Chapter 7

Rylan

The sun had set, casting a warm glow over the city skyline as Mateo and I enjoyed a quiet dinner on the penthouse balcony. The moment was peaceful and cozy. Almost every day was always like this.

The soft glow of candlelight illuminated our faces, the meal a simple yet intimate affair. He glanced at me and winked. He knew exactly what I was thinking, as I knew what he was.

It had been months since our release from prison, and the memory of those dark days had begun to fade, replaced by the warmth and comfort of our newly acquired freedom and the bond we shared.

Welcome every time I thought about it, pain flared in me. It came at a cost. I didn"t want it to be like that, but it still happened that way.

Mateo reached across the table, his hand covering mine, his thumb brushing my skin gently. He was so caring to me. I was the most precious person in the world to him.

"You"re quiet tonight," he said, his deep voice laced with concern. "Something on your mind, little omega?"

I offered him a soft smile, my heart warming at his tenderness. Truth be told, I didn"t want to think about what I was, much less talk about it.

"Just thinking about how far we"ve come," I said softly, my eyes reflecting the dancing flames of the candles. I hated I was lying, but it was for the best. "It feels like a lifetime ago that we were in that wretched prison."

Mateo"s eyes darkened, a shadow passing over his features as he, too, remembered those harsh days. As much as he was better built for that kind of environment, he would rather not be there ever again. Understandable.

"It feels like a lifetime," he agreed, his voice rough. "And yet, here we are, free and together. As long as we are careful, something like that will never happen again."

I nodded, my thumb tracing patterns on the back of his hand. I could do this all day.

"I"m grateful every day," I whispered, my eyes locking with his. "For you, for our love, and for the life we"re building."

He squeezed my hand, his gaze intense. "Our love will withstand any storm, little omega," he said. "Nothing can tear us apart now."

I knew he was telling me exactly what he thought and I was aware he was probably right, but I still wished I could fully believe in his words.

Later, as we finished our dinner and retired to the living room, a sense of unease settled in my chest, a weight that I couldn"t quite shake. I hated it.

As if summoned by my troubled thoughts, a figure stepped out of the shadows, his presence filling the room with an air of danger and intrigue. I froze on the spot. Who was that person?

Mateo tensed beside me, his body going still, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the man. It was clear he was someone he knew. The question was: who was he exactly?

"Javier," Mateo said, his voice low and dangerous. "What are you doing here?"

And even though he didn"t say it exactly, I was beginning to think I already knew who he was. He was someone we shouldn"t mess up with.

Javier, a former associate of Mateo"s from his cartel days, smirked, his eyes flicking between us. Whatever he was thinking, it was obvious he wasn"t afraid of us.

"Solstice," he growled. "I see you"ve found yourself a pretty little omega."

This was probably the first time he was seeing me. I said "probably" while imagining he might have been spying on me for a long time.

Mateo"s grip on my hand tightened, his body coiling, ready to face any threat this man might pose. His first instinct was to protect me, just like when we were in prison.

"What do you want, Javier?" He growled, his eyes flashing with warning. He wasn"t kidding when he said he would do anything to protect me. "You know I want nothing more to do with the cartel."

And yet, he also knew it was never going to be easy. Once you were in the cartel, you either died or you killed all of them. There was no solution between those two options.

Javier"s smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and something darker — a hint of the life Mateo had left behind. He was a hardened foe. He was ready to strike against us at any moment.

"I have a proposition for you, Solstice. A chance to get back in the game."

Mateo"s jaw clenched, his eyes hardening. Javier was doing that, but he already knew the answer he was going to get. He was only doing what he was as a formality.

"I told you, Javier, I"m out. I"m not going back to that life."

Javier"s gaze flicked to me, his eyes narrowing as he took in my presence. I took a step back. I didn"t want him to focus on me.

"Oh, I see," he said, mocking both of us. "You"ve gone soft, Solstice. Love will do that to a man."

Javier had never felt loved by anyone. That was the real reason why he said what he did.

Mateo"s grip on my hand tightened further, his body tense, his eyes flashing with anger. "Get out, Javier," he snarled. "Before I forget our friendship and put a bullet between your eyes."

Javier held up his hands in a placating gesture, his eyes hardening. It was obvious he didn"t take his threats seriously. He was cocky.

"Fine, fine. I"ll go. But think about my offer, Solstice. The cartel always has a place for a man with your skills." With a final, mocking glance in my direction, he turned and disappeared back into the shadows.

