“YOU ARE not one of us anymore.”
The words landed cleanly. No echo. No ceremony beyond the silence that followed.
Jeremiah stood at the center of the long table, boots planted on polished concrete, hands loose at his sides. He did not look surprised. He had known this moment was coming from the second the summons went out to all officers and senior members.
Still, knowing did not blunt the cut.
Ronan sat at the head of the table, back straight, expression carved into something hard and immovable. The men flanking him avoided Jeremiah’s eyes. Some stared at the tabletop. Others fixed their gaze on the far wall like it held absolution.
Lily stood near the doorway.
Jeremiah felt her before he looked at her. He always did.
Her arms were crossed tight over her chest, fingers digging into
