Callum's hand went limp before he could say another word.
"No," I said, gripping his shoulder. "Stay with me. Finish it."
His eyes fluttered, unfocused, chest rising in shallow, broken movements.
"The proof," he whispered, barely audible. "Look in my quarters. Hidden behind the—"
He never finished the sentence.
The healer rushed forward, pressing her hands against his chest, but I already knew from the sudden stillness in the room that we had lost him.
Elara covered her mouth with both hands, tears finally breaking free. I stood slowly, my body numb in a way violence never made me feel.
"Alpha," Ronan said quietly from the doorway. "I am sorry."
I did not answer. I stared down at the man who raised me, who lied to me, who may have been my uncle by blood, and who died before telling
