Rae’s heart flutters. Something inside of her has been awakened.
Cassian lunges away from Rae, running toward the ladder to the upstairs. “No!”
A loud hiss echoes across the city. The light from the bunker slowly dims. The cryo units flatline.
“Cassian climbs up through the caves, disappearing into the darkness above. Rae uses it as a chance to run back to her alphas.
She traces her fingers across her neck, feeling the heavy bruising that’s already begun to form. She gasps and starts to cry. Vash and Killian rush to her aid.
She drops to the ground, taking the leaking tank baby in her hand. “Oh, no,” she whispers, applying pressure over the thin cracks.
As soon as Lucas takes a step forward to help her, Killian nudges in front of her. “Back the fuck away, traitor.”
“It was always you and me, remember?” Lucas asks.
Killian nods. They go way back, even further back than him and Vash. “Memories fade,” he says.
From above, Cassian’s roar echoes. The young omega jumps down the stairs, running toward the particle accelerator.
Cassian climbs back into the city, reeling. “She destroyed mother,” he growls. “Where is she?”
When he sees her, a look of vengeance washes over his face. Eerily, he calms. “It is of no consequences. I can make more copies,” he says. “Now, we can fill the cryo vacancies. But one of you, I’m afraid has to die.”
Cassian swings out his rifle.
The young omega runs over to Lucas, near the opening portal of the particle accelerator.
Lucas steps in front of her, shielding her.
Cassian aims. “Don’t get in the way of this,” he says.
Lucas braces and shoots a glance at his old pack. “I don’t deserve forgiveness. I know what I have to do now,” Lucas says. “Sacrifice. A leap of faith.”
Rae can see it in him. She can see the sorrow in his eyes, the readiness to lose everything for her. He isn’t a bad alpha. He was doing what he thought he had to do.
He seems to take the longest breath of his life.
He holds his hands out as Cassian charges him. He closes his eyes and embraces fate.
Lucas
The particle accelerator spins faster than before, casting vibrant shades of color around their bodies. The omega tugs on his shirt tightly, quietly whimpering against his wear.
He acknowledged who she was as soon as he saw her run away. She is Aiden’s daughter, possibly the last real omega left.
There’s no time to think about possible family reunions. Cassian is charging toward him with a rifle, and they’re way too fucking close to the opening portal.
Cassian fires once, and the bullet hits his chest. He’s knocked back a foot, but catches his breath. It hits the holograph chip in his breast pocket, stopping just an inch away from his heart.
This setback doesn’t stop Cassian. He dives toward him.
A gunshot rings out from above, and a bullet catches Cassian’s ankle. Blood sprays across Lucas’s wear, and Cassian loses his footing. He falls toward him.
Right before Cassian can reach him, Lucas turns and grabs the omega, pulling them out of the way.
Cassian stumbles into the particle accelerator’s opening portal. Lucas sees Cassian’s hand reach for the edge as his writhing screams turn more obscure and horrifying.
Running toward the opening, Lucas looks inside. Cassian’s skin bubbles and pops. His eyes pop out of their sockets. A green ooze slides down his body. His head grows larger and larger. Within seconds, his body disassembles. His scream fades into the abstract of life.