know the case was overwhelmingly in your favor, right? They sent in… so many letters. Character witnesses. From people in that town of yours.”
“What?” I ask. “What letters?”
“Everyone, Rosa. Librarian. Shopkeepers. Café owners. Even the mayor. More. I can’t even remember them all. We've never seen eye to eye. But… I get it. I see why you wouldn’t leave a place like that. You really made something for yourself.”
A sob breaks out of my chest before I can stop it. Small and sharp.
“It’s okay, Rosa. You’re okay,” he says gently.
And just like that, all the resentment and hurt I’ve been carrying for so long—for the ways he abandoned me, for how he survived while I was trapped—none of it matters anymore.
“Benito,” I whisper, “come here. Come stay with me. You can crash on our couch. My alphas can protect you.”
I’m begging, desperate now.
My stupid brother who still somehow managed to help me. Who called me first. Who said my name like it still mattered.
He chuckles—but it’s a hollow sound. And my stomach drops.
“Your alpha—the scary one—he already offered. No, Rosa. You just got everything you wanted. Everything you deserve. I need to figure my shit out.”
“But I need you,” I say. “I need my brother.”
My voice is brittle, cracking through the tears streaking down my face.
“Te amo, Rosa,” he says.
Then the line disconnects.
I just stand there for a minute, the silence louder than anything. I don’t even hear the car pull up.
Doors slam.
“Rosie?”
Kai comes into view first—then the others. My alphas. I’d called them that to my brother.
And I’ve never said anything more true.
Kai wraps me in his arms, holding me steady as my body trembles.
And even though I’m still sad—still hurting—that Benito won’t let us help him, there’s nothing I can do about it. Not yet.
But the rest? His message?
I finally let it sink in.
Free.
I’ve never been free. Not really.
I look up at Harlan, who lets a quiet wash of dominance roll over me. It's warm and steady, like an anchor in a storm.
I meet the eyes of each of my alphas as they form a circle around me.
I know—know—that no matter what I choose, what I want, what I become… they will love me. Support me. Protect me.
Always.
Home, my omega whispers.
The world loses its sharp edges. Everything turns soft and golden as I finally, finally, let her fully take control.