"She's not for sale," Dorian says. "This is my little sister. She will be quiet; I promise."The tattooed Alpha studies Ariadne for half a minute before he shrugs. "If she starts crying or some shit, then you're out. Got it.""She won't," Dorian replies firmly.The man steps aside, tapping on the door, once, twice, then once again. The thing groans open, rust grating against steel. The air smells heavily of whiskey, tobacco, fear, and blood.Ariadne's nose wrinkles as she tosses an arm over her face to filter it out. But even her father's favorite laundry detergent isn't enough to cancel it.Dorian walks in, pulling out stolen bills to exchange for chips. He turns back to Ariadne with a stern gaze. "You promised not to cry."Ariadne nods as if she'd ever cry in front of this person, ever.Dorian blinks a few times and then breaks character, kneeling in front of the Omega, holding her tight. "Go find him, Ariadne."Ariadne's heart stirs.Dorian looks into her eyes sadly. "I'm so sorry

Ariadne slurs, struggling to figure things out as Victor explains the situation. She's both happy and apprehensive about the twins, talking about a storm? Light and Dark? Things that seem frightening and nonsensical.Then Ariadne settles, drinking deeply from a cup, before pulling Victor into the bed with her, as if that's the only place in the whole world for him. The Alpha wouldn't have it any other way, settling against the Omega perfectly."I was an idiot," Victor whispers. "I was so desperate to end everything that I almost did. I shouldn't have gone out to meet Harry as I did."Ariadne shakes her head, playing with Victor's fingers. "We got lucky. We're finally out, aren't we? What do we do now?""Restaurant," Victor reminds her. "American Mexican and Korean fusion. We can do Doubles, Spicy Mexican Burger with Kimchi Burger. How does it sound?"Ariadne laughs, a gummy smile blooming on her face, something Victor hasn't seen in forever."Baby, I love you. But that sounds terrible

Victor smiles, wishing he could convince the boy to address him as Dad or Dada, but he's already outgrown it, much preferring this title over anything else. "Good night, champ."The Alpha shuffles over to his bedroom, where Ariadne will inevitably be awake and sulking.True to form, the Omega is laying in bed, eyes wide open and glowing in the moonlit darkness. Ariadne sits on the precipice of glorious perfection, so breathtaking it hurts, even with a frown on her face."Ariadne," Victor calls."Don't 'Ariadne' me," the Omega hisses. "You traitor."Victor laughs. He knows he shouldn't, but the sound fights its way past his throat, bubbling over into reality.Victor quickly covers his mouth to his own chagrin. "Sorry."Ariadne's frown deepens as a wine-hued blush settles on her cheeks and the tip of her nose. "It's easy for you to laugh. They both love you."Victor throws himself on the bed, his head landing on Ariadne's stomach. "We can always have another one. Maybe this time, you'll

The drive back to her old hometown is long and uneventful, the highway gradually becoming more and more crowded. The scent of grass, trees, mountains, and earth is replaced by metal, tar, and garbage festering in the rain. Ariadne listens to soft jazz on a CD that Victor burned for her for Valentine's day. It's calming, mixed in with the windshield wipers and the gentle patter of rain on the glass. The clicker comes on as she takes the exit, blue signs expanding into view, directing her to the hospital parking lot. The Omega doesn't know how she'll react. She's ready for anything, from hysterical crying to bitting numbness to white-hot rage. There's no one in this life that Ariadne considers more to be her brother than Edward. And she's already seen one too many people lying in a hospital bed to be calm about it. Ariadne parks the car somewhere on the third level before she makes her way over to the reception area. "I'm here to see Edward Park," she speaks politely to an elderly

The car ride back to the Park Estate is quiet. Waylon sits in the passenger's seat, and Kelly sits in the back, hands neatly folded. Ariadne flicks on the radio, a catchy tune clashing so harshly with the atmosphere that it defeats the purpose. After a moment, she turns it off, settling back into the silence. And that's when she notices that the car two paces behind her has been following her for the last few blocks. Waylon tenses immediately when Ariadne's expression changes, the Omega's hands on the wheel tightening ever so slightly. "What's wrong, boss— I mean, Ariadne?" "We're being followed," Ariadne hisses. "Don't react. I'm gonna lure them somewhere deserted. Waylon, are you still good of a shot as I remember." Waylon's eyes darken, and he whips out his Glock. "Yeah. I earned my colors as a long-range marksman once upon a time." "When I give you the signal, you shoot out one of his tires," Ariadne replies, keeping her speed steady, rounding a corner. The map of the distr