Stone would live.
I sat in my seat long after the chamber emptied, unable to move. James had gone to tell Cal. Neal had been pulled into discussions about the enhanced protocols.
And I sat alone, trying to process the fact that we'd won.
"Miss Orlav."
Cole's voice.
I looked up. He was standing at the end of my row, watching me with those amber eyes that gave nothing away.
"Mr. Cole." My voice came out steadier than I expected.
"I wanted to speak with you. Before the chaos of implementation begins."
I stood. Walked toward him. Stopped when we were close enough to speak quietly, far enough apart to maintain the pretense of professional distance.
"Thank you," I said. "For what you said in there. For your recommendation."
"I recommended what the evidence supported."
"You could have interpreted the evidence differently. Twilson wanted you to."
Something flickered in his expression. "Twilson wanted a lot of things."
Silence stretched between us. The empty chamber felt too large and too small at the same time.
"You're staying," I said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Cole was quiet for a long moment. His eyes moved over my face—cataloging, assessing, searching for something I couldn't name.
"You're not what I expected," he said finally.
"You said that before. During the observations."
"I meant it then. I mean it more now."
"What did you expect?"
He didn't answer. Just looked at me with those amber eyes, and I felt the bond flicker again—stronger this time, more insistent. Like it was trying to tell me something I didn't want to hear.
"I'll be overseeing the enhanced protocols," Cole said. "Which means I'll be working closely with you and your... mates."
The way he said the word. Like he was testing it. Tasting it.
"Is that going to be a problem?" I asked.
"I don't know yet." He held my gaze. "I suppose we'll find out."
He turned to leave.
"Cole."
He stopped. Looked back.
