~Damon~

They were already speaking before I stepped in.

Their voices didn’t carry far, but I didn’t need volume to taste betrayal.

I stood outside the chamber door for a full five seconds. I could’ve walked in. I could’ve slammed the doors off their hinges and demanded silence. But I wanted to hear it. I wanted to know how far they’d fallen while I was out cleaning their mess.

Another patrol lost. Another breach. A child found dead with his stomach hollowed out and ...