CAINE
After five minutes without another reply from Grace, I let my gaze travel gloomily from my phone display to the she-wolf kneeling before me.
Kneeling is a pleasant term for her almost limp body, held upright by her arms. Her facial features are obscured by swelling, and there isn’t an inch of skin on her unblemished.
Rapping my knuckles against the desk, I murmur, "Your Luna is thirty minutes late."
"H-High Alpha, the Luna is not in our territory—"
Another gentle tap of my knuckles causes her to flinch.
"Lie," Ron says calmly from my left.
I nod. "Correct." He’s learning quickly, as expected of my son.
The she-wolf goes silent, having even lost the will to whimper. My eyes darken.
"This King has given great mercy to the Blue Mountain Pack, allowing most of you to live, and yet your Alpha and Luna refuse to show their faces upon my return."
Her head droops lower. It’s hard to tell if her eyes are even open through the swelling. "Our Alpha and Luna have been called out by the esteemed Alpha of Forest Springs, High Alpha. They are not in territory."
"Lie," Ron says again.
This woman is one of the devious Luna’s most loyal attendants, but getting the truth out of her was never my intent. If I wanted their Alpha in my hands, it would have happened this morning.
And his Luna is even less of a worry.
Neither of them have showed their faces since my return, though it may have something to do with the rampant rumors flying through the pack; considering they both approached Grace before learning she is still under my protection, it’s no surprise.
More importantly, my little mate has things to do in this pack. Considering her reaction when I first killed her pathetic excuse for a foster father, I have no interest in creating more distance between us by eliminating the rest of her problematic pack from this world, especially when there are already a multitude of political headaches stemming from my impulsive actions.
But instilling fear will keep them from tormenting her further, and forcing the new Alpha and Luna into the shadows will only heighten their anguish as their legitimacy is questioned with the advent of the upcoming forum.
It’s apparent the current leadership isn’t capable of much, anyway. That whelp of an alpha has allowed his mate to not only once, but twice, attack the woman under my protection. Even without my interference, this pack is doomed to fall.
My gaze travels back to my phone, dark and listless without Grace’s sweet responses. Perhaps she’s already in the shower.
If I wasn’t dealing with this pesky pack...
I lean back in my chair with a long sigh, waving my hand in dismissal at the beaten she-wolf. Her loyalty is admirable, if misplaced.
"Take her away," I tell the Lycan holding her up by her arm. "Keep her in custody until her Luna returns. Perhaps she’ll be more motivated to show her face when her favorite pet is missing."
The guard nods sharply, hauling the woman to her feet. She doesn’t resist, doesn’t even whimper as she’s dragged from the room. Ron watches with clinical detachment, his young face already hardened into jaded indifference.
I’m not sure if I should be proud or concerned.
My phone vibrates against the desk, the display lighting up. I jerk up straight to reach for it—but the name illuminated isn’t Grace’s. Jack-Eye’s contact photo stares back at me instead.
Disappointment is instant.
Fighting the instinctive urge to reject the call, I press the phone to my ear. "What is it?"
"Well, hello to you too, sunshine." Jack-Eye’s voice carries its usual sardonic edge. "Where the hell are our reinforcements? We’ve been waiting."
I press my thumb and forefinger against the bridge of my nose. "They should be there within the day." I’m not actually sure exactly where they are, but there’s only so much driving that can be done in a day, and the pack lands are far from Fiddleback territory.
He clears his throat. "Great. Anyway, thought you should know—Lyre and Grace have come to an agreement about sending a couple kids your way. There are two we found in the tunnels."
A soft hum escapes me as I process this information. My little mate with her boundless compassion. It seems our house is destined to be lively.
Perhaps I should have a larger one built.
"I’m planning on having one of the new Lycans drive them over," Jack-Eye continues. "And we might need a few more."
"Understood. How are things on your end?" I ask, leaning back in my chair.
His sigh is heavy. "It’s rough. I thought we’d make quicker progress once Lyre could use her magic again, but for whatever reason, she says it isn’t a good idea."
"I see. And the wizard?"
"We’re bleeding him dry. Poor bastard can barely stand anymore. Because this is taking so long, we haven’t made much progress on investigating anything else in Fiddleback. Sorry, boss."
I hum again, my gaze drifting to the window. It will be nice when I can bring Grace home, instead of seeing Blue Mountain territory everywhere I look. She’ll be safe there, even if I have to leave to investigate something like Fiddleback.
But I have to be by her side in a place like this.
"Keep at it. There has to be something."
"Is that all you’ve got? ’Keep at it’? Very inspiring leadership."
"Did you call for inspiration?"
"Fair point." He pauses. "Anything else you need me to report?"
"Not unless you have something else to share."
"Nah, that covers the basics." Another pause, this one longer, more calculated. "So... have you figured out your little problem yet? The touching thing with Grace?"
I freeze.
"You sound strangely mellow today," Jack-Eye continues, his voice dripping with insinuation. "Must have used that new technique I suggested—"
I end the call without changing my expression, placing the phone face-down on the desk with careful precision.
From the corner of the room, a Lycan who has been silent throughout my dealings steps forward at my beckoning motion, his face carefully blank despite his hearing being acute enough to hear Jack-Eye’s words.
His expression remains neutral as he approaches my desk, having a much better sense of self-preservation than his Beta.
"High Alpha," he acknowledges with a slight bow of his head.
"What’s the status of the forum? Have all the participating packs confirmed their attendance?"