Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Why are you doing this?

Rosie processed this with the mindset of a child trying to understand adult things. Then she looked up at her father. "Daddy takes care of people too. He takes care of me."

Callum’s expression cracked around the edges. "Rosie, sweetheart, why don’t you go find Catherine? I think she was baking cookies earlier."

"Chocolate chip?"

"Probably."

That was all the incentive Rosie needed. She scrambled down from her father’s lap, grabbed her backpack, and headed for the door with single-minded determination. She paused just long enough to wave at Damon and Damian. "Bye, kings!"

Then she was gone, her small footsteps echoing down the hallway.

The silence she left behind was heavy.

Callum stood slowly. He didn’t meet their eyes. "If you’re here to pass sentence, I understand. I’m ready."

"Sit down," Damian said.

Callum sat. His hands were shaking slightly, Damon noticed. The man was terrified, but he was holding it together. That counted for something.

Damon took the chair across from him. Damian remained standing, arms crossed, the picture of Alpha authority.

"We’re not here to pass sentence," Damon said. "We’re here to offer you a choice."

Callum’s head came up. Confusion flickered across his face.

"You betrayed the pack," Damian said flatly. "Handed over security information that was used to coordinate an attack on our mate. On your Queen. Those are the facts, and we’re not going to pretend they don’t matter."

Callum flinched but didn’t look away.

"But," Damon continued, "we also know why you did it. We know Malachai’s people found Rosie. Threatened her directly. Used her as leverage to force your cooperation."

"That’s not an excuse," Callum said, his voice rough. "I should have come to you. Should have trusted you to protect her. I didn’t. That’s on me."

"You’re right," Damian said. "It’s not an excuse. But it is context. And context matters when we’re deciding what happens next."

Callum’s throat worked. "What are you saying?"

Damon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We’re saying that you have a choice. Option one: formal exile. We set you up somewhere safe, somewhere far enough from Seraphim Court politics that Malachai’s network won’t follow. We make sure Rosie is taken care of financially. You get to rebuild your life, but it won’t be here. It won’t be with the pack."

Callum’s face had gone pale, but he nodded. "And option two?"

"Probation," Damian said. "You stay with the pack. You work under direct supervision, mine specifically. You don’t make decisions without clearing them. You don’t have access to sensitive information. You submit to regular check-ins with pack leadership. You prove, over time, that you can be trusted again."

"For how long?" Callum’s voice was barely a whisper.

"Two years minimum," Damon said. "After that, we reassess. If you’ve held to the terms, if you’ve proven yourself reliable, we consider restoring limited authority. Limited, Callum. You understand? You’re never getting your position as second back. That’s gone."

"I understand." Callum’s hands were gripping the arms of his chair hard enough that his knuckles had gone white. "What would I do? During probation?"

"Whatever we need you to do," Damian said. "Security patrols. Training supervision. Administrative work. You’d be useful. Productive. But you wouldn’t be in a position of significant authority or access."

"And Rosie?"

"Rosie stays with you," Damon said immediately. "That’s non-negotiable in either scenario. She’s your daughter. She needs her father. And she’s innocent in all of this."

Callum’s eyes were suspiciously bright. "Why are you doing this? Why give me a choice at all? Pack law is clear about betrayal."

Damian moved then, crossing to stand directly in front of Callum. When he spoke, his voice was quiet but absolutely certain. "Because I’ve spent the last two weeks watching you with your daughter. Watching you cooperate with every single request we’ve made even though you had no guarantee we wouldn’t just execute you anyway. Watching you take responsibility without making excuses. And because...." He paused. "Because I had a second I trusted for twelve years. And I’d like to believe that man is still in there somewhere, underneath the fear and the desperation and the mistakes."

Callum’s breath caught.

"But here’s the thing," Damian continued, his voice hardening slightly. "If you choose probation and you step out of line even once, if you betray our trust again in any way, there won’t be another conversation. There won’t be another choice. It will be permanent exile at best. Execution at worst. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"And the pack needs to see that there were consequences. Real ones. So if you stay, you make a formal acknowledgment of what you did. Public. In front of the pack. You own it completely."

Callum swallowed hard. "I can do that."

Damon stood as well. "You don’t have to decide right now. Take tonight. Think about what you want. What’s best for Rosie. What you can actually commit to. And tomorrow morning, you give us your answer."

Callum looked between them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Damon said.

"If it had been you.....if someone had threatened the Luna, threatened your mate, the way they threatened Rosie, what would you have done?"

The question hung in the air.

Damon didn’t hesitate. "I would have burned the entire Court to the ground. I would have torn apart anyone who even thought about touching her. I would have done things that would make what you did look like a minor administrative violation."

"But you would have trusted your brothers first," Callum said quietly. "You would have brought them in. Worked together. That’s the difference, isn’t it? You would have trusted your pack."

"Maybe," Damian said. "Or maybe we just haven’t been tested the way you were. Maybe we’ve been lucky enough not to have to make that choice when we’re alone and terrified and convinced that asking for help will get the person we love killed."

Callum’s expression cracked completely. He looked away, blinking hard.

"Think about it," Damon said gently. "Whatever you decide, we’ll make it work. But Callum...." He waited until the other man looked at him. "Rosie deserves a father who’s present. Who’s part of a community. Who has support. Keep that in mind when you’re making your choice."