Ayla looked worried. "Are you really sure about this?"

Aylin squeezed her sister’s hand. "Yes. He needs to hear it from me. I’m Sibel’s daughter. I’m Marcus’s daughter. I’m the girl whose parents he killed."

Zayden pulled Aylin in close. "If anything feels off, you bail. Right away."

"I’ll be fine."

"Promise me."

Aylin kissed him softly. "I promise."

*****

Emma opened the door with a big grin. "Aylin! Ayla! Oh my gosh, come on in!"

She gave Ayla a hug first, then Aylin. "I’m so glad you guys are here. Dad will be so happy to see you."

They stepped inside Emma’s house. It felt cozy and welcoming, definitely not what you’d expect from a killer’s home.

But Aylin knew better.

In the living room, Alexander was lounging in his armchair. His eyes were closed, but he looked a lot better than when he was in the hospital. There was some color back in his face, and his breathing was calm.

"Dad," Emma said softly. "We’ve got some visitors."

Alexander opened his eyes.

They went straight to Aylin’s face.

He went pale.

"Sibel?" he whispered. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

So softly that Emma and Ayla didn’t catch it, but Aylin heard it loud and clear.

She didn’t say anything and just smiled politely.

Emma beamed. "You remember Aylin, right? And this is her sister, Ayla. They came to check on you."

Alexander quickly pulled himself together, keeping it professional. "Of course. Thanks for dropping by."

But his eyes kept going back to Aylin, searching for something, remembering.

They sat down and made small talk. Emma brought tea, and Ayla asked about Alexander’s health.

But Alexander seemed distracted, watching Aylin and trying to figure things out.

Finally, Aylin got up. "Emma, why don’t you and Ayla go hang out in your room for a bit? I’ll stay here with your dad."

Emma looked at Ayla. Ayla smiled and nodded.

"Totally. Go. Chat. Catch up."

"Alright. We’ll be in my room if you need us." Emma kissed her dad’s cheek. "Behave now."

"Always," Alexander replied.

Emma led Ayla down the hallway toward her room.

As soon as Emma’s bedroom door closed, the mood in the room changed.

Aylin looked at Alexander, who was staring at her. "Sibel."

"No," Aylin said quietly. "Sibel’s daughter."

Alexander went pale. "Wait, you’re—"

"Aylin Alston. Daughter of Sibel and Marcus Alston, the couple you killed years ago because of Alpha’s orders."

Alexander jumped up and nearly lost his balance. "Look, I didn’t— I was just doing what I was told. I didn’t have a choice—"

Aylin held up a hand. "Calm down, Alexander. I’m not here to get revenge."

He froze and stared. "What?"

"Sit down," Aylin said calmly.

Alexander eased himself into a chair, as if every movement weighed a ton.

"I’m not into revenge," Aylin continued. "I believe in justice. Right now, I’ve got a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

"Yeah. You help us take down Alpha Dark. You share what you know and play along. In return," Aylin leaned in, "Emma never finds out the truth."

Alexander was shaking. "She can’t know. If she finds out what I did—"

"She’d hate you," Aylin cut in. "I get it. That’s why I’m making this offer. Help us, and your secret stays safe."

"And what if I say no?"

Aylin’s smile turned icy. "Then I go tell her myself. Right now. I walk down the hall to Emma’s room and drop the bombshell that her dad, the guy she loves more than anything, murdered her real parents and took her as a baby. I spill everything, and then I watch her world fall apart."

Alexander looked like he might throw up.

"But I don’t want to do that," Aylin said, her voice softening a touch. "Because Emma’s innocent, and she doesn’t deserve that heartache. So I’m giving you a choice. Help us. Save yourself. Save her."

Alexander stayed quiet for a while.

Then he asked, "What do you need from me?"

"Everything," Aylin said. "Alpha’s moves, his plans, his weaknesses. You’ve been with him for years; you know stuff nobody else does."

"He’ll kill me if he finds out," Alexander warned.

"Then just make sure he doesn’t find out." Aylin pulled out a phone that was encrypted and completely untraceable. "You’ll only communicate through this phone. Got it?"

Alexander took the phone, his hands shaking.

"We’ve got three days," Aylin said. "Three days until we go after Alpha. In the meantime, act normal, stay loyal, and don’t give him a reason to suspect anything."

"Three days," Alexander repeated.

"And Alexander," Aylin added as she got up. "If you betray us, warn Alpha, or do anything that puts my team in danger, Emma will find out everything. You’ll lose her for good."

Alexander nodded. "I get it."

"Good." Aylin started toward the hallway but paused. "What was my mom, Sibel, like?"

Tears filled Alexander’s eyes. "She was beautiful, brave, and kind. She died protecting you."

Aylin’s voice stayed steady. "I know. And when this is all over, I’m going to ask you how my dad died because I know you killed my mom."

She walked away, leaving Alexander sitting there, broken and trapped.

Exactly where she needed him.

*****

The next day, the conference room was packed.

Zayden was at the head of the table, with Aylin next to him, along with Azalea, Liam, Leo, Reyes, Charles, and William, who looked stronger today.

On the video screens were:

- Alexander, his face visible, but his voice was distorted with a modulator. Only Aylin’s face could be seen by him. The others wore voice-changing masks, hiding their identities, and their voices were scrambled.

- Sarah, visible and using voice modulation.

- Selina, calling from a café in Manhattan, surrounded by background noise for cover.

Zayden decided that only Aylin would show her face to Alexander since Alpha already knew her. The rest of the team stayed anonymous.

If things went wrong and Alexander got compromised, their identities would still be safe.

Aylin had insisted on this approach. "He already knows me. Use that."

Zayden had reluctantly agreed.

Now they were all together.

Ready to plan for war.

"Is everyone here?" Zayden’s voice sounded all glitchy and robotic.