Free Web NovelChapter 131: Chapter 130 : Security Concerns
Eve knocked on Damian’s office door, her mind still buzzing with the joy of seeing Maya again. After four months of separation, having her best friend here felt like reclaiming a piece of herself she’d thought was lost forever.
"Come in," Damian’s voice called from inside.
Eve pushed open the door and found all three of her mates already assembled. Damian sat behind his massive desk, his expression unreadable but his posture tense. Damon stood near the window, arms crossed, his usual restless energy dialed up to an uncomfortable frequency. Silas occupied one of the chairs facing the desk, his dark eyes tracking her movement as she entered.
The moment she stepped inside, the weight of their combined alpha presence hit her like a physical force. This wasn’t the comfortable, protective energy she was used to. This was serious.
"Sit," Damian said, gesturing to the chair beside Silas.
Eve sat, her earlier happiness dimming slightly. "What’s wrong? Is this about Maya?"
"Yes," Damian confirmed, leaning forward with his elbows on the desk. "We need to discuss the security implications of having a human in the estate right now."
"Security implications?" Eve repeated, her voice taking on a defensive edge. "She’s my best friend. She’s not a threat."
"We’re not saying she is," Silas said gently, his hand coming to rest on her knee in a grounding gesture. "But we need to consider the bigger picture here."
Damon turned from the window, his green eyes serious. "Eve, we had an assassin infiltrate the estate less than a week ago. An assassin who got into your room while you were sleeping and nearly killed you. We still don’t know how he bypassed our security, and we haven’t ruled out the possibility of inside help."
Eve’s stomach tightened. "You think Maya could be working with the Seraphim Court? That’s insane. She doesn’t even know about any of this!"
"We don’t think she’s working with them," Damian clarified, his voice firm but not unkind. "But her presence here creates vulnerabilities we need to address."
He pulled out a tablet and turned it toward Eve, showing what looked like security camera footage and incident reports. "Since you arrived at this estate, we’ve had: one major power surge that was felt by every supernatural being within fifty miles, alerting the Court to your general location. One assassination attempt and another massive power surge. Your uncle’s arrival, which involved him having to stabilize you."
Damian’s gray eyes met hers steadily. "Every one of those events was a beacon. The Court knows you’re here, knows you’re powerful, and knows you’re worth either recruiting or eliminating. We are currently on high alert,
"And you’re worried Maya will get caught in the crossfire," Eve said quietly, understanding beginning to dawn.
"Exactly," Silas confirmed. "If another attack comes...and it will come, Eve, make no mistake about that...we need to be able to protect everyone in this estate. That’s easier to do when everyone present is either pack or supernatural. They can defend themselves, follow orders in a crisis, understand the threats we’re facing."
"Maya is human," Damon continued, his voice gentler now, with no supernatural awareness, no combat training, no understanding of what’s really happening here. If something goes down while she’s visiting, she becomes a liability. Worse....she becomes a target."
Eve’s hands clenched in her lap. She wanted to argue, wanted to insist that Maya would be fine, that nothing would happen. But she couldn’t. Not honestly. Because they were right.
"So what are you saying?" Eve asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "That she can’t stay? That I have to send my best friend away right after she finally found me again?"
"No," Damian said, and Eve’s head snapped up in surprise. "We’re not saying that. We understand how important she is to you. How much you need this connection to your former life, to the person you were before everything changed."
He stood and moved around the desk, leaning against it so he was closer to her. "What we’re saying is that if Maya stays, we need to establish clear security protocols. Rules that keep her safe and don’t compromise the estate’s defenses."
"What kind of rules?" Eve asked warily.
Damian exchanged glances with his brothers, clearly having discussed this before Eve arrived. "First, she needs to be escorted at all times when moving through the estate. No wandering off alone, no exploring restricted areas."
"Restricted areas?" Eve repeated.
"The training facility," Silas explained. "Your uncle’s quarters. The security command center. The armory. Basically, anywhere that would expose her to obvious supernatural activity or sensitive pack information."
