KEISHA’S POV

"It wasn’t Vanessa." I muttered after a long second.

They both looked at me.

"The person outside my window." I looked up at them. "It was a man. Dane, you saw the person too. That’s not Vanessa."

"She could have sent someone." Dane said.

"That’s different from it being her." I said. "We’re all jumping to her because she’s the newest person on the estate and she fits neatly. But we have nothing actually connecting her to my window or to the border trails."

"Everything started when she arrived." Callum reminded me.

"Things also started when Riven’s delegation arrived." I said. "And before that there was the query Reed pulled. And before that there was the northeast border. Vanessa is new and convenient for us to pin the blame on but that’s not enough if we want to be honest."

Callum looked at me. "You’re defending her."

"I’m not defending her." I sighed. "I think she’s here for reasons that have nothing to do with becoming your Luna. I think Osric is behind it and I think she’s been gathering information since she got here." I looked at him directly. "But the person outside my window was a man and if you decide it’s Vanessa and stop looking, you might miss whoever it actually is."

Dane looked at Callum and Callum looked at the wall.

"Has Osric done anything?" I asked Dane. "Anything at all that stood out."

"Nothing I can point to." Dane shook hisbhead. "Movements have been normal. Council meetings, his quarters, the hall. Nothing outside his routine."

"Which for Osric means he’s being careful." Callum said.

"Or it means it’s not him." I took a breath.

"You have a lot of opinions for someone who was just chasing an intruder in her pajamas." Callum chuckled under his breath.

"But I’m still right."

Dane pressed his lips together like he was trying not to frown at what he was thinking.

"Run full checks." Callum said to him. "Vanessa’s attendants, Osric’s known contacts, anyone new on the estate in the last two weeks. And pull the security movement logs from tonight."

"Already started." Dane said as he pushed off the wall. "I’ll have something by morning." He looked at me. "Go sleep."

"I was going to." I said.

He walked out and it was just me and Callum in the quiet study.

"I’ll take you to Nadia’s room." He nodded.

"I know where it is." I said.

"I know you know." He said. "I’ll walk you."

We went up through the quiet mansion and I was thinking about everything when I suddenly stopped.

"What?" Callum said.

"My house." I muttered. "I should go back and lock up properly. Check the windows."

He looked at me. "Now?"

"It’ll take five minutes." I pleaded. "I’ll go and come straight back."

"I’ll come with you." He said.

"Callum—"

"I’ll come with you." He said with a tone of finality.

We went back out into the cold and walked to my house and I was already planning what I was going to do when I saw the door and stopped.

Callum stopped beside me.

The door was open.

I had closed that door. I had pulled it shut behind me when I left to follow the figure. I was absolutely certain.

"Stay here." Callum muttered.

"Someone could still be—"

"Stay here." He said.

He moved to the door, pushed it open and went inside while I stood on the path and stared at the open frame and waited as the cold bit into my skin.

He took longer than probably was necessary.

"Clear." His voice rang out from inside.

I went in.

The house looked the same on the surface. There was nothing out of place, but I could feel it.

Someone had been here.

"Nothing taken." I said slowly, looking around. "Everything’s where I left it."

"Check properly." Callum said. "Drawers. The wardrobe. Anything you’d notice was out of place."

I went through it all. Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen. Everything looked right. But the feeling didn’t go away.

"Nothing taken." I said. "But someone was here. They were looking for something and either they found it or they didn’t find it and neither of those are comforting."

Callum crouched at the door frame and looked at the lock. "This was forced." He said. "Someone who knew what they were doing with a proper tool."

He stood and looked at me and something that looked like concern flashed across his face.

"You can’t stay here tonight." He turned to me.

"I know." I said.

"You can’t stay here until the door is replaced too." He reminded.

"Let’s just get through tonight." I said.

He looked at me for a moment. Then he nodded and we walked back to the mansion through the cold and I was aware of him beside me the whole way. We were not close enough so that anyone watching would have seen anything but the Alpha walking a pack member home.

We walked into his home, right to Nadia’s room,, stopping at the door.

He looked at me in the dim light of the hallway and I looked back at him silently. Nothing was said between us for a long moment.

"Callum." I finally said.

"I know." He rubbed his face. "It’s been a long day."

"There’s something I need to—"

"Tomorrow." He said. "Get some sleep first."

I looked at him.

Neither of us moved for a moment that lasted longer than it should have.

"There’s a lot I should have said." He said finally. "I know that."

"Yeah." I agreed.

"Tomorrow." He said again.

I pushed the door open and went inside and heard him stand there for a moment before his footsteps moved back down the corridor.

I had been pushing the conversation to tomorrow.

Tomorrow kept coming and I kept not having it.

Fuck.

I’d chased a faceless threat barefoot across frozen grass but I couldn’t even speak a single truth to his face.