The sounds of laughter, clinking glasses, and the occasional burst of shouting from a rowdy group in the back kept the bar alive. I sat among my new team; it had been a long time since I felt this sense of belonging. The kind I once had in the Valkyrie Unit before everything changed.
Elias Grayson, the head of Crestfall Security, stood at the center of it all. He raised his glass. He gave a smirk. “To Ryder, you fought like hell today, and that’s exactly what we need. So, let’s welcome him properly. And you bastards better take good care of him in the future.”
Then there was a round of cheers and glasses clashed together. I looked around the table, looking at each of the men. Some of them laughed, some were already deep in conversation. I had seen this before—brothers in arms.
I took a
