Chapter 291


    AARON


    We take the device back to the Rathborn mansion, but I think


    it’s obvious to both of us what needs to be done about it.


    The drive needs to be destroyed.


    It’s too powerful, too terrible for anyone to have.


    I honestly don’t know what the old Roberts Alpha and Liam were thinking when inventing this.


    Well, actually I probably do.


    They were thinking about money, and nothing else.


    They were thinking about all those billions of dors they would get paid from the military, and how it


    might make them the wealthiest pack in Montana.


    Still, it was a devil’s bargain.


    How could any amount of money be worth your soul?


    To know something you were responsible for creating would


    be used to kill countless people?


    Once we’re alone, Leah sets it on the desk and then looks at


    me.


    “I think we should destroy it,” she says, and there’s a hint of


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    apprehension to her voice, as if she’s worried I might disagree.


    I smile at her. “I think you’re right, Leah. We can’t risk anyone else getting their hands on this. I don’t


    even want to imagine what the military would do with it if we handed it over to


    them.”


    “Good,” Leah says with a nod. “So, what’s the best way to do


    it? Do we just wipe the drive, or…”


    I walk over to one of the cupboards recessed into the wall and


    search around until I find apact toolbox, filled with the


    basics.


    I get out a hammer and then take it over to hand over to Leah.


    “Would you like to do the honors?”


    She takes the hammer with a gleeful look on her face.


    “I would love to!” she deres.


    I step back and watch as Leah wields the hammer and


    smashes the drive into a million little pieces.


    Within a minute or two, what was once a solid-state drive


    containing an Al program worth billions of dors is reduced


    to worthless pieces of debris.


    Leah drops the hammer to the desk and turns to me with a triumphant grin on her face.


    “That felt really good,” she says with augh, before throwing herself into my arms. “I can’t believe it’s


    finally over, Aaron. We can put all that bad stuff behind us and begin our lives together properly now.”


    I hold her tight, feeling the same relief and joy. What bits are left of the tech, I’m going to burn.


    Personally.


    “We did it, Aaron!”


    Yeah. We did.


    We have each other, we have Ethan, the packs are safe.


    I have a seat on the Council so I can make sure it doesn’t


    be corrupt again.


    And I even got back the sister I thought was dead.


    “What do we do now?” Leah asks, leaning back to look up at


    me.


    “Now we get to live our lives the way we want, the way we deserve,” I tell her.


    I lean down and capture her lips, loving the feel of her in my


    arms.


    My mate is everything to me, and I know the things she can. stir within me will never get old.


    Leah breaks the kiss after a moment and pulls back from me.


    “Oh! I know what we should do,” she says, looking happy and excited. “We should have a party to


    officially wee Emily back into the pack.”


    I smile down at my mate, so happy and proud of the Luna she


    has be.


    That she would even think to do something like that for my long-lost sister, even though she knows


    Emily doesn’t like


    her, is just the type of generous, kind-hearted thing my mate


    would think of.


    “That’s a wonderful idea, Leah,” I tell her. “And I think we


    should do it sooner rather thanter. If Emily can see and be reminded of all the people who missed


    her, all the pack members who are so happy to have her back, maybe that’ll


    help her.”


    “I’ll go talk to the chef,” Leah says happily. “Let me know if there’s any favorite foods you think Emily


    would like to eat.


    Oh, and I’ll get James to take me into town for some new decorations, so I’ll need to know Emily’s


    favorite colors.”


    There’s a new spark in Leah’s eyes and a spring in her step


    that wasn’t there before.


    Destroying the Al tech-thest of her father and brother’s hateful legacy-really has seemed to take a


    weight off her.


    “I’ll text you anything I can think of that might help,” I tell her and find amusement in the way she


    wiggles her fingers at me and then disappears out the door, off to take party nning


    to the next level it seems like.


    Now, the only small issue left to address…


    Telling the guest of honor in question.


    Because while I told Leah I thought it was a good idea-and


    I do think that-I know that Emily isn’t going to want to have anything to do with it.


    In fact she’ll probably refuse outright.


    But for the sake of the pack-for morale and a sense of


    togetherness-this party is going ahead.


    I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve been at war or battling so many problems thisst year, but even with


    the peace and having my mate and son and sister safe, I’m still feeling this low-level hum of dread.


    We’veid all our problems to rest. Yet I can’t escape this feeling that we haven’t even seen the worst


    of them yet…


    A


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