12. CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
Graham
Blaine Stewart comes running down the stairs as I drive up to the Grey Manor. I don't know much about the guy, except that he's Alyssa's Beta in the Dark Hunters.
Well, he's an acting Alpha, but only because Alyssa's duties as a queen are too time-consuming. He's also the one who taught Garren to reconnect with his inner wolf and tap into his powers.
"Your Highness," Blaine greets me when I get out of the car. He slightly bows his head. I nod.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, wondering why I've been called to come on such short notice. "Did something happen?"
"Everyone's already gathered in the conference room," he says, avoiding my questions. "You're the last to arrive."
"Gathered for what?" I narrow my eyes. What's so urgent? And why would they want to discuss it without me?
"You better go and see for yourself," he replies and steps to the side, careful not to turn his back on me.
A small smile creeps on my lips. For someone who didn't grow up at court, he's well aware of its etiquette. I hurry past him, eager to find out the reason behind this meeting. I suppose that something big must have happened. Garren wouldn't waste everyone's time.
"Welcome, brother," Garren says as I enter the conference room. Alyssa is on his right, Gavin on his left, next to Leia, who is flanked by Grayden.
"Glad you made it," he says. "Where's Cassidy?"
"The call sounded urgent. I didn't want to lose time by fetching her," I say and nod at the empty seat next to Grayden. "And Helia?"
"At work," he replies. "They had a trauma coming in, and she couldn't get away."
"No matter," Gavin says. "It's not like she'd be of much help here anyway. We're all just bystanders."
I take a seat around the long table while Garren turns on the projector, illuminating the wall behind him.
"We managed to infiltrate our own mole inside the radicals," Garren says. The way Grayden, Leia, and Gavin exchange looks, it's clear that I'm not the only one who was kept in the dark.
"Who?" Gavin demands.
Garren lifts his chin, his black eyes glistening. "Tiana."
"What the fuck?" Gavin exclaims. "Are you trying to get her killed? Is that it?"
"That's not what this is about," Garren denies.
"Don't take me for a fool, brother," Gavin insists. "I know how capable you are of holding a grudge. Are you seriously trying to convince me that you didn't send Tiana on a suicide mission because she tried to kill your mate?"
"Tiana is an Alpha," Garren says slowly, his voice low. "She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And yes, Alyssa and I talked to her, and we decided that she was the best wolf for the mission exactly because she tried to kill my mate. Everyone knows I punished her for it, which is what she'll use to infiltrate the radicals. As far as they're concerned, Tiana hates us."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Gavin asks, exasperated. "She's a hot-headed wolf. She's strong, but still quite young."
Garren shrugs. "She's not much younger than any of us and look what we've been through. For better or worse, she will be our key to finding out what the radicals are up to."
Gavin falls silent.
"What's the plan?" I ask. "Was the infiltration successful?"
It's Alyssa who speaks up, "It was. She's been equipped with the cameras that send the data to our servers. The pack of Dark Hunters is in charge of sifting through them, and they've tagged whatever they deemed useful to us."
"And?" I press. "Any news?"
Before any one of them can reply, my phone rings. I glance at the ID and instantly recognize Cassie's number.
"I'll be back in a second," I say and step outside the conference room for the pretense of privacy, even though being so close to the wolves, there is no such thing.
I take the call. "Cassidy."
"I just wanted to clarify whether our meeting is still on," she says.
"Don't be late," I reply, making my voice sound extra grave. "I had to go to The Grey Manor, but I'll be back on time."
Of course, it wouldn't be as simple as that.
She sighs. "Why aren't you in the office?"
"There's been a small development," I say, trying to keep myself from revealing too much. I want her to feel all the pressure of the unknown before I reveal what actually happened. "I'll update you later."
I can almost hear the worry in her breathing. "Graham, I—"
"I'll see you tonight," I say, cutting her off mid-sentence before she can convince me to spill the beans on the phone and ruin all of my work of intimidating her. I hang up.
As I return to the room, I try not to dwell on her call too much.
