Lena didn't knock.
Of course she didn't.
The door opened just enough for her to lean against the frame, arms crossed, eyes already scanning the room like she knew exactly what she'd find.
Kate froze for half a second.
Not obvious.
But enough.
Adrian didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't step away.
That was the first mistake.
Lena's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Oh," she said slowly.
Kate exhaled under her breath.
Here we go.
"What?" Kate asked, trying for casual.
Lena didn't answer right away.
She just pushed off the doorframe and stepped inside.
Slow.
Measured.
Dangerous in her own way.
Then—
"You two finally stopped pretending."
Silence.
Kate blinked. "Pretending what?"
Lena raised an eyebrow.
"Don't insult me."
Kate opened her mouth—
Then closed it again.
Because honestly?
There wasn't a good lie here.
Adrian finally spoke.
"It doesn't concern you."
Lena let out a soft laugh.
"Everything you do concerns me when it affects the situation."
"It doesn't," he said.
"It does," Lena countered instantly.
Her gaze flicked to Kate.
Sharp.
Knowing.
"You're a liability now."
Kate stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"Not because you're weak," Lena clarified.
"Because now you matter more."
That hit.
Hard.
Kate's jaw tightened. "I already mattered."
"Not like this."
Silence.
Because that—
That was true.
Lena stepped closer.
"You were important before," she said.
"Now?"
A pause.
"You're a weakness."
Adrian's expression darkened immediately.
"She's not."
Lena didn't even look at him.
"Yes, she is."
Kate stepped forward.
"No, I'm not."
Lena's gaze snapped to hers.
"Then prove it."
The room went still.
Kate didn't back down.
"I already have."
Lena tilted her head slightly.
"You've improved," she said.
"But improvement doesn't make you untouchable."
Kate's hands clenched at her sides.
"I never said I was untouchable."
"Then understand what this is," Lena said.
Her gaze flicked between them.
"This?" she gestured slightly. "This makes you a target in a way you weren't before."
Kate's voice lowered.
"I'm already a target."
"Yes," Lena said.
"But now?"
A beat.
"They won't just use you."
Silence.
Kate's stomach tightened.
"…What does that mean?"
Lena's expression didn't soften.
"It means they'll hurt you."
Adrian stepped forward instantly.
"That's not happening."
Lena finally looked at him.
"And what are you going to do about it?"
A pause.
Then—
His voice dropped.
Cold.
Certain.
"Everything."
That should've been reassuring.
But Lena didn't look impressed.
"That's not a plan," she said.
"That's emotion."
Kate stepped in before Adrian could respond.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Lena looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"For starters?" she said.
"Stop acting like this doesn't change things."
Kate's chest tightened.
"…It doesn't change how I fight."
"No," Lena agreed.
"But it changes how they fight."
That landed.
Hard.
Because Kate hadn't thought about that.
Not fully.
"They'll study you more," Lena continued.
"Watch you closer."
A pause.
"And they'll watch him."
Adrian didn't react.
Didn't need to.
"They'll wait for the moment he hesitates," Lena said.
Kate's breath caught.
"Because of you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Kate's gaze flicked to Adrian.
He didn't deny it.
Didn't even try.
"…You hesitate?" she asked quietly.
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
That hit deeper than anything Lena had said.
Kate swallowed.
"Then I won't give them that moment," she said.
Lena's brow lifted slightly.
"Oh?"
Kate stepped forward.
More certain now.
"I'll get better," she said.
"Faster. Stronger."
A beat.
"I won't be the reason he loses control."
Lena studied her.
Long.
Careful.
Then—
"…Good."
Kate blinked.
"…That's it?"
"For now," Lena said.
A pause.
Then—
Her gaze shifted back to Adrian.
"But if this gets in the way—"
"It won't," he cut in.
Lena's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You don't know that."
"I do."
Silence stretched between them.
Tense.
Unresolved.
Then—
Lena stepped back.
"Prove it," she said.
And just like that—
The pressure doubled.
Kate exhaled slowly.
Because now—
This wasn't just about surviving.
It was about proving she wasn't the weakness everyone expected her to be.
Even Lena.
Even Adrian.
Even herself.