Page 159 of Daisy

The communication blackout hits all of us through the pack bonds. August's panic spikes so sharp it makes my hands shake. Dante's fear tastes like metal in my mouth. Even Cassian's iron control cracks, flooding the bond with protective rage.

Ten minutes of radio silence. Ten minutes of tracking movement through windows while feeling my omega's fear spike and fade and spike again through our connection. Ten minutes of not knowing if she's okay or captured.

Ten fucking minutes that feel like ten hours.

"Movement in the foyer," I report to no one, my voice hoarser than it should be. Through the scope, I track figures moving past windows, but I can't identify who's who from this distance.

Then I see him.

A figure in expensive clothes moving toward the mansion's back exit. Not walking. Running.

Governor. The bastard's trying to escape.

"Package, this is Gunner," I key the radio desperately. "Target is mobile. Repeat, target is attempting to flee."

Static. Dead air.

She can't hear me.

Then the front door opens.

Daisy steps out first.

The relief that floods through all five of us simultaneously nearly knocks me off the roof. Her scent carries even at this distance—honeysuckle and vanilla, victory and pride mixing with the lingering traces of fear and something sharper. Anger. Satisfaction.

She's got blood on her tactical jacket sleeve and her face is pale, but she's walking under her own power.

She's alive. She's fucking alive.

But she's alone.

"Package secure," I breathe into my comm, hoping the radio's working again. "But where's the target?"

Her voice crackles through static: "Target attempted to flee. Had to pursue. He's secured now."

Through our bond, I feel the echo of what happened. The fear when he tried to escape. The moment she had to choose between letting him go or facing him alone. The surge of fierce determination when she chose to fight.

My omega hunted down the most powerful man in the state and brought him to justice herself.

Pride floods through all our bonds so intense it makes my vision blur.

"Package secure," I breathe into my comm, and the pack bonds flood with such intense relief and pride I have to grip the edge of the roof to stay steady. "Primary target in custody."

She did it. My omega, who used to have nightmares about this man, just brought down one of the most powerful politiciansin the country. And I can feel exactly how proud and fierce and absolutely exhausted she is through our connection.

"This is Package," her voice comes through my earpiece, steady and strong. "Broadcasting in five minutes. All teams maintain positions until after the announcement."

Broadcasting. The final piece of the plan. Not just arresting the corrupt officials, but telling the world why. Making sure everyone understands what the system really was, what it cost, and what comes next.

I keep my scope trained on the area around the mansion while Daisy and her team set up their equipment in the front courtyard. Through our bond, I can feel her settling into herself, her scent shifting from battle-ready to determined leadership. She's gonna make her announcement right here, on the steps of the house where she was raised to be property.

The symbolism makes my chest tight with pride. I feel the others experiencing the same fierce satisfaction through our bonds.

"This is Daisy Crane," her voice carries across the afternoon air as news cameras arrive, and the sound of it makes every one of us react through the bond. Pride. Love. Absolute devotion.

Through my scope, I watch her standing on those mansion steps in her black tactical gear, so different from the silk gowns she used to wear in this same place. The contrast is everything. Property to revolutionary. Decoration to leader.

"Eighteen months ago, I was scheduled to be handed over to the Fairburn pack in a rigged Choosing Day. Today, I stand here as a free omega, speaking for every person who's been treated as property by this corrupt system."