Chapter 54

Gideon’s POV

I sat in my office as the night went on and my heart felt heavy with a burden which I couldn't shake off. The fire in the fireplace, the embers coming out of it glowing faintly reminding me of the smoldering fury inside my heart, I looked at the papers and the file scattered on my table like they were curses and a wound which I can’t heal.

No matter how much I read that file the words in them didn't change. Whenever I close my eyes I can't forget how the file had Daphne's name instead of Claire's name. It felt like I was living in an endless nightmare.

I ran my hands through my hair, exhaustion gnawing at me. The walls of my office seemed to close in, the silence broken only by the ticking of the clock above the door.

My thoughts were disturbed by a sharp knock.

“Enter,” I answered. My voice was rough and low with exhaustion.

The door opened with a creak and my beta stepped inside. His expression was serious and the posture was tense. He held a small drive in his hand and then placed it on the table gently knowing this was important.

“Alpha Gideon,” he bowed his head and spoke, lowering his voice, “we’ve managed to recover something from the corrupted footage.”

I sat straight immediately and looked at him seriously. “What is it?”

“The security team finished combing through the wrecked cameras after the rogues’ escape. Most of it was corrupted, but…” He lifted the drive slightly. “There’s a fragment left. You’ll want to see it yourself.”

My heartbeat increased. Finally we found some visual proof. A lead.

“Let’s take a look,” I commanded and took the drive in my hand with determination.

My beta nodded with relief in his eyes. We both walked down the corridor as our footsteps echoed on the marvel floor. The pack was quiet since everyone was resting but there was tension in that silence since everyone was worried and felt uneasy about the rogue's escape. I only hoped to find good evidence against Daphne.

The security room smelt of metal and dust but it was clean and the computer was kept in perfect condition, the technician got up from the seat and bowed respectfully and let me take his seat.

The video slowly started to play as I looked at it closely while holding my breath. A corridor of the detention wing. We saw the video of the time of Rogue's escape. And there—

A figure in a long dark cloak. Hood up, face hidden.

The person walked with purpose and no hesitation. They stopped before one of the guards. A small pouch glinted faintly as it was pressed into the guard’s hand. Bribery. The guard looked around nervously making sure no one was around them and unlocked the cell door.

After a few moments the rogue's running out of the cell was caught on the camera, a growl escaped my mouth.

My heart felt heavy as the video stopped in static.

The technician bowed his head respectfully. “That’s all we recovered, Alpha. The rest is gone.” I stared at the blank screen with burning anger.

A cloaked figure. Clever enough to hide their face, bold enough to walk directly into our walls, powerful enough to sway one of my guards.

And yet I replayed the video again and again as I realised the figure looked masculine instead of the womanly figure I realised, that was definitely not Daphne. I would have known. I had lived beside her too long, studied her presence even when I didn’t mean to. No, this was someone else.

Someone is surely helping her.

I ground my teeth. One enemy was already too much. But Daphne definitely got help from someone, if some is backing her consistently then the danger is far more greater than I have ever imagined. This was not a good sign.

“Beta,” I said with a quiet voice, “Do you feel that figure looks familiar? Stature, movement or by the body structure?

He looked at the screen with frustration and shook his head. “Too well hidden. The cloak can be magical, it has a faint shine on it. Whoever this is, they didn’t want to be tracked.”

Magic. This is another piece of the puzzle.

The wolves of our pack rarely dealt in such arts. But there are creatures from outside who certainly did.

“We have to find the guard,” my voice was sharp as I commanded. “Drag him here if you must. I want answers before the start of the day.”

My beta bowed and left the office swiftly.

I stayed behind, staring at the frozen image of the cloaked figure still on the smaller monitor. The shape was definitely familiar but I was not able to pin point where and who but the intention is clear, he wanted to help Daphne escape accusation. This was orchestrated. Planned.

Funded.

Daphne had a lot of money. Influence. But some who are close to Daphne and also have power and money can do this, someone who is far more influential than Daphne herself. They were easily able to go past my defence system like they knew me well.

I felt my stomach drop with dread, worried who was strong enough to go through the tight security and free the rogues.

I thought Daphne was the serpent. Now that I realise the truth, she is supported by someone powerful and Daphne and that person are close enough that the person will risk himself getting caught.

I pressed my lips together as my knuckles turned white as I felt like punching the screen angrily. I took a deep breath to calm down. My wolf prowled inside me, restless, growling.

They dare touch what is ours, he snarled. They dare endanger our son, our mate. Tear them apart. Make sure no one will dare to do anything like this again.

“I will, no matter what,” I said firmly with determination and a promise. “But first I must know who they are.”

The silence stayed, the technician stood there and wisely decided to not speak anything at all.

I looked at the technician and spoke calmly “keep what happened here a secret, no word goes out of here.” The technician only nodded understanding the seriousness of the situation.

I turned around and quickly went back to my office with heavy but firm steps.

I went back to my office and poured myself another drink but I didn't drink it. My focus was on the file which had Daphne's name instead of Claire's. Lies upon lies, and now allies cloaked in shadow.

The enemy wasn't just in my pack but they were far more close to me than I thought and they had planned this for a while.

But no matter how many cloaks they wore, how many masks they hid behind, no matter how many times they tried to distract me. I would strip them bare.

For Claire. For Leo. For the truth.

And when the truth came to light, there would be no shadows deep enough for Daphne or her allies to crawl into.