She gave Grant a wolfish smile. “Again, why would I tell you these things? You’ve already caught me, why not just ship me off to the Lycan High Council for punishment?”
“We have some of the most sophisticated and top of the line security systems in the world,” Grant began. “Some not even available on the market, and others we developed ourselves. Yet you, a Lone Wolf, broke into our lab, one of the most secure areas in the building. Oh no, Meredith, I’m not sending you to the Lycan High Council. You’re far too valuable, and you’ve seen too much. We’ll have to silence you.”
Her eyes widened. “Wait! You can’t do that! I demand judgment from the High Council! It’s my right!”
“Grant.” Alynna put a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?” She looked at Nick and Alex. “Everyone should hear what I have to say.”
The Alpha nodded, and they all left the interrogation room, making their way to the back room where Jade and Lara had been observing them.
“What is it, Alynna?” Grant asked.
The young woman turned to Jade. “You said she had broken into the lab, right? Did she try to hurt you?”
Jade shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. When we came in and I scented her, she was in the storage room. It sounded like she was rummaging through whatever we had there.”
“And when you discovered her, she tried to run away?”
Lara nodded. “She bolted towards the doors.”
“What if she wasn’t there to hurt anyone?” Alynna asked aloud. “It sounds like she was trying to steal something and she didn’t anticipate Jade and Lara making a sudden appearance at midnight.”
“What are you saying?” Nick’s brow knitted.
“Well, she’s probably not connected to the mages, and she’s not here to hurt anyone. She wasn’t carrying any weapons, just a smartphone and a few tools. I think she was here to steal stuff.”
“She’s still not supposed to be here,” Alex said. “Doesn’t matter if she wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.”
“But we can’t kill her!” Alynna protested. “That’s not right!”
“Kill her?” Grant asked. “We’re not going to kill her!”
“Then why did you tell her she’s seen too much? That she needed to be silenced?”
“I was just trying to gauge her emotions, see if she was willing to talk,” Grant said. “If we send her to the Lycan High Council now, we’ll never know how she broke into our security protocols. I want her interrogated, so we can patch up any holes in our system before the High Council takes her.”
Alynna thought for a moment. “I have a gut feeling, and you know I’m usually never wrong about these things. Let me try to talk to her, please Grant? Just us. At least in the room.”
The Alpha nodded. “All right, see what you can get out of her.”
Alynna left the observation room and went back into the other room with Meredith. She sat on the chair Grant was previously occupying.
“I told you, I want a judgment from the High Council. I demand it, it’s my right.”
“And you’ll have it,” Alynna began. “Still, we have you on footage. You broke into our headquarters, attacked our people-”
“They were attacking me!” Meredith shouted.
“Because you broke into our facilities! Besides, we don’t know what you were up to. You could have been hiding in the dark, waiting to kill Dr. Cross.”
“I swear I wasn’t there to kill her! Only to steal…” Her eyes flashed in anger, but then she slumped back down, realizing she had revealed too much.
“Steal what, Meredith?” Alynna asked. “So quiet all of a sudden? Well, since you’re in the mood to listen, let me tell you what’s going to happen. I have been studying my Lycan history lessons, you see. The High Council will rule in favor of the New York clan. It’ll be your word, the word of a self-confessed thief, against the most powerful clan in the world. Do you think you’re going to go to a cushy Lycan jail? Oh no, we will seek the highest punishment for you. You’ll be taken to the High Security Detention Center in…hmmm…remind me where it is again?”
“Siberia,” Meredith grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Right. Siberia. You’ll probably be there a couple of years, maybe more if we decide to appeal against your parole. I hope you like the cold,” Alynna smirked.
“What’s my alternative?” the other woman barked.
“Oh, who said I’m offering an alternative?”
Meredith jerked forward in surprise. “Then what was that speech for? You want something.”
Alynna laughed. “I suppose you could call it an alternative. But it would depend on you.”
“On me?”
“Yes. It would depend on how much you want to cooperate.”
She slumped back in defeat. “What do you want to know?”
“Are you working for the mages? Or for anyone else?”
Meredith’s eyes narrowed. “What’s a mage? And no, I’m not working for anyone else.”
“Then what were you doing in our lab?”
She paused and took a deep breath. “I wanted to…I was going to steal some corporate secrets and sell them to Fenrir’s competitors.”
Alynna looked genuinely shocked. “Wait…you’re a corporate spy?”
“Er, not exactly…” Meredith bit her lip. “No one hired me, but this is what I do. I steal things and sell them for money.”
“So you really don’t know anything about witches or mages?”
She let out an exasperated tone. “Again, I don’t know what a mage is. Look.” She leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. “I hacked into your system. I found your building and security plans, old ones, but most of them were still good. The office on the 33rd floor was the most secure place in the building. I figured you’d have all the best stuff in here. I was going to steal whatever new tech Fenrir was developing, sell it to the highest bidder, and then retire on a tropical island somewhere.”
“You do know that Grant Anderson, our CEO, is the Alpha of New York, right?”
She shrugged. “He was the richest man in town. I figured he wouldn’t miss a couple of million dollars.”
“How long have you been casing us?”
