Chapter  308

ZADE I groaned as I ended the call with Xenois, dropping my phone onto my desk and resisting the urge to put my head down and just... stay there for a while. Maybe forever. Forever sounded good. "That bad?" Rivers asked from where he'd been standing by the window, giving me the illusion of privacy during the call while still being close enough to provide backup if needed. It was the kind of thoughtful consideration that made him an excellent second--in--command----he knew when to be present and when to fade into the background. "Define bad," I muttered, scrubbing my hands over my face. "If you mean 'we're dealing with nightwalkers infiltrating multiple territories, refugee supernaturals organizing at a former terrorist base, and twenty alphas who think Xenois and I have lost our minds,' then yes. It's that bad." Rivers moved closer, his expression shifting from casual concern to tactical assessment. "What does Xenois want us to do?" "Build a coalition," I said flatly. "Reach out to the