Chapter 180
Grace
My fingers drummed as I considered not answering it. I didn’t recognize the number. It didn’t even look like a number that I had ever seen. Amira started typing and glanced at it. She frowned.
“It’s a Clan call.”
Weird. How’d she know that? I answered it.
“Hey, love.” I smiled at Charles’ voice. “Sorry. My States phone died. I wasn’t entirely sure that this call would work.”
“I’m glad it did,” I said and sighed. “I’m so tired.”
“Ruling the world is hard,” he said, his voice crackling through the receiver, a teasing lilt playing at the edges. "What happened now?”
"I got a ridiculous proposition, put an alpha in his place, and may have made some progress in figuring out this political stuff… But I’m exhausted.”
He chuckled. “Proposition, huh?”
“Marriage.” He went silent. “As an alliance with a pack that isn’t even half as well-known as Mooncrest.”
“… Ironfang Ridge?”
I blinked. It struck me as odd that Charles would know about such a small pack unless he went there for… entertainment.
I frowned. “How did you know?”
He chuckled. “A lot of my job is knowing more about the States than the President does. I’m surprised. You’re not really his type. It was Gareth Fox, right?”
I flushed. “Is that why he was looking at me like that?”
“Probably trying to figure out if he could convince you to dye your hair red.” He laughed.
“You know him personally?”
He snorted. “Sort of. He’s… Not quite a lackey, but he’s definitely in someone's back pocket. He was at a dinner at the Red House. Did you piss him off?”
“Eason cheered, so I don’t think so. I did make him rethink his allegiances.”
“Good, you could get a lot of information out of him. I’m glad it went well.”
“Me too."
Now that I thought about it, hadn’t I smelled that apple and woodsmoke scent before? I searched my mind for where I had smelled it. It had been so long, but not so long that it could have been from my father. If Gareth was as much of a womanizer as I figured him to be, it definitely wasn’t from Eason. I opened the file. Ironfang Ridge was a resort. Most of the report talked about the high number of women in the territory and how much traffic they had in and out of the territory. It was small. There was no way that it would ever be eligible for a Senate spot based on where it was. The mountains that surrounded it were basically unliveable, but the valley in which Ironfang Ridge was had enough resources to sustain the population.
The mostly female population. They imported most of their goods aside from what little they farmed. To be fair, it looked like Gareth was a decent alpha. I tapped my fingers on the pages. There was something about the records that was off. I pulled up a map on my phone and set my jaw.
I realized then what it was. Devin had come back from somewhere smelling like that while we were married.
Business, he’d said.
I smirked, feeling a little vindictive. At least I wasn’t the only one who had been cheated on. I chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just a revelation. Karma really is a thing. What are you up to?”
He sighed. “A lot. I, too, have a bit of a proposition. More business than pleasure.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not sure if I like where this is going.”
He laughed. “I promise that pleasure is still on the table… Things are complicated. I need… maybe an hour of your time, professionally. You, Eason, and Esme.”
I frowned. “Why all three of this? What’s going on?”
He hesitated, then sighed. "Let's just say… I'm about to ask for a favor. A big one. And I haven't even figured out the full scope of it yet. But I know I'll need all three of you. Seraphina and Margaret, too, probably.”
I frowned. The vulnerability in his voice tugged at my heart. If he needed me, Margaret, and Seraphina, it probably had something to do with Wolfe Medical, but what about Eason and Esme? Magic? Did it have something to do with the vampires?
It had to be that, but I had no confidence in being able to make anything for a vampire. Given Astarte’s connection to Charles and her connection to vampires, I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to. I winced at the pang of jealousy that swept through me as I remembered her sultry tone.
Charles had said it was just a matter of vampire culture, but still. I groaned.
“What?”
“I’m…My brain is being… difficult.”
He chuckled. “It’s good that you recognize that. If you want to talk about it, we can.”
“Later." I sighed. “After a stiff drink and maybe some time to sort it all out in my head. I’ll have Amira find a spot, but maybe we’ll just schedule it at home.”
“Thanks.”
“Just promise me one thing?"
"Anything, love," he breathed, relief lacing his voice.
"Be back tonight," I demanded, a playful edge to my tone. "I could really use… you after dealing with Gareth.”
His laughter filled my ear, warm and reassuring. "I promise.”
I bit my lip. “Wait, really? I was just—”
“I promised to tell you if I could make it back, didn’t I? That was part of the call. I’ve got a bunch of records to go through, but it’ll be fine.”
I bit my lip. “Anyone hurt?”
“Not yet.”
“Yet?” I asked, my eyes bulging.
“Well, I have to get there first.”
“But how can you know that you’ll be able to come back if—”
“Grace,” he said softly. “Calm down. It's fine. I'm sure I'll make it back.”
"But how can you be—" I bit my lip. “This is one of those moments I’m supposed to just trust you, right?”
“Right.” He chuckled. “At least until I have more time to explain the intricacies… I have to get you ready for the throne and all.”
My face heated. I bit my lip. My heart shook at the thought. I wasn’t sure if I wanted any of what he was saying, even as my mind ran with the fantasy—crown and all.
“Your silence feels far too heavy. What’s on your mind?”
“Just… wondering if I could pull off a puffy dress.”
He snorted. “I would never put you in a puffy dress. I live in a castle, not the Middle Ages.” I laughed. “Thanks… While I have you on the phone, could I ask you about the Lycan registration system?”
“… sure.”
“Do you not have one?”
“Of course, we have a system. It’s just odd to hear it called that.”
I frowned. “Well, what do you call it?”
“Citizen records.”
I scoffed as he laughed. “Fine. Citizen records. That’s the only way you manage the people in your territory?”
“It’s the only system we need. It’s linked to the witch information network and has crosswalks with the vampire and human record systems. If I’m not wrong, I think it’s closer to Mooncrest’s system than the States general system.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’ll make it easier for you when the Zaibatsu pushes for a unified system for identification.”
I frowned. “What would that even look like? Why would they want something like that?”
“The argument is that individual governments like the States, and even the Packs within the States have too much control over the citizens and their information.”
My heart lurched. “It… would keep what happened to Eason from happening again because he’d have a permanent record separate from the States.”
“Correct… Not to twist that particular knife.”
“No,” I shook my head. “It’s a good idea. What’s the pushback?”
“Power, of course,” he said. “If Sean gives into that easily, then the pathways of information will be more open, not to mention the ease of people leaving the States.”
“What do you mean?”
“A person leaving the States would have to jump through a lot of hoops to get residency in another territory without some sort of external records.”
I winced. “Like… school records.”
“Yes… I seem to be twisting that knife more and more.”
“No,” I huffed. “I don’t think I can bleed anymore from that particular wound, and besides, I asked. “
I sighed. “Well, how do the lycan records work? You have a giant computer somewhere that holds everything? Amira says we have a magical record system, but I was hoping to get a sense of if I could expand it. Since you’ve mentioned the Zaibatsu, I’m thinking I should look into expanding it.”
He cleared his throat. “We… have a magical system.”
I frowned at the tension in his voice. It wasn’t like him to keep quiet like this.
“What is it?”
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "The system, its infrastructure, the way it tracks everyone in the Clans… it was all designed by the Noir Coven."
