Page 22 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

“I want reports from all members of the Council.” His voice wasn’t raised, but the quiet strength in it and his deliberate movements commanded respect that resonated through the crowd like a drum. “All council members are to convene in the chamber in ten minutes to issue their individual reports to me.”

The whole council, that meant me and the ten members of elders. I shared a moment of understanding with Mark, our serious gaze locking. The tension between us thickened. This was what we’d spent countless days and sleepless nights drafting documents for and the reason we’d investigated every crumb of evidence about Sam’s embezzlement. I was finally about to share everything with my father, the truth I’d unearthed.

My pulse spiked with anticipation. I’d present the information to him once I’d given my initial report. I only had ten minutes, after all. Tension settled on my shoulders as I strode out of the training ring. I had just enough time to wash my face and drinksome water. As I approached the Council Chamber, I knew I was stepping into the true battleground now.

The elders clustered in the corridor, each forming their own group. Fragmented whispers and mutterings interrupted the heavy expectations.

I felt hot and disheveled in my training gear, but there wasn’t time to go and get changed. My father wasn’t a man who liked to be kept waiting. Besides, I had important things to discuss. I was determined to present my reforms to him before any of the stuffy traditionalists could gripe about them. My heart drummed as I thought of the other matter I had to discuss: Elder Sam’s crimes.

As anticipated, as the Alpha heir, I was called into the council hall first. Reginald sat at the center of the High Table. He’d donned one of the rune-marked tunics, the gilt markings decorating the cuffs and collar, and a pair of slacks and dress shoes. His Beta, Charlie, sat beside him, similarly dressed.

I came to stand before them at the High Table. No seat was put out for me, making this feel more intimidating than I thought it would.

My father’s glacial blue eyes drank me in. His short black hair was like mine but peppered with gray.

“Kyle,” he greeted me. “How is Mark working out for you? Are you all caught up on things?” His casual tone caught me off guard.

He spoke as if I’d just returned yesterday, while I had actually been back two months now. The urgency to show him my grasp of pack matters swelled through me.

“Mark’s been great at catching me up,” I said, forcing a steadiness into my voice. “After the first couple of weeks, I was caught up on pack processes. Since then, I’ve done my own investigations into pack matters and unearthed some uncomfortable inconsistencies.” I drew my hands behind my back to ground myself.

His eyes chipped away at me. “Oh?”

“It’s come to my attention that Elder Sam has been reducing the Blood Moon Pack’s rations and pocketing the deficit from council funds. He’s also been selling herbs from the infirmary for profit.” The seriousness of what I was accusing Sam of filled the council chamber, and I hurried to say, “I have documented evidence of his embezzlement. Figures that prove what he’s been doing.”

My father’s brow furrowed, and he steepled his hands on the table. “I am aware of these proceedings, Kyle. In fact, I instructed Sam to do these things.”

My breath hitched, feeling far more winded than any of the hits Mark had managed to land in the training ring. I blinked in shock. I’d thought that Sam’s embezzlement would rock the foundation of the hierarchy. The ten council elders were an essential part of our pack’s successful running. The pack’s trust was its foundation, and I’d been prepared to try to keep things quiet, to do damage control so that this crime didn’t bring our pack crashing down. But what I hadn’t been prepared for was for this to be old news. Or, no news at all.

“What do you mean? Why would you order such a thing?” I demanded.

A shadow fell over my father’s face, and I sensed that he wasn’t used to being spoken to. After a moment, he said deliberatively, “I’ve been funneling those funds into hunting the escaped Blood Moons.”

His words seemed to strike me in my chest, and I felt as if I’d been sent sprawling. My breath escaped me. Despite standing still, the disorientation made my head spin. The funds Sam had been embezzling were actually being used to hunt down the escaped Blood Moons.

Cold, cruel comprehension sank through me. I’d thought my father was being hoodwinked by one of his elders while he’d been absent from the pack. But he was well-informed about its affairs, unlike me. Jealousy tore through me. He’d trusted Sam more than me, more than his own son. Hollowness beat through me as my throat tightened.

I had been away for years, largely out of touch with pack business, and now I understood that he’d turned elsewhere for help. Guilt sank its claws into me, and anger and shame fought for space within me.

My father’s stoic gaze pierced me, and I watched him take charge. “Kyle, let’s clear this up. I want you and Sam to be on good terms. I’ll call Sam in now so we can have this out between the two of you.”

With his words, I braced myself as the silver-haired, impeccably dressed Sam joined us. He wore the air of confidence reflected in his weathered face. He looked calm, a different man than I had faced when emotions had spurred him on during our last council meeting.

As I stood there, our roles felt reversed. I was sweaty and grimy from training and uncertain with doubts and my stung pride.

As expected, Sam proceeded to report my efforts to improve the Blood Moons’ conditions. “The largest change, Alpha, since you were last here is undoubtedly Kyle’s changes to the Blood Moon pack’s rations and implementing health care for them. He’s allocated significant expenditure to their wellbeing.”

My father’s expression darkened. The lines on his face become more pronounced. “Kyle, I thought I made it clear that you were to be guided by Sam in my absence. Now I return to find you giving clemency to the very enemy I’m expending my energy and time hunting down.”

“My reforms were motivated by cost, father,” I justified. “I have all the data that shows giving the Blood Moons proper rations and health care is better forourbottom line in the long run. That was my reasoning for implementing these improvements.”

My father’s expression lost its stony look as he reluctantly accepted my reasoning. Yet, his tension lingered in his tight shoulders. “Let’s get one thing clear. The slavery system will not be abolished,” he affirmed, his voice clipped. “The Blood Moons must atone for their sins.” His biting stare flashed with the thirst for vengeance. It was the thirst that had driven me toward reform. As I looked at my father, I wondered if he'd finally be cleansed of this when he found the runaway Blood Moons. Disappointment twisted through me as I thought of all the reforms I’d been drawing up to bring to him. I knew how much my mother would have wanted them. Yet all of her desires had been distorted by my father’s vengeance.

“Which brings me to our next order of business,” Reginald said. “While we were hunting, once again, the Blood Moons were one step ahead of us. It was as if they’d been informed of our movements in advance.”

My heart hammered in my chest. “You think there’s a spy?” I asked, cottoning on.

Charlie, my father’s Beta, nodded. “It’s the only thing that adds up. We were this close,” he explained, holding up his thumb and forefinger, “a couple of days ago to closing in on them, and then they were gone. They had word from someone of where we’d be. Nothing else makes sense.”

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