Chapter 52

We stumbled back into the Pack House just as dawn lit the windows, exhausted and disheveled.

Richard scrolled through his phone, frowning deeply, realizing for the first time that his messages were full of council summons and demands. He looked genuinely baffled and muttered under his breath, cursing at himself for missing them.

Nathan stood in the doorway, arms folded tight, eyes like daggers.

"Emergency council meeting. Now," Nathan snapped, voice sharp. "If you'd bothered to check your messages you'd know they called it an hour ago."

Richard flinched, looking briefly ashamed before pushing past me, not meeting my eyes.

We hurried down the hall in tense silence. My boots scuffed the floor. I could hear my own breath. Neither of us spoke, but our shoulders brushed once in the narrow corridor and we both jerked away like burned.

The council chamber was buzzing, alive with venom. As soon as we entered, the hush fell, a dangerous, predatory silence. Then the whispering started, slicing through the air.

"She’s always with him now."

"Must be making decisions in bed."

I felt heat flood my face and locked my jaw, forcing myself to stand straight behind Richard’s chair. My hands trembled so I curled them tight against my stomach.

They started with him first.

"You abandon the House for personal trips. How do you justify leaving us vulnerable?"

Richard’s voice was low and cold. "I went to negotiate infrastructure and security with the southern Packs, along with observing our defense forces."

"A convenient excuse for leaving your council in the dark."

He didn't even look at them. "My methods work."

It wasn’t enough. They leaned in, smirking. "Your methods, or hers?"

"Who is she to be so informed?"

"Your assistant seems to have more say than the council itself."

"An orphan with no lineage, easy to buy loyalty."

Laughter rippled. My eyes stung. I forced myself not to blink. I stared at the back of Richard’s head, begging silently. Say something. Defend me. He didn’t move.

"Perhaps she’s the leak we’ve been hunting."

"You let her see strategic documents?"

"Maybe she’s selling them."

My ears roared. I felt like I was underwater. It had never been this blatant before. I always heard hushed breaths, sometimes words they wanted me to hear, but now with an actual accusation about being the leak they felt no shame in speaking openly, almost as if I wasn't even there. They kept going, voices overlapping, a poisonous chorus. Traitor, whore, spy.

My vision blurred and cleared. I didn’t move.

Richard’s knuckles were white on the table. But he stayed silent.

When they finally adjourned, the room emptied around me. I turned on my heel and fled.

He caught me halfway down the hall.

"Amelia—"

I spun, voice breaking. "You let them say all of that! You didn’t even try to stop them!"

He winced, hands raised like he could ward it off. "I know. I didn’t want to escalate it."

"You didn’t even try!"

He swallowed hard. "If I defended you, it would have looked like weakness. It would have made you smaller in their eyes. I thought—"

"You thought wrong."

My voice cracked. My hands balled into fists.

He reached into his pocket and pressed a keycard into my palm. "I want you to have this. Full access. Every door. You're not a burden. You're part of this. You're such a huge part of this. You're the only one I trust other than Nathan to have this. I'm sorry they're accusing you of everything. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. No matter what they say, you belong here."

I ripped it from him. "Doesn’t feel like it."

I turned and stormed away.

I spent the day locked in my office. My head pounded with every insult. The keycard lay on the floor. I stared at it until the sun set, light turning orange and then black.

There was a knock at my door. I didn’t answer at first. The knock came again, softer.

I opened it a crack.

Richard stood there, looking hollowed out. "I’m leaving. Rogue Pack negotiations. I have to go."

My heart twisted painfully. "You're leaving me here alone? After that? Now that it's clear nobody trusts me?"

He exhaled, voice raw. "You're the only one I trust to hold everyone accountable while I'm gone. Don't let them see you break. Promise me."

My voice broke. "Don't you dare die out there."

He managed a brittle half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It's just a negotiation, Amelia."

When the door shut, I slumped onto the couch. The room was too quiet. I didn't sleep. I watched the moon crawl across the floor. My fingers dug lines into my palms with the keycard.

At dawn I went to leave my office. Something crunched under my boot. I looked down and picked up a folded scrap of paper with shaking hands.

Careful. It's a trap.

My vision swam. My stomach churned. I read it again and again, the words carving fear into my bones. About Richard? About me? My mind raced in circles. My throat closed.

I crumpled it and shoved it in my pocket. I yanked the door open and nearly ran into Jenny.

She looked me up and down, smirking. "Oh Amelia? You look awful. Rough night? Or did Daddy finally see what you are?"

My mouth opened. No words came out. She laughed and flipped her hair, sauntering away, humming to herself.

I was so sleep deprived and disoriented, I almost walked right past my apartment building.

My hands shook so badly I slammed the door behind me and pressed my back against it, chest heaving.

I crawled over to the floor beneath my couch and curled up in a ball.

That’s how Simon found me.

He knocked once before easing the door open. "Amelia?"

I wiped my eyes fast. "Simon—I—"

He crossed the room in three strides. "Hey. Look at me. What's going on?"

I fumbled in my pocket and shoved the note at him. He read it twice, jaw hardening.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was under my office door this morning."

He swore under his breath. "This is real. Someone’s warning you."

My voice broke. "About Richard? About the council? About me? Simon, I don’t know what to do."

"Look, it's probably about Richard's trip. Hopefully it's just a warning for him that they’re not willing to negotiate. You'll be fine." I swallowed hard. The idea of Richard being in danger made my heart pound faster.

"Oh my god, Simon, what if he gets hurt? He can't get hurt."

Simon sighed and squeezed my arms gently. "He's strong, Amelia. He's not going to."

I bit my lip. My eyes burned. "Simon...he left. I don't even know if he's coming back."

Simon’s face softened. He tugged me into a hug. I resisted for a heartbeat before giving in. My eyes filled hot. He spoke against my hair.

"You're not alone. You have me. You have Emma. Even Nathan if you ask him right. We're going to keep you safe. Even if Richard isn’t here to do it himself."

I clung to him, letting the shaking slowly stop.

He held on tight, patient. When I pulled back, he cupped my cheek for a second before letting go.

"Okay," I whispered. "Okay. I'll be careful."

He gave me a stern look. "Damn right you will. And Amelia? Next time someone calls you a liability in council? Tell me first so I can break their nose."

Despite everything, I huffed a laugh that hurt my ribs. It didn’t fix anything.

But for the first time since the council meeting, I felt like I could breathe again. Just a little.

Simon let out a breath and patted my shoulder firmly. "You need to rest. You're clearly fried after a long couple of days, and there is no reason to be freaking out. Get some sleep. I'm going to handle communicating with staff about the warning and Nathan will take it from there. No one's going to let anything happen while he's gone."