Gideon folds his arms. “You prioritized a human over a council summons. Now we learn she’s seen a shifter, and possible a lot more.”
“I prioritized containment,” I say.
“Containment would have meant eliminating the risk,” Lydia replies.
“She’s a state employee,” Ciaran cuts in evenly. “If she disappears, investigators escalate.”
“And if she speaks?” Marek asks.
“She won’t,” I answer.
Gideon’s gaze narrows. “You guarantee that?”
“I handled it.”
“How?” he asks. “Threats? Coercion? Memory binding?”
“I warned her.” If I told them she saw me shift, nothing I said could save her. Lying wasn’t ideal, but it protected her for now, as long as I could convince them she wasn’t a threat.
A few elders exchange looks that say it isn’t enough.
Ronan steps closer. “Alden, this is not personal. A potential witness to a shift is a liability. The law is clear.”
“It is,” Lydia agrees. “Execution preserves the pack.”
I don’t flinch. “She leaves tomorrow,” I say.
“That is not sufficient,” Marek replies. “She has already documented anomalies. She is mapping attack corridors.”
“She suspects a large subspecies,” Ciaran says. “Nothing supernatural.”
“Yet,” Lydia counters.
“We cannot be certain she won’t report findings that will bring more investigators,” Brynn said. The firelight flickers across Brynn’s face, deepening the lines carved by decades of winters and war. She isn’t angry. She’s calculating.
“Then she remains under my authority,” I say.
“That is not an answer,” Lydia replies.
Ronan shakes his head slightly. “You cannot shield an outsider from the consequences of our law.”
I step fully onto the central stone so my voice carries without strain. “Dr. Cassidy Ellis is placed under Temporary Alpha Protection Law,” I say. “Her safety falls under my direct authority until the rogue threat is neutralized.”
The clearing reacts before anyone speaks. Gasps. Low curses. A shift of weight across stone.
Marek straightens sharply. “That law precedes mating or war.”
“Yes,” I confirm.
“You invoke it for a human?”
I nod.
Lydia’s expression hardens. “Protection signals intent.”
“I’m aware.”
Brynn steps closer, staff tapping once against granite. “You understand the precedent you set.”
