I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

I fired.

The dirty blood of the alpha I once loved spattered on the fine wood of his desk. Charles snarled and stormed toward me, but not even the thick scent of anger made me want to cower in place and be the submissive, good-natured omega I once was.

"You stupid omega! Do you realise what you did?!" My husband yelled, his angry eyes trying to pierce my soul. "If you kill me, you will die with me! You are bound to me!"

"No!" The scream tore from my throat, Charles looked confused due to my revelation. "Not any more, Charles, nothing ties me to you now. Our bond is broken."

His gaze relaxed and I uncovered my neck, showing the pinkish mark that had almost completely healed, only a few lines in the shape of teeth protruding from my clavicle. Charles looked impressed.

"But how? I didn't even feel it," he muttered, holding his shoulder tightly so he wouldn't bleed to death.

"Of course you didn't notice. Our bond was already so weak, I simply had to leave the house knowing I would never come back to break our poor bond. You don't control me anymore, Charles."

Charles looked surprised at my words, he let out a nervous laugh and took a few steps back without taking his eyes off my neck. For the first time it seemed that he had realised what was really happening, he had realised that at last the repercussions of all the damage he caused to me and my children had arrived.

"I guess it ends here then." He muttered in surprise, he let out a louder laugh and his gaze wandered between Louis and me.

"I should have done this many years ago, I shouldn't have let you take me away from my cub in the first place. But I guess it's never too late to make amends for the mistakes of the past."

"Kill me then, Elizabeth!" He bellowed angrily, "but keep one thing in mind; the years you lost your imperfect little cub, no one is going to give you back. All those years you gave up just because I told you to that you should, all those years in which you wasted your time lying on a bed without paying attention to your life, no one will return them to you, and all because you listened to your alpha as the submissive omega that you will always be."

"You're right, no one is going to give me back my lost years, but you know what?" I pointed to his head, my hands shaking but my intention stronger than ever. "Killing you will at least give me the satisfaction of taking away my children's worry of a demented father... And no, I'm no longer the submissive omega who married you out of obligation, now I'm just Elizabeth," she smiled. "Goodbye, alpha."

A second shot echoed through the house. Charles's lifeless body fell in front of me and his dirty blood stained my favourite shoes, and despite the fact that the remorse of having murdered someone was insistent in my head, the satisfaction of having freed my family from that despicable alpha was winning. to that feeling by a lot.

I looked up from the person I once called alpha and there he was, my little boy, the fear reflected in his eyes and my mind going back to that December twenty-fourth, my Louis was once again that little puppy I abandoned, blinded by an alpha unhappy with his life. His eyes were full of tears and his hands were trembling, seeing him like that made me hate myself for abandoning him... For giving up, as Charles said.

"My love," I whispered, extending my arms towards him, and Louis didn't hesitate for a second to run towards me, hiding his face in my neck and sobbing slightly, allowing himself to be vulnerable like when he was just a little boy learning to live. But now he was an adult, my cub was already an alpha with an omega and a cub to take care of. And seeing him be so brave made me feel so proud.

"Louis!" I heard Harry yell, only to see him walk through the office door a few seconds later, looking scared and teary-eyed, "Oh god, I thought you were dead, alpha. My alpha."

I opened my arm and Harry joined us, still shaking from the strong emotions of the moment. I noticed that his clothes were covered in blood, but seeing him here reassured me that he was okay, then I felt Zayn and Liam look at us from the doorway, everyone was okay.

It was over.

"How did you get here, mother? Who brought you here? "My Louis asked, a worried look on his face, but I smiled calmly at him.

So I started to tell the story.

☺☻☺☻

The worried looks of Jane and Barbara at the door made me nervous, watching my son leave knowing that he was going directly to face the most despicable alpha that walked the earth made my omega and my rational part nervous.

"You know what? I don't know about you, but I can't just sit here waiting for my son to come out, dead or alive," I said getting up from the couch, I handed my granddaughter to Jane and started walking towards the exit.