"She can stay in the guest wing," Damon added. "Use the main living areas, the gardens, the library....places where pack members gather normally and nothing overtly supernatural is likely to happen."
"Second," Damian continued, "she cannot know the truth about what you are. About any of this."
Eve opened her mouth to protest, but Damian held up a hand.
"I know that’s hard, Eve. I know you hate lying to your friend. But the supernatural world has rules about exposure. Humans who learn about us without being born into it or mated into it become security risks. They have to be monitored, sometimes memory-wiped, occasionally eliminated if they become threats."
His expression softened at Eve’s horrified look. "We would never let it come to that with Maya. But other supernaturals? The Court? They wouldn’t hesitate. If they discovered that a random human civilian knows about the Seraphim heir, about werewolf packs, about any of this...they’d see her as a loose end that needs to be tied up."
"You mean killed," Eve said flatly.
"Yes," Damian confirmed without flinching. "So for her safety as much as ours, she stays in the dark. Completely."
Eve felt tears prick at her eyes. She’d known, logically, that she couldn’t tell Maya the truth. But hearing it stated so bluntly, understanding the real consequences...it made the deception feel heavier.
"What do I tell her?" Eve asked, her voice small. "She’s going to have questions. She already thinks everything about this situation is weird. How do I explain why I can’t show her certain parts of the estate? Why I disappeared for four months? Why I’m ’training’ with my uncle?"
"Tell her as much truth as you can without revealing the supernatural elements," Silas suggested. "Tell her the brothers are very private, very security-conscious billionaires. Tell her there are business-sensitive areas of the estate that even you don’t have access to. Tell her your uncle is teaching you about your birth family’s history and culture."
"None of that is technically a lie," Damon pointed out. "We are private and security-conscious. There are areas you don’t access. Raphael is teaching you about your family. You’re just... omitting certain details."
Eve nodded slowly, hating this but understanding the necessity. "Okay. Escorted at all times, restricted areas are off-limits, no supernatural reveals. What else?"
"Limited visit duration," Damian said, and Eve’s head shot up.
"What? No. I just got her back..."
"Hear me out," Damian interrupted firmly. "We’re not talking days, Eve. We’re talking weeks. Maybe a month at most. Long enough for you two to reconnect, to spend real time together, to rebuild your friendship. But not so long that she starts noticing things she shouldn’t. Not so long that she becomes a permanent fixture here when we don’t know what threats are coming."
He moved closer, crouching in front of her chair so they were at eye level. "After her visit, you can see her regularly. We’ll arrange secure visits in neutral locations...restaurants, her apartment, public places where supernatural threats are less likely. You won’t lose her again, Eve. But we need to control the variables right now. Too much is happening too fast."
Eve looked at her mate....at the genuine concern in his gray eyes, at the protective tension in his shoulders.....and felt her resistance crumble. He was right. They were all right. As much as she wanted to pretend everything was normal, that Maya could just be here like any regular houseguest, the truth was far more complicated and dangerous.
"One month," Eve said finally. "She can stay for one month. That gives us time together without it being so long that she can’t explain the absence from her regular life." freёwebnovel.com
"Agreed," Damian said immediately, relief evident in his expression.
"And I want her to have as much freedom as possible within the safe areas," Eve continued, gaining confidence. "I don’t want her to feel like a prisoner. She should be able to use the library, the gardens, the entertainment rooms. She should be able to eat meals with the pack when appropriate. Make friends if she wants to."
"We can arrange that," Silas agreed. "As long as she’s escorted and stays in approved areas."
"And I get to tell her about the restrictions myself," Eve added. "In my own words, in my own way. I don’t want her to feel ambushed or interrogated by you three."
"Fair enough," Damon said.
Eve took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Okay. I can work with this. It’s not ideal, but I understand why it’s necessary."
"Thank you," Damian said, standing and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I know this isn’t easy. But we’re trying to keep everyone safe....including Maya."
