Desmond POV:
And scent never lied.
"I don't care," Travis said firmly. "I trust her. She wouldn't make such an exaggerated lie."
His loyalty was admirable — but dangerous.
"Then get her to tell you the scent of the intruder so we can track him down," I said.
Jake had helped me retain Astrid in my territory, whether intentionally or not. I wasn't about to let that opportunity slip away.
The room stilled.
"If someone was truly in her room," I continued, "she would have smelled him. Even unshifted."
Jake's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Exactly."
Travis looked irritated but didn't have an immediate counter.
The truth was simple.
If there was a scent, we could track it.
If there wasn't…
Then we had a different problem
The discussion dragged on for nearly an hour after that, arguments circling back on themselves until exhaustion replaced anger.
Eventually, we reached a decision.
Astrid would remain in the central territory.
For now.
The meeting dissolved slowly after that.
