Page 159 of Psycho Pack

The Ghosts all freeze.

"And… a warrant for Ivy's return," Revi finishes quietly.

The room spins around me, and for a moment, I think I might faint. A kill-on-sight order? For my alphas? And they want me back? The thought of returning to that hellhole makes me want to puke.

"Fuck," Thane mutters beside me, his deep voice rough with anger and, to my horror, fear. I've never heard Thane sound afraid before. "My father must have realized we're onto him."

Plague's eyes narrow. "Or they know we were captured by Vrissia. They might think we're compromised now."

"Or that freak sold us out," Whiskey snaps.

"Raven or Nikolai?" Thane mutters.

"Take your pick," Plague scoffs, then pauses, as if considering it. "I doubt this had anything to do with either of them. In fact, they're probably the only two scumbags in the Outer Reaches the Council wants dead more than us. Unless you know something we don't, Valek?"

Valek, who's been staring silently at the floor with his jaw set, shakes his head.

"So we're fucked," Whiskey says simply.

"No," the queen says, drawing all our attention at once. She takes a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over all of us. "Perhaps," she says carefully, "it's time for a change. What point is there in living in a utopia if there are so many suffering beyond our borders? And… perhaps we can find Azarel."

Revi straightens, surprise evident on his face. "Mother, our isolation has kept us safe for generations. If we start interfering in outside affairs?—"

"Then we might actually make a difference," she finishes for him. "What use is all our knowledge, all our resources, ifwe hoard them behind these walls while the world burns down around us?"

Her words shock me.

I think of all the suffering I've seen, all the pain inflicted by those in power. To hear a ruler speak of actually wanting to help... it's more than I ever dared to hope for.

Of course, it could still be a trap.

But my instincts tell me otherwise.

And my instincts are rarely wrong.

"It won't be easy," Plague says, but there's a note of hope in his voice I've never heard before.

The queen nods gravely. "Which is why we'll need your help. All of you," she adds, giving our ragtag group a soft smile. "You've seen the worst the world has to offer. You know how to navigate its dangers."

I feel the weight of her words settle over us.

This is bigger than anything we've faced before.

This could change everything.

But… it couldchangeeverything.

I lift my chin, meeting the queen's gaze. "Whatever it takes."

A slow smile spreads across her face. "I can see why my son chose you," she says warmly. "You have the heart of a true queen."

Heat floods my cheeks at her words. I'm no queen. I'm just a feral omega who's learned to survive by any means necessary. But as I look around at my alphas—my family—I realize that maybe that's exactly what's needed.

"So, what's our first move?" Whiskey asks, leaning forward with an eager grin. "I vote we start by blowing shit up. For the record, I'm an expert at that."

Plague pinches the bridge of his nose. "That is absolutely not?—"

"I'm curious," the queen interrupts, her eyes fixed on Whiskey. "What exactly areyouto my son?"