Lucien's green eyes gleamed dangerously. "Consider it done."
"The rest of us coordinate patrols leading up to the gathering." Dante's gaze swept the room, seeing determinationreflected back. "Quiet. Careful. We don't tip our hand until they make their move."
"And Maeve?" Callum asked, arms crossed but expression understanding.
"Heals." Dante's voice came out harder than intended. "And when the time comes, fights beside us. Not ahead of us."
"Good luck with that," Kieran muttered.
"He won't need luck." Cora appeared in the doorway with a tray of steaming mugs, her smile knowing. "He has something better. He has her trust."
The group dispersed an hour later, each with their assignments, each understanding the stakes. Dante remained behind, watching through the window as snow began to fall over Hollow Oak's quiet streets.
31
MAEVE
The smell of fresh paint and pine cleaner had replaced the stench of destruction.
Maeve stood in the Silver Fang, watching Twyla hang garland above the bar while Cora directed Callum on proper chair placement. A week had passed since the attack, seven days of healing and cleaning and quietly rebuilding what the rogues had tried to break.
Seven days of Dante keeping his distance while somehow always being exactly where she needed him.
"That's the third time you've rearranged those glasses." Freya's voice carried from where she sat at a corner table while she sorted through donation receipts. "Something on your mind?"
"Just making sure everything's perfect for reopening tonight." Maeve set down the glass she'd been holding, realized she'd been staring at Dante's broad back as he repaired the damaged doorframe. Again.
Freya's knowing smile didn't help.
"The Council approved your reopening petition this morning." Kieran appeared carrying a box of new glassware,his hazel eyes warm despite their usual intensity. "Varric pushed it through. Something about 'holiday spirit and obvious persecution.'"
"They still won't admit the rogues work for Hector though." Maeve's jaw tightened. "Convenient."
"The rogues aren't talking, and Hector's made sure he has alibis for every incident." Dante straightened from his work, wiping sawdust from his hands. His amber eyes found hers across the room. "But we know the truth. That's what matters."
"What matters is that he's still walking free." She moved behind the bar, needing something to do with her hands. "Planning whatever comes next while we pretend everything's fine."
"About that." Callum set down the chair he'd been positioning, his expression serious. "We need to talk. All of us."
Twenty minutes later, Maeve sat at her private back table with the inner circle gathered close. Dante had spread out copies of the maps and plans they'd found in the rogue hideout, his voice low as he walked them through what they'd discovered.
"Hector's not just targeting you, Maeve." Dante's finger traced the marked locations on the map. "He's targeting the entire Council structure. Look at these notes. Guard rotations, Council member homes, even supply chain routes for the town's winter stores."
"He wants to destabilize all of Hollow Oak." Moira's soft voice held an edge as she studied the documents, her mahogany curls falling forward. "Make it look like the progressive Council can't maintain order."
"Exactly." Dante leaned back, his jaw tight. "The rogues attacking your tavern was personal, yes. But it was also a test. Could the Council protect one of their own? They suspended your license first, remember. Hector's counting on that division."
"So when he attacks during the Solstice..." Maeve's mind raced ahead, seeing the strategy with brutal clarity.
"He proves the Council is weak." Lucien finished, his green eyes cold with understanding. "Families will be vulnerable, children present, the town gathered in one place celebrating while leadership fails to prevent the assault."
"The older prides, the traditional ones, they're already questioning Varric's methods." Callum's hands clenched on the table. "Hector presents himself as the solution. Strong leadership. Traditional values. A return to the old ways where lions ruled and everyone else followed."
"He thinks he can take over the Council." Maeve couldn’t help but scoff.
"Not just the Council." Dante's gaze held hers, steady and sure. "He thinks he can take over Hollow Oak. Remake it in his image. And he'll use your supposed failure, the Cross line's supposed weakness, as proof that female alphas can't hold territory. Then, once that’s done, more will follow other things he undermines."
Silence fell heavy over the table.
