"So we must do something else. Or we pack our bags."
A devilish glint appeared in Kaiden's eyes. He already had a plan.
The girls saw it. Every single one of them recognized the shift, the way his posture loosened, the way the fury in his jaw settled into the cold architecture of a man who'd found the answer and was already three steps past it.
"We need something bigger," he said. "Something New Dawn won't dare fight with a squad like this."
Luna's grin died.
Calypso's tail went still.
Aria opened her mouth, closed it, then looked at Kaiden more carefully.
He wasn't reckless. He was never reckless. Reckless was Ash throwing himself at monsters he hadn't scouted because his ego demanded it. Kaiden threw himself at monsters he'd spent hours studying, because the math said he could win.
There was a difference.
