The morning felt heavier than the last.

There was no danger in the air. No gang in the shadows. No scouts, no warnings, no firebombed doorways.

Just silence.

And that was worse.

I sat on the stairs while Dev argued with a paralegal over the phone. Anika paced by the windows, checking for mail that would never come. Sasha sorted through a box of donation papers like it mattered.

Mira colored quietly in the corner, her little legs swinging off the edge of the couch.

I didn’t know how to start.

Nyx, for once, was silent. Watching.

When Dev finally slammed the phone down with a curse, I stood up.

“I need to talk to everyone,” I said.

They all looked up.

Anika narrowed her eyes. “Now’s not really—”

“I won’t take long.”

Dev looked at me first, really looked. His jaw tightened. “You did something.”

I nodded.

Sasha rose slowly, arms folding. “What did you do?”

I didn’t pace. I didn’t fidget.

I stood still.

“I made a deal.”

Silence. Again. Thick and immediate.

“With who?” Anika asked, though I think she already knew.

“The gang,” I said. “The one behind the land complaint. The threats. All of it.”

Dev swore. “You what?”

“I met with them two nights ago,” I said. “They said if I joined them—worked with them—they’d leave the shelter alone. Permanently.”

“And you said yes,” Sasha whispered, disbelief sharp in her voice.

“I said yes,” I confirmed. “Because we’re out of time. Because I watched Mira sleep with a stuffed animal last night and wondered if it would be her last night here.”

Anika’s mouth tightened. “You don’t get to make that call.”

“No,” I said softly. “But I made it anyway.”

Sasha’s arms dropped to her sides. “You’re going to work for criminals.”

“I’ve already killed some of them,” I said. “This won’t be the worst thing I’ve done.”

“Do you even care what this does to you?” Dev asked.

I smiled, just a little. “No. But I care what happens to you.”

Mira walked up to me then, blinking up with wide, confused eyes.

“Are you going somewhere?”

I crouched. “Yeah, baby. Just for a while.”

“Are you coming back?”

“I’ll try.”

That was the only promise I could make.

She hugged me tightly around the neck and didn’t let go until Anika came to gently pull her back.

I stood again, facing them all.

“You don’t have to forgive me,” I said. “You don’t even have to understand. Just… keep this place alive. That’s all I want.”

I turned and walked toward the door.

“Rhea,” Anika called.

I paused.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “Even if I hate what you’ve done.”

I nodded.

I didn’t look back.