LOGINWilliam's Pov The digital recorder icon on my device screen pulsed red as Sofia kept talking through the midnight watch. I sat directly on the wooden folding chair across from her knees, my legs remaining planted wide apart while Lola occupied the space right beside my left sleeve. Maren remained posted entirely outside the thick door panel on the landing, her boots making no sound against the plaster as she watched the stairs. Sofia knew far more than my office had originally expected when we pulled the truck into the lane layout. Tristain had been much more forthcoming with her during their private meetings than he would have been with most people in the alliance. The Voss connection went back much further than my own personal knowledge of the advisory leader. Voss had been advising the founding territories governance board since a date long before my own birth cycle started in the valley. His systemic influence was completely quiet, entirely structural, and almost impossibl
Lola’s PovThe white document page shook slightly between Williams's large fingers as I leaned my torso closer to the light.The name on the top registration row was Aldric Voss. I had never heard those syllables spoken in the territory office before today. I looked up from the paper sheet to examine Williams's face, and his features were doing something they had never done in all the long weeks I had known his team. It was not simple anger. It was something much older than anger. It looked like a cold weight that had been sitting deep inside his chest for a long time without a proper name attached to the bone."Who is Aldric Voss?" I asked, my boots shifting flat on the bare floorboards.Williams remained completely quiet for a long moment, his eyes staying fixed on the ink lines."He was my father's oldest living friend," Williams answered, his voice dropping to a low rasp as he folded the document back over. "He served on the founding territories advisory board for twenty full yea
Sofia's Pov I made the cold mental calculation that I had been running through my head since Tristain sent that specific device message two full days ago from the city block. They knew about Father now. The ledger was open. I had been sitting with that exact piece of information in the dark rooms, weighing what it meant for the legal seats and what it did not mean for our safety, and I had finally arrived at a fresh conclusion that surprised my own mind a little bit.The core conclusion was very simple. There was exactly one major card left in my hand that I had not played before the territory panel, and it was not a weapon card that I could swing to crack a skull. It was a trade card. It was a piece of paper that I had to give away entirely to get any real value from the deal at all."Tristain's father was not the only outside connection in the payment chain," I spoke, my voice staying low so it did not wake the child.Lola watched my face without moving a muscle in her neck."The
Lola’s PovThe room stayed completely quiet for a long moment after Sofia finished speaking her threat.Williams stood exactly one step behind my right shoulder, his hand resting near his coat pocket while his boots stayed planted on the bare floorboards. Maren remained directly by the glass window pane, her arms remaining folded across her dark sweater jacket while she watched the landing door.The baby was still reaching toward my face. Her small fingers wiggled in the open air space between the mattress and the entry frame, her round eyes staying fixed entirely on my chin.I looked down at the tiny hands for three seconds, then I shifted my gaze back to Sofia's face."I know you are not done," I spoke, my voice staying flat and level under the ceiling light.Sofia pulled the white wrap tighter around the child's shoulder line. "Then why are you standing in this room, Lola?""Because she is here," I answered, my head nodding once toward the lap space where the infant sat.Sofia's ja
Lola’s Pov "Third location," Williams spoke when I slid the bar open. I dropped the device onto the fabric cushion and reached for my keys instantly. I landed in the driver seat of my car before the call transmission could even click off the screen network. I turned the ignition key with a fast twist of my wrist, my boots pressing the floor pedal until the engine roared. One of Williams's guard workers sat directly in the passenger seat beside my jacket. He did not turn his face to make casual conversation during the trip, and I appreciated that silence. I spent all forty minutes of the drive staring straight at the white road lines, my hands staying locked on the wheel frame. I did not spend a single mile thinking about what I was going to say when I walked through the house door. Thinking about the words would not help the situation now, the only thing that mattered in the world was getting to the house destination. The car tires hit the gravel turn at the forty-minute ma
William's PovThe green light on the console screen flashed twice before the digital file expanded to show the crossing lane. I sat in the driver seat of my truck, my hand resting flat on the steering wheel while the camera frames downloaded into the system storage block."I have the footage," I spoke into the device, keeping my eyes fixed on the display panel."What is the time stamp on the crossing bar?" Cain asked, his voice coming through the speaker with a crackling hiss."Forty minutes ago," I answered, my finger tapping the glass surface to zoom the lens view. "The plate matches Maren's registered car numbers. The vehicle's direction points straight toward the eastern state line.""She moved through the gate very fast.""Maren is good at her work, but she is not invisible to our team," I muttered, my chin lifting as I checked the dashboard clock. "She has been out of active fieldwork for three full years. Three years is a long time to remain away from the tracking net. Comfor
Lola Pov"I don’t know you. Get your hands off me right now." I yanked my arm back so hard the muscle in my shoulder twinged.Jax didn’t look embarrassed. He didn't even look around to see if anyone was watching. He just leaned in, his shadow falling over me. "Tristain is waiting for you at home,
Lola PovThe banging on the door didn't stop for a long time. Each thud felt like it was rattling my teeth. I stood in the dark, clutching the strap of the go-bag until my palm went numb. I was clueless on what to do."Lola!" Tristain’s voice was a low growl now. "I know you're awake in there. Ope
Lola Pov"Who is this?" I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white."I just told you." Williams sounded like he was sitting in a quiet office, his voice steady and calm. My heart hammered against my ribs. "How did you get this number? This is a private line.""Listen to m
Lola's POVI did not sleep.I sat in the study until the sky outside the window moved from black to the particular dark blue that comes just before dawn, the financial records still open on the screen in front of me, the words no legal union on record sitting in my chest like a stone I had swallowe







