Chapter 14: A Hopelessly Selfless Family

"No! This won’t work. I can’t let this happen," Bradford suddenly snapped, his voice rough with desperation. He turned to the twins. "Jayden, Jordan, bring your sister inside. Now!"

I didn’t resist as Jayden and Jordan guided me back into the house, though Valerie quickly ushered us toward the small living room while Bradford kept watch by the shattered porch.

Once the door was closed, the panic in the room boiled over.

"We have to get Brianna out of the pack," Bradford paced back and forth, his hands trembling. "We have to send her away somewhere far—a human settlement, anywhere outside their reach!"

"I’ll find a way," Jordan added frantically, his knuckles white. "I can ask around the docks for a smuggler, someone who can transport her without anyone knowing. We’ll hide her."

I watched them in silence. These fools. They were weak, helpless, and completely prone to making terrible, emotion-driven decisions. Yet as I listened to them scramble to orchestrate a covert escape, the cold assassin inside me faltered.

They weren’t trying to save themselves—

"Stop," I said, my voice sharp enough to slice through their frantic chatter. "Are you out of your minds?"

Valerie rushed over, her trembling hands coming up to rest gently on my shoulders. Tears overflowed from her bloodshot eyes. "Brianna, please—"

"You want me to become a wanted fugitive for the rest of my life?" I asked, looking directly into my mother’s tear-streaked face. "Didn’t you hear what the enforcer said? If I don’t show up in two weeks, he’ll issue a warrant for my arrest. Is that really what you want for me?"

Bradford stopped pacing, his face crumbling with grief. "Brianna... it is better for you to be alive and a fugitive than to be dead and a cold corpse! They will kill you in that ring!"

That warmth again. It flared up inside my chest, heavy, suffocating, and impossibly deep. They cared about Brianna so much that they were willing to tear their own lives apart for her sake.

I took a deliberate step back, letting Valerie’s hands fall from my shoulders.

"All of you, calm down and listen to me," I commanded smoothly, locking eyes with each of them. "I am not going to die. I can handle this."

"You can’t handle anything!" Jayden argued, his voice cracking with sheer frustration. "Brianna, you can hardly throw a punch! What do you think you’re going to do at a tournament meant for wolves?"

"You don’t know that!" I lied calmly, maintaining an unbothered posture. "The preliminary brackets pair participants based on rankings, right? I’ll likely be placed against other weak, wolfless Omegas in the first round."

They stared at me, their eyes wide with worry. They weren’t people who lived on probabilities or luck—they loved Brianna too much to take even a fractional gamble with her life.

"And besides," I added, softening my tone just enough to sound persuasive, "if I realize I can’t take down my opponent, I can just forfeit. Surrender is permitted in the preliminary stages. Sure, the entire Grey Moon Pack will look at me like an even bigger disgrace, but how is that any different from how they look at us now? I might be the disgrace of the pack, but at least I’ll be alive."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Bradford looked at Valerie, then at the twins. They exchanged quiet, desperate glances, processing my words. To them, bowing out of a match and bearing public humiliation was infinitely better than turning their sixteen-year-old daughter and sister into a wanted fugitive on the run.

"Fine..." Bradford finally whispered, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "If... if it gets dangerous, you yield immediately. Promise me, Brianna."

"I promise," I said flatly. That was a lie, of course. The weak only grow stronger when fighting dangerous foes, you know. I’ll probably be strong by then, but let’s keep an open mind for at least one strong opponent.

With the family settled, we spent the next hour sweeping up broken glass, fixing the splintered front railing, and restoring some semblance of order to the house. When the sun climbed higher, Jayden checked his worn wristwatch.

"I need to head out for my shift," he muttered, grabbing his jacket, and my ears perked up. Jordan stood up beside him, preparing to head toward his own workplace as well.

"I’ll be in my room studying," I announced smoothly before they could ask anything. "I’d prefer it if no one disturbed me for the rest of the day."

Valerie nodded sympathetically, assuming the trauma of the morning had taken a heavy toll on my energy. "Go rest, dear. I’ll make sure it’s quiet."

I went upstairs, stepped into Brianna’s small bedroom, and shut the door until the latch clicked. But I didn’t stay inside.

I walked straight to the window, unlocked the latch, and pushed it open. I peered down—it was a short drop onto the soft dirt alley below. Thus, I swung my legs over the sill and dropped, landing lightly on the balls of my feet without making a single sound.

I slipped around the corner just in time to spot Jayden and Jordan walking down the main street. Keeping a strict fifty-yard distance, I blended into the shadows of the alleyways, tailing them through the crowded Grey Moon territory.

After fifteen minutes of tracking, the twins reached a bustling commercial district filled with neon signs, street vendors, and low-tier storefronts. They parted ways with a brief nod, heading in opposite directions.

I stayed on Jayden’s tail until he turned into a side alley dominated by a heavy steel door and flashing red lights.

The casino.

I crouched behind a stack of wooden crates across the street, analyzing the entrance. Two broad-shouldered Beta bouncers stood guard at the front door, checking IDs and patting down patrons.

There was no way they would let a sixteen-year-old Omega girl waltz through the front entrance, especially in a faded skirt and shirt.

"I’ll come back tonight," I decided, taking mental notes of the building’s layout.