Page 60 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

Vale's hands hover over his keyboard, frozen in the act of seeking data he might not need anymore.

I find myself holding my breath, the solution so elegant in its simplicity that it seems impossible we didn't think of it sooner.

Because Kieran's right.

For all of Ravenscroft's power, their government backing, and security measures, they still have to operate within certain boundaries.

Selling unclaimed omegas to wealthy degenerates? That can be hidden, justified, or swept under bureaucratic rugs.

But interfering with legitimate pack bonds?

That's the kind of offense that starts wars.

The realization ripples through our pack bond like a current of electricity. We're not just a rescue team anymore. Not simply operators sent to extract assets. If we do this –if we claim these omegas, even temporarily– we become something else entirely.

We become protectors in the most primal sense.

Make ourselves the very thing Ravenscroft has been trying to prevent:a legitimate barrier between these omegas and the fate that's been planned for them.

"But there's four omegas," Kieran whispers, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. The flaw in his otherwise perfect plan hangs in the air between us, a problem without an obvious solution.

Until Atlas chuckles.

We all turn to watch him rise from his chair, a rare grin spreading across his face beneath the blindfold.

"And there's four subdivision units of Parazodiac Nexus."

The words land like a tactical nuke in the middle of our planning session.

Suddenly, I see it – the perfect way to not only save these omegas but also create a situation the government can't easily sweep under the rug. Four elite units, four omegas, andfour potential pack bonds that would make any interference a declaration of war.

Atlas's blindfolded gaze finds me unerringly, that sixth sense of his knowing exactly where I stand. It's my cue to step up, to take point on the operation that could change everything.

"Guess we have a change of plans," I say, the weight of command settling on my shoulders before I turn to Kieran. "You wanna gather Subdivisions B, C, and D?"

The groan that escapes him is practically theatrical.

"I got beef with D."

Oh right.

"That's because you told their lead alpha his cock was smaller than his ego," Atlas notes dryly.

We all stare at Kieran, who shrugs with absolutely zero remorse.

"That's still valid. Plus, I said my cock was bigger, which is a fact. I ain't apologizing for shit."

Atlas's chuckle breaks the tension while I shake my head.

"You're stubborn as fuck and suck at making allies, you know that?"

"That's why I'm here, and Dante is over there. Our leading man." Kieran shoots back. "I'm not the leader decision maker and you, Atlas, are the one who can get them to bow and behave."

He's not wrong.

Atlas probably has enough dirt on everyone in the organization to burn it to the ground twice over. It's one of the reasons he's so effective – people assume his blindness makes him less observant when really it just means he pays attention to things others miss.

He’s still the true leader of this unit, regardless of blindsight, but on paper, I’m the one who has to step up so no one takes advantage of us as a unit.

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