PART 1: THE DAY HAPPINESS TURNED TO ASH

Chapter 1: The Soldier Returns

The Malibu sea breeze blew fiercely, carrying the salty taste of the Pacific Ocean mixed with the heady scent of lilies of the valley. The “Ocean View” mansion was decorated today as magnificently as a crystal palace. White silk ribbons fluttered, melodious Cello music played, and the laughter of the elite echoed everywhere.

I am Alan West, 45, a Major General in the United States Army, currently serving at the Special Operations Command (SOCOM). I had just flown straight from the base in Germany, still in my full dress uniform with two silver stars sparkling on my shoulders and rows of medals on my chest.

Today was my younger brother’s wedding day – Brian West.

Brian was completely different from me. He was a pianist, a romantic and soaring soul who had never held a gun, never seen blood spilled. He was the most “human,” the purest part of the West family that I always wanted to protect.

“Brother Alan!” Brian cheered when he saw me enter the main hall. He was wearing a white tuxedo, his face radiant with happiness. He rushed over to hug me tight. “I thought you wouldn’t make it back in time!”

“For my only brother’s wedding, I’d hijack a plane if I had to,” I laughed, patting his back hard. “Congratulations, Brian. You look sharp.”

“Thanks, bro. Come on, I want to introduce you to her. Elena. She’s amazing. She’s a literature teacher, gentle and loves children.”

I followed Brian, my professional soldier’s eyes scanning the crowd quickly. Everything seemed normal. Businessmen, artists, friends of the family…

And then, I saw the bride.

Elena was standing next to the 5-tier wedding cake, laughing and talking with some girlfriends. She was beautiful. A classic, fragile beauty with chestnut brown hair in a high bun and a porcelain white neck. She wore a strapless wedding dress, revealing her slender shoulders.

But when Brian called her name, Elena turned around and raised her champagne glass to greet me. The motion of raising the glass caused the sheer tulle on her sleeve to slip down a little.

In that very moment, time seemed to freeze in my eyes.

On the inside of the bride’s left wrist, right above the vein, was a tiny, exquisite tattoo in dark blue ink.

An image of an eagle diving down, its talons gripping a snake, but the snake was wrapped around the eagle’s neck.

The world around me collapsed. The music, the laughter disappeared. In my head, only the screaming sounds of bloody memories in Afghanistan 5 years ago remained.

That was not an artistic tattoo. That was the “Mark of Icarus”.

The symbol of Black Wing – an underground assassin organization specializing in training “black widows,” female spies planted in high-ranking officials’ families to gather intelligence or assassinate. I once commanded an operation to destroy a branch of theirs. I knew their rules well: The eagle tattoo is only for those who have completed at least 3 S-class missions (assassination of high-value targets).

Elena – the gentle literature teacher, my brother’s fiancée – was a high-level assassin.

Chapter 2: The Fateful Call

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my face calm. I smiled, nodding at Elena, but my hand had already reached into my pocket, touching the encrypted satellite phone.

“Hello, Alan,” Elena said, her voice sweet as honey. “Brian talks about you all the time.”

“Hello, Elena. Nice to meet you,” I replied, my eyes looking straight into hers. In a split second, I saw her pupils contract. She recognized my gaze. She knew who I was.

I turned to Brian. “Sorry, I have an urgent call from the Pentagon. I need to step out for 2 minutes.”

“Sure, go ahead. Don’t be too long, the ceremony is about to start.”

I walked quickly to the balcony, the emptiest place. I dialed a number that only 5 people in this world knew.

“Eagle calling Bird’s Nest. Code Red. Activate Protocol 66.”

“Code Red confirmed. Location?” The voice on the other end rang out, cold and robotic.

“Ocean View Mansion, Malibu. Subject: Female, Caucasian, approximately 28 years old. ID: Mark of Icarus on left wrist. She is currently the bride.”

“Copy that. Delta Force Team is 3 miles away. ETA: 8 minutes. Order: Capture alive for extraction.”

I hung up. 8 minutes. I had to stall her for 8 minutes without letting Brian get suspicious, and more importantly, without letting her hurt anyone.

I returned to the banquet hall. Elena was still laughing and talking, but I saw her hand secretly reaching under her puffy skirt. A dagger? Or a vial of poison?

I stepped forward, taking the microphone from the MC.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said loudly, attracting everyone’s attention. “Before the ceremony begins, I, Alan West, would like to say a few words to my brother and sister-in-law.”

Brian was surprised but waved happily. Elena stood beside him, the smile on her lips stiffening.

