29. A New Ally
twenty-nine
A New Ally
*ROSEA*
Forest looks like he has a heart attack when I tell him what happened.
Griffin’s expression isn’t much better. It’s the reason why I waited until after dinner to hit them with the news.
Fortunately, Martin was set to lead the advanced training and didn’t meet any of us, or maybe he was avoiding us; I don’t know.
He certainly has to feel confused and more than a little suspicious.
I guess it’s time to fill him in on everything.
“Rose,” Forest exclaims, taking my hand. “Can you please not do something so dangerous again?”
“He is right,” Griffin mutters. “Not that you can’t hold yourself up against Harry with your wit, but when you are alone? He would absolutely play dirty. We don’t know what he could do.”
“You are right,” I say. “I have nothing to say in my defense, just that I acted on the spur of the moment.”
“But you found something?”
“I think so.” I pause. “Forest, did you know your parents have a secret bank account?”
He blinks. “Well, my parents have a private one, I have one, and then there is one for the pack.”
“Yes, that’s all true, but I found transactions to another account of your father’s, which is in none of our documents.”
Forest stares at me. “No way.”
I skim through my phone and show him the pictures I took.
Forest’s expression turns from shocked to appalled. “I have never seen these transactions or the bank account itself before. You are right, they must be keeping it a secret.” He pauses. “And there is a lot of money flowing.”
“Do we believe it’s connected to Jordan’s casino shtick?” Griffin asks. “That is if it truly is a casino.”
“You don’t think it is?”
Griffin shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong, I believe in what Martin said, but if it were a normal casino, why keep it hidden?”
I nod. “That’s what I have been thinking, too. We need to get in there somehow.” Forest takes my hand, entwining our fingers. I know what he wants to say without him voicing it. “I promise,” I assure him. “I am not going to put myself into needless danger, again.”
“And Martin, what do we do with him?” Griffin asks.
“We need to tell him now,” I say. “It’s more of a risk not to tell him.”
Forest nods. “I agree. And honestly, I am going to feel better when we finally fill him in.”
“It will also be easier for him to move around Jordan and that casino or whatever it is when he knows everything,” I point out. “If he wanted to bust me, he could have done that already.”
A knock on the door pauses our conversation. “Well, time to face the truth,” Forest says before getting up and opening the door for Martin.
The latter steps inside, his eyes wandering from Forest to me, and then to Griffin. He is only mildly surprised to see the latter here. “So, you are all in it?”
“Yes,” Forest says simply. “Come in and have a seat. We will finally fill you in on everything.”
One bottle of red wine, a few cans of beer and three bags of chips later, and we have shared all there is to share about my story and Forest’s, and how we began working together.
We also make sure to fill him in on everything we know about Forest’s parents, Lissa, and also Jordan’s role in everything, including our suspicions.
Once we wrap everything up, it’s silent. Martin hasn’t said much at all, just listened to us and asked occasional questions, but now he falls completely silent.
“Dude,” Griffin says. “Say something.”
Martin brushes through his hair. “I… I don’t even know where to start. This is… I mean… By the goddess,” he exclaims, suddenly jumping up and pacing through the room.
“That’s more like it,” Griffin mutters.
“This is insane,” Martin huffs. “And I don’t mean the story; I mean Jordan, and Harry… and all of them. I had a feeling something was seriously off by how you took down Lissa and how the luna handled…“ he grimaces. “Harry and Donna.”
He is leaving out their titles, a clear sign of disrespect, especially coming from someone who prefers to act properly like Martin.
“This is… how can someone do that?!”
“I was shocked, too,” Griffin admits quietly.
Martin looks at me, his gaze going from worried to angry and back to worried, then sad. “I am so sorry, Luna. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
I am not sure what to say, as with every time one of them voiced their sympathy. “Fate wasn’t particularly kind to me,” I finally say. “But then… it led me to Forest. So, it’s not all bad.”
Forest smiles at me.
“But what are you going to do, Luna?” Martin asks. “Are you only here for a while? For as long as it takes Forest to get rid of his parents?”
“That was the original plan,” I say.
“So, it’s not the plan anymore,” Martin concludes.
“Of course not,” Forest says. “Like I am letting her go.” He frowns. “I didn’t mean for that to come out as creepy as it did.”
I can’t help but smile at his words. “You are anything but creepy.”
Forest’s eyes meet mine, and for a moment we just look at each other. A beautiful smile lightens up his face when he reaches out his hand and touches my cheek gently.
Griffin clears his throat. “I don’t think we need to be worried about the luna leaving us anytime soon.”
Martin nods. “Yes, I was stupid for asking.”
“Not really,” Griffin says. “The thing is… how will we go about this? I mean for the future.”
“What are you talking about?” Forest wants to know.
“Don’t get me wrong, no one needs to know she is your chosen mate.