Of course, her concern for me is professional. There is no way she'd be interested in me beyond the workplace. She thinks she can play hard to get. It's not going to work.
Now that I've already had her, I want to get more. The first time was meant to test her body to see how much she could take. I've been more than impressed with her ability to keep up with me, and I can't wait to go another round with her.
I'm aware that it's getting out of hand. I've even turned into the jealous type. But I can't help it. Being with a human is intoxicating in an entirely different way than being with a wolf. Their hearts are vulnerable. Their bodies are fragile. She has the limits that I can't wait to push.
I return back to the conference room and mutter a silent apology. While my brothers ignore me, Leia keeps a watchful eye on me. The Ice Queen sees more than I would've liked.
"As I was saying," Garren continues, "Dark Hunters have marked some files for us to check. Alyssa and I have already seen them, but now we'd like to share them with you, too."
"How generous," Gavin growls, clearly angry for being kept in the dark.
Garren doesn't even flinch at his tone. Instead, he presses the button on his keyboard and plays the first video.
The camera must be hidden somewhere on Tiana's jacket. She's thrown in the back of an unmarked truck, her hands and feet tied. The radicals' faces are covered, and so is Tiana's once they put a hood over her head.
"Where are you taking me?" she asks, her voice angry.
"The less you know, the better," the man replies, his voice muffled. "If you want us to trust you, you have to trust us first."
"Trust you?" she says with an incredulous laugh. "Are you fucking serious? I'm tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”
"It's a precaution," he states.
"Then undo it, and we'll talk again."
"We'll set you free when we're at the rendezvous point!" he snaps.
Despite all the precautions, I have a feeling they're going to take her to a place that has nothing to do with their real location. I doubt they would share it with her if they weren't absolutely sure of her motives.
Tiana mutters something under her breath, and the screen goes black.
Alyssa pauses the video. "That's the first one. The time stamp suggests it was filmed earlier this morning. The drive is uneventful and lasts around two hours, which makes it very hard for us to figure out where they took her."
"If you had kept us in the loop about your plans, I would've given you the new prototypes with the built-in GPS," I say, starting to share Gavin's anger. "We're going to have to figure out what the radicals are up to based on those videos. Is the signal even strong enough to transmit if she's underground? Does she understand that if she gets in touch with any of us, her cover is blown? Thanks to the leak on our side, we can't be sure who to trust. For fuck's sake, Garren. What the hell were you thinking?"
"We were supposed to be in this together," Grayden agrees.
Gavin and Leia nod.
"Or, alternatively, you could say that you understand the need for discretion because of the leak on our side," Alyssa says, her voice dangerously soft. If we're not careful, her inner alpha will make an appearance. "We're trusting you now. You better make sure it won't leave this room."
"Helia and I don't have secrets," Grayden says, his eyes flashing with anger.
"That's fine," Alyssa confirms. "She's your mate, after all."
It dawns on me that they're talking about Cassidy.
They're right to be suspicious, my wolf comments. We were, too. Still are.
I don't like to be questioned, I growl back.
It's a matter of life or death, he replies. Whether we like it or not, Garren and Alyssa are our monarchs. We have to show them some respect.
"I'll keep my mouth shut," I say through gritted teeth.
"Great. We all want to keep Tiana alive, after all," Alyssa says. "Here's the second video."
It comes to life with the camera capturing only the floor of a building.
"Get up," the guard growls at Tiana. There's a pause. "I said, get the fuck up!"
The sound of a loud slap that connects with flesh follows.
Gavin growls. Before he married Leia, he was the Alpha of the Pack of Shadows, and Tiana was his Beta. It's expected that his protective instincts would come rushing out.
"Touch me again, and I'll tear you apart," Tiana hisses. To prove her point, she summons the shadows. It's an impressive feat, considering she's unfamiliar with the room and her eyes are covered. Her wolf senses must be strong.
"Stand down, or I'll shoot you on the spot," the man warns. Though Tiana can't see it, she can surely sense it as he lifts the gun and aims it at her forehead.
