Chapter 6 #2
“Something’s wrong,” he said. “Ethan Thorpe just made a move on Crescent Tech.”
I froze, my mind racing.
Crescent Tech. One of Ravencrest's smaller subsidiaries, barely worth twenty million on paper. Most people didn't even know we owned it.
But I knew something most people didn't: buried in Crescent Tech's charter was a clause stating that any majority shareholder automatically gained a seat on Ravencrest Global's board of directors.
My father had put that clause in place decades ago as a failsafe, a way to reward loyal investors with a voice in company decisions. Only three people knew about it: my father, Edmund, and me.
So how the hell did Ethan Thorpe know?
"He's using a shell corporation," Edmund continued. "Three layers of subsidiaries to hide the transaction. But I tracked it back to Thornridge Enterprises. It's definitely him."
"How much has he acquired?"
"Thirty-eight percent so far. He needs fifty-one for majority control."
I stared at the documents, my wolf's hackles rising. "How does he know about the board clause?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" Edmund leaned back in his chair. "That information is confidential. Locked in your father's private files. Unless—"
"Unless someone told him." I finished, my voice hard. "There's a mole."
Edmund nodded grimly. "Has to be. Someone with access to Ravencrest's internal documents. Someone who knows our corporate structure intimately."
My mind went immediately to the obvious suspect, but I forced myself to think logically. "Who has access to those files?"
"You, me, your mother, and…” He paused. "Your executive assistant."
Isabella.
But Isabella was gone. Had been gone for months. And even if she'd wanted revenge, she wouldn't have known to look for that clause. Wouldn't have had any contact with Ethan Thorpe.
"It's not Isabella," I said flatly.
"I didn't say it was." Edmund pulled up another file. "But there is someone else who has access to your office, your files, your schedule."
My blood ran cold. "Selene."
"She's been living in the mansion for months. Has full access as your fiancée. The staff treats her like she's already Luna." Edmund met my eyes. "And there's something else."
He slid a printed call log across the desk. I scanned it, my stomach dropping with each line.
Selene's personal phone. Dozens of calls to a number registered to Ethan Thorpe. Some as recent as yesterday. Conversations lasting thirty minutes, an hour, two hours. Way too many calls for childhood acquaintances.
"How long has this been going on?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
"At least three months. Maybe longer—these are just the records I could access legally."
Three months. That meant the calls had started right on or before my Alpha ceremony. Before the engagement was even announced.
This wasn't opportunistic. This was planned.
I thought back to that night. The look Selene had exchanged with Ethan. Recognition. Familiarity. Conspiracy.
The question was, what were they planning?
"We need more information," I said finally. "I want everything on Ethan Thorpe. His finances, his business dealings, his pack structure. Everything."
"Already on it. I've got investigators—"
"Discreetly," I interrupted. "If Selene suspects we're onto them, they'll accelerate whatever they're planning. We need to know the full scope before we move."
Edmund nodded. "What about the Crescent Tech acquisition?"
I smiled, but there was no humor in it. "Let it happen. If Ethan wants a seat on my board badly enough to reveal his hand, I want to know why." My mind was already calculating, strategizing. "Let him think he's winning. Let them both think their plan is working."
"You're going to play along."
"I'm going to let them hang themselves." I turned back to face Edmund. "Keep the surveillance on Selene. Track every call, every meeting, every movement. I want to know who else is involved, what the endgame is."
"And the wedding?" Edmund asked carefully. "It's in two weeks."
The wedding. The final seal on the Ashworth alliance. The moment I'd chain myself permanently to a woman who was conspiring against me.
A woman who was not my Mate.
"The wedding proceeds as planned," I said, my voice cold.
Two weeks later, I stood at the altar in a cathedral filled with flowers I hadn't chosen and guests I didn't want.
Selene walked down the aisle in a white dress that probably cost more than most people's cars, her smile radiant, her eyes gleaming with victory.
But she had no idea that I knew.
The ceremony was brief, professional. When the officiant asked if I'd take Selene as my wife, I said "I do" with a voice that didn't waver.
And when it came time to exchange rings, I slipped the wedding band onto her finger. The band was platinum, set with diamonds that caught the light. Beautiful. Expensive. Exactly what a Luna should wear.
And embedded in the band was a tracking chip smaller than a grain of rice.
She gasped at the ring, grinning from ear to ear, admiring how it looked on her finger. Little did she know that she was going to walk right into my trap. This wasn’t going to be a marriage. This was going to be a chess match.
And she didn’t even know she was on the board.