In fact, the way both Jordan and your parents treated you, it makes sense to just treat each other as fated mates.
Kinda hilarious to be honest. But I mean, how will you go about it?
When will you mark Rose? To become luna officially, she needs to be marked. ”
Forest looks annoyed, but before he can say anything, I take his hand. “He has a point,” I admit.
“I know, but we don’t need to solve that today. I will happily mark you when you want to, and when you feel the time is right—"
“You would?” I ask, stunned by what he just said. It’s one thing to admit we are developing feelings for each other and to promise to stay with each other, but marking is forever.
Well, technically. Jordan managed to work around that.
Still, I know that to Forest, a mark means much more; it means everything. It’s not a promise anymore, it’s a commitment.
“Of course I would,” he says. “I am sure we can push it back a little, because my parents are not going to hand the pack to me that easily. And we still need to bring them down.”
“It’s going to take you a few weeks,” Martin says. “Maybe months. Will you be ready to commit by then?”
“I am,” Forest says.
“Are you sure?” I ask him. “It means no way back. Well… I guess it’s not technically eternal, as we saw with Jordan, but he used an illegal substance on me.”
“Rose—“ Forest takes both of my hands into his.
“I want you. I want you as my mate, I want you as my luna, I want you at my side as my best friend. The goddess literally tossed you to me when I was at my lowest, and I feel very privileged that she did. Not many people get that lucky to find someone they want to spend their life with.”
Of all he said, the fact that he called me his best friend hits me the hardest. Jordan always saw me as far beneath him, but Forest actually sees me on an equal level. I am not just his luna, I am also his best friend. Unsure what to say or do, I just nod.
“We don’t need to decide or act on anything immediately,” Forest tells the other two. “We still have a few weeks. That’s plenty.”
His optimism is contagious; I have to give him that. “You are right,” I say. “Let’s focus on our task at hand first. And… if we really need help, the elders in this pack seem to be decent.”
“Dr. Francis?” Forest asks. “I think he hates my parents.”
“Exactly,” I chuckle.
“Both elders do,” Griffin says. “I know that they have always tried to keep an eye on the orphanage and general pack affairs. Dr. Francis actually talked to me, too, a couple of times. He was always worried about me, because he knew the shitty alpha pair had it out for me.”
“I am sorry for that,” Forest says quietly.
Griffin shakes his head. “Not your fault.”
“So, you agree that they are safe to consult with?” I ask. “I have a bad track record with elders, so I don’t quite know.”
“In my opinion, they are,” Griffin says.
Martin and Forest both nod.
“Do you think we will need their help?” Martin asks.
“I am not sure,” I admit. “But Forest and I will be going to that huge gala tomorrow. Jordan will be there, and there is no way he will not have a reaction to seeing me.”
“Especially with me,” Forest adds. “As my mate and luna.”
I nod. “Exactly. We need to be prepared for anything. I am not worried about Jordan. He dug his own grave by telling everyone I was just his chosen mate. So, literally, it makes sense that I run into my mate once I am free from him. But there is no way your parents won’t find out.”
“I am not sure how they will react to the news,” Forest admits.
“They will probably paint me as a whore or cheater or someone who is out to use and betray you,” I say.
“Yeah, probably,” Griffin mutters.
I pull out my phone. “Even more reason for us to get to work now. I will send you the pictures I took today.”
“From asshole Harry’s office?” Martin asks. The way he calls him an asshole with such a straight face is hilarious.
“Exactly.”
“What are we looking for?” Griffin asks.
“We’ll need to find out what exactly they are doing with the money in their private account. Then, there is the flower shop, and maybe some other investments that don’t look right.”
“Are you implying they might have used pack money?” Martin asks.
I nod.
“Let me help,” he says. “I am good with numbers. In the beta courses, we learn a lot about accounting and money management. It’s a task the beta needs to be good at.”
“I’ll count on you, then,” I say. “We have until tomorrow night to make this work. We are looking for big transactions—”
“Or regular-mid ones,” Martin adds.
I nod. “Exactly.”
“Do you want me to take a trip to the florist, meanwhile?” Griffin offers.
“That’s not a bad idea,” I say. “Maybe you and Forest should both go and do some investigating there. It’s still night…”
“Do we think someone will be there at night?” Forest asks.
“It’s possible,” Griffin says. “But only if they are involved in something shady.”
“What was the bank account number of said florist again?” Martin asks. When I pull out the folder and show it to him, he frowns. “Look, Luna. Harry or Donna, or both, have a payment to the shop once a week.”
“There is also a flow of money from the pack account to their private one,” I say. “Or to the florist.”
“And it’s never big sums at once, but regular payments. And they are always titled mundane things like ‘pebble stones’ or ‘water jugs for the kitchen’.”
“Alright, that seals it,” Forest says. “Griffin and I will head to that shop and snoop around.”
I squeeze his hand. “Be careful.”