#Chapter 30: On The Inside

DEREK The envelope was waiting for me when I returned to my office, a plain, unmarked thing sitting at the center of my desk. I had been expecting reports from my intelligence network, updates on the rogue factions, or perhaps another denial from Moonstone about a pre-summit meeting. But this was something else. There was no scent on the paper, no name scrawled across the front. Just an anonymous delivery placed directly where I would see it. I sat, fingers resting against the edge of the envelope, debating whether to open it. Something told me I should burn it instead. Instead, I slid my finger beneath the seal and pried it open. Inside was a single piece of paper, folded once. The handwriting was unfamiliar, slanted, and sharp, but the message was clear. If you want to know what happened to Elena, perhaps you should look at your own pack. The breath stalled in my chest. I read it again. And again. The words didn’t change, but their meaning unraveled like a slow poison i