L

    I scoffed, setting down my fork with more force than necessary. "Should we really trust someone who made a live video broadcasting crime scene details to the entire inte? She''s the one who created this media frenzy in the first ce."

    "Which is precisely why she''s perfect for our needs," Kyren said smoothly. "She''s already established herself as an expert on these cases, and her public advocacy gives her credibility with both the authorities and the media. Better to have her working with us than against us."

    "I don''t think you have any idea how deep her obsession with the supernatural runs, Kyren. If we reveal ourselves to her, we would be giving her a topic to discuss with her followers, can''t you see it? Delia is pulling the strings, and we''ll be dancing to her tune. Oh hey, Delia… what you said about werewolves and lycans and vampires is true and we''re that thing…"

    "We''ve vetted her," Kyren interrupted me.

    "Vetted her?" I scoffed. "Her page is littered with hashtags and trending music calling us ''the beasts among us''. That same person is the person you want us to trust?"

    "She''s signed a non-disclosure agreement," Kyren replied. "And the humans believe her insights could be…valuable."

    "I don''t care if she signed her soul away," I shot back. "She''s impulsive, reckless, and obviously obsessed with the supernatural. Not exactly neutral party material."

    "She''s also the only one the humans trust tomunicate with us," one of the kin members added gently. "Her obsession, as you call it, makes her invaluable."

    Ramsey growled lowly. "We''ve handled worse, but letting a human with that much exposure this close to all of us and L is reckless."

    Kyren leaned forward, his fingers steepled. "She doesn''t know what L is, and she won''t know. We don''t need to introduce ourselves to her either way. We meet, try to look for a solution and amon ground and hear her thoughts as to why she thinks it''s werewolves behind the attacks."

    "Oh, I''m sure she''ll figure it out," Nanny muttered, finally breaking her silence. "Especially if she keeps showing up in every room we''re in with a camera and that fake little concerned citizen face."

    "She won''t be bringing cameras," Kyren said coldly. "And she won''t speak unless spoken to."

    I bit my cheek, stewing in irritation. "I don''t trust her."

    Kyren''s eyes narrowed. "Then control the situation. You have more influence here than you realise, L Woond. Your presence alone was enough to get the Hollow Kin out of their sacred pce and into this…suburban fortress."

    "Duplex," I corrected dryly.

    His mouth twitched. "Charming, either way."

    I took a deep breath and then turned to face everyone. "Guys, what I am about to say might sound a bit unhinged, but it has to be said," I started carefully as the whole room fell silent. "What if this Delia is the one responsible for the killings and is now positioning herself to control the investigation?"

    The table fell silent except for the soft clinking of silverware against china. Even the council members who''d been eating all paused to stare at me.

    Ramsey ced his hand over mine on the table. "What makes you think that?"

    I looked around the table at the expectant faces. "Call it intuition. Something about her doesn''t feel right. The timing of her video, her extensive knowledge about our kind, the way she''s inserted herself into every aspect of this situation—it''s too convenient."

    "Your wolf senses something," one of the older hollow kin members asked. It wasn''t a question.

    "Nymeris doesn''t trust her," I confirmed. "And my wolf has excellent instincts about people who mean us harm."

    Kyren steepled his fingers, considering my words. "Even if your suspicions are correct, we''re in a better position to monitor and control her if she''s working directly with us. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as humans say."

    "That saying assumes you can tell the difference between friends and enemies," I pointed out. "What if she''s so good at deception that we don''t realise the threat until it''s toote?"

    "Then we''ll be ready for her," Ramsey said firmly. "But either way, we need to be part of this investigation. If we refuse to work with the human authorities, they''ll proceed without us, and we''ll lose any chance of controlling the narrative. Let''s not forget that there is no way these humans would be able to deal with this threat without our help."

    Nanny, who had been quietly listening to our discussion, spoke up. "What about L''s safety? If this woman is dangerous, exposing L to her could put both her and the babies at risk."

    "Which is why," Kyren said, his tone brooking no argument, "L muste with us tomorrow. We need her abilities, both her and her wolf, to identify supernatural signatures at the crime scenes, but more importantly, we need her to assess Dr. Pier in person."

