It was past midnight when the shelter's kitchen turned into a war room.

The overhead lights buzzed faintly, casting long shadows across the cracked linoleum floor. The staff had gathered—Anika, Sasha, Dev, even old Mr. Khouri with his limp and ever-present thermos of burnt coffee. Mira slept upstairs, tucked beneath a threadbare blanket, blissfully unaware.

They were all whispering at first. But whispers turned into urgent words, and words turned into fear.

“They’ll retaliate,” Dev said. “You don’t humiliate one of their lieutenants and expect them to just let it go.”

“He wasn’t just a lieutenant,” Sasha muttered, arms folded tightly. “He was family. That’s what I heard. Nephew to someone high up.”

Anika didn’t speak. Her jaw was clenched so tight her cheek twitched.

“We can’t stay here,” Mr. Khouri said. “Not with the kid. They’ll come looking.”

“Where would we even go?” Sasha asked. “We barely keep the heat on.”

“Then we fight,” Dev offered. “We’ve done it before. Quietly. Strategically.”

Anika finally snapped her gaze toward me. “And you? Got any more bright ideas that’ll get us all killed?”

I didn’t flinch. Leaned back in my chair, eyes shadowed but steady.

“They’re not going to wait,” I said. “By morning, we’re a target. If you want out, take Mira and go. Tonight. You’ve got maybe six hours before they send scouts.”

“And what about you?” Sasha asked.

“I stay.”

Anika groaned. “Of course you do.”

“I’m the reason they’re coming. Let them find me.”

“No,” Mr. Khouri said quietly. “They won’t stop with you. You’re just the excuse.”

Silence fell again, thicker this time.

Sasha exhaled. “So… what? We pack up? Just disappear?”

“We bunker down,” Anika said. “We fortify what we can. Call in favors. Tell the others not to come back for now. The fewer people here, the safer.”

“Except for us,” Dev muttered.

“We make a show of it,” I said. “Make them believe we’re not afraid. Sometimes that’s enough to stall them.”

Anika looked at me hard. “You planning to take them all on by yourself again?”

I didn’t answer. Nyx purred in the back of my mind. “Round twooo~”

Mr. Khouri shook his head. “We need a miracle.”

“We’ve got time,” Anika said. “Not much, but enough to prepare. We don’t abandon this place unless we absolutely have to.”

Sasha nodded. “We protect the shelter. We protect Mira.”

And I, silent again, stared out the window into the dark.

I knew they were coming.

Let them come—I was ready this time, and they'd learn just how sharp my teeth had grown.