"Do it," she snarls. "It doesn't scare me. I've been through shit you can't even imagine. Death doesn't scare me. I welcome it."
All the wolves inside the conference room turn to look at each other. Even without the official training as leaders, we understand the depth and darkness that hide within a shifter who speaks like that.
"That's enough," another voice says, coming through Tiana's shadows. "Put the gun down and leave us alone."
There's a rustle of feet, and the sound of the door closing, and then the new voice continues, "Undo your fucking ties."
Tiana doesn't hesitate. In one swift motion, she tears the strings that bind her hands and legs.
"Why are you doing this?" the voice asks. "Why did you choose to betray your kind?"
"Are you fucking serious?" Tiana hisses. She takes off the hood and now sees the same as we do on the camera.
An older man with sandy blond hair, brown eyes, and unmemorable features. The only thing eye-catching about him is the silver pin on his clothes with a shiny scarlet R.
"Who are you?" she demands.
"I should be the one asking you that," he muses. "You were spotted sniffing around, trying to find out a way to us. Tell me what you want with the radicals."
"I want to join you," Tiana replies. The man raises a brow. "I want the wolf royals to pay. They shouldn't hold so much power, not when their own wolves are weak. We should return to the archaic rules of kill or be killed. Only the strongest should survive, and only the most powerful should rule."
The man considers her words. "Where do you stand on the witches?"
"I won't go out to look for them, but if they cross my path, I won't hesitate to kill them," Tiana replies, her entire demeanor changing to something much darker as the hatred seeps through every pore of her body. "Nature made us enemies. Who are we to change its laws?"
He looks at her with calculation. "You know," he begins. "I do trust that you're sincere, but even if you pass our background checks, how can I be sure that you won't turn on me the second we let our guards down. My mother was a witch after all."
Tiana growls. "Anyone I know?"
"Jasmine White," he replies.
The video pauses.
"It's too bad that Helia's not here to give us more information on him," Garren says. "However, here's what we know so far. Jasmine White was the leader of the coven of witches that joined Hekate's Ultra Coven. I believe I was the one to kill her."
"Helia was quite fond of Jasmine," Grayden says, confirming they know her. "This will break her heart."
"We all need to carry the burdens of our violent pasts," Leia comments.
"What else did Tiana find out?" I ask, wanting to get back on track before this takes a turn for depression. "Do we have any leads about who's giving them access to F-Rec?"
"Not at the moment," Garren replies.
"Well, that's just fantastic," I growl.
"Hold your temper, Brother," Gavin says.
"We don't even know the guy's name, but we should have it soon," Garren says, then looks at me. "I'd appreciate it if you can find out everything you can about Jasmine White. Maybe it will give us a clue on their whereabouts."
I nod.
Alyssa starts the video again.
"I don't know anyone by that name," Tiana replies.
"You're in luck," the man continues. "If you had recognized the name, I would've been inclined to think you were one of the wolves that killed her."
Tiana's breathing slows. "I've killed my fair share of witches, but your kind was eager to hunt down mine. Why should I trust you now? What makes the radicals different?"
The man smiles, the way men do when they see something they like. "I have a job for you if you prove to be loyal. Come with me, dear. I have high hopes for you."
With that, the video ends.
"What sort of sick game is this?" Leia asks, expressing everyone's discomfort. "Who is that man?"
Garren sighs. "A mystery for now. At the moment, they put Tiana in some sort of a cell. It's nothing that could hold her, but if she's to gain their trust, she needs to stay put."
"Let's hope she can convince them, or she won't be alive for long," Gavin warns.
Garren agrees.
"If that's all, I should really get going," I say with a glance at my watch. "I have a lot of work to do and not enough time."
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Garren tells me.
I nod and bid everyone goodbye. While I awkwardly shake hands with my brothers, Leia and Alyssa pull me into a hug and give me a kiss on the cheek.
I drive straight to the office. There's a lot of work I have to do before Cassidy comes up.
