Luke's posture shifted. Not submission, not quite, but acknowledgment. The recognition of an Alpha's authority even when the wolf inside disagreed.
“Michael has earned his place at this table,” Daniel continued. “He's trusted with pack secrets. He's fought beside pack wolves. His son is mated to mine.” His eyes met mine across the room, and something fierce burned in them. Something that made my heart do complicated things in my chest. “He stays. This discussion is closed.”
Luke held Daniel's gaze for a long moment. Then he nodded once, sharply, and stepped back.
Jonah made a small sound. When I glanced at him, his face was tight with something that looked like embarrassment. His eyes met mine, and I saw the apology there before he could voice it.
Later, I thought. We'd talk later.
“So.” Evan's voice pulled the room back to focus. “We have corruption we can't trace, wards that are failing, and an enemy we can't identify. What's the plan?”
“We shore up what we can.” Gideon tapped his notebook. “I'll work on the ward stones. Reinforce them. Buy us time while we figure out who's behind this.”
“And the search?” Sienna asked.
“Continues. But carefully.” Daniel's jaw tightened. “Pairs only. Check-ins every hour. Anyone sees anything strange, anything at all, you report it. You don't investigate alone. You don't play hero.”
His eyes swept the room. Landed on Rafe, who was still standing in his corner, watching everything with those unreadable eyes.
“That goes for everyone. Pack and pack-adjacent alike.”
Rafe smiled. Easy. Warm. The smile of a man who had nothing to hide and wanted everyone to know it.
The prickling at the back of my neck got worse.
The meeting broke apart slowly.Wolves drifting out in ones and twos, some headed for patrol, others for the reinforcement work Gideon had outlined. I watched them go and tried to shake the feeling that we were missing something. Something important hiding in plain sight.
“One more thing.” Daniel's voice cut through the shuffling. Everyone stopped. Turned. “I've already sent word to the Council about what's happening here. The corruption, the attacks, the wards failing. They needed to know.”
Luke's eyebrows rose. “You think they'll help?”
“I think they don't have a choice. Whatever's poisoning our territory won't stop at our borders. If it spreads, every pack within a hundred miles is at risk.” Daniel's jaw tightened. “I'm leaving tomorrow to meet with them directly. Press the issue. See what resources they can spare.”
“How long?” Evan asked. His voice was steady, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. The weight of what Daniel wasn't saying.
“I won’t be long.” Daniel's eyes swept the room. “Evan's in charge while I'm gone. Jonah's second. Anything happens, you fall back to the pack house and hold the wards. Gideon will reinforce them as much as he can before I leave.”
Evan nodded once. His face was pale but steady. Nate's hand found his, fingers intertwining.
“We'll hold,” Evan said. “Just come back.”
“Always do.” But Daniel's voice said he wasn't sure. His voice said he was terrified and trying to hide it behind duty and distance.
The wolves filed out after that. Faster now. Everyone had work to do, preparations to make, a territory to protect with their Alpha gone.
Daniel caught my arm as I moved toward the door.
“Michael.” His voice was low. Private. “Are you alright?”
“Fine. Just thinking.”
“About what Luke said.”
It wasn't a question. Daniel knew me well enough by now to read the tension in my shoulders, the way my jaw tightened when I was chewing on something I didn't want to swallow.
“He's not wrong,” I said quietly. “Not completely. I am human. I don't understand pack dynamics the way you do. The way any of you do.”
“You understand enough.”
