Chapter 19 · Ethan Reveals Security Footage

Ethan's tablet glowed in Zaia's dark kitchen.

Her mother had gone to bed. The twins slept upstairs. Priya had called three times—Zaia had sent each to voicemail. The only sound was the hum of the refrigerator and Ethan's steady breathing as he queued the footage.

"I've been documenting Celeste since the Alpha asked me to increase security on your building," Ethan said. "Standard protocol. But I found something else."

The video opened on a parking garage. Timestamp: three weeks ago. Celeste Vane met a figure in a hood—Raven, Zaia assumed—and exchanged a USB drive.

"She's been feeding Raven pack documents for months," Ethan continued. "Old Luna files. Access codes. Anything that could be altered and attributed to you."

The next clip showed Raven in an office—Z Design's office, Zaia realized with a chill—planting something in a drawer. Night. After hours. Security bypassed with credentials that shouldn't exist.

"She broke in last Tuesday. Planted the forged manifests. Took photos for the leak."

Zaia's hands curled into fists. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because the Alpha didn't know." Ethan's voice was quiet. "Because I should have caught it sooner. And because you deserve to clear your name without groveling.