"Elizabeth, wait, you need to calm down a bit, why don't we sit down for a moment? Let's go to the kitchen to make some tea, or we can have it in the garden if you like." Barbara hastened to take my arm, but I gently let go and let her I gave a smile

"No, Barbara, I need to accompany my son, I need to make sure my husband doesn't kill him in my own home." I didn't wait for any retort and walked towards the guard at the entrance, who was fully armed, ready to face any danger.

"Hello dear. I'm going to need you to give me a weapon right now," I asked with a small smile, the guard just frowned.

"Mrs. Tomlinson, I can't give you a gun," he replied in a friendly tone, this time it was my turn to pucker my expression.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but do you really want to risk my telling my son that you didn't listen to his mother in a simple request like this?" I asked in an indignant tone, the guard tensed at the instant.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Tomlinson," she pulled a gun from his belt and handed it to me "Do you know how to use a gun?"

"An omega has her secrets" I winked at her and left running towards one of the vans, using the same blackmail to get them to let me pass and go with them.

Charles Tomlinson would never lay a finger on my pup again, and I would take care of that myself.

☺☻☺☻

Everyone with their heads held high left the office, feeling a certain burning in their nostrils when perceiving the intense aroma of gasoline hitting them, barely noticing the bottle of that yellowish liquid that Liam carried in his hand, and that he had also taken care of. spread throughout the house, covering every inch of the floor and furniture in search of erasing any trace of evidence of the crimes committed there, not only from that afternoon, but from all the years that the Tomlinsons had inhabited that house.

Liam finished spreading the gasoline around Charles's office, splattering the liquid all over his dirty corpse. They finally left the Tomlinson house, leaving all their history behind, ending all those years of torture they had been through. Elizabeth clung to her son's arm, resting her head on her shoulder, while Harry stood on the other side of his alpha; Liam and Zayn stared straight ahead, their hands entwined in the same way as their souls, and finally a guard handed Louis a match.

His eyes were still red from crying so much, but he felt calm, he felt free for the first time in many years, he felt complete. He lit the match in one swift movement and dropped it onto the gasoline path Liam had left, and there, in front of Charles Tomlinson's huge house, were the heads of Icarus Rose watching the flames take over the wood they were carrying. built that house. And they all witnessed how little by little the embers engulfed Charles's crimes and the sweet memories of what seemed to be a perfect family, those memories of a performance that never managed to be convincing, a life full of rancour and lies being reduced to nothing. mere ashes.

Another guard handed Zayn a white rose along with a lighter, the omega looked at his alpha with a smirk and the flames began to burn each of the petals, the omega dropped it on the sidewalk in front of the property, leaving his mark, but without feeling a single drop of condolence, because that rose represented nothing more than victory.

Never dare betray the reign of Icarus's rose, or you'll end up in flames.

☺☻☺☻

20 years later.

Whether it's flying too close to the sun or getting pricked by the thorns of a rose, everything will always end in blood when you indulge in pride, but Icarus Rose learned from its mistakes, and more importantly, they learned from the mistakes of its background. They learned that when you seek something more than what you can achieve, you will end up in ruins. But they explained it to their children with the confidence that the legacy would continue that way. Time had changed the three heads of Icarus Rose, they learned that at the end of the day the greatest teaching that Kasper had taught them was that they should protect their families as much as they protected the mafia, and they did so for a long time until Niall she made the decision to move to Canada for a while to take care of Swallow alongside his husband and omega. Louis and Harry had gone home a few weeks after the death of Edmund and Charles, they both had to overcome their personal struggles and wanted to focus on their little River, of course Louis would go to his office in the mansion every day and Harry would mainly help with tasks that Niall wouldn't be able to do until he was fully recovered. Liam and Zayn had had to get used to not having everyone in one place, they had to get used to being the two of them against the world for the first time in their lives, but they couldn't be happier to do it as they watched their twins grow and enjoy their childhoods properly.

