(Ava’s POV)
The air in the Shadow Claw war room was always stale—too many secrets trapped in the walls.
Eli sat across from me, his fingers trembling around a chipped mug of tea he hadn’t touched. I kept my tone gentle, even as my stare pinned him like a dagger. He wasn’t my enemy—not yet. But I needed answers, and I was done waiting.
“You were on comms duty the night the Ravenwood camp ambushed us,” I said. “Only six people had access to our route. You were one of them.”
Eli’s throat worked around a dry swallow. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”
“But someone did get hurt, Eli,” I said. “One of our own nearly died. And if there’s a leak—if there’s betrayal happening right under Dominic’s nose—I need to know.”
His voice cracked. “They… they threatened my sister. She’s not even a
