FIA
The speech continued. He spoke of Isobel's dedication to her family, her willingness to fight for what she believed in. He mentioned Hazel's youth, her potential, the tragedy of a life cut short.
He didn't mention all the murders. The frame jobs. The systematic cruelty Hazel had inflicted on anyone who stood in her way.
When he finished, he gestured to someone in the front row.
Father stood.
He looked worse than he'd sounded on the phone. Grief had carved new lines into his face, turned his eyes hollow. He climbed the steps to the podium slowly, like each one cost him something.
His gaze found me immediately.
He spoke about Isobel first. Their years together, the family they'd built, the love that had sustained them through pack politics and personal loss. His voice cracked when he mentioned Hazel. The daughter who'd been difficult and headstrong and ultimately doomed by her own choices.
