AISLYNThe days that follow do not move the way people expect aftermaths to move.

There is no immediate upheaval. No arrests. No public condemnation. Ashlyn is not dragged from her office, nor does Elliot issue a decree to satisfy the pack’s hunger for spectacle. Life continues with disciplined normalcy, and that, more than chaos, confirms my certainty.

Elliot will not let this end quietly.

I allow the days to pass without prompting him, without pressing for answers or outcomes. I attend ...