Chapter 46

Cassie spends the night in the hospital, recovering from a concussion and injuries from Webber’s attack. Released to Agent Briggs the next morning, she learns Agent Sterling’s injuries were minor but she’s been placed on leave pending psychological clearance. Cassie worries Sterling may not return, and Briggs admits shared guilt that the Naturals were put in danger.

Instead of heading home, Briggs takes Cassie to Webber’s apartment across from the prison. He invites her to examine the meticulously cataloged evidence, not to solve anything new, but to help her contextualize the man who tried to kill her. Cassie profiles Webber through his journals and artifacts, seeing a small, compartmentalized life and an obsession with Daniel Redding that grew into emulation.

From the journals, Cassie reconstructs the timeline: after Webber transferred to Redding’s block, Redding exploited his need for power, tasking him to track Briggs and locate Dean. An article about Agent Lacey Locke’s murders prompted Redding to design “tests” for multiple apprentices; Webber facilitated communication and then decided to outdo the others. He killed Emerson Cole, the professor, and the two rival apprentices, fantasized about killing Trina, and ensured Christopher Simms would not survive. The revelations confirm Redding’s orchestration and Webber’s escalation.

Having processed the evidence, Cassie feels steadier. Back at the house near dusk, Lia, Dean, and Sloane wait while Michael vents by smashing a junk car’s windows. Sensing Cassie chose Dean after the woods, Michael masks hurt with cutting remarks, pushing her away. Cassie moves toward Dean, and when Michael asks if things would be different had he been there, she remains silent, cementing the choice and the fracture with Michael.