Cora blinked rapidly in disbelief, and my own mouth fell open. Roger tensed in his chair, and I felt Sinclair do the same beside me.

"Wha—what?" Cora asked, aghast, leaning forward to stare more closely at Henry. "The problem is Hank? Hank? What the hell kind of problem is Hank?"

I grimaced slightly as she became defensive. I darted my eyes to Roger, seeing him subtly bristle. I knew Roger was jealous of Hank—not intensely, not in a malicious way. He didn't blame Cora for her past hesitations, but

he wouldn't be thrilled about Cora's ex's continued presence in our lives, especially given her defense of Hank.

"Please, Cora," Henry said, extending a placating hand. "Just hear me out."

"What is wrong with Hank?" she insisted, her anger upsetting Roger further. I glanced at Sinclair, worried. His expression mirrored my own.

"Please," Henry repeated, leaning forward and staring intensely at Cora. "I mean no insult. I just want to discuss."

Slowly, still hesitant, Cora leaned back, crossing her arms. She wasn't happy, but she was willing to listen.

"I'm just concerned," Henry continued, "about this man's continued connection to this family."

"Damn straight," Roger muttered, his face turned toward the table. Cora shot him a dirty look, which he pretended not to see.

"Why?" I asked, confused. "He's our doctor—he did such a good job caring for Rafe—"

"Yes," Henry said, turning to me and holding my gaze. "He did a very good job. He was at your beck and call. He was conveniently available when you were injured after the temple incident and worked incredibly hard to keep you and Rafe alive beyond the point when other doctors would have given up."

Henry paused, letting me consider his words. "No," Cora interjected, shaking her head vehemently. "Henry, you're wrong—"

"Oh my god," I whispered, a frightened hand flying to my mouth. "Do you seriously think?"

"This is ridiculous!" Cora cried, but Henry continued as if he hadn't heard her.

"We know the Cult is incredibly adept at infiltrating lives," Henry said to me and Sinclair. "They tend to place people in high-powered positions—lawyers, bankers, doctors. We also know that Xander, if he's behind this, is happy to play the long game."

"Christ," Sinclair muttered, covering his face with his hand. "How did we not see this coming—"

"Because it didn't happen!" Cora cried, standing up. "Hank is not part of this—he's my colleague! We work together!"

"At a clinic we built, Cora," Roger pointed out, carefully controlling his temper. "At a clinic we pay for. This man issuddenly very involved in our lives. Dad has a good point."

"You're all ridiculous," Cora growled, shaking her head. "Hank is a good person who has only done wonderful things for this family. I know him. I know he only wants to help and bring wolf and human cultures together." She paused, furious, glaring at us. "And you all owe him an apology for doubting him."

I nodded, understanding her point. Henry had a point too; we needed to be careful, especially knowing the Cult's history of sleeper agents. But Hank himself? He hadn't given us any reason to doubt him.

But Henry, Sinclair, and Roger didn't nod with me. They quietly looked away, not voicing the thought echoing in my mind: that Cora might not want to believe bad things about Hank because of their closeness; that if he tricked us all, he'd tricked her most; and that would be devastating to realize.

"You're all ridiculous," Cora growled again. Seeing her intuition of our thoughts, she clamped her mouth shut and stormed from the room, slamming the door. Roger rose to follow, but I raised a hand.

"Let her go," I advised, sighing. "Let her cool off. It's harder for her to hear than for us. All right?"

"Why does she even care?" he growled, his jealousy palpable.

"He's her ex, Roger," I said softly, "but they didn't have a bad breakup like I did with Mike. If anything, she was the one who cheated on him and got pregnant." I shook my head as his jaw dropped. "Cora doesn't hate him, and you can't ask her to."

Roger clenched his jaw, then turned away with a sigh, running his fingers frustratedly through his hair.

"I'll handle it," Sinclair said softly, gently offering Rafe to me so he could go to his brother. I took the baby and watched my mate approach Roger, to talk, to offer support, while Roger processed his emotions. I was again grateful for my steady mate's deep care for those he loved.

"Are you all right, Ella?" Henry asked softly.

"I am," I said, turning to him and sighing. "It was a lot of news, wasn't it?" Henry raised his eyebrows, acknowledging my understatement. "But I'll get through it," I said, confidently. "We all will, because we have each other."

"That's the spirit," Henry said, patting my hand. He leaned closer to Rafe. "See the trouble you've caused, grandson?" he teased. Rafe squealed in protest, making us laugh.

"He's no trouble," I cooed, smiling at my baby. "That's everyone else's job. Rafe is just here to be our perfect little prince," I sighed.

"Truer words," Henry said softly, watching his grandchild. "A prince he is. And someday, a king."

"Goddess willing," I murmured, shaking my head. On days like this, Rafe's future felt distant, fraught with obstacles. But I steeled myself, knowing it was my job to overcome them for him.

Because my little boy deserved the world, and I would give it to him. And anyone who stood in my way had better watch out.