Chapter 179

Grace

He flushed as I stood. The nerve of this asshole.

“I believe we’re done with this conversation. Unless you’d like to talk about purchasing medical supplies for your… pack’s endeavors? Though, I suspect we already supply you.”

His amber eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance flitting across his face. "You don’t really think you have a chance of fulfilling this ridiculous bargain without help, do you?” He asked, his voice smooth as polished silver. "Together, our packs could be--"

"Bigger, richer, more influential," I asked, my voice drawing the words out. "Isn't that always the end goal, Alpha? More territory, more resources, more pawns to play with."

I turned. “That’s the thing, Gareth.”

He flinched.

“I can get all of those things without tying myself or my pack to you.”

He sneered. "With all due respect, Miss—”

“It’s Alpha Wolfe," I said. “And if you’d like to leave my territory with all of your faculties, I’d suggest you never address me so informally again.” I glanced at the envelope. “You can take your offer and proposition some female alpha who needs your help.”

His jaw clenched, but he forced a smile. "A noble endeavor, no doubt. However, I urge you to reconsider. Circumstances… tend to change. And one never knows what the future holds, especially with your standing with the States."

He knew something about my case. Looks like I was right that there was something going on with it. His gaze lingered for a moment longer on the other, thicker file in my hand. Eason said it was about Duncan and a few other things. What did Gareth think was in my hand? The drug? Notes on the case or something else? How much did Gareth know? I almost wanted to ask, but that would give the whole game away.

“Circumstances may change,” I said as the phone in my hand started to ring. “But never so much that I would consider you as a viable option."

"You know—"

"Based on this tiny file I have on you, our industries are completely unrelated, and while you have favor with the Senate, you're little more than a pawn—a supplier for their whims. They don't respect you."

He flushed.

"If I had any inclination to go that route, I’d be better off marrying Alpha Black of Silver Eclipse.”

He flinched. I read in the file that he had some personal issues with Gabriel. Seems like that was accurate. Eason hissed.

“Go for the balls, Grace," Eason said.

"And if you had any sense, you'd be more interested in actually joining forces with me than playing at it for whatever they're paying you."

His eyes widened. Eason cheered. I tilted my head.

"So much of this challenge is about not repeating the mistakes of the past five years. You should think about it… It would certainly make it easy to keep running your business if you didn't have to give them so much of a discount, wouldn't it?"

Eason cheered. "That's good. Leave him seething. Time for the kill strike. Tap the screen. Another screen will appear and answer via video.”

I opened it and did as he asked. It was so odd operating a magical phone, but George appeared, dressed formally in what looked like a royal office.

“Alpha Wolfe, so glad you had time.”

I heard Gareth gasp.

“The pleasure is all mine,” I turned back to Gareth. “I’m sure you can see yourself out.”

I headed out and heard Eason clapping in my ear before I headed down the hallway. I signaled Amira. She nodded with a grin, and I slipped into my office.

George chuckled. “Do I get to know why I had to get dressed up for this?”

“Eason’s machinations,” I said.

“Is he in your ear?” I nodded. “Hang up with him. He’s supposed to be resting.”

Eason huffed. “I’m going.”

The call disconnected, and I pulled the earbud out of my ear. I sank down onto the couch.

“He said it was about Ethan and Duncan?”

He nodded. “Ethan will be ready to be released soon. Charles is leaving it up to you what to do with him.”

I hummed. “Is he… useful in any way?”

“He has an inner knowledge of the WSU,” he hummed. “He’s got some combat knowledge and affinity. Apparently, he was trained to use his magic in that manner.”

“Does my brother need another bodyguard?”

He blinked. “Another?”

“Besides you? Another caretaker? Honestly, if it would pay back any of the pain I’ve caused, I’d order to be Eason’s boy toy for as long as he wants him.”

George chuckled. “You hold no ill will towards him.”

I blew out. “Maybe a little, but…he’s just as much of a victim—no, more of a victim than I am.”

“How do you figure that?”

I stared at the ceiling. “His father… gave him no choice. Took away that choice. I had all the choices in the world, and had I made different ones… He and Eason would have never gone through… at least a large portion of what they did.” I sighed. “Maybe it was always meant to happen, but it didn’t have to happen the way it did.”

I groaned. “That sounds like I’m wishing it all on someone else, but that’s not—”

“I understand what you mean,” he said. “… I’ll make arrangements for him to be brought to Mooncrest. At least… if he’s there watching out for Eason, he can’t complain about not being able to go to the grocery store himself.”

I eyed him. “Are you bothered?”

He smirked. “By the prospect of having two younger lovers? Absolutely not.”

My jaw dropped, and I sat up. “But Eason said—”

“Eason, while raring to go, is in no physical or magical state to have what he wants from me.” His lips quirked into a smile. “I’m told that Esme’s working on that for both our sakes, but Ethan… should be good for him. Hell, it might speed things along. I’m sick of watching Charles skip around with a fucking sex glow.”

I snickered. “Charles does not skip.”

“No, but you do, and it’s sickening,” he chuckled. “About Duncan. Have you made a decision about what other aid you may be able to spare?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t had the chance.”

“His Majesty offers the option to have the Clans send aid on your behalf. We can’t send medicine, as that would be too obvious, but food? Able bodies?”

I bit my lip. “As long as it won’t cut into the price of this favor he might ask of me.”

He laughed. “I’m sure you two can work that out.”

We hung up, and I sighed. Amira came into my office.

“Is he gone?” I asked.

“Stomped out of here like a puffed-up squirrel.”

I snickered. “What an image. Thanks.”“I’m not sure who taught him that pseudo-blackmail was romantic, but they should be fired.” I laughed as she hummed. “It was probably whoever sold him that coat.”

She came around the side of the couch with her laptop and a stack of files.

“Now that the peacock is gone—”

“He can’t be a squirrel and a peacock.”

“A squirrel-cock.”

I laughed again.

“My darling Daniel, who is a tech guru, magical and not, helped me go looking for those files. Did you know that Mooncrest’s files are linked to a magical archive?

My eyes bulged, and I sat up. “What?”

She beamed. “When you granted me beta-level access, Daniel managed to get me in, and I started looking. There are a shit ton of files that were wiped from the active records around the time Devin took over.”

“Eason’s records?”

She nodded. “But also Cecil and Richard’s records and your marriage record.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Daniel says that he was trying to cover his bases so that it would be hard for you to prove you were married. On the day of the divorce, he deleted his own citizenship record in Mooncrest, but I’m recovering them. It’s slow because there are a lot of connections that have to be restored, but I think I’m… fifty-percent through.”

She turned her laptop, and I watched things scroll and reappear. Lines moved and rearranged, and names appeared.

“If he was never married to me… I guess it would make it hard for me to do anything against him when it all crashed down.”

Like, go after that trust fund that he apparently already blew through.

“When everything’s reinstated, let me know, and see if you can get contact information on all the other people who were erased.”

If I could find them, wherever they were, I could probably add their grievances to my case pending in Charles’ court. The Mooncrest challenge circle warmed around my wrist. I bit my lip, running my hand over it. This felt right. I was going in the right direction. What was next?

I thought about it before it dawned on me.

“Find some time in my schedule for a press conference of a sort. I want to talk to them, including Eason, about how to help them wherever they are and get them back on track with what they were doing before they were deleted… Maybe even get them to return to Mooncrest formally.”

Her eyes glossed over, and she nodded. “You’ve got it.”

Then, my actual phone started to ring. I glanced at it, wondering who could be calling me now.