Chapter 39

P eople file into the chamber, their faces a mix of confusion and exhaustion. The weight of the situation hangs heavy in the air, thick and suffocating. Everyone's falling apart, feeling the loss, even though most of them haven't seen Gage, Stone, Maddox, or Nyxon since they were kids. The emotional burden is there, though, heavy and deep.

Not nearly as badly as it's hitting its leader.

I flick my gaze to Ella as the word circles through my mind.

Leader .

Ella's pacing the room, frantic, her movements sharp and erratic. I can see she's barely holding herself together, the cracks in her facade growing wider with each passing moment. She's pulling at her hair, her eyes red-rimmed and wild. Every step she takes feels like she's teetering on the edge; one wrong move away from breaking entirely.

It's killing me to watch her fall apart. I've never claimed to be a strong man—in fact, many times, I've been the weak one. She's been the person holding me together. But right now, she needs me to step up. Needs me to be the glue, and I'm trying. Fuck, I'm trying. But I can't give her the one thing she wants, needs…them.

It should hurt to know she's so damn desperate to have four other men by her side. Should make me feel obsolete. Unwanted.

But then, she flicks her gaze up to mine and her shoulders fall, her eyes soften. She looks at me and I see it, clear as day.

Isabella loves her Diablos, but she loves me too. There is no contest, no rivalry like I'd previously been worried about. It's not them or me.

It's us. A family.

I nearly died for her, and in those last moments, it wasn't jealousy of a life they'd get to live with her without me. It was nothing but happiness for the life I'd already shared by her side. It was dreams, prayers, for more. It was her in my arms, her love in my heart, and fuck, I want more of it.

If I have to share her, so fucking be it. I'd do it, and so much more, just to have a life with her.

My love.

But right now, I don't feel worthy of her smiles or her trust. I feel useless. I'd give anything to find the guys for her, to put her back together, to bring some peace to this chaos. But I can't, and it's killing me.

And then there's Stone. My brother . The word feels foreign, like it doesn't quite fit. I haven't even had a chance to wrap my head around it, to process what it means. He's out there somewhere, maybe hurt, maybe worse, and I don't know how to deal with that either.

My mind keeps circling back to the fact that I just found out we're related, and now he might be gone. The thought twists in my gut like a knife.

"Thank you for coming," Ella calls, pulling me from my thoughts.

I lean back in my chair, taking her in. She's standing at the head of the table, her shoulders back, trying to project strength. She's doing her best to be the queen everyone thinks she is, even if she's not sure it's a title she wants.

But I can see through it.

She's barely hanging on, the strain evident in the way her hands tremble when she grips the edge of the table, in the way her voice wavers as she speaks. She's trying so damn hard, and it breaks my heart to see her like this.

A series of "Hello," and words of respect are spoken quietly. It's obvious everyone is just as exhausted, just as worried. Even Madeline is a shell of the person she was just days ago. She doesn't even miss a beat as she takes the chair next to Ella's and turns, giving her full attention to the new queen.

Or leader.

Or…whatever she is.

Whatever she wants .

"I wanted to start off by thanking all of you for accepting me into the fold. I know we got off to a rocky start and…" She breaks off, sighing heavily. "I don't know any of you the way I'd like to. We still have a long way to go, but all of that will need to wait."

"We understand, sweetheart," Evelyn says, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "We know why we're here and it's not for a welcome party. We have a job to do."

"And," Kassie adds. "We're well equipped to do it. But we need to be pragmatic. The accident—"

She winces over her words, and Ella scoffs.

I clear my throat, shooting Kassie a fake smile. "Explosion. Attack. Attempt on Ella's life. Any will do. But what won't, is referring to it as an accident, because it most certainly was not."

"That's not what I'm saying," she hisses, her hands floundering. "All I meant is that this isn't something we can rush into again. We need to take our time, plan it out. Surely, there's no rush."

Now I'm the one to bristle.

"We can't just sit here!" Ella shouts, her voice cracking with the weight of her desperation. "We have to do something. We can't leave them out there!"

Madeline, always calm and collected, steps in, offering ideas on how to broaden the search. Her voice is soft, sympathetic, but it's clear she's struggling too. Everyone is. This isn't just about finding the guys; it's about holding onto the last shreds of hope we have left.

But Ella's not hearing it. She's too far gone, too wrapped up in her own fear and anger. She starts pacing again, her movements more frantic, her hands tugging at her hair as if trying to pull herself back together. I want to reach out to her, to pull her into my arms and tell her it's going to be okay, but I don't know if that's true anymore.

I swallow hard and push to my feet, my mind racing with ideas, anything, that will pull her back from the edge. Even if it's a long shot.

"What if we—"

The door bangs open, the harsh metal clanging against the wall. I spot more than a few guns flying from their holsters as people jump to their feet. I dive for Ella, but I pause as a soft voice bounces through the tense room.

"I found them!" Oliver says, breathless. "I was able to reverse the tracking program on the last bug. I know where they are! Holy fucking shit, I know where they are!"

Ella freezes, her eyes locking onto Oliver like he's just handed her the world. Without thinking, she rushes to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek. It's a quick, impulsive gesture, but it makes my blood boil.

I can't help it. Jealousy flares up, sharp and sudden, but I shove it down. This isn't about me. This is about finding our family.

"We need to go," Ella says, pulling back from Oliver, her voice steadier now, more determined. She shoots us all a sharp look. "We need to get them. Right now!" She turns back to Oliver and kisses his cheek again, bouncing on her feet. "You brilliant, lovable nerd boy! Where are they? Can we go now?"

I watch dazed as she rushes him from the room, her mouth moving a mile a minute. He blinks slowly, his gaze wobbly and nervous. He adjusts his glasses and shoots me a look over his shoulder as if to say, help me.

"Ella, wait," I say, stumbling after her. I run into a chair with a grunt and raise my voice. "Goddammit, woman! Slow the fuck down!"

"Keep up, or stay here!" she calls, snapping a finger that in any other circumstance, would likely end up with her over one of the guy's knees.

I, however, find it annoyingly adorable.

Sometimes, I loathe myself and my weakness for Isabella Hudson's fine ass.

"I'm coming, you little brat!" I snap back, my voice firm. "I'm not letting you do this alone. Now stop before you give me a hernia!"

She freezes and whirls on me. Just like before, half the fucking Milieu is behind us, waiting on their queen to use her fucking brilliant brain instead of running half cocked into a war zone.

Ella opens her mouth to argue, but I see the resolve in her eyes. She knows I'm not backing down, and honestly, I think she's relieved. As much as she's trying to push me away, she doesn't want to be alone in this. None of us do.

Her shoulders fall as she releases a breath. "Okay."

"Good girl," I murmur. Her eyes flare and I smirk. "Now, be an even better girl and get your ass back in the chamber." I waggle my brows. "We have a plan to form and sexy men to rescue."

"Yeah, okay," she breathes, then smiles, her eyes tear-filled. "We're going to get them, Hunt. They're coming home." Her throat bobs. "Today."

I pull her into me for a lingering kiss and wrap my arms around her. We hold each other for a long moment, breathing in the moment, and exhaling relief.

"Let's go," I murmur, pushing her toward the rest of the Milieu soldiers. I squeeze her shoulders. "Go show them how a queen fights for those she loves."