~Elara~
The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Caleb's penthouse, mimicking the storm brewing inside me. My fingers traced the condensation forming on the cool glass as I processed what he'd just told me.
"A Council?" My voice was quiet, but I couldn't mask the edge beneath it. "You want me to stand before a Council of Alphas who will... what exactly? Judge whether I deserve to exist?"
Caleb's reflection appeared beside mine in the window. He didn't touch me, intuitive enough to sense that contact would only fuel my anger.
"It's not like that," he said, his tone measured in that way I was beginning to recognize—the CEO voice he used when navigating treacherous waters. "The Council needs to understand what we're facing with TechNova. They need to see you."
I turned to
