Gabriel's breathing deepened into sleep, his arm heavy across my waist. I watched him in the moonlight—the sharp line of his jaw, the vulnerability in his relaxed features.
My mate. My Alpha. The man who'd declared war on three packs for me.
I slipped from beneath his arm with practiced stealth. My phone screen blazed too bright in the darkness as I typed a message.
Me: Terrace. Need to discuss something. Important.
The air bit through my nightgown the moment I stepped outside. The pack house slept around us, windows dark except for security lights. I wrapped my arms around myself, waiting.
Nate emerged from the shadows, still in pajama pants and a t-shirt, keeping careful distance between us. "What's so urgent it couldn't wait until morning?"
"I need a favor."
His eyes narrowed. "What kind of favor?"
"I want to meet Evelyn Barrett."
The words hung in the cold air. Nate's expression shifted from suspicion to disbelief.
"Gabriel's former fiancée? Are you insane?"
"I need to talk to her. Woman to woman. See if there's another way through this mess."
"There isn't." His voice was flat, certain. "You don't know Evelyn."
"Then tell me."
Nate leaned against the terrace railing, maintaining the space between us like a barrier.
"She's exactly what an Alpha's daughter should be—beautiful, polished, perfectly trained. But that's the surface. Underneath, she's ruthless. I've watched her destroy rivals with a smile, orchestrate political coups over afternoon tea. Her father might be the Alpha, but Evelyn's the one who understands real power."
"Good. Then she'll understand negotiation."
"Or she'll gut you the moment you're alone with her."
"I'll take that risk."
"Why?" Nate's voice hardened. "Why would you risk everything?"
"Because Gabriel's ready to sacrifice his entire pack for me. Because the council has no solutions. Because I'm the one thing Barrett wants gone—maybe I can use that."
"Gabriel would never agree to this."
"Which is why he can't know." I stepped closer, but Nate stepped back, maintaining distance. "I need you to arrange it. Quietly. No trails back to him."
"You're asking me to lie to my Alpha."
"I'm asking you to help save the pack."
Nate studied me in the moonlight, his expression unreadable. "You realize what you're asking? For me to betray his trust, go behind his back?"
"I'm asking for time. That's all. Time to find another solution before more people die."
"And if Evelyn refuses? If she uses this meeting against you?"
"Then at least I tried."
The silence stretched between us. Finally, Nate spoke. "I can reach out to her contacts. It'll take time. Everything has to be untraceable."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. This could destroy everything." He straightened, his professional mask sliding into place. "There's something else. You need to tell Gabriel the truth about who you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Drop the act. Show him the real Katherine—the brilliant strategist. The woman who memorized every treaty and alliance. He deserves to know who he's really mated to."
"Not now. Not with everything else falling apart."
"Then when?"
"After this is resolved. When there's time, when we're safe—"
"There might not be an after."
The words hung heavy between us.
"There has to be." I met his eyes directly. "I love him, Nate. Despite everything, despite the masks and lies… I love him."
Something flickered across his face—pain, quickly suppressed. His hands clenched at his sides, but he maintained his distance, every inch the controlled Beta.
"I know," he said quietly. "You've made that clear."
"Nate—"
"I'll contact Evelyn's people. Discreetly. But Kat…" He paused at the door. "When this goes wrong, and it will go wrong, remember that you asked for this. Remember that I warned you."
"I'll remember."
"And when Gabriel finds out, because he will find out, I won't lie for you. I'll arrange the meeting because the pack needs every option, but I won't betray him further by lying about it."
"I understand."
"Do you?" His voice turned sharp. "Do you understand what it costs me to help you? To watch you fight so hard for him while I—" He cut himself off, jaw clenching. "Forget it. Just be ready when I have news."
He disappeared inside, leaving me alone on the terrace. The cold seeped into my bones, but I stayed there, staring at the stars and planning what I'd say to Evelyn Barrett.
When I finally crept back to Gabriel's room, he stirred as I slipped into bed.
"Where were you?" he mumbled, pulling me against him.
"Just needed air," I whispered.
"You're freezing." His warmth enveloped me, the mate bond humming with contentment. "Don't wander off like that. Not with everything happening."
"I won't," I lied, letting him warm me while my mind raced with dangerous possibilities.
In the darkness, I thought about Nate's controlled distance, the pain he wouldn't let show, the favor that would cost him everything.
I thought about Gabriel's trust, sleeping peaceful beside me.
I thought about Evelyn Barrett, the ruthless woman who might be our salvation or our destruction.
The game was getting more dangerous. But I was done being a pawn.