"We have to hurry up with this or the partner will get out of the deal," said the older alpha addressing her sister, who rolled her eyes as she tried to finish reading each one of the words of the contract that she held in her hands.

"Blake, I swear if you don't leave me alone I'm going to have you kicked out of the office," the alpha replied looking at her brother who sat on the other side of the desk.

The alpha signed her part of the contract and eventually passed the document to the other alpha so he could sign it too. And just before she got to her feet, a curly-haired, blue-eyed omega walked through the door holding her car keys and a black folder with a white rose symbol on top.

"There's a moving truck outside the house," River announced as Blake handed her the contract for safekeeping.

"A moving truck?" The alpha questioned. And then a head of blonde hair peeked through the door, crisp, well-groomed curls falling across Avery's forehead. The alpha's gaze went to her clothes, as the omega never failed to show his fluidity with the clothes he wore, which this time he had gone for a black skirt with a pearl-coloured satin blouse and high-heeled boots that they made him look only a few inches taller than he actually was.

"Avery?" River said as she ran to hug her. It had been a few months since the last time they had seen each other as Niall and Shawn preferred to live from city to city so as not to miss anything. "I missed you like you have no idea, where have you been all this time?"

"You know, a few weeks in Munich, a few weeks in Milan, a few weeks in Belgium, although I spent most of it in Italy, Ireland and Canada." River rolled his eyes and pulled away from the omega.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The alpha said as she slowly approached the omega without hiding any of her strong scents with an air of superiority, the omega looked Blair directly in the eyes without changing the expression on her face .

"Cousin, it's been a while, did you dye your hair?" And at that moment they both smiled and gave each other a big hug.

"What the hell are you doing here and what took you so long?" She asked as she pulled away from him, Avery shrugged and clucked.

"You know, I figured you needed my services, I heard the place is falling apart."

"Hey! That's a lie," Blake interrupted this time, "and where's my hug? You should have hugged me first instead of these two."

Blair nudged her brother and pushed him aside.

"Well, what are you doing here and where are your parents?" River asked this time.

"I made the decision to take over the business with you, I know I've been away for a long time, but I finally made up my mind." Everyone started to cheer when they heard his words and hugged Avery in celebration. "But I didn't come alone, I just didn't know where this bug was... Owen!" And as soon as he called out that name, his little brother walked into the office, with his brown hair styled just like his father's and his blue eyes shining brightly, wearing a grey sweatshirt and some black jeans.

"Avy, I've already told you many times that I keep getting lost here, it's not my problem that you know the whole place perfectly," said the fifteen-year-old omega with a huge smile on his face, hugging his cousins one by one. "Where are the idiots, Misha and Parker? It already smells like a boring adult here."

"Dad Harry put them to take care of Agatha in the punishment pool, they played a very bad joke on the guards by pretending the garden had blown up again," River said with a smirk.

The footsteps on the stairs interrupted the laughter, and Zayn arrived with a huge smile and open arms, ready to hug his nephews. His mature features stood out with the few strands of grey hair that peeked out from between his black hair and the beard that had been left to grow for several weeks.

"Avery, Owen!" He hugged both omegas tight against his chest. "Look at you, you look so beautiful, that's why it took you so long, right?"

"We thought it would be better to come by boat, you know, enjoy the sea before I get caught up in my responsibilities here," Avery replied with a smile, and Zayn swore he could jump for happiness at that moment.

"So you've made up your mind, I guess," the younger omega nodded and showed his uncle the pink ring placed on his ring finger instead of his index finger.

"Yes, Uncle Zee, like a Malik I have decided to take my responsibility and run the business as well as you guys have done," Avery announced and the older omega was overwhelmed with the pride he felt for his niece, unable to avoid hugging him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, my children, and I bet my dad is too." Zayn kissed Avery's head and smiled at all of them. .

