Cael blinked, coming to on the small balcony in his aerie home.

The initial unease of finding himself in another location made his gut churn. At least, in this instance, he was in his own home and not somewhere on a mountain or at the top of a tree in a random part of the territory.

The first time he'd woken up without remembering how he'd gotten there, he'd thought he was in a dream. When he realized he was in fact awake and not in a dream, horror ripped through him like a sharp slash of claws.

It had begun.

He had heard stories, knew the signs. He even taught the signs to his people, for them to look out for.

It was just him and his father left in this territory. The attack a decade ago had stolen his brother, and when his mother died shortly after of heartbreak, his father had little emotional capacity. Not enough to share with a young teenager. His father had been drowning in his own grief at the loss of his mate and his son.

The others in the territory were his family, but they also were not his family. Other than donating his time and his strength as a lieutenant, he had little to give to this world and the others.

And this world...it was so loud. Too loud for him.

He had a hard time relating to the other shifters, not because of any lack of experience on his part, but mostly because his hawk side, his animal side, was so much more present than others' animal's sides.

Now his hawk wanted to take over completely.

As far as he knew—as far as all of them knew—once a shifter started warring with their animal side for dominance, there was no stopping the inevitable. Only delaying it.

Cael made himself sit back in the lounge chair. He had put the chair out here along with a small table for those who liked to use his home while he was out. While he spent little time relaxing, he knew the other shifters did, and he had wanted them to feel comfortable in his home when they stopped by.

The sun was setting carefully over the trees in the distance. The balcony on his three floor aerie home gave him a perfect view of the mountains of the inner home along with the wide expanse of trees that covered about 90% of their territory. The same trees his hawk loved to fly over and perch on. This territory was a hawk shifter's dream. Once his animal side took over completely, at least his animal side would enjoy a good life.

While he would just... disappear.

He would not be a problem for those around him. Hawks, although predators, were relatively lone creatures. He lived a solitary lifestyle, so even if he were a danger, he hardly ventured into the inner home, where the core of his people lived and worked and played.

The only one he was a danger to right now was himself.

And he prayed to Galetta that was how it would stay.

***

"I want her gone." Eoran's face turned a mottled red. "She has no business being in this territory or around any of our people. Not after what she has done."

Brynn's fingers twitched at her sides. As much as she wanted to deny it, the head elder had a point. He has to be a wolf shifter, Brynn thought to herself. Wolves were quick to anger and quick to get defensive. The only wolf shifter she knew who was not like that was Daedre.

She missed the hardened leader of the Western Territory. Although rough on the exterior, Daedre protected her people well. She would've had these elders under her claws in a blink.

Daedre made decisions for the Western Territory, only consulting a small mixed group of shifters who served as her advisors. The Southern Shifter Territory operated differently, with a group of elders serving as their council. Though, from what she could gather, unlike Daedre's advisors, Gavriel's council had the power to overrule Gavriel if warranted.

"She has made up for her decisions by her actions," Henri, the head elder of the leopards, said. "She defended this territory and helped us handle the Northern Isles invaders before they became a true problem."

"They would not have been a problem if she hadn't brought them here." Eoran stood from his chair, pressing his fingertips into the large curved table in front of him. "She should never have been in this territory from the start!"

The more Eoran spoke, the deeper red his face got. Though, as loud and angry as he was, none of the other elders hardly shifted in their chairs.

Were they used to Eoran acting this way?

"The woman has proved an asset," Ries, the stern, rugged man on the other side of the table, said. "Did you also forget her help during Reison's attack on our territory?"

"Not one of us can forget a single moment of that attack." The steely eyed shifter next to Eoran said. Fay, she thought she'd heard Ronan call her once. "But we are fools if we think there is anything stopping her from helping our enemies get in once more."

They all spoke and argued as if she weren't even here. As if Brynn was nothing more than a lamp or a chair within this council room.

Brynn's gaze trailed along the edges of the room, to the dim lighting inset along the edges of the floor, then followed the wall upward, tracing over the large, worn map outlining the territory behind the head elders' table.

Clearly, the elders were not yet ready to ask her questions or listen to her to speak. Until then, she would simply wait.

The door to her left opened, and Ronan and Gavriel walked in, followed shortly by the other leopard lieutenant, Lianna.

For a week now, they've been arguing amongst themselves, trying to decide on Brynn's fate in this territory. The first few weeks after the Northern Isles attack, they'd been more busy discussing their own security, their next steps, and the safety of their people. Only now, almost three weeks later, were they ready to discuss her.

Ronan came to stand by her side. A small action, but one that made her heart warm. Even against his own people, her mate was ready to stand with her.

