The courtyard was still full of people, but the first wave of emergency had passed, and now it was the second wave, which was quieter.
Fighters in small clusters checking equipment. A cluster of the younger scouts being briefed by someone I didn't recognize. The omegas moving in and out of the main doors with water and blankets and thermoses, setting up what looked like a long night.
I came out the side door with my luggage and my laptop bag in my other hand, and I had almost made it to the drive when Nadia saw me.
She was crossing the courtyard with a clipboard. She stopped and looked at my bags.
"Ms. Winters."
"Nadia."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
She looked at me for a long second. She just looked tired.
"The Alpha knows?"
"He does."
"Ms. Winters," she said, "I'm not going to ask you to stay. But I'd like to know if there's a reason. If there's something I should know for—for the house."
