Kira's pov
They told me it was a choice.
But I knew a setup when I smelled it.
A Council meeting behind closed doors. The way Draven wouldn't look me in the eye. The way Malrik smiled,like a knife dressed in velvet. They called it a chance at redemption. A controlled sting. Wear a wire. Feed false information. Draw out one of Snow's informants.
Simple. Clean.
Right.
I signed the agreement anyway.
Because if they were going to hang me, I'd rather die on my feet doing something that mattered.
They gave me a fresh set of clothes,black tactical, fitted with a comm chip, tiny wire stitched behind the collar. I felt like I was being wrapped in glass. One crack, and I'd shatter. But I stood tall.
Eira handed me the chip herself.
Her fingers trembled.
"You don't have to do this," she murmured.
"I do."
I didn't say it for her.
I said it for me.
And for whatever scrap of soul I had left that still believed this rebellion could be saved.
