My voice is flat.
Controlled.
Lethal.
"Yesterday morning," Kael says. "Sentinel Dynamics has flagged her as a potential leverage asset. They believe she is either a romantic entanglement, a financial dependent, or a blackmail target. They do not know which. But they know she matters to you."
The words settle over me like a weight.
She matters to you.
She does.
She matters more than anything.
And now she is in danger.
Because of me.
"What are their next steps?" I ask.
Kael pulls up another file.
"They are running a full background check. Financial history. Employment records. Medical debt portfolios. Credit scores. Legal filings. They are looking for pressure points. Vulnerabilities. Anything they can use to manipulate her into cooperating."
"Cooperating with what?"
"Corporate espionage," Kael says. "If they can leverage her debts—and she has significant debts—they can offer to erase them in exchange for information. Vault access codes. Securityprotocols. Client lists. Anything that would give them an edge in stealing our government defense contracts."
My claws dig into the armrests of my chair.
The obsidian surface cracks under the pressure.
"She would never cooperate," I say.
"You are certain of that?"
"Yes."
Kael studies me for a long moment.
"You paid off her debts," he says quietly. "All of them. Medical bills. Back rent. Credit card balances. Student loans. You liquidated two hundred and seventy-three thousand dollars to ensure she would never be financially vulnerable again."
"Correct."
"That is not standard corporate protocol."
"I am aware."
"That is not even standard philanthropic protocol."
"I am aware of that as well."
Kael leans back in his chair.
"She is your mate," he says.
It is not a question.