The silence that followed was heavy, the air thick with unspoken words and the weight of Mateo"s past. Relief washed over me. Seriously? That was it? I thought they were going to brawl.

I turned to Mateo, my eyes searching his face, seeing the turmoil reflected in his golden gaze. He ran his hand through his hair, looking tense and anxious. I was feeling the same way.

"I"m sorry you had to see that," he said, his voice rough. "Javier was a friend once, but I made my choice. I left that life behind, and I don"t intend to go back."

I nodded, my hand squeezing his, offering what comfort I could. I understood why he didn"t want to talk about his past, but I would still prefer to be prepared for eventualities like the one we just dealt with.

"I know," I said softly. "And I"m proud of you for leaving that life. It couldn"t have been easy." It really, really hadn"t been. It was, after all, before moving in with me, the only thing he knew.

He offered me a small smile, his eyes softening. "It wasn"t," he admitted. "But you gave me the strength to walk away. I would do it all over again for you, little omega."

My heart swelled at his words, the depth of his love and devotion wrapping around me like a warm blanket. Even after all this time, he still called me "little omega". It was cute and endearing.

"I know," I whispered, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his lips. "And I love you for it."

He kissed me back, his arms tightening around me, his touch a source of comfort and safety. He washed away the terrible feelings that were beginning to surge within me. He could do that like nobody else.

But as we pulled apart, the weight of what had just transpired lingered, a reminder that Mateo"s past was never far behind. Would we ever be safe? I knew we probably wouldn"t.

The next few days were tense, the air between us heavy with words we didn"t want to say and the knowledge that we needed to address the elephant in the room. We kept thinking about it, but for the most part, we ignored the possibility of bringing it up in a conversation.

Mateo"s encounter with Javier had brought to light the sacrifices he had made for our future, and I knew it was time to confront the truth. After all, we were planning on having babies and I wanted to make sure that our environment was going to be safe for them.

One evening, as we sat curled up on the couch, the soft glow of the fireplace casting a warm ambiance, I took a deep breath and turned to face him. I really, really didn"t want to talk about this, but it couldn"t be ignored anymore.

"We need to talk," I said softly, my eyes searching his. My heart was hammering in my chest. I didn"t think I had ever felt so nervous before in my life.

He nodded, his eyes narrowing, knowing that this conversation wouldn"t be an easy one. "I know," he said, his voice steady. "I"ve been waiting for this."

He was already waiting? Regardless, I took a steadying breath, my heart still pounding in my chest. It felt like no matter how much I tried to control it, it wasn"t going to be enough.

The weight of the secret I carried had grown heavier with each passing day, threatening to crush me under the burden of my own deception. That was the real reason why I was doing this.

I knew I had to tell Mateo the truth about how I"d gotten us out of prison, but the words stuck in my throat, my fear of his reaction keeping me silent.

"Rylan," he said, noticing how troubled I looked. "Something"s been troubling you. I can see it in your eyes. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I took a steadying breath, my heart pounding in my chest. "It"s about how we got out of prison," I began, my voice shaking slightly. "I know you"ve been wondering, and I—"

Mateo held up a hand, his eyes flashing with a mixture of hurt and anger. I already knew I wasn"t going to like his next words.

"You know I"ve been thinking about that?" He interrupted, his voice tight. It was obvious he didn"t like this as much as I did. "You"ve kept me in the dark, Rylan. You"ve kept secrets from me."

I flinched, his words striking me like a physical blow. I knew he was right, but I was still trying to rationalize my decisions. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should"ve told him about what I did before.

"I"m sorry," I whispered, my eyes dropping to the table. "I never meant to keep secrets. I just—" I didn"t know if there was anything I could say that could change his mind. Maybe there wasn"t.

"You just what?" Mateo demanded, his voice rising. "You put us both in danger, whatever deal you made. I trusted you, Rylan. I thought we were equals."

Deal? He already knew that much? I thought he didn"t know about that part.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I felt the depth of his hurt. It hurt me as much as it did him.

"We are equals," I said softly. "And I trust you, Mateo. It"s myself I don"t trust." And I didn"t think I had said something truer about myself in a long time.

His eyes narrowed, confusion clouding his gaze. "What do you mean?"

I took a shaky breath, steeling myself to reveal the truth. My body trembled. It felt like my right hand had a life of its own.

