Chapter 20 - Jace
I’m breathing heavily when we get back to the pack house after running every inch of the compound and finding nothing.
Half of the security team is with me, and half is guarding the pack.
“What do you mean there was no one there?” Miles snaps in agitation. He was left in charge at the pack house.
“Nothing, man. No damage to the fencing either. I don’t understand.”
We head into the mansion to find Mira.
She’s sitting at the dining room table, wearing that gorgeous lace skirt that makes her look like a goddess.
Her laptop is open in front of her; one of the guys fetched it from her workshop.
“There was no one there,” I tell her, standing behind her to see what she’s doing.
“And there is no one on the security cameras. Nothing. Not even a movement that the system might have mistaken for a barrier breach.” She sounds confused and worried.
“Could a deer have triggered it?” I ask.
“I mean… it could. But the system is designed to recognize shapes and heat patterns. It technically would know the difference between a human, wolf, and deer.”
I clench my jaw. Adrenaline is coursing through me. “I don’t get it,” I sigh.
“I don’t either, because…” she leans close to her laptop screen, staring at lines of code that mean nothing to me.
“Because what?” I huff, impatient when she trails off and falls silent.
“Oh, sorry, because it looks like the code was hacked.”
“Hacked?” the guy sitting next to her scoffs. “Impossible, not a chance in hell,” he blurts out.
“Jace, this is Killian, my assistant,” Mira gestures toward him without taking her eyes off the screen.
“Why is it impossible?” I ask Killian.
“Because Mira’s system is flawless. It’s foolproof. Un-hackable.”
“It appears it might not be,” Mira says, biting her bottom lip.
“I think it was a false alarm,” Killian insists. “It’s more likely that, than someone getting past her firewalls.”
“A false alarm,” I say thoughtfully. “Ok, well, there definitely isn’t an intruder on our land. We’ve confirmed it with the scout and with the video feed. Let’s just stay alert. But I think we can call it a night now.”
The party ends abruptly with the pack still tense from fright. But they slowly filter back toward their own homes.
Unfortunately, over the next week, the perimeter alarm continues to get tripped. And every time we have to send our security team out to the site, a different location each time, and make sure it is still a false alarm. And every time it is.
The constant tension created by the alarms is causing issues in the pack. People are nervous, staying indoors, talking about the failing systems that are supposed to keep us safe.
Mira is working day and night on the programs, trying to figure out what is going on and how the hack is taking place. But she can’t find any breach in her firewalls, and I’m starting to worry about how little sleep she’s getting while pregnant.
The pack has become so paranoid that at one point, they aggressively approach the pack house, demanding that things get fixed. In the process, one of our guards gets hurt trying to keep them out.
Things are messy and chaotic, and this is not how I expected issues to be handled when I took on this position as Alpha. I need to fix this.
By the end of the week, the elders are demanding answers, and I agree to attend a meeting with them even though talking is the last thing I should be doing. I should be out there, finding the source of our issues or supporting my wife while she figures out what is happening with the system.
Miles and I walk into the pack dining room together. The elders are all already there.
“Jace, finally. You’re late,” Marcus snarls.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Two minutes is hardly late, Marcus. I’m sure you understand the pressure we are all under at the moment,” I snap back.
“Sit, Jace, we have a lot to discuss,” Jeremy says.
As soon as I’ve taken a seat, Marcus is standing and bellowing at me. “This is your fault. That woman of yours should never have been put in charge of such vital systems. You elevated every woman in this pack, and now the whole dam thing is falling apart!” he lectures.
“Excuse me,” I scoff in disbelief. “You want to put this all on…”
“Mira is responsible for that system. She assured us it was foolproof. She promised that no one would get past her security. And what now? She has no idea what’s going on, and we need to put Barion back in charge of the lab!” Marcus shouts.
“Marcus, calm down, this is getting us nowhere,” Jeremy snaps.
I turn to my father, my brows furrowed. “Do you all feel that way?” I demand.
“Mira did assure us that her system was flawless, Jace. And clearly it isn’t. It doesn’t mean anyone is at fault, but we need to consider all options regarding how we can solve this…”
“We solve this by removing her from her position of power!” Marcus refuses to calm down, and my hackles are up and ready for a fight. I’m sick and tired of this man.
“Sit down,” I growl in my Alpha voice, directed at Marcus. He sits, but he’s furious.
“If you can’t speak to me with respect, then we have a bigger issue than we think,” I tell him fiercely.
“I have no respect for the man who is destroying this pack,” he snaps.
“Destroying this pack would be staying in the past. Refusing to grow. You’re taking something unrelated and trying to say that the changes to the pack are the reason we have rogue interference of some sort. It’s not linked, Marcus. Now work with us, or shut up,” I demand.
“Please, can we bring this down a notch,” Lexus sighs.
“You abused your power, Jace. You put your incompetent wife and all the other useless bitches into high-up positions of power for who the fuck knows what reason, but this is on you! Those bitches have no idea what they’re doing!
They don’t have the brain capacity or strength to deal with…
.” Marcus is ranting and standing again, and I’ve lost my temper.
I leap across the table and slam into him, pinning him against the wall. My eyes are glowing fiercely as I lock him in place and growl darkly.
“Don’t you dare speak about my wife like that. How dare you say such things about your Luna!” I snarl.
“She is not my Luna. She is no one to me!” he spits, pushing me back.
Jeremy and Lexus are at our side, trying to pull us apart, but we are both too angry. Marcus lashes out and almost claws at my face. I punch him hard enough to make him dizzy, but it doesn’t stop him from coming at me again.
This time, Lexus leaps in between us, and I’m forced to pause.
“Stop!” Jeremy demands, shoving Marcus back and glaring at me. “Stop, before this gets out of hand.”
Marcus shakes his head. “It was out of hand the day he let his wife take charge of our safety. She’s incompetent, and all of you need to accept this!” he snaps, then storms from the room.
My heart is racing so quickly, I want to chase after him and tear him to pieces for what he’s said. But I know better. I know it isn’t the answer. It won’t solve a damn thing.
Jeremy places his hand on my shoulder, and I shrug him off, too angry to speak anymore, not trusting myself.
“This meeting is clearly over,” I huff.
“We’ll talk again when everyone has calmed down,” Jeremy agrees. “Go home, get some rest. We all need it.”
***
Over the next few days, a clear divide forms in the pack. Those who agree with Marcus, and those who don’t.
Animosity and tensions rise dramatically, and I’m at a loss regarding how to solve this. I know I didn’t make a mistake putting Mira in charge. She’s brilliant. Not once, not for a moment, have I doubted that. And if anyone can figure out what is going on with that security program, it’s her.
And to add to that, the same goes for every Omega who has grown and taken up new positions in this pack. They worked for it and earned it. They proved themselves. Every one of them deserves the titles they have, and I will not back down and say otherwise.
It's Marcus who is blinded by his old ways.
This should be a time of celebration for the pack, but instead, we’re all walking on eggshells. I have to fix this. I have to figure out how to bring everyone back together again.