She didn't deserve him.

Ronan's warm hand found her own and tightened.

She squeezed back.

Gavriel and Lianna each sat in the small row of chairs behind her. Gavriel leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. No doubt he spent a long time in this dim room, in conversations with the row of elders behind the curved table.

Poor Gavriel. If she had to be in this room longer than necessary, she imagined her skin would itch. Already, an ache was forming between her eyes. This room was dripping in politics. Something she'd never had the patience for.

"... and you, Gavriel, allowed this woman into this territory, knowing who she was and the danger she presented to our people."

"That's not true." The words flew from her lips, almost without her permission. They could discuss and be angry at her, but Gavriel and Ronan had done nothing but try to keep their people safe all the way from the beginning. Neither of them deserved to be questioned. "Gavriel was unaware of where I came from. He only knew that Dierdre raised me. I never shared further information with him."

Eoran narrowed his gaze at her. Brynn made herself lift her chin.

Ronan slid in front of her with a low growl. Eoran raised his brow but said nothing about the possessive gesture.

"We keep a guard on her," Sienna, the quiet shifter next to Fay, said. "Until we come to a compromise."

"Agreed." Fay said.

Henri and Ries sat back further in their chairs. Brynn noted the way Henri looked at Gavriel—it was a look she knew. Not because she'd ever had someone gaze at her that way, but because as a child, all she'd ever wanted was her mother to look at her that same way.

With concern.

Gavriel stepped up in front of the table. "Brynn may have made a terrible decision, but she was there with us during Reison's attack, and again when her people tried to infiltrate the inner home." Brynn noted Gavriel said nothing about Arietta or why her people tried to infiltrate the Southern Shifter Territory. "She's also assisted us with setting up our security—"

It was the wrong thing to say.

"And what good that did!" Eoran sputtered. "She's the one that led the Northern Isles right to our doorstep."

"She helped us strategize," Ries said. "In order to dismantle the threat the Northern Isles posed. She also knows about the Western Shifter Territory and the Northern Isles. She can be an asset if we let her—"

"Or she's a spy here to collect information to sell to the highest bidder," Eoran fired back.

At her side, a low growl built and built. Ronan clenched his hands at his side.

"Ronan." Gavriel glanced at his second. "Get some air. Take Brynn with you."

Ronan's hand was warm as it wrapped around hers. He didn't have to drag her—Brynn was right at his side as they escaped the council room. They were not yet ready to ask her questions or to even see her. Until then, she had no reason to be in those Council meetings while they talked around her.

Out in the hallway, Ronan stopped. He turned to her, his palm finding her cheek as he looked her over.

There. That was that look—the same one Henri had given Gavriel, only more heated.

He was concerned for her.

Chest tight, Brynn blinked through a swell of emotion. This right here. This man was the only reason she needed to stay in this territory. The shifters in this territory could do whatever they needed to make themselves feel safe in her presence. The only thing she needed was this man.

As much as it would hurt, she would do whatever was necessary to keep Ronan safe. But she'd be damned before she let anything happen to Ronan, or to Ronan through her.

Brynn pressed a soft kiss to her mate's wrist. It would all be alright, so long as Ronan was with her.

***

A shrill buzz and a loud shriek of metal on metal sounded before the iron barred doors opened in front of Governor Quinn. Ahead, a guard nodded to him as he passed. His shoes squeaked against the wet concrete entryway.

"Governor," Another guard greeted behind the glass at the check in station.

"Mitchell." The Governor barely flicked his gaze at the secondary set of security doors before another buzz sounded. The doors unlocked.

On the other side, another guard turned and led him down the gray concrete hallway.

He'd been at this facility only a handful of times, but each time, the security got better. He'd handpicked every employee at this facility, and it was a good thing he did. Each guard stood at attention, ready to take on any that might try to disrupt his carefully curated operations.

He passed door after door, barely glancing at the descriptions on the doors. He never needed to—not when he had ears.

A scream on his right as he passed one door. An animal whined on his left. A woman whimpered past the next door.

One door on the right, just before his destination, remained quiet. Governor Quinn stopped. Glanced at the description on the door. Human female, late twenties.

Odd.

"Daniels?"

The guard in front of him stood taller. "Sir?"

"Have someone check in on that door."

"Of course, sir."

The last door on the left held the real reason for this facility. After all his hard work, he was making significant progress. And it was all because of her.

What rested behind that door was a treasure greater than gold.

It was power. And it was his.

He pressed a thumb onto the security sensor next to the door handle.

As he entered, his smile grew. "Good afternoon, Elena."