CANDICE.
I had no business being there.
The council meeting was internal pack business. Wedding timelines, political maneuvering, and power plays that had zero connection to the security contractor sitting in the command center with her coffee and her communication logs.
I went anyway.
After the heavy, unbearable silence with Killian in the command center, I stood up abruptly. “I’m checking the observation room. Better sight lines if Hawthorne tries to use any distraction.”
He let me go. He gave one short nod, eyes distant.
I told myself it was professional. Intelligence gathering. Understanding how their internal politics could impact the fight against Hawthorne. I repeated it three times on the walk there. I believed it less with every step.
The truth was simpler and uglier. I nee
