The Surgeon and the Alpha

26

The kitchen settled into a quieter tension once the omegas disappeared, the earlier humor fading as Will’s expression hardened again.

Rae noticed it immediately. “Okay… that look? That’s not ‘we just scared off idiots.’ That’s ‘something went very wrong.’”

Del straightened slightly. “What happened?”

Remi’s gaze locked on Will, reading him too easily. “Council.”

Will didn’t sugarcoat it. “They called an emergency meeting.”

Rae blinked. “Already? Wow. I barely hacked one phone and they’re panicking.”

Trey leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “They’re not just panicking. They want you three gone. Immediately.”

Silence.

Del’s brows furrowed. “Removed… as in escorted out?”

Elijah nodded. “As in forced off pack land if necessary.”

Rae let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Oh, that’s cute. They think that’s going to work?”

Remi didn’t laugh.

Her expression sharpened, eyes narrowing as she processed it. “No… this isn’t about us.”

Will’s gaze flicked to her. “Explain.”

Remi stepped forward slightly, voice calm but precise. “They don’t call an emergency meeting like that unless they’re under pressure. Real pressure. The kind that doesn’t give them time to think—just react.”

Trey’s posture shifted. “You think they’re being pushed?”

“Yes,” Remi said immediately. “Which means whoever’s behind this… is bigger than we thought. Bigger than just rogue warriors or a few corrupted council members.”

Rae slowly lowered the snack in her hand, her mind catching up. “So instead of dealing with the actual threat… they’re trying to remove the variables they can’t control.”

Del nodded, piecing it together. “Us.”

Remi’s voice dropped, steady and certain. “They’re scared of us being here. Not because we’re the problem—but because we’re the ones who can expose it.”

Elijah let out a low breath. “That lines up with what the warrior said… and what Rae found on the burner.”

Will’s jaw tightened, tension rolling off him again. “They warned us. Said keeping you here could get you hurt.”

Rae scoffed. “We’re already getting hurt. That’s kind of the point.”

Trey’s gaze snapped to her, irritation flaring again. “That’s not funny.”

Rae shrugged, unapologetic. “It’s reality.”

Remi crossed her arms, her voice firm. “If they’re pushing this hard to get us out, then we’re closer to the truth than they want us to be.”

Del gave a small, grim smile. “Which means we’re definitely not leaving.”

“Not a chance,” Rae added, sharper now. “If anything, I’m digging deeper.”

Will stepped forward, his presence filling the room, grounding and commanding all at once. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said firmly. “Not because they say so. Not because they’re afraid. And definitely not because someone thinks they can push you out.”

Trey nodded, voice low. “They made it clear this could get dangerous.”

Elijah added quietly, “More dangerous than it already is.”

Remi met Will’s gaze, completely steady. “Good. Then we’re exactly where we need to be.”

A beat of silence passed—heavy, charged.

Then Rae smirked slightly, that familiar spark returning. “So… council’s scared, there’s a bigger plan, and we’re officially a threat?”

She glanced between all of them.

“Perfect. Let’s break it.”

Aspen barked once beside her, tail flicking.

Del shook her head, half amused, half impressed. “You almost died earlier and you’re already planning chaos again.”

Rae grinned. “Near-death clarity. Highly effective.”

Will exhaled slowly, but there was no stopping it now. The lines were drawn.

“Then we move carefully,” he said. “We gather everything. We expose who’s involved. And we make sure the council understands exactly what they’re dealing with.”

Trey smirked slightly. “And maybe… next time they call a meeting, it won’t be to remove you.”

Elijah added, “It’ll be to ask for your help.”

Rae’s grin turned sharp. “Oh, they’re definitely going to regret trying to kick me out.”

Remi’s voice was quieter, but just as strong. “They already do. They just don’t know it yet.”

And standing there in the kitchen—tension, strategy, and determination weaving together—

it became clear:

They weren’t being pushed out.

They were being forced into the center of something much bigger.