“Brian, you are the best man I’ve ever known. And Elena,” I looked at her, stepping down from the podium, approaching the couple. “You are an interesting unknown. I wonder, how does a literature teacher know how to… hold a wine glass in the style of a sniper?”

The atmosphere grew heavy. Brian was bewildered. “What are you saying, Alan?”

Elena took a step back. “Brother Alan, you are joking so cleverly.”

“I’m not joking,” I pushed Brian’s hand away, standing between him and Elena. “You know who I am. And I know who you are, Number 9.”

The code name Number 9 made Elena’s face change color. She no longer kept her gentle appearance. Her eyes became sharp, full of killing intent.

“You are smarter than I thought, General,” Elena whispered, loud enough for me to hear. “But you made a mistake. You should have waited until the party was over.”

“So you could kill my brother on his wedding night?” I roared.

Elena suddenly kicked. A powerful roundhouse kick aimed at my temple. Despite wearing a bulky wedding dress, she still moved fast as a leopard.

I raised my arm to block, feeling it go numb. Brian screamed in horror.

“Elena! What are you doing?”

Elena didn’t answer. She pulled a sharp ceramic knife from her bouquet, lunging at me.

Guests screamed, scattering in panic. The romantic scene turned into a battlefield.

I didn’t want to hurt Brian, so I only defended. Elena struck viciously, aiming for fatal points: throat, heart, eyes. She was a true killing machine.

“Run, Brian!” I shouted as I knocked Elena’s knife away.

But Brian stood frozen, unable to believe his eyes. His gentle wife was trying to kill his brother.

Just then, the sound of shattering glass rang out.

Delta Force soldiers in black gear, wearing gas masks, rappelled down from the glass ceiling. Windows were breached, flashbangs were thrown in.

BOOM!

Blinding light. Elena was disoriented. I took the opportunity to tackle her to the floor, locking her hands behind her back.

“Clear! Subject neutralized!” I shouted.

The special forces team rushed in, handcuffed Elena, and dragged her up.

Brian rushed over, tears streaming down his face. “Why? Elena! Why?”

Elena looked at Brian. In that moment, the killing intent in her eyes vanished. Only a deep sadness remained.

“I’m sorry, Brian,” she said, voice breaking. “I love you. That was the only thing not part of the plan.”

Then she was escorted away, disappearing behind the doors of the waiting armored vehicle. The wedding ended in sirens and utter shock.

Chapter 3: Truth in the Interrogation Room

I didn’t stay to comfort Brian. I needed answers. I followed the special forces team to the secret military base.

In the cold interrogation room, Elena sat there, still wearing the dirt-stained wedding dress. She hadn’t been tortured, but her silence was more terrifying.

“Who are you?” I asked, sitting opposite her. “Was your target Brian or me?”

Elena looked up at me.

“The original target was you, Major General Alan,” she said calmly. “Black Wing received a contract to assassinate you from a Middle Eastern terrorist leader. The best way to get to you was through your only relative: Brian.”

“Then why didn’t you kill me the moment I walked in?”

“Because…” Elena looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. “Because I violated the organization’s rules. I fell in love with the secondary target.”

I scoffed. “An assassin’s love? Do you think I’ll believe that?”

“You may not believe it,” Elena said, her voice hardening. “But check my phone. The last message I sent before you arrived.”

I signaled the technician. A moment later, the message content was projected onto the screen.

Recipient: Handler Content: “Mission aborted. I won’t do it. Don’t touch them. If you dare come here, I will leak all the classified data I have collected over the past 5 years.”

I was stunned. The message was sent 15 minutes before I arrived. She intended to betray the organization to protect Brian, and me.

“Do you know the consequences of this?” I asked, my voice lowering.

“I know. They will kill me. And they will kill Brian to silence him,” Elena looked at me, eyes pleading. “Alan, I know I will go to prison, or be executed. I accept that. But please, save Brian. Black Wing never forgives a traitor. The cleanup crew… they are on their way.”

The base’s red alarm siren suddenly wailed.

“Report! Intrusion! Security system hacked!” The announcement blared urgently.

Elena smirked bitterly. “They came faster than I thought. Eagles never let their prey escape, Alan. Now, you and I must cooperate. Or we will all die.”

PART 2: THE UNLIKELY ALLIANCE

Chapter 4: The Siege

Our secret military base, supposedly impenetrable, was shaking under enemy fire. Black Wing didn’t send a lone assassin. They sent an entire mercenary army equipped with heavy weapons.

“Release her!” I ordered the guard.

“But sir…”

“Do it now! We need more guns!”

I tossed Elena a pistol. She caught it skillfully, disengaging the safety in a blink.

“Where is Brian?” She asked immediately.

