The silence that followed felt like it lasted an eternity. Ethan stood utterly still, expression unreadable, and Lily watched the words land on him like physical blows, each one driving deeper than the last.
"You're wrong," Ethan said finally, voice flat and dangerous. "My father stepped back from pack politics years ago. He wouldn't fund an attack on his own son. On his own family."
"I know how it sounds," Marcus said carefully. "Believe me, I didn't want it to be true either. I checked three times before I brought this to you, hoping I'd find some error, some explanation that didn't point toward Richard. But the transfers are consistent, timed perfectly with each escalation the initial rogue attack at the lodge, the threats against Lily, tonight's ambush. Every single one traces back t