The youngsters nodded a little shy at the mention of their grandfather Kasper, because although they always heard stories about the great father he was, they were still a little shy hearing that his steps would be a source of pride for him.

The heavy footsteps in the hallway interrupted the emotional moment, along with screams and laughter from a little girl, and everyone knew who it was immediately, their suspicions confirmed when they heard Harry's scream from all the way down the hall.

"What did I tell you about making your sister run inside the house, kids?! You might fall!" The omega yelled angrily, and Misha and Parker entered the scene, twins that Harry and Louis had had three years after they met River and who they swore would be the last of the marriage.

But plans don't always go as they want, because many years later they had little Agatha in their arms, a surprise baby who came to give the house a bit of joy.

"Avy! Wen!" Shouted the little girl with green eyes and straight brown hair, extending her arms towards the pair of brothers.

"But just look, little princess Agatha can talk now," Avery exclaimed as she carried her in her arms, the three-year-old laughed.

"Little traitor," Parker teased, the blue-eyed, wavy-haired alpha. His twin Misha, who was a beta, just laughed and hugged Owen before turning to Avery.

"About time you came to visit us, Uncle Liam was slowly freaking out waiting for Avy's decision." Misha sneered with a smile.

"And Dad Harry every day without fail would ask Uncle Niall if he had spoken to you yet," Parker continued, suddenly feeling his omega dad pinch his arm.

"Behave please," the omega murmured and smiled at his nephews. "But just look at those genes, you look beautiful! And look at that style, Avery! You have learned well from your uncle Harry." The green-eyed boy hugged both boys and gave kisses on her cheeks.

Louis left the office upon hearing so much scandal with Liam, who had just finished planning the entire dinner that would take place that night to announce their withdrawals. Louis immediately came to his omega, taking him by the waist to stop harassing his nephews, and kissed him on the cheek. Liam, for his part, kissed the lips of his omega and approached to greet his nephews.

"Everything is officially ready for your opening dinner, the event room is ready, the food, you're here." Liam announced with a huge smile on his face, everyone was very happy to have that pair of omegas there.

"Are you ready to carry on our legacy?" Louis asked, the four oldest nodding.

"More than ready, father." River nodded with the folder against her chest and the bosses nodded.

"Okay, time for our last performance," Zayn said, ushering them to disperse to begin their personal preparations before the big event.

A new generation was to take control of Icarus Rose, and they were eager to see it.

☺☻☺☻

Icarus Rose's mansion was no longer what it had been twenty years ago, the walls painted different colours and decorations replaced as the Malik sons took on more responsibilities and their parents slowly stepped aside, ready to retire from that business that had kept afloat for more than three decades. On this particular night the huge stairs, which had been remodelled a few years ago due to expansions they had to do to the house so that everyone would feel comfortable with their rooms and each of the Malik heirs would have their master bedroom, had been decorated. with beautiful white flowers of different types that stood out with the green of their leaves making them look absolutely elegant. On the walls hung enormous works of art by many of the world's most renowned painters, and among these was a beautiful portrait of the three Malik brothers alongside their partners that they had done when the eldest of them had turned thirty.

In the great room each one of the tables was decorated with precious white and gold tablecloths, because between Blake and Blair they had decided that those would be the colours that distinguished the mafia; the white representing the famous white roses that each of their enemies knew, and the gold representing the honour, value and prestige that the mafia had thanks to the great efforts of their parents and uncles. The guests had begun to arrive one by one, among them were several of the partners that the Maliks appreciated for being so constant and never abandoning Icarus Rose, as well as many others that the young Maliks had won thanks to their great talent for persuasion and their constant insistence and dedication to the work they did for the mafia.

