She studies me for another moment, then nods. "Try to eat something. You're no good to anyone if you collapse from exhaustion."
The concern in her voice hits hard. She walks down the dock toward the village, and I can't look away.
Declan's place is crowded when I arrive—the full brotherhood crammed into his main room. Rafe's spread maps and satellite images across every available surface, tracking patterns the rest of us need him to explain.
"Maritime's escalating." Rafe taps a cluster of red marks on the map. "Survey ships operating in coordinated sweeps. They're testing response times, looking for gaps in our coverage."
"That shows our hand." Isla's voice cuts through the discussion, and everyone turns to look at her. "If you increase visible patrols, Maritime knows you're organized. Right now, they think they're dealing with local resistance. Random fishermen, environmental activists, maybe a few concerned citizens. If you show them coordinated supernatural defense, they'll escalate to supernatural offense."
Silence follows her words. Declan exchanges a look with Rafe.
"She's right." Finn speaks from his corner. "We maintain current patrol levels but add invisible coverage. I can fly surveillance runs at night. Rafe can shadow-walk the docks."
"And I can monitor their radio chatter." Kian pulls out his phone. "If they're coordinating multiple ships, they're using encrypted communications. I know someone who can crack that."
Isla nods. "Good. While you're doing that, I'll focus on making their scientific case fall apart. If I can prove their environmental impact assessments are falsified, the council shouldn't approve operations based on fraudulent data."
She's talking about our enemies with that clinical precision again. Analyzing weak points, planning attacks, strategizing how to dismantle Maritime's operations piece by piece.
Declan and the others have noticed. He studies her with the same assessment he gives potential pack members. Rafe's smiling that dangerous smile. Even Jax has stopped looking at her like a liability.
The thought settles into my bones like certainty.
We're into the third hour of planning when my phone vibrates with a message from one of the fishermen who feeds me information. The words make me go still.
Maritime divers near the eastern trenches. Active now.
"We've got a problem." I hold up the phone so everyone can see. "They're putting divers in the water at the sacred sites."
The temperature in the room drops. Declan's on his feet immediately, his wolf straining against human skin. Rafe goes perfectly still—the stillness before violence. Even Finn's eyes have taken on that sheen that means his dragon's awake.
"How close?" Isla's voice cuts through the rising tension.
"Eastern trenches. The deepest part of the protected zone." I move toward the door. "They're either fools or they know exactly what they're after."
Rafe's texting his network.
"Then we respond smart." Declan's voice cuts through the rising tension, taking command. "Grayson, you're fastest in the water. Go see what they're actually doing. Everyone else, maintain position. We don't show full strength unless necessary."
I nod once and head for the door. Behind me, I hear Isla moving.
"I'm coming with you."
"No." I don't break stride. "Too dangerous."
"I'm a marine biologist doing research in these waters." She catches up, matching my pace. "If anyone questions why I'm there, I have every legitimate reason to be observing marine activity."
She's right, which doesn't make me like it any better.
"Stay on the boat," I say. "If things go wrong, you get out."
"If things go wrong, you'll need someone who can operate the radio and call for help." She reaches for her gear. "I'm coming."
Stubborn. Fearless. Completely unwilling to be protected.
We walk to the harbor in silence, already focused on what we might find.Deepwatchwaits at her mooring. The sun's starting its descent toward the western horizon, painting the water in shades of copper and gold. Beautiful conditions for a dive. Terrible conditions for what I'm about to do.
Isla handles the navigation while I scan the waters ahead. It doesn't take long to spot the dive boat, a sleek vessel flying Maritime's corporate colors. Too expensive for local operations. Too obvious for covert work.
