Lucian's POV
"Lock the damn doors, and no one leaves."
The guards at the entrance moved immediately, pulling the heavy doors shut until the final thud echoed through the chamber and settled into the bones of everyone present.
They were all already here; the enforcer, the council liaison, the inner circle and the blood marshals.
I walked toward the head of the long table, my boots steady against the stone. My beta sat to my right, his posture perfect, his face unreadable. He looked like the advisor who had helped me bury my father.
He looked like loyalty.
"Alpha, why did you call this meeting? I had to leave something important I was handling," Silas said. I had always admired his courage to speak up to me. Yes, I hated it and it crawled under my skin but still, I found it impressive.
I leaned over the table, my shadow stretching across the maps and reports.
"The wards were breached by someone who knew exactly the patrol rotation."
