Chapter  325

SILVIA   I stared at him, understanding finally settling over me with sickening clarity.   This wasn't just about revenge. This wasn't even just about stopping Xenois's reforms.   This was about destroying him. About either forcing him to become the monster they claimed he'd always been, or breaking him by making him choose between his values and his family.   "You're going to kill me," I said quietly. "No matter what Xenois does, no matter how he responds----you're going to kill me anyway. Because my death will either radicalize him into becoming what you want everyone to fear, or it will break him completely and leave the pack vulnerable."   "Now you're thinking like the war leader you used to be," Jerome said approvingly. "Yes, Silvia. You're going to die. The only question is whether you die as a martyr who proves the Blackwood pack is as dangerous as we claim, or as a victim who exposes their weakness."   He turned to leave, then paused.     "For what it's worth, I almost respect