Page 55 of Bitten, Marked, Obsessed

“—And this isn’t just about territory anymore. It’s about message. About power. About who controls the narrative before the humans do.”

I move to stand beside Elias, silent, unnoticed for now.

Mathis continues, his tone clipped and sharp. “Typhon’s Brood struck again. East Ridge. Four humans dead. One tagged shifter found at the scene.”

The room shifts. A collective inhale. Someone mutters a curse under their breath.

“Tell me again who they are?” one of the younger lieutenants asks.

Elias leans toward me. “You’re not gonna like this part,” he whispers.

Mathis answers, loud and clear. “Typhon’s Brood is a rogue faction. Old blood shifters and supernatural extremists who believe peaceful coexistence is a joke. They think the humans need a reason to fear us again. Arealreason.”

“They’re trying to start a war,” someone says.

“They already have,” Mathis replies. “And this awakened bloodline gave them the perfect reason to stop holding back.”

The room breaks into argument—factions bickering about retaliation, damage control, whether to go public or sweep it under the rug.

I’ve had enough.

“What’s the plan?” I say loud enough to cut through the noise.

All heads turn to me now.

Mathis’s jaw twitches. “Glad you decided to join us.”

“I brought news from Fire,” I say. “You said you wanted diplomacy. I gave it to you. What’s your move now that it’s falling apart?”

He eyes me like I’m one bad decision from being cut out of the loop completely. “Our move is containment. Before humans pin this on all of us. Before the girl’s name gets dragged into it and makes this all worse for us.”

A beat of silence.

The girl.

No one says her name, but they all know who he means.

I fold my arms. “You want to talk containment? Fine. Then we need to start being honest about what the hell she really is.”

The room stills.

Mathis narrows his gaze. “Careful, Callum.”

Elias places a hand on my arm. A silent warning. Not here. Not now.

“May I speak freely?” I ask, eyes never leaving my father.

“You already are.”

I grit my teeth. “Then let me be clear. If we keep pretending the Bolvi line is just some footnote in an old war story, we’re gonna get blindsided. You think this is aboutone girl? It’s not. It’s about what sherepresents.”

“And what’s that?” Mathis asks, voice dry.

I meet his gaze head-on.

“A bloodline older than your title. A legacy we buried because we were scared of what it meant.”

He doesn’t answer. No one does, so I walk out.

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