Page 32 of Heart of the Rebel Mate

I sink back into my chair, gripping the edge of my desk to ground myself.

The knowledge burns.

I force myself to think logically and push back against wave after wave of anger and disbelief that washes over me. Who had access to these documents? Who stood to gain by selling me out? My mind runs through names, faces, conversations replaying with new meaning. Was it the hesitant pauses in meetings? The vague excuses for missed deadlines? The carefully neutral expressions when I spoke of progress?

"They'll come for you next, Elara. Be careful."

Alden's voice is quiet, but the warning rings loud in my ears.

Be careful.

As if caution will stop them.

We both know that once the Council sets its sights on someone, there's no amount of careful maneuvering that can undo it. The decision has already been made.

I swallow hard. "How much time do I have?"

Alden shifts his stance. "Hours. Maybe a day. They'll move fast."

I grip the desk harder and my nails pressing into the polished wood hurt like hell, but I don't even mind. It's a welcome distraction. Every second wasted is another moment closer to the inevitable.

I need to act.

The urge to run flares in my chest, but I tamp it down. Running would only confirm their suspicions. And worse, it would mean leaving behind everything I've worked for.

I can't leave.

Not yet.

I glance at the documents on my desk again. Evidence of betrayal, of someone working against me.

If I go down, I won't go down blind.

My voice steadies as I meet Alden's gaze. "I need access to the security records. If someone leaked this, there's a trail."

Alden hesitates. "Elara?—"

"I can't just sit here and wait to be arrested," I snap. "If I know who did this, maybe I can?—"

"Can what?" Alden's voice is sharp now, edged with something I can't place. "Expose them? Appeal to the Council for fairness?" He shakes his head, his gaze dark. "They don't care about fairness. They care about control."

The words sting because I know they're true.

Even so, I can't stand by and donothing. I push away from my desk and get to my feet. The weight in my chest is still there, pressing down like an anvil dropped from a height. But beneath it is something steadier. A flicker of defiance.

"If they're going to take me," I say, my voice working its way from trembling to firm, "they'll have to work for it."

Alden studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Then we move fast."

I inhale deeply, steadying myself.

The betrayal still lingers, coiling like a vice around my ribs. But if they think I'm just going to sit here and accept my fate, they don't know me at all. I am my father's daughter, and we do not usually go out without a fight.

I may be cornered.

But I'm not done yet.

The air is burdened with silence, yet every footstep, every shift in the crowd, rings out like a bell. The enforcers are a wall of black uniforms and as if that wasn't scary enough, their faces are blank and their expressions are unreadable. The mere sound of their boots on the ground is enough to strike fear into the hearts of the most defiant and courageous citizen.

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