Chapter 12 · The Commander Takes the Fall

"Commander Kor. Thank you for joining us on such short notice."

Victor sits at the center of the crescent table, fingers laced like he's already won. Lynn stands three steps behind Adrian, close enough to feel the bond pulling at her ribs. Every elder showed up. That's never a good sign.

Adrian doesn't answer. His hand stays loose at his side, but Lynn feels the tension running through him like a live wire. The USB in her jacket pocket weighs ten pounds.

"We have a problem." Victor slides a tablet across the table. The screen shows a blurred security feed—bodies on a street corner, blood pooling under streetlights. "Seventeen feral attacks in the past six hours. All in the warehouse district. All traceable back to a single nest we've been monitoring."

Lynn's stomach drops. She recognizes that corner. Two blocks from the safe house where they're supposed to meet Rael tonight.

"With respect, Elder Ash," Adrian says, "feral outbreaks happen. We have containment proto—"

"This isn't random." Victor taps the tablet. The feed changes—a figure moving through the carnage, too fast for the camera to catch clearly. But Lynn sees enough. The jacket. The gait.