Chapter 17 Silas
Even though I hadn’t slept since the night before, and the surveillance shift was supposed to be Knox’s, I let him rest with Lena instead. She had curled against him as night fell, seeking his warmth while the brutal cold crept back through the decaying building.
Knox was better at that.
Better at hiding his rage that frightened her.
Better at offering comfort and patience.
Especially now.
Because all I could think about was that scar.
The image of it had burned into my mind, branding itself beside another memory I could never escape. My mother, lying cold and breathless on the ground, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and her eyes empty as Marco towered over her.
That memory had shaped me. Forged me into the man I had become.
But the image of Lena’s scar had changed the direction of everything.
I was no longer solely avenging the dead.
I had now also made a promise to the living.
Cycling through the pictures on the camera, I checked the ones taken with the timer, while I had been… occupied.
Fuck!
A black SUV pulled up in front of the house only moments after I stepped away from the window. I zoomed in, moving through the following frames. Two men entered the house.
Marco and another guy who I recognized as his top lieutenant, Luca Salvatone.
I glanced back at Lena. I didn't want to wake her and tell her how fucking close she had been to that monster.
Instead, I scrolled through the photos checking the time stamps, until I saw images of Marco emerging from the house, getting into the black SUV, and driving away.
Luca didn't exit with him, so he was likely still inside.
I was now sure beyond a doubt that there was an omega in the house. Marco had shown up for less than an hour, in and out. Not meeting with anyone, as no one else had entered.
He was there for a quick knot, just like the lookout had said.
I pulled out my phone, sending an encrypted message to my boss, Director Mallory.
Silas: Confirmed omega at Location Three. Any updates on the other sites?
Mallory: Confirmed at Two, Three, Five, Six, and Seven. Still waiting on the remaining locations, but intel is coming in fast.
Silas: Understood. When do we move, sir?
Mallory: Soon. This is shaping up to be an all hands on deck operation. General Green has been briefed. He’s impressed with what you and Knox have pulled together so far.
Silas: Copy that, sir.
Mallory: I need both of you in my office Friday at 0800. Green will be there.
Silas: Confirmed, sir.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, already knowing what came next.
The bureaucratic approval process.
A fucking headache.
Normally I skirted the edge of what was formally required.
Just enough paperwork to keep Command off my back while we handled things our way.
But an operation this big meant everyone suddenly cared about rules, forms, briefings and sign offs.
Every damn person needed to cross their I’s and dot their T’s before we could kick a door in.
Lena had already done half the boring work for us.
She’d sorted through the intel, connected the patterns, organized the information so cleanly even Command couldn’t ignore it. All that was left was packaging it into neat little briefing packets for the brass.
I hated that part so I was grateful for her. What she had done with that information… most operatives couldn’t have pulled it off.
She wasn’t some helpless omega meant to sit in a nest and pump out pups And once this operation was over, she wouldn’t just be someone we protected.
She’d be part of the unit. A real teammate.
Lena was sharp, impressive, and capable.
And also, very fucking stealthy. I hadn’t even heard her soft feet padding across the floor until she was nearly behind me, leaning over my shoulder to look through the camera’s viewfinder.
She gasped the moment she saw the photos on the screen, my thumb toggling between shots of Marco.
“I know,” I whispered. “The fucking guy was right there.”
I turned slightly, fixing her with a stern look.
“Relax. He’s gone now.”
I wasn’t sure if seeing him that close would trigger something in her, but any reaction was cut short when the same SUV from earlier pulled up to the curb.
A man stepped out of the house.
Luca.
A smug grin spread across his face.
The kind of grin men wore after sex.
He hopped into the idling vehicle as I took more photos.
"Nevermind, looks like Daddy came back to pick him up."
Lena didn't respond, so I turned. Her face was pale, emotion stripped, color gone.
"Do you know that guy?" I asked, zooming in on one of Luca's photos.
She nodded, then hesitantly lifted her hand, turning and lightly touching her back. The place where her scars traveled across her shoulders.
The gesture was clear. Luca had hurt her.
For a moment, an urge hit me hard enough that I almost moved.
I could go downstairs. Slip out the back, climb into the surveillance van we had parked a few blocks over, and trail Marco's SUV.
I pictured it perfectly.
Their SUV turning onto the main road. My headlights cutting through the dark behind them as I closed the distance. The engine screaming as I pushed the van faster and faster until I was right on their bumper.