“About six months. That’s the longest I’ve ever had to wait to do a job, mind you. I didn’t plan on the doctor and the witch being here tonight. In fact, I’d been following them for a couple of weeks now. I know they’re the two people who log in and out of the 33rd floor the most. I followed them to that private air strip and I hacked into the security there to see where they were going. The pilot didn’t log in a return flight, so I figured I would at least have a few days.”
Alynna looked incredulous. “I want everything you have on us. All your computer, cloud files. Everything.”
“Fine, you’ll get it. If I get my deal.”
“Like I said, it depends on your cooperation.”
“What else do you want from me?”
Alynna smiled. “Here’s the deal…”
***
“Alynna, are you insane?” Grant asked.
Lara had never seen the Alpha so agitated, but then again, the circumstances were understandable. After Alynna had given her terms to the Lycan thief, she went back to the observation room. Everyone started talking to her at once, except for Lara and Jade.
“Maybe I am, but c’mon, Grant, it’s brilliant!” Alynna exclaimed.
“Brilliantly insane.” Grant rubbed his face with his hands. “You just asked a Lone Wolf, a corporate thief trying to steal from us, to join our security team!” He looked at Nick. “Tell me this is insane.”
“Actually, Grant,” Nick began. “I think it’s a wise move.”
“You’re agreeing with her?” Grant put up his hands. “You’ve both gone insane.”
“It makes sense, Primul,” Alex said. “Keep your enemies close. It took a lot of work, but she was able to break into Fenrir. Sure, she’ll b
e secure in the Siberia detention center, but think of what she could do for us.”
“And what if it turns out she is working for the mages?” Grant countered.
“I don’t think she is,” Alynna said. “But we’ll take every precaution. She’ll be housed here in Fenrir, in a secure facility, and she’ll wear an ankle bracelet. Her every move will be restricted, and she’ll have to earn our trust. Besides, did you see her kick our guys’ asses? Imagine having her on our side in a fight! She’s a bad ass Lycan who can fight, hack, and steal.”
Grant ran his hands through his hair. “Fine. But I want to take every precaution, and the moment she goes out of line, we’re shipping her to Siberia. I still have to talk to the Council and negotiate terms of her detention.” He looked at his watch. “Dammit, Frankie will be furious if I’m not home soon.”
“Go home and be with your wife,” Alynna said. “I’ll take responsibility for Meredith.”
“Fine. We’ll go over the plan tomorrow.” Grant turned to Alex. “You guys go home soon, I’m sure Mika’s not going to be happy if you’re not there first thing when she wakes up. Nick, let’s go talk to the council.” Both men left, leaving the rest of them in the room.
“You know I’ll always support you, baby doll,” Alex said as he drew his wife into his arms. “But I have to agree with Grant on one thing. This sounds insane.”
Alynna blew out a breath, a tendril of her dark hair flying away from her face. “I just…I have this gut feeling, you know? Like, there’s something about her that’s…that’ll be good for us, for New York. Besides, the clan took me in and I was a complete stranger before that night we met at Blood Moon.”
Alex gave her a nostalgic smile, his amber eyes glowing softly. “That’s different, baby, you’re one of us. You’re meant to be with us.” He frowned. “Meredith…she’s a Lone Wolf, she’s not meant for clan life. She may not want to stay.”
Alynna turned to Lara and Jade. “I hope this is OK with you both. She did break into your lab after all.”
“I don’t think she was there to hurt us, to be honest,” Lara replied. “And when you asked her about the mages, she did sound like she didn’t know what you were talking about.”
“She did break a few experiments,” Jade frowned. “But she didn’t try to hurt us. She was surprised and scared when we discovered her. And she was just trying to get away.”
“See, that’s what I thought. She was probably scared, being caught red-handed. Her first instinct was to flee, not fight.”
Alex’s brow wrinkled. “I hope we don’t regret this.”
Chapter Eleven
Lara didn’t get home until five a.m., and when she finally did arrive at her apartment, she collapsed in her bed. She woke up around eleven a.m., showered, put on her makeup, dressed in a light lavender blouse and khaki skirt, and made her way back to Fenrir. Grant had requested everyone to be back by noon for a lunch meeting in the conference room so they could regroup and figure out what to do next.
By the time she got there, everyone was already there, including one person she did not expect to see so soon.
“Hello, Lara,” Liam greeted, his blue eyes raking over her. He was sitting in one of the chairs around the conference table.
“L-l-liam,” she sputtered. “What are you doing here?
“Liam arrived early this morning,” Alynna explained. “He said with so much urgent business in New York, and with everything happening with the mages, he thought it would be best to keep a close eye on things here.”
“Shouldn’t you be at home, with your clan?” Lara asked, her voice pitching higher than she wanted. Alynna’s smile and her hand lightly patted his, and she tamped down the urge to rip the younger woman’s arm away.
Liam gave her a wolfish smile. “Things at home are well-taken care of. I thought it best to come to New York and stay close to the developments here.”
“Right.” Lara flipped her hair and sat next to Jade, who was staring intently at her laptop screen.
Grant cleared his throat. “Let’s begin, shall we? First, Dr. Cross?”
