Chapter 13

Grace

Not yet.

His words broke through the haze of anger and pain, grounding me in the present. My heart was still pounding with rage and hurt. I wanted nothing more than to kill him. Images of his bloody death flashed through my eyes.

“W-What do you mean, yet?” Ronald blubbered. “You can’t kill me—“

“Your actions put her entire pack in danger,” Charles said simply. His voice sounded strained. I realized that he was the one holding me back from killing Ronald. “As alpha, she would have every right to kill you and call it execution on the basis of treason.”

I glanced back to see the rest of the board staring, frozen in their seats. Then, Charles started to shake my hand as if he was barely holding me back. What was he doing?

“That’s bullshit!” Someone cried. “It’s still murder!”

“It would be excused,” he said evenly. “Her children are half lycan. They fall under Lycan rule as does she since she is their mother. The Lycan King would pardon her outright, and your president would do the same to avoid conflict…. After all, what is one group of greedy men in the face of continued protection?”

My heart raced. I could see he moment that Ronald understood and believed what he was saying. I wasn’t sure if he was just lying, but I really hoped he wasn’t.

“I suggest you refrain from any more insults,” Charles bit out. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to hold her back.”

Ronald’s lips trembled.

“You’ve admitted enough,” Charles said. “You can either die here and your whole family will be persecuted for the betrayal, or you can take the deal.”

I pulled at his grip, but I couldn’t even budge him more than the little shake he was doing. Ronald sucked in a sharp breath as I snarled.

“I’m not giving him a fucking deal!” I growled. “I’d rather die than give this traitor any leniency!”

After everything he’d done, Charles couldn’t think that I was willing to let him off lightly. No, I was going to make him suffer even if it was only the few minutes as he bled out on the floor.

“Wolfe Medical doesn’t need the scandal,” Charles said. “But it needs the money.”

I growled. I didn’t have an argument against that. It was true. Even though my instincts were screaming for blood, I couldn’t move. More than that, Charles clearly had a plan, and since I didn’t have enough knowledge about how this all works, it made more sense for me to listen.

That didn’t mean I had to like it.

I glared at Ronald.

"I don't care how you do it, but he suffers,” I seethed, my voice dripping with anger. “If I’m not happy with it, I’m killing him.”

“I’m going to call Mooncrest’s police,” he said. “You and all the other admit to the embezzlement, every penny is returned, and you serve your time peacefully. When you’re out, you’re all exiled from Mooncrest.”

Charles spoke calmly. As alpha of Mooncrest, I knew that it was the most legal course of action, but it wasn’t going to satisfy the urge to tear him apart, to make him suffer for the pain he had caused me and the damage he had done to Wolfe Medical.

“But my family—“

“You should have thought about them when you decided to betray mine.”

My eyes burned as I thought of my father again. He had been such a leader: calm under pressure, strong, and resilient. As much as I missed him, I was glad he wasn’t here to see what his best friend had done. He was visibly shaken. I could see how much paler Ronald got as he realized the magnitude of the amount of money that would require. The man was in a panic, fear and desperation written all over his face.

“That would bankrupt me.”

“I can just kill you instead.”

“Please, Grace, think of my girls. They’re in college; they won’t—“

“You have life insurance enough to cover it?” I growled.

He kept begging for mercy, but I couldn't find it in me to show him any. My rage still burned within me. My father's memory and the betrayal were too raw, and all I wanted was to make him pay. He deserved to die in agony. They all did. My father had been a good man. He’d helped them all get on their feet, start their companies and succeed in whatever way he could, and they had betrayed him not even a few months after he had been buried.

“I don’t…” He choked and sobbed. “I don’t have the money!”

“You took billions of dollars and you don’t have any of it left?” I growled.

“Don’t judge me!” He yelled. “I—“

Charles loosened his hold for a moment. My hand lurched forward and he squeaked just as Charles tightened his hold again.

“Don’t kill me!”

“You’re making it more tempting by he moment, you wasteful piece of trash!’

“I don’t have it, but what about my company?”

I scoffed at his desperate attempt, thinking it would sway me. Charles scoffed and loosened his hold again. He screamed again.

“My farm land!” He cried. “It’s worth way more!”

I stopped. Charles tightened his grip again as I narrowed my eyes at him. My curiosity was piqued. Farmland was something that Wolfe Medical didn’t own, but was necessary for growing the plants needed to synthesize key parts of several drugs.

"Tell me everything about this land," I demanded.

“It’s outside the packlands,” he said. “Neutral territory, near the mountains. It’s not that far a-and I have warehouses there. It’s prime property!”

“What would you know about prime property?” I asked. “If it was so useful then why not use it to make your own company money?”

“I just acquired it,” he said. He grimaced. “With some of the money I took.”

“So, it belongs to Wolfe Medical anyway,” Charles said. “Hardly a bargaining chip.”

He flushed. “It’s still mine!”

“Not if I kill you and report your crimes posthumously,” I said. “What else can you tell me?”

He started to describe the soil, terrain, and everything that made his offer tempting. It was hard to believe him, but I was tempted. As he spoke, I found myself slowly calming down. This land could indeed be a game-changer for the company. It would provide us with the means to continue the development and ultimately save Wolfe Medical from its financial woes.

“What’s growing there now?”

My anger seemed to cool as he told me everything that was growing there, mostly random crops and weeds, but there were trees there that only grew in certain conditions. If he was telling the truth, it was perfect for what I needed it for. It was almost too good to be true. Why wasn’t he doing more with such great farmland if it really was as good as he said? I couldn't just take his word for it.

I couldn’t take any of their words for it.

“That along with your company may be a good dent,” Charles said. “But that’s not going to be enough in the short term.”

Ronald shuddered. “I told you I don’t have the money…”

“You have investments, don’t you?” Charles asked. “Other things you’ve bought with the money?”

He nodded stiffly.

“Good, we’ll need a full list.” He turned back to the rest of the room. “I suggest the rest of you start drafting your own lists. I don’t suppose it will take long for the pack police to arrive once I call, and it’ll be up to you if you leave on your feet or a body bag.”

Charles released his grip on me, and I hesitated. Ronald trembled. I still wanted to kill him. But I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the bigger picture. The company needed this money, needed whatever assets it could get, and exposing this scandal would be catastrophic. As much as it hurt, I had to put my personal feelings aside for the sake of Wolfe Medical. I pushed Ronald back into his seat. The chair creaked and Charles rounded the table.

Charles gave me a warning glance, reminding me to keep my emotions in check. I couldn't shake the rage and hurt that consumed me. I wanted justice for what they had done, but I also knew that there were more pressing matters at hand. The fight to save Wolfe Medical was far from over, and I needed to stay focused on that goal. I slammed a pen and paper in front of him, along with a phone, and growled.

“You’re lucky.”

Ronald shook, glancing down at the objects on the table.

"You have until I can't contain my fury any longer to transfer it all to me and come up with a deal to pay the rest back, Ronald. And it better be good because that isn’t very long.”