The Council chamber is quieter than usual.
That’s how I know it’s about to explode.
Helena stands at the center of the raised dais, hands folded, posture unshakable. Marcus Thorne sits across from her, jaw tight, eyes calculating.
Every Councilor is present.
Every seat filled.
No absences.
No excuses.
This is not routine governance.
This is reckoning.
Helena doesn’t waste time.
“Councilor Marcus Thorne, you accessed Blackthorn Pack’s internal security routing under the guise of procedural transparency. That routing was transmitted, indirectly, to Ashcroft, who used it to attempt violent destabilization.”
Marcus does not look surprised.
He does not deny.
He leans forward slightly.
“I shared nothing directly with Ashcroft.”
“You shared with a known intermediary who has documen
