Nathan’s POV

I left Kyra’s room quietly after she fell asleep. She needed time alone to think about Kieran and the flash drive. I respected that she needed space. The guards outside her door nodded as I passed. Having them there made me feel better.

The hospital hallway was quiet. Most visitors had gone home for the evening. I pulled out my phone and called my father.

"Any news?" I asked when he answered.

"I’m heading to the Alpha Council now," Dad replied. His voice was low and serious. "I’ll call you as soon as I know anything about the shooter."

"Thanks, Dad." I ended the call and put the phone back in my pocket.

Alaric paced in my mind. "We should be hunting down whoever did this, not waiting around in this hospital."

"We will," I said under my breath. "But first we need to know who we’re hunting."

I was so lost in thought that I almost didn’t notice Emily walking up until she was right in front of me.

"How’s Kyra?" she asked.

I looked at her carefully. My father’s warning played in my mind. A traitor among those I trusted. Could it be Emily?

"Nathan!" Emily snapped her fingers in front of my face and flipped her hair. "Hello? Is your mate okay or what?"

"She’s resting," I said coldly, crossing my arms.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms too. "Seriously? You won’t let me visit my friend? That’s pretty low, even for you."

I took a deep breath, my jaw tight. "I’ll be straight with you, Emily. You’re on my suspect list right now."

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Suspects? You think someone close to you is working against you?"

I pressed my lips together, watching how she reacted. She sighed heavily and looked down at her expensive shoes.

I couldn’t tell if she was hiding something or really thinking. Either way, what she did next surprised me.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small memory card. "I copied the voice recording onto this. I’m working on getting more evidence. Photos, videos, anything that could help Kyra build a case against Connor Foster and Attorney Lee. They won’t get away this time."

I took the card but kept my face blank. "Are you just trying to throw me off?"

"I don’t care about your suspicions, Nathan," she shot back. "Kyra is who I care about."

She put the memory card in my hand. "I’ll be gone for a while."

My eyebrow went up. "Why?"

"I’m going to find Matt Foster."

"What?" That caught me off guard.

"We need him to testify against his father," she explained. "He’s the key to bringing Connor down."

I shook my head, getting more suspicious. "Your father’s Rogue group can find anyone. Why do you need to go personally?"

Emily sighed heavily. "This is personal, Nathan. Look, if you want to suspect me because my father leads a Rogue group, that’s your choice. But remember this. Kyra is my friend, and I’ve helped you save her so many times."

I went quiet, thinking about her words. She had a point. Emily had been there for Kyra through everything.

"Connor Foster isn’t just some businessman fighting Kyra for control of her company," she continued, her voice getting lower. "He’s managed to cause trouble in both your territory and Kyra’s pack lands without real consequences. That takes serious connections, Nathan. The kind that reach into places we can’t touch. Every time I get close to something, doors get slammed shut. The only thing we have against him is his son Matt, and now he’s missing."

Her message was clear. Connor had powerful people backing him, way more than any of us had thought.

"I just don’t know who to trust anymore," I admitted quietly.

"Start with people who have proven they’re loyal," she suggested, turning to leave. "Take care of Kyra. She needs you now more than ever."

I watched her walk away, wondering if I’d made a mistake doubting her. The memory card felt heavy in my hand.

My father showed up right after Emily disappeared. His face was grim, his shoulders tense.

"Nathan," he said shortly.

"Dad."

"Come with me," he said. "We need to talk somewhere private."

I nodded and told the guards to keep Kyra safe before following him down the hallway. He led me to an empty conference room at the end of the hall, closing the door behind us.

"Use the mind link," he said right away. "These walls might have ears."

I raised my eyebrows but did what he asked.

"What’s going on?" I asked through the mind link.

"The shooter is dead," came his blunt reply.

Shock hit me. "What? How?"

"Official story is he killed himself in his cell," my father explained. His mental voice was angry. "But we both know that’s not what happened." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Who would have that kind of power?" I asked, though I was starting to guess the answer.

"You can’t trust the police or the Alpha Council right now," he warned through the link. "The wolves in powerful positions, the Alpha Council members, law enforcement, they’re not all as good as they seem. They hide darker things behind their public image. Sometimes people who’ve done bad things understand honor and loyalty better than those who’ve always claimed to be good."

I leaned against the conference table, trying to process this. "What do you think we should do?" I asked through the mind link.

"Emily and Kieran Carver want the same thing you do, to protect Kyra. They might be your only real allies right now," my father said through the link. "Kieran has resources outside the normal pack system. Emily has connections through her father’s Rogue group. Together, they can work in the shadows where official channels can’t go."

"You want me to trust a Rogue Alpha who tried to steal my mate?" I asked.

"I want you to be smart about this," he corrected.

"This goes against everything you taught me about pack alliances," I admitted.

"Normal alliances have failed you," my father pointed out. "Your mate got shot, the shooter is dead, and your enemies are still out there. "

I felt frustrated. "I don’t like this."

"You don’t have to like it," my father said coldly. "You just have to keep Kyra and your child alive."