I'll have to give her some story about Jasmine White which will also give us a reason to look into her. Something that won't give away Tiana's infiltration.
I want to tell her the truth, I say to my wolf.
It's for her own good that you don’t , he replies. And Tiana's.
I know, I agree with a sigh.
I park my car in the underground garage and use my VIP key to lock the elevator to bring me straight to the top without stopping. As the doors open, I'm not at all surprised to see Harper waiting for me. The impatient energy she emits doesn't help much to settle my own nerves.
"What is it?" I bark, annoyed at the world.
"The General is on the line," she replies, unfazed by my tone.
"Tell him I'll call him back," I say and try to move past her, but she doesn't budge.
"He already called two times," she informs me. "He's tired of waiting."
I sigh. "Okay. Give me two minutes, and then forward the call to my office."
She nods and turns around, walking to her desk. The time I have to spare I use to try and regain my composure. Going into the battle, it's important not to let my emotions win, otherwise, it'll drive the judgment wrong.
What do you think he wants? my wolf inquires.
Nothing good, I guess. He never seems to be interested in small talk.
You know what? he continues. I don't like him.
Me neither , I reply. But that's just the way business works.
The phone rings, and I know it's time to brace myself for the conversation. The General of the United States Military represents this country's interest. I have to be careful how I talk to him because they are Grey Enterprises' most influential client.
I take the call.
"Good afternoon, General," I say. "I hear you've been trying to reach me."
"Good afternoon," the gruff voice replies. "I'm calling to ask what you know about the new terrorist group appearing on US soil."
“It’s the first I’ve heard about it," I lie. The truth would only complicate matters.
"I'll send you the press release, but basically, this recent group has attacked a farm upstate earlier this morning," he explains. "A bunch of wild animals have been reported going crazy. I’m not trying to point fingers, but the descriptions seemed to match wolves.”
He continues, “They’ve been killing everything that came their way. The killings can't be overlooked. Can you talk to your courts to make sure they have firm control over their people?"
I close my eyes, doing everything to maintain my cool. I hate his condescending attitude. No, I fucking hate it when people attack my kind. I wish they knew how easy it'd be for me to hunt them down in their sleep and end them all. I want to tell him all that but I decide to keep my mouth shut.
"I will look into it," I reply, choosing the diplomatic approach instead. "Can you confirm that humans stay in line as well?"
"It doesn't matter whether humans or shifters orchestrated the attack," he says. "Some good folks deserve to live and die on their land only when they're old enough. So, unless you ensure this bullshit doesn't happen again, we will cut ties with your company."
"Need I remind you, General, that you need our software as much as we need your funding and the ability to open the doors for us legally?" I snap, losing my cool. "If you're not happy with our services, I'll pack up and take it to someone who won't pester me every minute of the day."
The General goes quiet on the other end. "Don't push it, Graham. We both know that this is a lose-lose situation for you."
"I don't like being threatened," I warn. "The humans have strong weapons, but they are nothing compared to the powers wolves wield. You don't want a war on your hands, General. So, take a damn step back and watch your tone."
Before he can say anything else, I cut the connection. My wolf snarls inside of me, wanting to hurt someone. This makes me hungry to shift, and I agree.
I press a button on my phone to establish a connection with Harper. She picks up within seconds.
"Get Cassidy Strayed up here now," I demand.
"I will personally go down and get her. But your seven o'clock is still on the list. Do you want to cancel the meeting?" Harper says.
"Fine. Do that, too. She's all I need right now," I reply and cut the call.
While I wait, I attempt to slow down my heart rate, to no avail. Too much is happening at once. Ideally, I would get laid to burn some of my raging energy, but making progress in our fight against the radicals is a good alternative.
I stand up and start pacing around the office. My blood rushes through my veins, and so does my wolf's. We're both too hyped up and anxious. I rip the tie off and leave it somewhere on the carpet.
I barely register the three short knocks before Cassidy enters.
Her scent has calming abilities on me, and I relax immediately.
"Close the door," I tell her. "We have a long night ahead of us."