Cole's POV
I slide the gun into place at my back, feeling the familiar weight settle against my spine.
It’s a custom Heckler & Koch VP9, modified, silent-ready, built for close combat and long fights. I haven’t carried it openly in years. Carrying it again feels like admitting a truth I tried to bury.
Violence never left me. I only stepped away from it.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
This time, it's Miriam.
“The flight is ready,” she says.
“I’m coming,” I reply, already moving.
I cut the call and take one last look around the room. Everything I once tried to become stays behind here. I turn and walk out without slowing down.
The passage outside is lined with pack members. One after the other, they bow their heads as I pass. Not out of fear alone, but recognition.
I am not leavin