“I’m working with a few theories,” Jade began. “I need to figure out first how the mages are controlling the humans. Vivianne has sent over a couple of books, and I’ve started reading them.”
“I’ll help,” Lara piped in. “I’ve probably read some of those books at least once.”
“However, I can’t guarantee I’ll find out how they did it,” Jade frowned. “Not unless I can actually see it happening.”
“Of course,” Grant nodded. “Figure out as best you can how it’s being done and then a way to stop or block them. Next,” he turned to Nick, “security. What are we doing on that front?”
Nick leaned forward. “We’ve already alerted all our allies. Jersey and San Francisco of course, Chicago, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and D.C. But until we convince the High Council to make it a concern for all clans, there’s very little else we can do.”
“Frankie, Liam, and I will be taking care of that,” Grant said. “Since we’re the three Alphas affected by the mage attacks, they’ll have to listen to us.”
“I’m concerned about one thing, something I’m sure you’ve thought about,” Liam piped up. “A dozen mages or so, we can fight, but if they’re controlling humans, then that means they have an unlimited supply of people who can fight for them. How many able-bodied Lycans can fight against an army mage-controlled human slaves? Right now I have about 150 in my clan, and I estimate only 40 percent of that are over eighteen and under 50.”
The New York Alpha’s brow furrowed. “What do you suggest?”
“We need to bring in the humans. Not just alliance families, but the bigger human population. Maybe start with a few that can be trusted, some people in the government,” Liam suggested.
“We’ve kept our existence a secret for hundreds of years,” Nick said. “We can’t just come out and tell the rest of the world about Lycans.”
“That’s why we start small. A few influencers here and there. The mages aren’t just attacking us - they’re attacking humans, too. Marshall Aimes was a victim, he deserves justice, and his people should know what they’re up against.”
“It’s a risk,” Alynna added. “But what if there’s a situation where the mages attack in public? Or someone posts a video of a human being controlled by a mage? The last thing we want is to suddenly be outed.”
Grant straightened up in his chair. “Those are all good points. But telling the humans…that’s up to the High Council. Besides, it wouldn’t be just us who would be outed.” His green eyes turned to Lara. “You’d be exposed, too.”
“Then we should plead our case,” Lara suggested. “Us to the Witch Assembly, and you to your Council.”
“Right. We have a meeting with the Council later today and will discuss this. Meanwhile about our new guest. The Council has approved our request, and she’ll be in our custody for ten years…”
Lara didn’t envy the Alphas and all the responsibilities they had on their shoulders. She sneaked a look at Liam, who seemed deep in thought, his blue eyes pensive. A lock of dark hair had fallen over his forehead, and she longed to reach out and smooth it back and make his worries go away. She suddenly felt eyes on her, and Alynna was looking straight at her. A blush crept up her neck and she turned away. She focused on Nick Vrost instead.
“…And Meredith has been fitted with a tracking bracelet to monitor her every move,” Nick continued. “She seems to be cooperating with us so far.”
“Keep an eye on your little project, Alynna. She’s your responsibility,” Grant warned his sister.
“Aye-aye, Alpha.” She gave him a jaunty-fingered salute.
He rolled his eyes. “Right. Now let’s break for lunch and afterwards, Liam and I will get on the call with the Council as soon as Frankie gets here.”
Chapter Twelve
After they had finished eating, everyone except Liam left the conference room. Grant had gone to his ad
min’s desk to get a few things ready for the meeting with the High Council. Liam breathed a sigh of relief, as he wasn’t sure how much longer he could control himself around Lara. She looked lovely that morning, even with her eyes flashing with anger and surprise when she saw him sitting there. Whether Alynna had been deliberately trying to needle the young witch, he wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have even detected a hint of jealousy.
Coming to New York had been an impulse move. His inner wolf scratched and bit at him, unwilling to leave him alone. It was like he sensed that Lara was far away, and he threatened to break out unless he got on the first plane to New York. He caught the red eye, and the moment the wheels of the plane landed in JFK, his wolf calmed and settled.
His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and Frankie Anderson stepping inside the office. The New Jersey Alpha (or was she the New York Lupa? Liam wasn’t sure) smiled as soon as she saw Liam, her mismatched blue and green eyes sparkling.
“Lupa,” he greeted as he stood up from his chair.
“Liam! How nice to see you again!” Frankie greeted as she came up to him and gave him a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming to New York.”
“It was a last minute thing.” He scratched the back of his head and grinned down at her. “I’m sorry for missing your wedding. I had a last-minute meeting in Rio.”
“It was too bad you couldn’t come,” Frankie said as she sat down beside him.
“Yeah, I heard it was exciting,” Liam said with a knowing smile. Alynna had filled him in about the appearance of Grant’s crazy stalker and how his mother thwarted the young woman with a well-placed uppercut.
Frankie let out a laugh. “It certainly was.”
“You are trouble at any event, aren’t you?” Liam teased, making Frankie burst into another peal of laughter.
“Are you flirting with my wife?” Grant asked as he entered the conference room. His faithful admin, Jared, was right behind him. His tone was lighthearted, but Liam could detect just a hint of seriousness.
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