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We headed for the meeting.

The gamma house felt too small for this. Dimitri and Axel had arrived precisely on schedule, escorted by Rhys and flanked by Simeon and Draven. Phoenix had taken Rhys to one side before he met them to explain our concern about Dimitri, and what we suspected about a second threat. We couldn’t blindside him. Now we all sat around a kitchen table that had seen better days, tension thick in the air.

Phoenix met Dimitri’s stare. “Care to explain how this revenant can be in two places at once?”

Axel scoffed. “Impossible.”

“Actually, it isn’t,” Rhys said, “because I sensed his presence at the same time that he was fighting Bayer and two others at the opposite side of the compound.”

“And I can confirm I recognized Rafael as the thing we fought,” I said.

Dimitri went so still I was tempted to check if he was breathing.

"Two," Dimitri whispered, his voice barely audible. "That isn't possible."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even Axel looked stunned, his usual composure cracking.

"That's impossible," Axel repeated, which seemed to be his favorite phrase.

"And where were you?" I challenged Axel. "You never showed."

"That was my fault," Dimitri answered. "We sensed the revenant and immediately moved to try and intercept it."

“There’s something else,” I said, realizing I hadn’t put it together. "Rafael smells awful, like decay, but I always thought revenants didn’t smell of anything, similar to silver-skins. I’ve been to places where we know he’s been, and the scents are very different.”

Dimitri frowned. “And the oldest scent?”

Bayer glanced at Kaylan. “It wasn’t a scent, just something different.” Kaylan nodded. He knew I was thinking of when we went to Danny’s.

“It isn't a revenant,” Dimitri said, then hesitated.

Phoenix scoffed and opened his mouth to argue, but Dimitri held up his hand. "As a mark of our cooperation and hopefully mutual trust, I am prepared to reveal certain facts."

Axel hissed slightly but made no comment.

"We have told you how revenants are created, and it is true. We also told you that revenants can only be created from made silver-skins and not of the blood, which is also true."

Phoenix nodded curtly, but I knew there was something else coming.

"We said there were no other unexplained missing silver-skins, but we didn't explain fully how we know."

Axel shifted slightly as if he was going to protest the shared information, but Dimitri's silver-iced gaze shut him up immediately.

"Created silver-skins can only function in the immediate area of the coven that created them."

It was like a bomb going off.

I leaned forward. I couldn't have heard correctly. "What exactly do you mean?"

Dimitri met my gaze. "The majority of silver-skins are created to serve the coven…foot soldiers, if you like. A rare few rise among the ranks, but they can never leave the area of the coven.” He paused. “Unfortunately, the area of the coven would cover the human areas in town.”

“And blood-born?” Phoenix pressed.

“Only silver-skins of the blood can procreate to produce a blood-born silver-skin,” Dimitri confirmed. “It doesn't matter what the female species is. Only blood-borns can impregnate them. The reason I said no silver-skins could cross into Alessandro's territory without him knowing is two-fold. A silver-skin of the blood knows instantly if another blood-born crosses into his coven’s territory. Something in our blood responds to another. There is no mistake. As coven leader, Alessandro would have also known immediately if a silver-skin crossed or was made. It is why we know who the revenant is. It is also why we know there are no others."

"Then who or what tried to get through our barrier?" Phoenix asked. Dimitri shook his head.

"That I cannot tell you." He pursed his lips. "Is it possible it was another shifter not of your pack?"