They were all dressed as elegant as only they could, Zayn and Liam, who were now forty-six and forty-five, in matching simple black suits with little velvet details and a beautiful rose-shaped brooch that Blair had sent to do for all members of Icarus Rose; For his part, Louis wore a black high-necked shirt and a matching beige jacket and dress pants, likewise, Harry wore a black leather outfit with a lace blouse with a bow on the neck, his being his skin that stood out in his outfit, because although the years had caught up with the omega, he had never lost his figure. Niall and Shawn had arrived at the last minute to be present at the introduction of their eldest son, Niall wore a beautiful light grey suit with a corset that marked his figure, and his omega wore a semi-transparent white futuristic-style suit, with a belted at the back of the shirt to frame his waist, and under it he wore white underwear which only helped to further form lines and symmetrical figures in his outfit. They all looked perfect for the occasion, but they were not the stars of the night.

"Welcome everyone once again to our house," Zayn began once all the guests had begun to pay attention to him. "The reason for this meeting is very important, because after all these years in which my brothers and I have become in charge of Icarus Rose, the time has come to introduce those who will take our place permanently, so please welcome our sons, Blake, Blair, River and Avery Malik.

Said that, everyone began to applaud as the doors of the room opened, revealing first the older of the twins, Blake Malik, wearing a beautiful off-white suit that showed the perfect balance between simplicity and elegance; behind him was Blair Malik, who was wearing a sophisticated red maxi dress, the plunging neckline magnificently highlighting the expensive necklace her parents had given her for her twentieth birthday, the slit in her leg revealing the lines of the tattoo of a rose that had been done in honour of his legacy in Icarus Rose. Then, River Malik entered the place, honouring the title she had earned as one of the most coveted omegas among the mafias, but her beauty could only be outshone by her intelligence, since she had not only taken out the physical attributes of her parents, but she had also drawn her character and her way of seeing the world, and had rejected every alpha that had approached her, because she believed in true love and wanted to live a love story like Harry and Louis had done; the omega wore a pale pink skin tight silk shirt with baggy black dress pants. And finally Avery Malik entered, he felt how all eyes were fixed on him since he was one of the lesser-known heirs of Icarus Rose and the partners with alpha children were waiting to meet that omega that his family boasted so much in the hope of pair him up with one of their children, but the omega walked with a serious face until he was next to his family and looked ahead.

"Thank you all so much for coming today," he greeted as everyone looked at him from head to toe, taking in the beige one-piece suit he was wearing and the beautiful white heels that adorned his feet. My cousins and I are very fortunate to be part of this great family that for generations has been in charge of taking Icarus Rose and all its partners to the top, and today we commemorate those times when my uncle, Zayn Malik, had to take the charge of this entire empire at the young age of fifteen as a result of the tragic death of my grandfather, Mr. Kasper Malik, and his omega, Katherine Malik, an empire that he took over relentlessly until it became the which is today, of course, with the help of my father, Niall Malik, and my uncle, Louis Malik." The aforementioned smirked as they heard Avery speak so confidently in that room full of alphas. "We celebrate their hard work and their way of coping with all the situations that came their way throughout their lives, and we also give a fitting conclusion to continue their legacy, we..." He looked to his right and Blair took a few steps forward to continue on where Avery had stayed.

"We will take over Icarus Rose from this point on, which means that all of you will not be associated with our parents, but with us; you will no longer approach them for any kind of Icarus Rose or product-related issues that this one has, but they will speak directly to me, my brother or my cousins." She spoke with such confidence and firmness that many of the alphas who were sitting settled better in their places, feeling somewhat intimidated by the alpha. "We will disappoint you at first," he said, speaking to his parents and uncles, Zayn tried to hide the tears of pride that began to cloud his vision as he smiled at his daughter, "we will fly high, but never as high as you did."

"And to you, Grandma Barbara, who can now fly as high as you want, this is in your honour." Blake said and raised his glass, beginning a toast. "To Icarus Rose."

A new generation was seizing power from Europe's illicit groups, and so, while one story was ending, another was just beginning.