The silence that followed Cassian's words felt suffocating.
Every person in the room seemed to be watching.
Waiting.
Me.
I hated it immediately.
Cassian sat comfortably at the far end of the conference table, his smile calm and elegant.
Too calm.
Too elegant.
There was something wrong about it.
Something that reminded me of a blade hidden inside velvet.
"So this is the omega who changed everything."
His words still lingered in the room.
Kairo's expression immediately hardened.
"Watch your words."
The temperature seemed to drop.
Not physically.
But everyone felt it.
Cassian's smile didn't change.
"My apologies."
He didn't sound sorry.
Not even slightly.
"I was merely curious."
"No," Kairo replied.
"You weren't."
Silence.
The two men stared at each other.
And for the first time, I understood something important.
This wasn't a recent conflict.
This wasn't politics.
This wasn't business.
This was years of resentment compressed into a single room.
Every glance carried history.
Every word carried meaning.
Every silence carried old wounds.
Cassian finally laughed softly.
"Still direct."
"And you're still dishonest."
Several council members immediately looked uncomfortable.
Good.
At least someone was.
Because I certainly was.
Selene moved beside me.
Close enough that her shoulder almost touched mine.
A protective gesture.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
Cassian saw it.
Of course he did.
Nothing seemed to escape his attention.
His gaze returned to me.
"Tell me."
I immediately disliked the tone.
"What?"
"What exactly do you see in him?"
The room froze.
Every council member looked horrified.
Even Selene looked annoyed.
I stared.
Then pointed at Kairo.
"Do you want the short list or the long one?"
The silence shattered.
Several people actually looked surprised.
Cassian blinked once.
Probably because that wasn't the answer he expected.
Unfortunately for him, I had spent too much time around Kairo to be intimidated by difficult conversations.
A corner of Selene's mouth twitched.
Kairo looked suspiciously pleased.
Cassian noticed.
And for the first time, his smile weakened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You don't seem nervous."
"Oh, I am."
The answer came immediately.
Honest.
Simple.
"I'm just choosing not to let you enjoy it."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Selene coughed.
A very suspicious cough.
One that sounded remarkably similar to suppressed laughter.
Cassian leaned back in his chair.
Studying me.
Calculating.
Trying to understand me.
Which was unfortunate.
Because I didn't completely understand myself most days.
Eventually, he smiled again.
But this smile looked different.
Sharper.
Colder.
"I can see why Kairo likes you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"No."
"Good. I wanted to make sure."
Another silence followed.
This one heavier.
More dangerous.
Because the politeness was starting to disappear.
The masks were beginning to crack.
And everyone in the room knew it.
Cassian finally shifted his attention back to Kairo.
"You're making a mistake."
There it was.
The real conversation.
Not me.
Not the council.
Not politics.
Kairo.
Cassian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Everything you've built is becoming unstable."
"No."
"Your allies are leaving."
"No."
"Your influence is weakening."
"No."
I almost felt bad for Cassian.
Almost.
Trying to win an argument against Kairo was like punching a mountain.
Painful and largely ineffective.
Cassian's smile vanished completely.
"There are consequences for refusing reality."
Kairo's expression didn't change.
"The same applies to you."
The room became deathly quiet.
Every person present could feel it.
The tension.
The hostility.
The challenge hidden beneath every sentence.
These weren't two men debating.
These were two opposing forces finally standing face-to-face.
And neither intended to retreat.
Cassian folded his hands together.
Calm.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"You still believe you've already won."
"Yes."
The certainty in Kairo's voice made several council members shift uncomfortably.
Cassian noticed.
I noticed him noticing.
Which probably meant he wanted people to notice him noticing.
Politics was exhausting.
Cassian sighed.
"Then allow me to be direct."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The room seemed to hold its breath.
Even Kairo's gaze sharpened slightly.
Cassian smiled.
Not pleasantly.
Not kindly.
Like a man finally revealing the weapon he'd been hiding.
"The traitor wasn't the only one."
The room froze.
My heart dropped.
Selene immediately straightened.
Several council members looked alarmed.
And Kairo—
Kairo became completely still.
Not surprised.
Not shocked.
Just still.
The kind of stillness that appeared right before something dangerous happened.
Cassian watched him carefully.
Then continued.
"There are five."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Five.
Five traitors.
Not one.
Not two.
Five.
The number echoed through my head.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The convoy.
The communication tower.
The lost allies.
The information leaks.
No single person could have coordinated all of that.
But five?
Five people strategically positioned throughout the network?
That could do real damage.
Cassian leaned forward slightly.
Enjoying the reaction.
Enjoying the uncertainty.
Enjoying the chaos.
And I hated him for it.
"You're lying," Selene said.
Cassian smiled.
"Am I?"
The confidence in his voice made my stomach twist.
Because he didn't sound like a liar.
He sounded like someone who knew exactly what he was talking about.
The silence stretched.
Then Kairo finally spoke.
"What do you want?"
The question surprised everyone.
Including Cassian.
For the first time, genuine interest appeared in the older alpha's eyes.
"What do I want?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Then Cassian laughed softly.
Not mockingly.
Almost sadly.
And somehow that felt worse.
Much worse.
When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.
Colder.
Older.
Like something hidden beneath years of resentment had finally surfaced.
"I want what should have been mine."
The room went silent.
There it was.
The truth.
Not politics.
Not strategy.
Not influence.
Bitterness.
Years of bitterness.
Years of believing something had been stolen.
Years of refusing to let go.
I looked at Cassian.
Really looked at him.
And for the first time, I saw it.
Not confidence.
Not power.
Obsession.
The realization sent a chill down my spine.
Because reasonable people could negotiate.
Reasonable people could compromise.
Obsessed people?
Obsessed people destroyed things.
Even themselves.
Even everyone around them.
Just to win.
Kairo seemed to reach the same conclusion.
His gaze hardened.
"This ends today."
Cassian smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"No."
The word echoed through the room.
Then Cassian stood.
Every person immediately watched him.
Every movement felt important.
Every second felt dangerous.
He adjusted his coat.
Looked directly at Kairo.
And delivered the final blow.
"You still haven't figured out who the fifth traitor is."
The room froze.
Completely.
And for the first time—
Kairo's eyes widened.
Only slightly.
Only for a moment.
But it happened.
Cassian saw it.
And smiled.
A victorious smile.
The smile of a man who had just revealed he was still holding one final card.
One final secret.
One final weapon.
Then he turned toward the exit.
The council members looked stunned.
Selene looked furious.
I looked terrified.
And Kairo remained perfectly still.
Watching.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Because somewhere inside his organization—
someone else was still hiding.
And judging by Kairo's reaction—
that person was far closer than any of us had imagined.