Chapter 11: Two Betas. Two Humans

"You’re all skin and bones. No one’s gonna buy a worn-out old grandma."

​The thugs roared with laughter again, kicking over another potted plant near the steps.

​I watched silently from the edge of the yard.

​Even though they had zero power... even though selling off their daughter might be the only logical way to clear a debt that was drowning them... they didn’t hesitate for a single second to refuse. They threw their weak, fragile bodies right into the line of fire just to shield hers.

​This warmth...

​I still didn’t fully understand the terrifying, heavy ache in my chest. But as I watched them bleed their dignity onto the dirt for Brianna’s sake, one thing became crystal clear.

​This was what a true family was.

​Though they were weak, though they possessed nothing, though every single odd was stacked against them—they would never sell out one of their own. Not for money, not for wealth, and not to save their own skin.

​My mind involuntarily flashed back to the night I died. ℯℯ𝑙.

​The ones who had shoved a blade through my spine were the two people I had trusted most in the world. As assassins, we were conditioned from childhood to trust no one, not even our own shadows. But I had let my guard down around them.

I had been foolish enough to crave the comfort of having a family, believing our shared missions and survival forged an unbreakable bond.

​In the end, when the Alpha promised them a glorious future and demanded my death, they didn’t hesitate for even a split second. The years we spent bleeding together meant nothing in front of promised power and glory.

​They threw me away for a reward. Yet these strangers—this pathetic, powerless family—were willing to die just to keep me safe.

​A cold, lethal stillness settled into my bones as I took a slow step forward.

​The twins were already trembling beside me, their fists clenched so tight their knuckles were white, ready to hurl themselves into a fight they couldn’t win. I placed a light hand on Jayden’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

He looked at me and I shook my head, confusing him.

​The lead Beta finally turned his head, his nasty gaze locking onto me as I stepped out from the shadows of the alley. "Well, well. Speak of the devil. Look who came back."

​I didn’t answer. I just looked at his throat, calculating the exact amount of force it would take to crush it.

​They think they’re dealing with prey. They have no idea what just walked into their grave.

"Is that her?" one of the human thugs sneered, slinging his wooden club over his shoulder as he eyed me up and down. "She looks like she’d snap if you blew on her too hard. Perfect candidate for the block."

​My mind stayed cold, detaching from the rage radiating off the twins beside me. I conducted a rapid, lethal assessment of the four targets in front of me.

​Two Betas. Two human.

​In my past life, I could have severed four throats in under two seconds without breathing hard. But in this vessel? Pure force was out of the question. My muscles were weak, my bones light, and I lacked the raw, explosive power of a wolf’s aura. Trying to trade direct blows with a broad-shouldered Beta would get my arm shattered in an instant.

​Brute force is for amateurs, I reminded myself, keeping my chin low and my posture intentionally frail. Assassins use gravity, momentum, and the arrogance of idiots who think they’ve already won.

​"Brianna, stay back!" my father yelled from the dirt, trying to push himself up, but the second Beta slammed his boot onto his back, pinning him to the ground.

​"Shut up, old man," The Beta snapped, keeping his weight on my father’s spine.

​That was target number one. His stance was completely off-balance, his full weight leaning forward onto my father, leaving his throat exposed and his lead knee locked straight. An open invitation.

​I took another slow, timid step forward, letting my shoulders quiver just enough to look terrified. I needed them focused on my apparent weakness. I needed them to drop their guard completely.

​"P-Please," I stammered, letting my voice shake while dropping my eyes to the ground. "Don’t hurt my dad."

​The lead Beta snorted, taking an arrogant step toward me with his hands casually at his sides. "A sensible girl. See? She knows how this works. Come here, little Omega, let’s go have a nice chat about how you’re going to pay off your family’s—"

​The moment he stepped into my reach, his guard vanished into thin air.

​Strike.

​Before he could finish his sentence, my fragile posture snapped into a deadly, low line. I didn’t punch his chest. I drove the heel of my palm upward with every ounce of momentum this body possessed, driving straight into his exposed windpipe.

​CRACK.

​A wet, suffocating gasp exploded from his throat as his airway collapsed. His eyes bugged out in shock, his hands flying to his neck as his knees instantly buckled.

​I didn’t give him a second to process the pain. As he keeled forward, I grabbed the lapels of his heavy jacket, using his own massive weight to pivot my body. I drove my foot hard into the side of his locked knee joint—And snapped it.

​The joint hyperextended with a horrifying crunch. The Beta shrieked, a muffled, gurgling sound, before slamming face-first into the cobblestones, writhing in agony as his own blood choked him.

​Silence fell over the yard like a heavy anvil.

​The laughter died instantly. The human thugs froze, their clubs half-raised, staring in absolute terror at the Beta groaning in a puddle of his own blood. The second Beta’s jaw dropped, his foot slipping off my father’s back in sheer disbelief.

I straightened up slowly, wiping a speck of dust from my thin sleeve. My breath was slightly heavy from the exertion—this body was truly pathetic—but my eyes were pitch black, completely devoid of mercy.

​I dropped back half a step into a fluid, defensive stance, my weight centered and hands raised just enough to protect my vitals while keeping my options open.

​The remaining three froze, their eyes darting between the writhing Beta on the ground and the frail girl who had just shattered his knee with a single movement. The air in the yard turned ice-cold.

​I locked eyes with the second Beta that was just about to slip to the back.

​"Don’t move," I said softly, my voice cutting through the silence like a freshly sharpened blade and he froze. "You’re next."