Chapter 97

**Adam**

The conference room was quiet, too quiet for the kind of meeting I’d just called. Fares leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his face unreadable. Alex was scrolling on a tablet, pulling up maps and security feeds as if preparing for a tactical raid. Cassius sat with his elbows on the table, his expression wary.

I stood at the head of the table, hands braced on the surface, heart hammering. My mind hadn’t stopped racing since we returned from the infirmary.

I took a breath. “Aria is pregnant.”

The words dropped like stones.

Cassius blinked. Fares sat forward. Alex looked up, stunned.

“Wait—what?” Cassius said, his voice sharp. “You just say that like it’s a report about supply stock?”

“Twins,” I added, because somehow saying it aloud again made it more real. “She’s expecting twins.”

Cassius straightened. “Adam, she’s my sister. Maybe you should’ve let her share that news—”

“There’s no time for niceties,” I snapped. “We have a threat in the community, and she’s vulnerable. That comes first.”

Fares raised an eyebrow. “That’s unlike you. Normally you’d give a speech before upsetting someone.”

I shot him a look. “Do you think I like being this way? I’m not sleeping. I’m not eating. I’m planning escape routes in my head every time I look at her.”

Alex spoke up. “I assume this stays between the four of us.”

“It doesn’t leave this room,” I said.

“And Caedmon?” Fares asked. “He’s been quiet. Too quiet.”

I nodded. “That’s why we’re here. We need to mislead him. Make sure he doesn’t learn about the pregnancy.”

Cassius ran a hand over his face. “She’s not going to like that you’re hiding it. She wants honesty.”

“Then she’ll hate me later,” I said. “Right now, her safety and the babies’ safety come before her opinion of me.”

They exchanged glances.

“We could leak false information,” Alex suggested. “Feed him a detail through a fake source. Something harmless but enough to redirect his attention.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“We say she’s been sick because of the transition. Side effects. Maybe some delayed rejection symptoms.”

Fares nodded slowly. “It tracks. It would explain her fatigue and keep him from digging deeper.”

“And in the meantime?” Cassius asked.

“We isolate him,” I said. “Restrict access without making it obvious.”

Alex smirked. “I can arrange a digital quarantine. Block him from sensitive systems. Make it look like a network glitch.”

“He’ll catch on,” Fares warned.

“Let him,” I said. “Let him get nervous. Paranoid. That’s when people make mistakes.”

Cassius studied me for a long moment. “You’re changing.”

“I have to,” I said simply. “There are things I swore I’d never become. But if that’s the cost of keeping her alive, I’ll pay it.”

We spent another twenty minutes finalizing the plan, then filed out of the room one by one. I lingered, reviewing the feeds Alex had sent me, heart still racing with a dangerous mix of fear and adrenaline.

I nearly collided with him in the hallway.

Caedmon.

He was dressed too perfectly, as always, like he’d stepped out of a Victorian portrait. He smiled that calm, cold smile that always made my skin crawl.

“Adam,” he said smoothly. “A pleasure. You look… tense.”

“Just tired,” I said. “You know how it is.”

He tilted his head. “Something important in that meeting?”

“Security updates. Nothing you’d be interested in.”

He stepped closer, just a little too close. “I hear Aria hasn’t been herself lately. You know, there are rare illnesses that manifest after hybrid transitions. You might consider—”

“We have it handled,” I said, cutting him off.

He smiled wider. “Of course. Forgive me. I only care for the wellbeing of our shining star.”

“You should worry about your own wellbeing,” I said, my voice flat. “We wouldn’t want you stumbling into matters that don’t concern you.”

For a moment, his expression flickered. Just for a second. Then he bowed slightly and walked past me.

I turned, watching him disappear down the hallway.

He knew.

Or at least, he suspected.

And now I had no choice but to become the kind of man I’d always judged.

Because protecting Aria wasn’t just something I wanted anymore. It was something I’d burn the world down for.

**ARIA**

The walls felt too close. My thoughts too loud. I needed air—something open, something still untouched by tension and secrets. So I left the apartment, pulling on a soft hoodie over my dress and stepping barefoot into the corridor. The quiet of the halls usually comforted me.

But not today.

I turned the corner just as I heard Alex’s voice, hushed but sharp.

"The plan’s flawed, Fares. It won’t hold up. Caedmon will find out eventually—she’s not showing any symptoms of turning. She’s not becoming a hybrid."

I stopped cold, heart thudding. Fares’ voice followed, lower and clipped. "Then make sure he doesn’t look too closely. That’s your job."

I stepped into view. "What are you talking about?"

Both men stiffened. Fares met my eyes, then turned quickly to Alex. "Handle it."

And then he walked away.

Alex looked like he’d swallowed something sharp. "Aria, hey. We were just—"

"Spare me," I snapped. "What did Fares mean? What are you hiding?"

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly panicking. "It’s... a cover story. That you’re sick because you’re turning into a hybrid. It’s the only way we could explain the fatigue."

"So everyone thinks I’m transitioning?" I asked, stunned. "Because of Adam’s bite?"

"Yes."

"But that’s not what’s happening."

"No."

"And Caedmon—"

"Can’t find out about the pregnancy. Not until we get rid of him. We thought this would buy time."

My pulse roared in my ears. "And you didn’t think to tell me?"

He winced. "Adam said—"

"Of course he did," I muttered.

I didn’t wait to hear the rest.

I turned and stormed down the corridor, the cold floor biting at my feet, anger rising in hot waves. It wasn’t just the lie—it was what it took from me. Telling
Cassius, Leila, Rosalie... I had imagined that moment a dozen times. Standing beside Adam and Austin, glowing with joy, sharing our miracle.

But now that moment was gone.

I didn’t know where Adam was exactly, but I would find him.

And he would explain why he talked about our babies behind my back.