Then the hit.
A hard slam into the rear quarter panel. Metal shrieking as their vehicle fishtailed across the asphalt. Another hit. Harder. Sending them spinning off the road, flipping end over end until the SUV landed in a twisted wreck of glass and steel.
I could see it so clearly it almost felt real.
Marco crawling out of the wreck. Luca staggering beside him.
And me walking toward them through the smoke.
I’d disable them both, quickly and efficiently. Then, drag their broken bodies into my vehicle and drive them straight to the workshop.
That's when the real fun would begin.
The fantasy sharpened, turning darker the longer I let it play out.
The first cut would be Marco’s nipples. Two slices would cleanly remove them from his body.
Payment for Lena’s mutilated left breast.
Luca would be next. Long, deliberate slices carved across his back, opening the skin in measured lines.
Payment for Lena’s scarred back.
And for my mother, I’d take both their tongues.
Marco had silenced her when she screamed out after finding the dead omega girl, murdered, laying on his bedroom floor. I would return the favor.
And once that debt was settled, once the past had been properly paid for, I would indulge the rest of my rage.
I’d take their limbs.
One at a time.
Carefully.
Keeping both men alive for as long as possible.
As my rage simmered, vibrating through the air, I looked back at Lena.
I expected her to start crying or panicking, so I turned, ready to wake Knox. That was his territory, not mine. My twin was the one who knew how to handle tears and fear.
But that wasn’t her reaction.
Instead of tears, Lena stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
I went still.
“Lena,” I said, pulling back a fraction. “It’s okay. Marco has no clue we're here. You're safe.”
She shook her head.
My eyes narrowed.
“You don’t have to—”
She grabbed the front of my shirt before I could finish.
“Getting back… at him,” she said, forcing the words out.
A sneer curled across my mouth.
“Don’t do that,” I said harshly. “Don’t use me just to get back at him.”
My jaw tightened.
“He thinks… he's the only man… who can have me.”
She shook her head again, more stubborn this time.
“For me,” she said. “My choice”
The words faltered on her tongue.
“And because I…”
I leaned closer, voice rough.
“What, little mute? Spit it out.”
Her eyes locked onto mine.
“I want you.”
Silence stretched between us.
The way she said it was quiet and breathless, but certain.
It made something possessive inside me snap tight.
I stepped forward, gripping her hips and hauling her up against me, claiming her mouth in a hard kiss.
Our intimacy earlier had done nothing to quell my needs. If anything, the lingering taste of her pussy on my tongue and the heat of her body pressed against mine, had only made me hungrier for her.
After everything Marco had done to her, she had chosen me. Not him.
The way she’d said it echoed in my head.
I want you.
Possessive satisfaction curled through my chest.
Still holding her, I sat down in the chair, guiding her onto my lap. Her legs fell over either side of my thighs as I pulled her close again, kissing her deep and slow.
More than once she stiffened in my arms, overwhelmed by the contact, trying to pull back. I reminded myself it was instinct, not rejection. I could feel the fight in her, the old fear telling her to retreat.
I didn’t let her.
One hand stayed firm on her back, the other steady at her hip as I held her in place, kissing her, deeper this time. Not rough or forcing, but rather steady and patient.
Refusing to let her run.
“Good omega,” I said roughly, in almost a growl. “You came to me. Don’t start second guessing that now.”
Gradually the tension in her body softened. The resistance eased as she leaned into me, melting against my chest.
“See?” I murmured, brushing another kiss over her mouth. “You want this.”
Her hands tightened in my shirt as she searched for the words.
“Everything in me… says run,” she admitted.
She shook her head once, frustration flickering across her face.
“Touch still… feels wrong.”
Her voice was careful and tentative as if every word had to be chosen before it left her mouth.
“The fear is… loud.”
Her eyes lifted to mine.
“But I want you more. I want.. choice.”
Her fingers curled tighter.
“Not taken or forced.”
She swallowed.
“You and Knox.”
She continued, softer, but certain.
“I choose you both… to give myself to.”
Then, so quickly I barely had time to register it, her head dipped into the hollow of my throat. Sharp teeth clamped down on my neck.
And she marked me.
Every muscle in my body tightened, nerves sparking with heat as a rush of energy and raw lust tore through me. The bond of it settled deep in my bones.