Draven.
I stood in front of my floor-to-ceiling window with my arms behind my back, gazing at the greenery. For some reason, the weather smelled sharper today.
The fake team had just finished their second meeting. Jeffery had fed them a report this morning, thick with redacted leads and harmless speculation. Every piece was polished and pointed in a safe direction, deliberately five steps behind.
Dennis’s real team, however, was already in motion.
"Brother," came Dennis’s voice from behind me.
I slowly turned. I hadn’t heard him enter.
He stood at the door, his hands on his waist. He looked annoyed. Not frustrated—annoyed. The kind of quiet displeasure he reserved for people he found beneath his patience.
"You are back early," I said, walking over to sit behind my desk.
"Because your wife couldn’t enjoy the shopping in peace and wanted to come home," he explained, already pulling out one of the seats before my desk.
My eyes narrowed slightly. I had an idea that whatever story he had to tell couldn’t be anything good. Still, I gestured, "Go on."
"Who else would be the problem except Wanda?" He didn’t sugar-coat it.
I didn’t speak, so he continued.
"At the checkpoint, the guards singled Meredith out and tried to force her to remove her veil." He exhaled. "She was very uncomfortable, but spoke to them calmly."
"And Wanda?"
"She stood there. Watched the whole thing like it wasn’t her concern." Dennis’s voice had sharpened. "It was only after I stepped in that they backed off. If I hadn’t shown up when I did, they would have stripped her dignity right there."
My jaw locked as I tried to think of reasons Wanda would have chosen to do nothing in that situation. That was unlike her.
"I confronted her afterwards. You know what she said?" He gave a humourless smile. "She told me she was just letting security do their job. Said she didn’t want to cause a ruckus."
My hands were still, but my blood had started to heat.
"There’s more. And I bet Wanda didn’t know I heard the entire conversation," Dennis added.
"At the boutique, she cornered Meredith and scolded her for buying dresses for her maids. She accused her of being wasteful with your money. She said she didn’t understand the value of hard-earned coin, because she has never worked a day."
I turned slightly, looking for a distraction to my anger, but I couldn’t find one.
"Meredith told her she would speak to you directly if it was a problem, and she would pay it back if you disagreed. Then Wanda crossed a line."
"What line?" I asked. What other worse thing could she have said or done?
"She implied Meredith would sell herself to pay the debt."
A cold pause settled between us.
Wanda was reliable and could handle any situation. She was great with her PR duties. We’ve worked together for years, which makes me value her gift.
I trusted her, which is the reason I entrusted Meredith to her.
I imagined what would have happened if I hadn’t asked my brother to meet them out of the blue. Meredith wouldn’t have spared even me.
That young woman could become something worse than a torn in the flesh once bitten.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
"And Meredith?" I asked, suddenly curious about her reaction given her ’good’ temper.
"She didn’t let it go. She told Wanda she must have done the same to get where she is. Then she walked off," Dennis revealed. "Wanda didn’t say another word after that."
I let silence stretch between us before speaking. "For now, I will keep an eye on Wanda."
Dennis seemed dissatisfied. "Not only that, you need to put her in her place."
He wanted me to school Wanda, but that wasn’t my thought. Even if it was my job, I wouldn’t operate that way this time around.
"If a smart adult woman doesn’t know her place, she will be left homeless."
"Good, brother. Good. I like where this is going." Dennis finally smiled. "I will take my leave now."
Once my brother was gone, I leaned back on my seat, my thoughts drifting to an important point I hadn’t explored in a while.
I thought Meredith’s scar would have sealed up by now. What was going on?
I summoned Kira.
She arrived within minutes, bowing at the threshold. "Alpha, you called for me?"
"Come in. Close the door," I instructed.
She obeyed quickly, but kept her gaze down, barely masking her fear.
I waited until the door clicked shut behind her before I asked, "Tell me about your mistress’s scar."
Kira blinked. "Scar, Alpha?"
"The one on her face."
She hesitated. "It... it hasn’t healed."
"I noticed." I studied her expression. "My personal doctor prepared a healing balm for her back in Stormveil, yet it seemed not to have worked. Why?"
Kira seemed uncomfortable. "I don’t know, Alpha. We apply the healing balm every day, morning and night, without fail. But..."
"But?" I narrowed my eyes.
She lowered her gaze. "It fades. Then three or four days later, it looks fresh again. Like it was... reopened."
My fingers curled under the edge of my desk.
"Has she been hurting herself?"
"No, Alpha. Never. At least—not that I’ve seen."
My gaze stayed on her a beat longer. "And you are sure?"
"I swear it, Alpha."
I nodded once. She wasn’t lying. "That will be all. Keep this conversation between us."
She bowed. "Yes, Alpha."
As she left, I leaned back in the chair, the shadows in my mind deepening.
The scar should have closed by now, even if Meredith didn’t have a wolf. Not unless it wasn’t just a wound.
Perhaps, a part of the curse?
I stared at where the maidservant had stood, my thoughts dark and winding.
Something wasn’t adding up. And I would find out what it was even if Meredith tried to hide it.
I quickly reached for the telephone on my desk and dialled a number.
As soon as the line connected, I said, completely forgoing all protocols, "I need you to come to Duskmoor. Two days, and you can return to Stormveil."