Drake also stands, instinctive, hands up.
Eli flinches but doesn't move.
I don't move at all.
Arden remains seated. His shoulders stay loose. His scent barely shifts.
"This is likely reparable to some degree. But it is not going to be quick. Or easy. Or accomplished by pretending you didn't do anything wrong."
He lets that sink in.
"Which brings me to my next point. Marie."
Marie jolts. "Me?"
"Yes. You believe Verena pushed you, correct?"
Marie licks her lips. "I— yes. I felt someone at my back. Then I was falling."
"You also know that we haven’t seen the zoo footage yet," Jasper puts in. "Despite my repeated requests to see it."
Arden's head snaps toward him. "You haven't verified the allegation?"
"I said I would. I got stonewalled. They wanted to deal with it in-house first and the registry has locked it down under investigation."
Arden's eyes shut for one brief, furious second. When he opens them, they're very calm.
"So. We have an unverified accusation, a terrified omega, a pack in crisis, and a punishment that would get a registry handler fired."
"Who the hell do you think you are," Ragon snarls, "coming into my home and talking like that?"
"The man the Office will send back with a warrant if you don't cooperate. I'm not here as your enemy, Ragon. I'm here as a favor to Jasper, and because I want to help. I'm here as your last chance to fix this before the OPA starts asking why an omega in your care smells like trauma and sleeps in a chair."
Silence. Heavy. Crackling.
Drake sinks back onto the sofa. Eli scrubs a hand over his face. Jasper watches Ragon.
Marie's eyes are wide, swimming. She looks at me, then away, then back.
I stare at my hands.
Arden exhales. "There is a path forward. But it requires real change. First and most importantly: Mariecannot remain in the home as a competing omega while Verena is still this destabilized. Every time Vee sees you," he says, looking at Marie, "she is reminded of the night she lost her nest and her trust. You are a walking trigger. It's not your fault you exist, but it is your responsibility to recognize your impact."
Marie's hand flies to her throat. "You're saying I should leave?"
"I'm saying if your pack keeps you here as things stand, they are choosing you over her recovery. You were nearly injured at the zoo—whatever actually happened—and Ragon responded by making himself feel safer. Now his choices have hurt Verena. Responding again by insisting you stay while she withers would be telling."
Ragon's nostrils flare. "I am not throwing my scent match out of her own home."
"Then you move. You relocate as a unit to neutral ground while she stays, or you secure separate housing for Marie while Verena stabilizes. There are options that aren't 'kick Marie out into the street.' But pretending they don't exist is dishonest."
He meets Ragon's glare. "Second: You will need to rebuild trust from the ground up with Verena. That means no forced nest nights. No surprise cuddles. No demanding she sit on your lap because you're feeling nostalgic. You will be invited in, or you will not go."
A flicker of heat touches my cheeks.
"Third, you all need to accept that you may not be the best place for her to heal. Sometimes the least harmful thing a pack can do for a traumatized omega is to let her go."
The air in the room drops ten degrees.
