My chest tightened painfully.
“You might have anyway,” I said, not unkindly. “If you hadn’t told me.”
He nodded. “I know.”
Silence settled between us again, but it wasn’t the same as before. It was as if we were standing on something fragile, something that could either hold, or break completely.
I reached out before I could stop myself. My hand hovering for a second, then settling lightly on his arm. He stilled, but didn’t pull away.
“We’ll get through this,” I told him.
* * *
Cooper didn’t make us wait. The moment we stepped into the main house, one of the younger wolves nodded at us. “The alpha’s in his office,” he said.
Cooper’s voice had been terse when I called him.Mason’s been lying to us.Those were the only words I told him. He ordered us to come to his office.
Mason walked half a step behind me. He wasn’t exactly hiding, but he was close enough that I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat.
My wolf stayed restless under my skin, torn between two instincts that refused to settle. Protect him. Protect the pack.
I pushed open Cooper’s office door without knocking. He was already standing. That alone told me everything.
Cooper was usually controlled, measured, the kind of alpha who didn’t waste motion or energy. If he was on his feet before we even spoke told me this wasn’t going to be easy.
His cold gaze snapped to Mason first.
“We need to talk,” I said.
Cooper’s eyes flicked to me briefly. Then back to Mason. “I imagine we do.”
Silence stretched for half a second. Then I told him everything, about Mason being a plant, about Kai, and Daniel’s latest order.
Each word felt like I was laying something volatile on the table between us.
And with every piece, Cooper’s expression hardened. When I finished, the room went very still.
Cooper exhaled slowly, then glanced at Mason.
“You understand,” he said, his voice low, “that what you’ve just told me puts you in a very precarious position.”
Mason nodded. “I do.”
“And you expect me to believe that you’ve suddenly decided to switch sides?” Cooper asked.
“I’m not asking you to believe me,” Mason said quietly. “But I’m telling you the truth.”
Cooper’s jaw tightened. “That’s convenient.”
My wolf bristled. I stepped forward before I could stop myself.
“He came to me,” I said. “He didn’t have to.”
Cooper’s gaze snapped to mine. “And that absolves him?”
“No,” I said immediately. “But it matters, and I know he’s telling the truth.”
It had to mean something, because if it didn’t, I didn’t know what I was doing here. Cooper held my stare for a long moment. Then looked back at Mason.
