Chapter 172

Grace

"Hey, you," My heart leaped, and I practically melted into my seat. Charles' deep voice washed over me, easing a tension I hadn't realized was there. "Sorry for cutting out so early this morning, but you looked like you needed the extra sleep."

"Hey..." I shook my head. "I did... Apparently, Gabriel didn't sleep at all."

He snorted. "His loss. The Enforcers sent over a preliminary report. No issues with delivery. The medical personnel you sent over were a bit overwhelmed, and they ran out of supplies within a few hours."

My shoulders slumped a little, and a little sigh escaped me. "I thought it was bad, but I had no idea it was that bad...."

"Are you planning to send more?"

I bit my lip, glancing at the financial report. It would have been better for Wolfe Medical if all of it could remain on the shelves to be sold. We needed the money, and there was the matter of the pack's needs to consider.

"I don't know yet."

"I'll tell them to stand by for further orders," Charles said.

I sighed. "I'm really starting to think we need a loan."

Charles laughed. "I'm sure we could work it out, one way or another. Let me know what you want to do on that front... I could call in a favor if you just need supplies to synthesize or extra hands?"

I winced. "You'll send me a bunch of witches, and I'll feel bad asking them to make basic remedies they probably have much better versions of already memorized."

He chuckled. "Or I could send you some bright-eyed healing apprentices who just so happen to need some lab hours and wouldn't mind the travel?"

I blinked. "You... have those?"

Charles scoffed. "We're really going to have to work on your understanding of Lycan culture."

I winced. "Was that an offensive question?"

"No, but only because I know you don't know," he chuckled. "Your surprise at things that seem so obvious to me is adorable."

"If you have... these mystical apprentices to spare, and all I have to do is sign off on their lab hours, I'll take them."

Charles chuckled. "Noted. How many?"

I looked down at the pages. "Honestly, how many can be spared? My production floor is... threadbare, to say the least."

Though, now that I thought about it, there had to be some werewolf pharmaceutical students that would jump at the chance to come work for Wolfe Medical... The problem would be if they could be trusted not to be out to sabotage us.

"I can hear your brain's cogs grinding. What is it?"

"How... do you ensure that people aren't going to betray you? Sabotage you?"

"Magical NDA and Compliance," he said. "It's at least guaranteed to make them do what you're hiring them to do, whether they like it or not."

I blinked. "Is that legal?"

He chuckled. "In the Clans? It's a requirement for most work. In the States... It's not illegal, but the way I understand it, it's pretty frowned upon."

I sighed. "I don't want this to turn into a that lycan-loving wench moment. I think I've had enough of those to last a lifetime."

He laughed. "That one may be hard to avoid, but I'd ask Eason how best to spin that and consider whether it will even matter. Wolfe Medical is still the premier medical company in the States. If they have a problem with you safeguarding your secrets, especially given everything going on, then it'd be best not to hire them anyway."

I nodded. "Fair.... I realize that I don't even know if any of them will be available."

"Summer program?" He asked. "With the longevity drug coming down the pipeline, won't you need more hands?"

I nodded. "That's... That's fair."

I took a note and smiled. "You're the best sounding board."

"I try. Just don't ask me about synthesizing a damn thing. I was pretty bad at potion-making."

I laughed, imagining it. "That bad?"

"I passed, but I still think it's because of the written portion of it." He chuckled. "How are things otherwise?"

"Better. I think there's some hope to recover all the deleted citizenship records if we can find some orphaned transactions in the books as a workaround."

"Well, knowing Devin, it's probably the best place to start. He was never very good at considering the whole picture."

"Seems like he thought of plenty of the picture." At least more than I had.

"You're spiraling. Stop it."

I groaned. "Fine. I... have another question about the trusts that were set up for us. I reached out to the lawyer, but he hasn't gotten back to me. Eason said he paid for his Northfall access directly and that he's more on a break or something rather than being dropped altogether. Do you think--I mean, any advice on how to go about finding out what happened to it? It didn't come up in any of the records before..."

Charles hummed. "I had never considered that there might be more to charge Devin with, but I'll look into the Lycan Clan records since you're waiting on the pack lawyer."

My stomach did a nervous flip. "Why?"

"He wasn't born in the States. It's tradition, more or less, to set one up where the child was born and where the parents are from... Come to think of it, there may be one in the Clans for you, too. I don't know how big it would have been here, but there's a chance."

"I... have no idea where Eason was born." He could have been born in a witch hospital, for all I know.

"That's not a problem. I'll look into it. It shouldn't take long."

A spark of hope ignited in my chest. If there was even a glimmer of a chance that the funds were untouched, I'd breathe easier. Eason could maybe go back to Northfall sooner rather than later.

"... You think he's been saving up the funds to go back," Charles' voice was warm and understanding. "Grace..."

"It's my fault he even had to worry about it in the first place. If... If there's even a chance. If there's anything at all, I want to do what I can to make it right."

Charles sighed. "I understand. I'll get back to you as soon as possible, just... promise me you won't dwell on this, alright?"

"I'll try."

I hung up and felt maybe the tiniest chip break away from the mountain of guilt in me. Please. The moon, the stars, the earth, and whatever else, please... Please just let it be that he didn't know how to access it and that his records being messed up was the only issue.

It was one thing that Devin took my trust fund. I'd given him the keys to my life, but for him to have taken Eason's, too, on top of ruining his career path because of me, would be too much.

Then, the door opened. My heart hammered against my ribs as Esme glided into the office, serene as a mountain lake, eyes flashing and grinning at me.

"How'd you get back here so face?"

She laughed. "I'm a witch, darling."

I suppose that was supposed to be the answer. I ran with it.

"Right… Well, what's up?"

She blinked and checked her watch. "I believe we have a meeting, dear."

My eyes bulged. I went to my calendar and groaned. "I'm so sorry. I... I completely forgot. The books are--"

The stack that I hadn't completely gotten through appeared on the table. I blinked.

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Nifty, isn't it? Don't worry, dear. I'm not an unforgiving taskmaster. You've been working hard. Quick test, hm? Ready?"

I swallowed. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Don't look so nervous," she said. "Just tell me what you understand so far. Best start with something less stressful than your case for now, hm?"

I thought I understood, but I wasn't sure. So, I started with my education plan to incorporate the arts, get better technology, and broaden everyone's general understanding of the world now that I knew that the States had what seemed to be a gag order on everything outside the States.

She hummed, taking notes. "You'll have to find good teachers and deal with their visas. It'll be tricky to entice good professors to come to Mooncrest, so start thinking about how to make it appealing. A higher salary in State currency isn't going to help, by the way."

I winced. "We have a completely separate currency?"

She nodded. "Remind me to add Economics to your crash course in the world… Or I could hand it over to His Majesty, I guess."

I had a list, but now, I wasn't so sure.

"Your subpoena?"

Now that we had talked, I grinned.

"I think I have a shot at making the States pay me and Wolfe MEdical for the damages related to Blood Moon."

Her eyes flashed. "You've understood more than you thought."

"Could I retroactively do it for my father's time as alpha?" I passed. "And Duncan as a formal ally?"

She beamed and pulled out a stack of paperwork. "Well done. I look forward to seeing what else you—"

The door burst open, and Eason came floating in with a wide, beaming smile that I knew meant he had something to share.

"Grace, you are not going to believe this!"