"You"re right. I really made a deal to get us out," I confessed. "I used my connections, my family"s influence, to secure our release. But it came at a cost." And just thinking about it tightened my heart.

Mateo"s eyes widened, his jaw clenching as he processed my words. "What cost?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous. I wished he hadn"t asked me about that, but the cat was out of the bag. "What did you give them, Rylan?"

I bit my lip, my eyes filling with tears as I remembered the weight of my decision. I wished I could say I hadn"t given anything, but it wasn"t true.

"Everything," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Our freedom came with a price, Mateo. A price I"m afraid we"ll have to pay." The clock was ticking. I knew that the more time passed, the closer we got to the moment we would have to pay the price.

He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and hurt. I could feel his anger exuding from his body. That was how much he felt betrayed by me.

"Damn it, Rylan," He growled, his voice tight. "What have you done?"

I had difficulty finding the right words. My mouth opened and closed several times, and my hand clenched.

I stood as well, my hands reaching out to him, pleading for understanding. "I did what I had to," I said, my voice shaking. "I couldn"t bear the thought of losing you, of being separated by bars and distance. I made a choice, for us."

The truth was, if I could go back, I would still make the same decision every time. I couldn"t imagine a different outcome. What could be different was me telling him about what happened sooner.

Mateo stepped back, his eyes flashing with pain and betrayal. I wished I could touch him, hold him, but he was too far away from me.

"You made a choice for both of us?" He asked, his voice laced with accusation. "You didn"t even consult me, Rylan. You went behind my back." He took a deep breath and I knew that his next words were going to hurt me more than the last ones. "To be honest, I"m mostly pissed off by the fact you didn"t tell me about what happened sooner. I brushed it off in the beginning, but now… Now I want to know everything."

I shook my head, my eyes pleading with him to understand. I was going to tell him everything. He just needed to be patient with me. It was going to take time.

"I was afraid," I whispered. "Afraid of losing you, of losing us, and afraid of what your opinion would be. I made a desperate choice, but I"d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant having you by my side." There was a moment of pause. "And, I would have told you sooner."

He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes closing for a moment as he grappled with his emotions. He was pondering what he should do. I just hoped that he was going to stay with me.

"You should have trusted me," he said softly, his voice pained. "You should have told me everything sooner. I would have understood."

I nodded, my eyes stinging with tears. "I know," I whispered, my voice thick with regret. "And I"m sorry. I was scared, scared of losing you, of losing our future. I kept ignoring what I had to do. I love you so much and there is nothing that can change that." Another moment of pause. "The truth is, I would always do anything for you."

He searched my eyes, his gaze intense, searching for the truth in my words. With luck, he was going to find what he was looking for.

"Anything?" He asked, his voice rough. "Even if it means putting us in danger?"

I shook my head immediately. "No, of course not. I will always do what needs to be done to keep us protected and together," I whispered, my voice breaking. "And please, understand that I never wanted to hurt you, Mateo. I only wanted to protect what we have. I really feared that saying what I did would make you hate me."

He was silent for a long moment, his eyes never leaving mine, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. Tension was high. I could only wonder what he was thinking.

Finally, he nodded, his shoulders sagging as he let out a heavy breath. "I understand," he said softly. "But it doesn"t make it hurt any less, Rylan. You should have told me everything sooner. It"s about trust."

I took a step towards him, my hands reaching for his, my eyes pleading for his forgiveness. "I know," I whispered, my voice still shaking. The worst was over, but I still wasn"t in the clear. "And I"m sorry. Please, forgive me, Mateo. I love you, and I can"t bear the thought of losing you." I really couldn"t. The mere possibility of that happening tightened my heart.

He stood there, his eyes still searching mine, the conflict within him clear. Finally, he sighed, his hands reaching out to grasp mine, his thumbs brushing away the tears that escaped. That fact alone washed away most of my worries.

"I forgive you, little omega," he said softly, his voice rough with emotion. "But we need to face the truth. Whatever deal you made, it"s coming back to bite us. We need to prepare."

I nodded, my heart heavy with the knowledge that my actions had put us both in danger. I was aware that my friend, who I had betrayed, would hurt me. He hated me for what I did. That was part of the price I had to pay, after all.

"I know," I whispered. "And I"ll do everything in my power to keep us safe, Mateo. Whatever comes our way, we"ll face it together."

He pulled me into his arms, his embrace a source of comfort and strength. "Together," he agreed, his voice steady. "We"ll face whatever comes together."