Page 24 of New Year with the Cartel

"He ordered you to stay inside," he continued, his tone carefully neutral. He didn’t want any conflict with me.

"I needed to see," I whispered, turning back to the window. "I needed to know..."

"What kind of monster you're mated to?" Jake finished. "He does what's necessary to protect what's his. Including you."

Below, the gunfire had stopped. Fendwyr stood among the bodies, giving orders as calmly as if he were directing traffic. Blood stained his expensive suit, yet he seemed unbothered by it.

My stomach lurched again, though this time it wasn't morning sickness. This was the father of my child—a man who could order torture, execute surrendering enemies, and then come home to hold me like I was the most precious thing in his world.

And I knew he thought I was, but I didn't know if that was a positive thing or a negative one.

"You should get back to his office," Jake suggested. "Before he realizes you disobeyed. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene below. As if sensing my gaze, Fendwyr looked up, his eyes meeting mine through the window. Even at this distance, I could see his expression darken.

Chapter 14

Fendwyr

The blood on my suit had barely dried when I stormed into my office, rage simmering beneath my controlled exterior.

I didn't want to be angry. Not now, but I was.

Gustall stood by the window, exactly where I'd seen him during the firefight. He didn't turn around when I entered, but I could smell his anxiety mixing with that increasingly peculiar scent of his.

"I gave you an order," I said quietly, letting the door close behind me. The calm in my voice was deceptive—we both knew it.

"I needed to see," he replied, still not turning. "I needed to know what kind of—"

"Monster I am?" I finished, crossing the room in swift strides. I gripped his shoulders, forcing him to face me. "And what verdict did you reach, little omega?"

His eyes met mine, defiant despite his fear. "Rodriguez escaped with the necklace, didn't he?"

Clever deflection. Yes, Rodriguez had slipped away during the chaos, taking the necklace with him. The thought made mygrip tighten, even though I didn't want to. "That's not what we're discussing."

"Isn't it?" Finally, a tremor in his voice. "Everything is about that necklace now. The violence, the deaths—"

But everything was about the necklace because it was one of the most important things in our lives.

"The deaths of men who would have killed us without hesitation," I corrected. "This isn't a game, Gustall. Rodriguez knows what the necklace can do. He knows about fated mates, about its power to transfer abilities across lifetimes. If he figures out how to use it..."

I really wished Rodriguez didn't know so much, but there was a reason why he was so dangerous. He was smart.

"He could what? Steal this connection we have between us? Our past lives?" There was something else in his scent now—desperation? Fear? No matter what it was, I was going to deal with it.

I studied him closely. He'd been acting strange lately, more emotional, more unpredictable. Under normal circumstances, I would have investigated these changes, but Rodriguez's possession of the necklace demanded my immediate attention.

Then, looking at Gustall's worried face, an idea began to form. There was something I could do.

"No," I said slowly, releasing his shoulders to cup his face. "But he could use it to identify other fated pairs. To control them. Imagine having power over multiple alpha-omega bonds." I let my thumb brush his lower lip. "That's why we need to stop him as soon as possible. It has to be my focus."

His eyes widened. "And you mean we should do it together? But you said—"

"I said I wouldn't risk you in a firefight," I corrected, letting my voice soften. And of course, that remained unchanged. "But there are other ways you could help. Safer ways."

"What do you mean?"

Perfect. He was interested now, his earlier fear forgotten. I smiled, though part of me felt a twinge of... something. Guilt? No, impossible. This was for his own protection, after all.

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