They didn’t call it a council.
Not a summit. Not a strategy session. Just a family meeting.
But it still filled Pill’s office wall to wall—
Eliza and Dakota.
Pill and Suri.
Pacer. Ariana. Lincoln. Katherine. Metztli.
The some of the people who had built her, bled for her, loved her into the woman she was. Not all, but still important.
Sofia stood near the center of the room, Xiuhcoatl at her side, his hand anchored gently in hers.
The silence hit first—not loud, not sharp. Just thick. Unmoving. Like a room holding its breath.
Pill leaned back in his chair, unreadable. Dakota’s jaw tightened, a muscle twitching near his temple. Eliza didn’t speak—but her eyes flicked to Xiuhcoatl like she was weighing every life he’d ever taken. Ariana stood stiff, arms crossed. Lincoln slouched,
