Marianne straightened in her chair. Daniel's hand remained at her shoulder, steady. Trevor's posture went still in a way that meant violence was being filed neatly behind his ribs. Ethan's fingers tightened once around Sirius's hand, a quiet brace. Dax's smile faded into something sharper. Chris leaned forward, elbows on his knees, suddenly too awake.
Lucas continued, voice calm and flat, like he was reading a report. "Caelan only contacted one of our heirs directly."
Marianne's brows lifted. "Only one?" Her gaze flicked to Lucas, then to Sirius. "So he contacted Thomas… That's strange. Weren't there any other dominant alphas he approached?"
Dax leaned back and shrugged, casual in a way that didn't hide the edge underneath. "He didn't try with Nero. Or the other five dominant alphas we have."
Chris's mouth twitched. "He would've had a death wish."
Dax's grin returned for half a second, more fond than cruel. "Yes."
