Part woman, part machine? A true goddess among men? But would she even exist?
“It’s more than just a bomb. Isn’t it, Killian?” she asked.
Killian remained silent, but he wanted to scream what he thought might be the truth. But as much as he had changed, it was still hard to disclose his feelings. In a fit of emotional turmoil, Rae asked one more time, “Well, isn’t it? What happens if I get hooked to this thing, Killian?”
She was already lost to them, already connected…
By now, the rest of the alphas had joined them, and they were all staring back at him for answers. Lowering his rifle, he knelt against the ground and stared at the water nearby. “I don’t know.”
Noah eagerly checked the time. “We have two minutes left, guys.”
“Killian, don’t,” she growled with sharp worry.
“She said it was the Third Revelation… that everything would be okay in the end,” he said. But when he rested his forehead against his dirtied hands, it showed that he didn’t have a clue.
None of them did, and her trust in the world was dwindling.
Her heart raced, but the ache within her veins hurt the most. Strain. So much strain. She trusted him. Trusted all of them. What was happening? Why were her men letting the world consume her?
“Don’
t let this happen, don’t—” The realization hit her straight in the chest. “Am I… am I going to die?”
Killian rocked his head in anguish, threading his fingers into his hair before trying to rip out every last strand. He let out a roar and ran toward Rae. The animalistic confusion in his eyes was startling but understandable.
The glass would break; it had to break by his blows. He was stronger than a tank. He was her soldier. But even he could not shatter the glass. Try as he might, it was as resilient as steel.
He hit until he bled, and he bled until he had nothing else left to give. Noah took the kids to safety, but time’s deadly hand was always counting down to the end.
Rae dropped her guard, allowed the machine to take her. There was obviously no key to stop the detonation, except for her. The special one. Their precious omega.
“Go with your gut,” she said, giving in, not up. “Don’t hesitate to make strong decisions. You’re a father now. I need you to be strong for the kids. For Vash and Lucas. You hear me?”
As quickly as she said their names, the pack joined together and ran, smearing their hands and blood on the glass as if they could touch her. She tried to do the same, but she was growing weaker by the second. “You taught me how to be free,” she said.
Vash lowered his head to the glass. “You taught me how to forgive.”
And Lucas kissed his palm before clenching it into a fist. “You taught me how to believe in myself.”
“I love you. More than you might ever know, I was always faithful to you.”
“Don’t do this,” Killian said, crying with the men. “You’re not going anywhere. You hear me?”
“Hooked up to this machine?” she asked, speaking rhetorically. “Killian, it’s okay. Just... please, tell the kids about me. Don’t let them believe the world is as bad as it seems. There are moments where it’s all worth it.”
Noah released the valve. As the water started to rise within the capsule, she closed her eyes and smiled. This time, the rushing liquid wasn’t even cold. She was numb to everything.
“We planned for so much,” Killian muttered. Then, rolling his fists together, he let out a frantic scream. “I killed my father. We gave everything for this family. Now, what do we have?”
Vash grabbed Killian’s arms, pinning them behind his back. He let out a rushed lament. “Don’t say anything you’ll regret. Trust me. I went through what you’re feeling. It’s not worth it.”
“You’d know best,” Killian growled and pulled away. “My only regret is that I gave myself to something I knew never existed. I gave my entire being for a fight I thought I would endure.”
Lucas wound back and smacked Killian’s face, ready enough to keep swinging. “We have children now. It stops here. With or without the New Republic, we need to be the fathers most children never have.”
“And if it doesn’t work? If the world continues to spiral?” Killian asked.
Lucas clenched his metal toothpick, anxiously swaying it against his lips. “Then, we did our best.”