Page 65 of Omega Inked

Phoenix's eyes move to Liam, who looks far less triumphant than he did when we got here.

"Did we save Kendra?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No. She wasn't there. It was a trap...but he was the one who ended up getting hurt. We got him, Phoenix. The man who hurt you is dead."

Phoenix's eyes slide shut and he winces when the doctor comes up and presses a cloth to his wound. It's deep and still bleeding...but it's not as bad as it was before. Still, I hiss in sympathetic pain.

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask.

"If he wasn't an alpha, I'd be worried," the doctor says, "but as it is, he'll be fine. Just needs stitches."

"Shit, that fucking hurts," Phoenix grunts.

"I'm here, babe," I whisper. "We all are."

Phoenix nods, and I can see the relief in his face. I hold his hand tighter, wanting nothing more than to take away his pain. It's a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. My eyes drift to the doctor, and I can see he's watching us with a curious gaze.

"Is everything alright?" I ask, feeling a bit self-conscious.

The doctor nods. He's a young beta--can't be much younger than me, but it still scares me. "Yes, yes, of course. I was just wondering...how did you do it?"

"Do what?" Liam asks, stepping forward.

"Kill Eduardo Cruz," the doctor clarifies.

I feel Mercer tense up beside me, and I know the rest of my pack is on edge as well. All I want is to make sure Phoenix is okay right now; I don't care about the rest. And none of these people know who I am yet.

That I'm his daughter.

That I stabbed my own father in the back--metaphorically speaking.

"We did what we had to do," I say, evasive. "For the Enclave."

The doctor nods, seeming to accept my answer. "Of course. I understand."

There's a moment of silence before Rafe speaks up from behind us, and I look back to find his arms crossed over his chest. "You were fucking reckless and stupid," he says. "That's how you got him."

I bite my lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you would help us get Kendra, it was the only way--"

"I always have something in the works," Rafe says. "You don't know me--not yet--but you should have trusted me."

My face heats in shame. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," Mercer growls, stepping partially between me and Rafe.

"I'm not mad; you're a fucking hero," Rafe says.

I can feel my heart sinking, no matter what he says. "I should have fought harder for her, made sure this deal would actually go through..."

"You trusted your father wouldn't screw you over; no one can blame you for that," Mercer says. "Liv, the way you did it--that was brave. That was absolutely fucking brilliant, and that's all that matters."

Rafe sighs and scrubs at his beard. "Alright, alright," he concedes. "Let's focus on the present. We need to regroup and figure out our next move. The ACB isn't going to take this lying down."

I nod, grateful for the change of subject. "What do we do now?"

"We need to fortify our defenses and make sure we're ready for whatever they throw at us," Rafe says. "We'll have to set up more lookouts and patrols, and make sure everyone knows what to do in case of an attack."

Mercer nods in agreement. "We'll need to get the word out to the other Enclave outposts too. If the ACB is coming after us, they're coming after them too."

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