Chapter 17

Charles

"Would you like to stay with me?"

The offer caught me off guard, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. I couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in my chest. Just the thought of leaving my scent in her home, being so close that I would see what she looked like when her guard was completely down made me want to agree. However, I quickly composed myself and met her gaze with a grateful smile.

“That is very kind of you, but… considering the situation, it would feel… complicated.”

Her eyes were molten pools of desire. I didn’t think she realized that she was looking at me as if I could have anything I wanted from her. It made focusing hard. It made being honorable hard. All of my blood was rushing south. If I ended up in her home there was a good chance I was going to lose my mind. The darker side of me wanted to take her up on her officer and seduce her at the first opportunity.

“I-It’s not like that,” she cleared her throat. “It’s a Mooncrest hospitality tradition, something my father used to do for business associates. Hosting the Lycan King would bring good publicity for both of us, especially when it’s time to reveal our plans to the public. Besides, you’ll be in Mooncrest for a long time. While we appreciate the tourism income, it makes no sense for you to stay in a hotel.”

I considered her words, realizing that she was right. It could be a strategic move to solidify our partnership and showcase a united front to the world. It was a dangerous offer for how badly I wanted her, but not one I could refuse.

“Please? I insist.”

With a nod, I agreed, "Alright, I'd be honored to. Thank you for your hospitality."

“Sir?” George asked in my ear.

“Never mind, George. It seems that Alpha Wolfe will be hosting me.” I paused and looked at her. “My assistant, George—“

“Oh, he’s welcome too! There’s plenty of room.”

My lips twitched. “Very well… Pack our things George and check me out. It seems that the Mooncrest hospitality extends to you as well.”

He chuckled. “I feel special.”

He hung up.

Just then, her assistant entered the office with a bundle of documents.

“These are the reports on the new clinics,” she said, setting them on the table between us.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Clinics?” I asked.

Grace nodded. “Wolfe Medical operates clinics all over the city. A few more have been opened recently, but I couldn’t find the reports on them online. I figured I needed to look into them as well.”

My curiosity was piqued, and I took one of them. “What do these clinics do?”

“Give out medications for cheap,” she said. “We employ doctors to accept low-income families. It’s like medical charity.”

I nodded. “How commendable…”

My instincts said that there was something wrong with them before I had even examined the reports she handed me. It was so typical to embezzle money and supplies through a charitable arm of an organization. Grace’s father may have set up a great system for his pack, but it was fraught with opportunity for thieves.

Including the thief I had unknowingly raised. The guilt ate me up. Where had I gone wrong with Devin? It was as if he had not listened or heeded any bit of what I told him growing up about honor or justice. Perhaps I had been too lenient. Perhaps he was always destined to grow up this way. I would never know.

“What do lycans do for hospitals?”

“Come to werewolf hospitals.” I chuckled. “We heal faster than werewolves, so it is unusual for us to end up at a hospital, but it happens occasionally, especially during challenges.”

“What’s that?”

I smiled, charmed that she seemed curious about lycan culture.

“You may find it a bit barbaric. I hear many werewolves do, but lower-ranked lycans can challenge higher-ranking lycans for positions within their packs. It usually involves a fight.”

She frowned. “I thought you had alphas?”

“Ah, the way you all classify yourself is not the same for lycans. You use alpha, beta, etc. to denote a position in your pack. Lycans use the same terms to define dynamics and propensities. Alpha lycans are the most powerful, most adept for combat. Betas are next and so down the line until gammas. Omegas are those with virtually no self-defense mechanisms. Most of them can’t even shift.”

Her jaw dropped. “Ever?”

“Ever.”

“I heard that… shifting for lycans is different too. You don’t have a Moon Calling.”

“We find ourselves more powerful under the moonlight, especially the full moon, but no. We’re able to shift whenever we choose. Werewolves with lycan blood tend to inherit some of those tendencies if the lycan blood is strong enough.”

“What does that mean?”

“If your parents were an alpha and a gamma, you’ll probably end up a delta. Power is closely tied to lineage.”

She hummed. “The more you know… Don’t lycans need special medicines?”

I smiled. “Let’s talk lycan pharmaceuticals once Wolfe Medical is back on top of the werewolf heap?”

She grinned. “Is that part of your ultimate plan?”

I nodded. “My people could benefit from initiatives like this, yes. Though I imagine you will get a great deal of kickback if it is not done carefully.”

She hummed as I returned my gaze to the report in my hand. To my surprise, I found that these clinics were operating at a deficit, despite consuming more materials and resources than the other clinics. This discovery raised a red flag, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. It seemed suspicious that these clinics were draining the company's resources without providing any significant returns.

"Grace, do you know where these clinics are?" I asked, showing her the reports. “Recognized the addresses?”

She looked at them with a furrowed brow, shaking her head. "No, I don’t. This doesn't make any sense. Why would they be operating at a loss when they're using more resources? The money for the sliding scale treatments should be supplemented from somewhere."

“Do you have reports from the other, older clinics?”

She nodded and opened her desk drawer before handing me one. I compared the numbers and the size of the facility. I had a sinking feeling that there might be something more sinister behind this. It was evident that someone within the company was misusing the resources, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"This might be your area of expertise. I don’t understand most of the backup for these clinics.” I turned them around. “However, there’s something off about them aside from the financials. The medications seem specific. Was there a plague outbreak recently?”

“Not that I know of.” She frowned and opened her laptop, murmuring to herself as she looked between the two documents. “Though… there could have been an influx of refugees… Let me check the records.”

“How does this sliding scale work?”

“Inside the pack, the clinic looks up a person’s income and grants them subsidies from the endowment to pay for medication…” She clicked around on her laptop and checked the documents over. “A deficit would mean that the payments weren’t being made or that the operation costs increased for some reason…”

I looked through another report trying to make sense of some of the backup records. There were patient IDs and doctor names. Then, I opened my laptop to search for the address of this clinic.

“That’s strange. These were all set up right, but the patient records aren’t complete…” She frowned. “The supplies logs aren’t matching up either.”

“Can you find anything?”

“Well, there are patient records, but there are discrepancies. Like the IDs are repeated, but the information inside isn’t right.”

“What sort?”

“Well, someone being treated for arthritis wouldn’t suddenly need a huge increase in vitamin potions, for one. A ten-year-old wouldn’t need an ailing adult’s amount of painkillers.” She huffed. “Maybe it’s just a system glitch. Some of these people aren’t even in the pack database…”

“It’s not,” I said, turning my laptop toward her. “Look at this location.”

She frowned at the screen, and I set the papers aside with a sigh.

“That’s… an old dance club. It’s been turned into a gym.”

“These clinics were either set up by Devin or the members of the board to cover up the loss of product…”

“But what would they do with pain and vitamin potions?”

“Sell them.”

She blinked, and I chuckled at how innocent she was.

“There is a black market for just about anything, Grace. Wolfe Medical is the leading pharmaceutical company, bar none. Anything coming out of your factory would fetch a high price, and what better way to get it than straight from the source?”

He huffed. "Someone within the company, most likely Devin, was selling the medicine elsewhere and keeping the funds for themselves through the charitable arm of Wolfe Medical.”