LOGINSophia pov The heavy glass doors of the research wing clicked shut behind me, sealing out the sterile, white-tiled corridors of the institute. I walked down the dim basement passage, my heels striking the concrete floor with a sharp, rhythmic snap. The sound was comforting. It was a reminder that in a place filled with fractured minds and failing bodies, I was the one who controlled the rhythm.I checked my watch. It was past nine in the evening. The administrative staff had gone home hours ago, leaving the facility to the night shift and the shadows. This was when the institute felt most like a chessboard. Every room held a variable, every corridor was a lane of attack, and I had spent weeks mapping every inch of it.I turned the corner toward the maintenance utility room—a blind spot in the secondary security grid that I had personally vetted. I reached into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the heavy fabric of my jacket, and pulled out my keycard.Before I could swipe it agai
Tate pov Tracy didn't answer. She just picked up her tea cup and looked away toward the window, completely checking out of the conversation.I stood up and left her alone in the quiet room.I stood in the corridor after leaving Tracy’s room, the weight of the investigator's photos pressing heavily against my chest. The protocol Marlon had set up was clear: because Marlon had selected and hired the private investigator, the initial findings were supposed to route through him first to ensure an independent track. The investigator had broken protocol by pinging my personal device directly with those images, likely out of sheer urgency.If Marlon saw those photos, he would go straight to Nicole. And if Nicole found out that my own beta—the man I stubbornly defended in front of her—was sleeping with Sophia and leaking our security, the fragile trust we were building would vanish completely.I turned on my heel and walked rapidly down the residential hallway toward Marlon’s temporary offi
Tate pov "I know you cannot believe your eyes, Alpha," the investigator replied, his tone entirely professional and devoid of pity. "But the camera does not lie. If you call him out on this right now, he is going to lie to you. He will hear the change in your voice. He will know something is wrong, and he will get skeptical. He will warn her, and they will cover their tracks. If you want to know the depth of this betrayal, you need to keep your mouth shut. Keep him close, act normal, and watch him like a hawk."He paused, letting his words sink into my chest. "Frankly, it is quite surprising. I could find out the truth within days of arriving here, but you couldn't see what was happening right under your nose."I hung up on him. I did not want to hear another word.My hand shook so violently that I could barely force the device back into my pocket. The betrayal hit me like a physical blow to my chest, knocking the wind right out of me.Jonathan. My beta. My brother.The investigator’
Tate's POV"Exactly," I said. "Keep the recording lines open on her room phone and monitor her cell data. The moment she reaches out to the northern territories, I want the audio file sent straight to my computer.""I already set up the patch on her quarters," Jonathan said. "We are recording everything she transmits. But what about the research wing? Is there anything else you need for Dr. Carter's safety?""Make sure our men keep a close eye on the hallway," I said. "If anyone approaches her door, I want to know about it.""They will stay in the shadow of the stairwell," Jonathan replied. "They won't stand right in front of the door like a regular guard detail. If the institute staff asks what they are doing, they will say they are waiting for a late-night delivery of legal files for the trial.""Good," I said, finally letting out a breath as the plan settled into place. "That keeps us under the radar. Keep me updated on any movement. I will be in my room.""Will do, Alpha," Jonatha
Tate's POV I stood in the corridor outside my room and listened to the phone but my expression did not change. She told me the exact words Sophia used. She said them without any crying, and without any extra drama. "Are the twins in the nursery now?" I asked. "Yes," Nicole said. "I will have two people outside the door within the hour," I said. "They stay there." She paused. "What are you going to do about Sophia?" "Handle it," I said. I meant it completely. My wolf, Storm, agreed with me. Sophia had looked at my children. She had gone to Nicole's office, played a fake game of being nice, and then threatened my kids on her way out. She had used the words terrible and confused to scare Nicole. "Tate," Nicole said. "I will not touch her," I said, already walking down the hallway. "But this ends today." "Tate" she said again and her voice sounded heavy. "I know," I said. She hung up and I immediately dialed Jonathan before I even reached the stairs. He answered on the f
Nicole pov I scoffed loudly, the sound sharp in the quiet office."Accept what?" I asked, leaning back in my chair. "A fake speech you practiced in front of your mirror? You do not mean a single word of it, Sophia."Sophia’s face flushed pink. She slammed her hand down on the edge of my desk, making the paper files rattle. "I am swallowing my pride to stand here and talk to you. Most people would have the decency to say thank you. You were a servant in our house, and now you think you can look down on me?""I am looking at you exactly as you are," I said, my voice completely calm compared to her rising anger. "You only apologize when you want something, or when you are afraid of losing your spot next to Tate. Which one is it today?""Tate knows I am here," she lied, her chin tilting up as she tried to use his name like a shield. "He knows I am trying to make peace. If you keep acting like this, I will tell him how impossible you are. He won't tolerate a worker insulting his inner cir
Nicole pov Marlon arrives at six with the twins already in their jackets, Maple holding his dragon book and Rosy dragging her small backpack with the rabbit stitched on the front. Marlon gave me a look that signaled he’d made a firm decision he wouldn’t discuss in front of the kids."Ready?" he s
Nicole's POVI tell Amber on Tuesday morning, before the twins are awake. She sits across from me at my desk, bag not yet unpacked, and listens the way she always listens, "What do you need?" she says."Act normal."She looks at me. "Nicole, the man whose mother I've been watching treat you like a
Nicole's POVRosy tells me about the dream at breakfast, between bites of toast."He was in the garden," she says. "It was raining but he wasn't wet, he was just sitting there.""Was he sad?" Maple asks without looking up from his book."A bit." She considers it. "Less than before."I look at my te
Nicole's POV I am halfway down the east corridor when I hear him behind me. "Lea." I stop as my breath hitches, then I turn around.Tate is coming from the direction of Tracy's wing. He stops a few feet away and looks at me."I need an hour of your time," he says. "This afternoon, you and Marlon,







