Page 149 of Daisy

"You're saying yes?" I breathe.

"I'm saying I can't watch you walk into this alone. I never would allow that." His ice-blue eyes meet mine. "And I'm saying you're right. That omega you heard crying? He deserves better than what we're giving him by staying safe."

The guys exchange looks. I can see them making the decision.

"Dante," I say. My words are stronger now. "You know the Omega House guards. How many of them are beta-born alphas who hate the system?"

"Most of them," he admits reluctantly.

"Could you get them on our side?"

His blue eyes study my face for a long moment. "Probably."

I turn to Hawk and Gunner, feeling bolder. "You two know beta-born alphas all over the city. People who've been told their whole lives they're worth less than elite bloodlines."

"Fuck yeah, we do," Hawk grins, and there's something wild in it now. "And princess, they are pissed."

I look at Cassian. "And you know the underground fights. All those people who have nothing left."

Cassian's amber eyes meet mine, and for the first time, I see something that might be hope. "They'll fight. Every single one of them has been waiting for this."

"August." I look at my gentle beta. The one who anchors all of us. "You know the betas. The support networks."

"I do." His hazel-green eyes hold mine. Warm but determined. "And there are more people ready to help than you might think. People who've been waiting for someone to speak up."

"And me?" I take a breath. My voice shakes a little, but I push through. "I become the face of it. The Governor's niece who chose freedom over power. The omega who said no to the system."

The room goes dead quiet.

"Beautiful," Dante's voice is raw now, "if you do this, everything changes. Everything. We'll never be safe again. Never be able to just... exist like this."

He gestures around our little living room. Our peaceful life. Our safe bubble.

The old fear tries to creep in. That voice in my head that says be good, be quiet, don't make waves.

But then I think about that omega in the basement. About all the omegas who will never get to have what we've had. Who will never get to choose anything.

"I know," I say quietly. "And I can't live with myself if I don't try."

The silence that follows feels like it lasts forever.

Finally, Cassian speaks. "Are you sure?" His voice sounds rough. "Once we start this, there's no stopping. No going back to this." He looks around our little sanctuary. "I've spent my whole life fighting. But this... this isn't just about us anymore. We won't just be risking our own lives."

I know what he's asking. He's asking if I understand that people will die because of my choice. That families will be torn apart. That the war I'm starting will have casualties.

My throat feels tight. "I know people will get hurt. I know we might not survive this." I take a shaky breath. "But I also know that if we do nothing, people are already dying. Already suffering. At least this way, they have a chance."

Cassian studies my face for a long moment. I can see him wrestling with it. The part of him that wants to keep us all safe versus the part that knows I'm right.

Finally, he nods slowly. "Then we do it right. We don't just tear things down. We build something better."

"I'm sure."

The magnitude of what we just decided hits me like a truck. We're not just choosing to fight—we're choosing to become theenemy of everyone in power. We're choosing to put targets on our backs. We're choosing to give up everything safe and good in our lives.

What if I'm wrong? What if I'm leading the people I love most to their deaths?

"Hey." Dante's voice is controlled now. "I can feel your panic through the bond. Breathe, Beautiful."