He nods. Brief.
But he stays beside me while I finish the water. And he doesn't reach for my arm when we walk. He walks beside me. Not behind. Not in front. Beside.
Chapter twenty-five
The verdict comes at sunset.
Gavin delivers it in his office. Standing behind his desk. Reading from a single page like it's a weather report and not the rest of my life.
"The Board has approved conditional continued placement at Feral Academy under the following terms."
I sit in the chair. Sven behind me. Cal by the window.
"You will be granted limited integration access — supervised movement beyond Red House, including scheduled proximity to Gold House common areas. A supervised bonding protocol, as proposed by staff, has been approved on a trial basis."
Lumi's plan. They took it. Something releases in my chest — pressure I didn't know I was carrying until it lifted.
"A specialist security consultant will be assigned to manage cascade risk. Until that person is in place, current protocols remain active."
"Conditions." Gavin looks up from the page. "One reportable incident of unauthorized bond activity, unauthorized movement, or cascade-level vocalization results in immediate removal to an external compound. No review. No appeal."
One. The leash they're handing me is exactly long enough to hang myself with.
"The James case remains open. Continued forensic analysis through shifter-specific protocols has been authorized. Your placement is partially contingent on cooperation with that investigation."
They're keeping me because they want answers. Not just about the cascade risk. About Curtis. The four hours and the blood. I'm not just a resident. I'm evidence they haven't finished reading.
"Questions?" Gavin asks.
"When does integration start?"
"As soon as the new security consultant shows up."
I can’t wait. Gold House proximity. Supervised bonding sessions. Leo, RJ and Gray. The compound opening up after weeks of closing in.
And one incident between me and a transport van.
Sven walks me back in the last light. The sky is violent — orange and purple stacked above the mountain.
"One incident," I say.
"Yes, one," Sven confirms.
"That's not a condition. It's a countdown."
He doesn't disagree.
Red House. My room. The bolt slides. I sit on the bed and the dark settles in.
My wrist burns. Not RJ's pull. Not Leo's warmth. Gray's. It's been building all evening — since the words Gold Houseproximity landed in the room and traveled through whatever channel connects institutional decisions to the people they're made about. He heard. He knows.
I can feel him. The tight, controlled pull that's been getting louder every day is now screaming.
Leo comes at eleven.
Bare feet. Door trick. He rushes toward me enveloping me in his arms.
"Heard the verdict," he murmurs in my hair.