    I sighed. I wanted to tell them about the warehouse incident so bad, but I needed to discuss that with Ramsey beforehand. "What exactly would you need me to do?"

    "Read the crime scenes," Kyren exined. "Your two-tailed wolf can detect supernatural signatures that have eluded our best trackers. If these killings are being done by something supernatural masquerading as a werewolf, you''ll know immediately."

    "And Dr. Pier?"

    "Assess her. Use those same abilities to determine if she''s hiding a supernatural nature or connections. Your wolf''s instinctsbined with your Moonsinger powers should be able to prate any deception she might be using."

    Ramsey''s grip on my hand tightened. "And if L determines that this woman is dangerous?"

    Kyren''s smile was sharp as a de. "Then we''ll deal with her ordingly."

    The casual way he said it sent another chill through me. The Hollow Kin''s idea of "dealing with" a threat was probably much more permanent than anything I wasfortable with.

    "I''ll do it," I said finally. "But I want protection protocols in ce. If something goes wrong, I need to know that everyone''s priority is getting me and the babies to safety."

    "Of course," Kyren agreed. "We''ll be there with you, L. I''m not sure about your husband, but I''m confident in my skills in the face of danger. Don''t worry, I will open it myself to have you protected at all times. Besides that, we''ll have our security details around us.

    "And," I added, meeting Kyren''s gaze directly, "if I determine that Dr. Pier is a threat, we handle it my way. No summary executions, no disappearances. We gather evidence and expose her."

    Kyren was quiet for a long moment, clearly weighing his options. "Agreed. Your assessment will guide our response."

    The room fell quiet again.

    Nanny reached for a roll and broke it delicately before stuffing it into her mouth. "Can Ie with all of you tomorrow?"

    Kyren turned to her. "That won''t be necessary, High Priestess, we''ll protect your daughter. Also, her mate would be going with her, don''t you trust him to keep her safe?"

    "I''m noting for L," Nanny said quietly. "I think I may know what these creatures are," she paused for a bit and turned to look at me. "L, I know you may have forgotten, but do you remember the day the dark one tried to force you into taking the blood oath?"

    Every part of my body froze.

    I didn''t know how to react.

    "I''m sorry, darling, but it has to be said."

    "What warehouse incident?" Ramsey asked quietly, staring at me.

    "I think L may have forgotten, but back in the human world, Xander was collecting followers. They''d gather at his abandoned warehouse during the Gemini moon; they all worshipped Xander, and I am willing to bet that these creatures are connected to Xander."

    "Who is Xander?" Kyren asked, looking at us suspiciously.

    "The Dark One," Ramsey murmured, then turned to Nanny. "Do you know where this warehouse is?"

    "Yes!" she nodded "I had Elias check it out yesterday morning, apparently the property has been sold. It''s now an auto-repair shop. Just like us, the Dark One spent a lot of time in the human world. He could have bred children, he could have done anything, and those things might be the onesing to fight against us."

    "On the day of that attack," I finally found my voice, "one of those things asked me if I remembered her and she mentioned the warehouse incident too. So, I think we''re going up against Xan—the Dark One and his followers. Maybe this is revenge."

    Kyren leaned back in his seat, stroking his jaw. "Why didn''t you say this sooner?"

    I turned to Ramsey, giving him an apologetic look before I returned my gaze to Kyren.

    "It''s a memory I''m not proud of. It was my most rebellious time as a teenager, and I hate to talk about it, no matter what."

    "No one will judge you, L," Ramsey said quietly. I turned to face him. "I won''t judge you, and I''m sure Kyren and the other council members will not judge you for things you did when you were 19 years old. You did what you could have done at that time. Don''t forget, you still yed a vital role in destroying the Dark One."

    A tear rolled down my cheek. "I''m sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I was so ashamed."

    "Ashamed of what exactly?" Kyren asked, arching his brow.

    "It is settled then," Ramsey rose to his feet, holding my hands firmly. "Let''s meet here by 8 am tomorrow, and you should get enough sleep."