FABIAN
The report lay open on my desk, each word like acid burning through the narrative I'd built over the last six years. I read it again, hoping somehow the words would change, rearrange themselves into something I could fight against. They didn't.
My office felt smaller suddenly, the walls pressing in. I ran my hand through my hair, tugging slightly at the roots. The pain helped ground me.
"Alpha?" Gage stood at attention by the door, waiting for my reaction.
Six years of anger. Six years of righteous fury. Six years of blaming her for everything.
And now this.
"You're certain this testimony is accurate?" My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.
"Yes, Alpha. The rogue, Nora, was questioned extensively. We verified her account against what records we could find."
I closed my eyes, remembering the day I found her. The day that changed everything.
---
