Chapter 68 The Omega's Confession
Ryder POV
The main hall is packed with every fighting wolf we have left. Maybe fifty total. Against two hundred.
The math is shit.
I stand at the front with Jolie beside me, and I watch my pack's faces. Fear. Anger. Determination. They're looking at us like we have all the answers.
"We're outnumbered four to one." No point sugar-coating it. "They've got the high ground, heavy weapons, and a coordinated command structure. In a straight fight, we lose."
Mara stands up from the back. "So what's the play, boss? We surrender?"
"We attack." Jolie's voice cuts through the murmurs. "But not the way they expect."
Every eye turns to her. My mate steps forward, and even exhausted from travel, even wearing worn jeans and a faded tank top, she looks exactly what she is. A Luna incarnate.
"They think we're trapped." She moves through the crowd, and wolves lean toward her like flowers to sunlight. "They think we'll hunker down and wait for starvation or surrender. But they made a mistake."
"What mistake?" Knox asks.
"They took a hostage." Jolie stops in the center of the room. "Emma. Phoenix's sister. A human girl, nineteen years old, grabbed off a college campus to force cooperation. They're holding her somewhere nearby, using her as insurance."
The crowd erupts in angry growls. Whatever else Phoenix did, threatening an innocent human girl crosses a line even for rogues.
Jolie holds up a hand, and silence falls immediately. "Here's what we're going to do. While they're focused on the perimeter, I'm going to use my abilities to locate their command center and the hostage. Small strike team goes in, gets Emma out, and takes down their leadership. Without coordination, their alliance falls apart."
"That's suicide," someone calls out.
"That's war." I step up beside Jolie. "And we've got advantages they don't know about. Our Luna can sense wolves through empathic bonds. She can heal injuries instantly in the field. And her presence alone will make their wolves hesitate."
"Plus," Doc adds from his corner, "we know this territory better than they do. Every trail, every cave, every blind spot. We've been here for years. They've been here for two days."
Cass unfolds a map on the table. "Phoenix has been monitoring their communications. They've got four main positions—north ridge, east valley, south highway, and west creek. Command center is probably central, somewhere they can coordinate all four."
I study the map, but my attention keeps getting pulled to Phoenix. The kid sits in the corner, hunched over his laptop, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
He's been working nonstop since our confrontation. Tracking frequencies, breaking encryptions, mapping enemy positions. Trying to earn back trust he knows he might never have again.
Luna crosses to him, crouching down to his level. "Phoenix, look at me."
The omega's hands shake as he lifts his head. His eyes are still red from crying.
"I need you to tell everyone what you told us." Her voice is gentle but firm. "All of it. They deserve to know the truth."
"They'll kill me." Phoenix's voice cracks. "They should kill me. I got people killed."
"Then die with honor." I don't mean it to sound harsh, but it comes out that way. "Tell the truth and let the pack decide your fate."
Phoenix stands slowly, and every wolf in the room turns to look at him. The weight of their stares nearly crushes him. I can see it in the way his shoulders curl inward.
"I betrayed you." The words come out barely above a whisper. "A few days ago, I got a call from Gio Rys. Jolie's brother. He said he wanted to talk to his sister privately, away from pack politics. He offered money for information about when the alpha and Luna would be traveling."
Growls ripple through the crowd. Phoenix flinches but continues.
"I thought" His voice breaks. "I thought maybe he wanted to apologize. To make things right with his sister. So I told him. I gave him the dates you'd be gone and the route you'd take."
"You sold us out for money?" Mara's on her feet, fury blazing in her eyes.
"No!" Phoenix shakes his head frantically. "I didn't take the money. I swear. And the next day, they sent me this."
He pulls out his phone with trembling hands, showing the screen to the crowd. A photo of a young woman tied to a chair, terror stark on her face.
"That's Emma. My baby sister." Tears streamed down his face. "She's nineteen, a human. She goes to college in Seattle. She doesn't know anything about wolves or packs or any of this. They grabbed her off campus and sent me that photo with a message. Give them intelligence on the Iron Fangs or they'd kill her."
The anger in the room shifts, uncertainty creeping in.
"They send me updates every six hours." Phoenix's voice shakes. "Proof she's alive. Photos of her crying and begging them to let her go. They said if I cooperated, she'd be released when the siege was over. When—when you were all dead."
He looks at me, and the guilt in his eyes is overwhelming.
"I didn't know they'd do this." The words rush out. "I thought I was just giving information for a conversation. By the time I realized what I'd done, the attack had already started. Two of our wolves were dead. I wanted to confess, but they said if I told anyone, Emma would die immediately."
Silence fills the hall.
"You should have come to us." Cass's voice is hard. "We could have protected your sister."
"How?" Phoenix's laugh is bitter. "You can barely protect yourselves right now. What were you going to do, send a team to Seattle while under siege? I made a choice. A terrible, horrible choice. But I chose my sister over the pack."
"That's not how pack works," Mara snaps.
"I know!" Phoenix's shout echoes off the walls. "I know, okay? I'm omega. I'm weak. I'm disposable. But Emma is innocent. She's all I have left of my family. Our parents are dead. She's just a kid trying to get through college. And they were going to torture her because of me."
He sinks back into his chair, utterly defeated.
"I'll accept any punishment." His voice drops to a whisper. "Exile. Death. Whatever you decide. But please—please save Emma first. She doesn't deserve to die because her brother is a coward."
The hall erupts in arguments. Some wolves demand immediate execution. Others understand the impossible choice. A few look sick, probably thinking about their own families.
I let them argue for a minute, then slam my hand on the table. The bang silences everyone.
"Enough." I look at Phoenix. "You fucked up. Massively. Two of our pack are dead because you gave our enemies intel. That blood is on your hands."
Phoenix nods, not even trying to defend himself.
"But." I continue, "You were put in an impossible situation. And since then, you've been working your ass off to fix it. You've given us their positions, their communications, their weaknesses. You've done everything possible to help us counter the damage."
"So what?" Mara demands. "We just forgive him?"