“He’s at a safe house 20 miles away. But if this base falls, they will find him.”

“We have to break out,” Elena said, ripping off the cumbersome train of her wedding dress, turning it into a short skirt suitable for combat. “I know Black Wing’s tactics. They will attack the server room to wipe data first, then eliminate witnesses.”

We rushed into the hallway. Smoke and fire were everywhere. Gunshots rang out sharply. Elena and I, a Major General and an assassin, fought back-to-back.

She fought like a demon. Fast, precise, and brutal. She took down mercenaries with absolute accuracy, no wasted movement. I had never seen a woman so terrifying and simultaneously… respectable.

“Watch out left!” Elena shouted, pushing me to the ground to avoid a grenade.

We crawled through the debris, heading towards the armored vehicle garage.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked while reloading. “You could use this chance to escape.”

“I told you,” Elena shot down an approaching enemy. “I love Brian. He is the only person in this world who looked at me as a human being, not a weapon. I won’t let anyone hurt him.”

We got into a Humvee. I drove, Elena manned the machine gun on the roof. We smashed through the main gate, rushing onto the highway.

Target: The safe house where Brian was.

Chapter 5: The Final Sacrifice

When we arrived, the safe house was surrounded. Brian was being dragged to a car by two soldiers.

“No!” Elena screamed. She didn’t wait for the car to stop completely, jumping to the ground, rolling, and firing.

The two soldiers fell. Brian fell to the ground, terrified.

“Brian! Run to me!” I shouted, providing cover with a rifle.

But a black helicopter appeared in the sky. A man with a long scar on his face stood at the helicopter door, aiming a grenade launcher down.

It was Vulture – the leader of Black Wing.

“It’s over, Number 9!” He roared through a megaphone.

He pulled the trigger. The grenade flew straight towards Brian.

That moment happened like slow motion. I was too far. Brian was too panicked to move.

Only Elena.

She didn’t think. She rushed forward, using her body to shield Brian.

BOOM!

The blast wave knocked me back. Dirt and debris flew everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, I saw Brian lying on the ground, trembling but unharmed. And lying on top of him was Elena.

Her back was soaked in blood. The white wedding dress was now dyed the red color of mourning.

“Elena!” Brian screamed, turning her over.

I ran over. Seeing this, Vulture ordered the helicopter to retreat, knowing my reinforcements were coming.

Elena lay in Brian’s arms, breathing weakly. Blood trickled from her mouth.

“I… I’m sorry…” She wheezed, raising a bloodied hand to touch Brian’s cheek. “I didn’t want… to deceive you…”

“Don’t speak! Hang in there! I’ll take you to the hospital!” Brian sobbed.

Elena shook her head slightly. She turned to look at me.

“Alan… the data… in my necklace… use it… to destroy Black Wing…”

Then she looked at Brian one last time, eyes filled with love and regret.

“Thank you… for showing me what it’s like to be loved… even if only for a short while…”

Her hand dropped. Her eyes closed forever.

Brian’s agonized scream tore through the night. I stood there, taking off my hat and bowing my head.

She was an assassin. An enemy. But in her final moments, she died a hero. She used her broken wings to shelter the only love of her life.

Chapter 6: Legacy of the Eagle

One month later.

I stood before Elena’s grave. An unmarked grave, located in a hidden corner of the cemetery, as per regulations for spies without status.

Brian stood beside me. He had lost weight, his eyes hollow. He was no longer the innocent boy of the past. The cruel truth had forged him into a quiet man.

“I decoded the data in her necklace,” I said. “Thanks to it, the CIA completely dismantled the Black Wing network. Vulture was eliminated yesterday.”

Brian nodded slightly, saying nothing. He placed a bouquet of lilies of the valley – Elena’s favorite flower – on the grave.

“Do you hate me?” I asked. “For discovering her? For bringing war to your wedding?”

Brian looked at me, then down at the grave.

“No, Alan. If you hadn’t done that, she would still have died. The organization wouldn’t let her go when she wanted out. At least… she got to choose how she died. She died protecting me.”

He turned to me, eyes resolute.

“I won’t play the piano anymore. I’ve applied to the intelligence academy. I want to continue what she left unfinished. I want to ensure no one else is turned into a killing tool like her.”

I looked at my brother. Grief had changed him, but not broken him.

“Alright. I will train you.”

We left the cemetery. The afternoon wind was still blowing fiercely.

The story of “Wings of Betrayal” closed with Elena’s death. But from those ashes, another pair of wings was forming – wings of justice and sacrifice. And I knew, somewhere up there, Elena was smiling, because finally, she was truly free.

THE END