Aria's POV**

The plan was simple in theory. Lyra would request an emergency consultation about her pack's territorial boundaries, requiring Hayes to escort me to Elder Kalliope's office at exactly seven PM. During the meeting, I would excuse myself to use the restroom, slip away, and find Professor Aldrin in his office three doors down.

In practice, everything that could go wrong was currently going wrong.

First, Hayes was more suspicious than usual, asking pointed questions about why I ...