I stood and walked to the corkboard on the wall, covered with all the leads I'd compiled over the past few days—
Screenshots of news articles.
Copies of Lucas's bank records.
Crime scene photos from the vampire attacks.
And a map of Silver Moon Pack territory with red pins marking the locations of fourteen attacks.
I stared at the evidence, marker in hand, and began writing on the whiteboard.
Target: Layla Gray
Then I drew three branches:
1. Reputation attack → Exposure
2. Blackmail trap → Lucas
3. Direct elimination → Vampires
"Escalation," I said, tapping the marker against the board. "Three phases, each more severe than the last."
"Phase one failed because I issued a public clarification."
"Phase two failed because I arrived in time."
"So..." I heavily underlined the third point. "Direct action."
Evan stepped beside me, studying the whiteboard.
"This person's plan is meticulous," he observed. "Every step has a contingency."
"Not just meticulous," I said, adding new questions to the board. "This person..."
Knows Layla's past.
Knows she's my mate.
Knows about Kai's existence.
"That's why they keep escalating," I said, drawing arrows to connect these points. "From public opinion to physical threats."
"Because they know..." I wrote the final line:
I won't let Layla be harmed.
I stared at the board for several seconds, then turned to Evan. "Anyone who knows all this information must be in the pack's inner circle."
"The Elder Council?" Evan asked tentatively.
"Possibly," I said. "But that's not enough."
I wrote a new line on the board:
Who wants Layla gone the most?
Who stands to lose because of Layla's existence?
